The Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, a partnership between JDRF, Diabetes UK and Steve Morgan Foundation, is funding six new research projects, worth over £2.7m, focused on developing next-generation insulins, also known as novel insulins.
This vital funding will accelerate the development of insulins that more closely mimic how a healthy pancreas works. The research, to be conducted at universities in the United States, Australia, and China, aims to design insulins that act faster and more precisely, relieving some of the burden of managing Type 1 diabetes and reducing the risk of long-term complications.
Blood glucose levels are affected by many factors including food intake, exercise, stress, other hormones, and even the weather. This complexity means that even with the most advanced technology available, many people with Type 1 diabetes fluctuate between high and low glucose levels. Four of the newly funded projects involve scientists creating and testing novel insulin formulations that can respond to changing blood glucose levels. Known as glucose responsive insulins (GRIs), these only become active when there is a certain amount of glucose in the blood to prevent hyperglycaemia and become inactive again when levels drop below a certain point, avoiding hypoglycaemia.
Researchers running the fifth research project are developing a new ultrafast, short-acting insulin, which is needed to improve the function of insulin pumps and hybrid closed loop technology. The final research project is focused on designing a protein that combines insulin with another hormone, glucagon, which stimulates the liver to release more glucose when levels in the blood run low. Having both hormones included in one formulation could keep blood glucose levels stable by working to prevent high and low blood glucose levels.
To find out more, CLICK HERE.
