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Studies conducted on laboratory rats have shown promise for a new type of insulin pill that could help millions of diabetics avoid daily injections, researchers said Monday.
Much more work is needed before the pill, designed by researchers at Harvard University, can be tested on people or possibly made available on a large scale.
Until now, the main challenge in developing an insulin pill has been to find a way to preserve the insulin protein once it meets the # 1 protein. 39, gastric acid.
The experimental pill described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences transports insulin into a liquid, enclosed in a coating that resists the breakdown of acid in the stomach.
The polymer coating dissolves when it reaches the alkaline environment of the small intestine, allowing the insulin carrying a liquid to be released.
"Once ingested, insulin must navigate a difficult obstacle course before it can be effectively absorbed into the bloodstream," said lead author Samir Mitragotri, a professor of psychiatry. bioengineering at Harvard.
"Our approach is like a knife from the Swiss army, where a pill has tools to meet each of the obstacles encountered."
The new pill is "easy to make and can be stored for up to two months at room temperature without breaking down," according to the study.
The researchers have not said how long it could take before human trials can take place, but it will probably take years.
More animal studies are needed, as well as more research on the potential toxic effects of long-term use.
Some 40 million people worldwide suffer from type 1 diabetes, a condition that requires daily injections of insulin, which their bodies can not produce alone.
According to Mark Prausnitz, president of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the search for an oral insulin delivery system was seen as the "Holy Grail" in diabetes research.
"This study shows remarkable results where insulin administered orally in combination with an ionic fluid works as well as a conventional injection," said Prausnitz, who has not been involved in the research.
"The implications of this work for medicine could be enormous if the results can be translated into pills that safely and effectively administer insulin and other peptide drugs to humans."
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