Diabetes has become increasingly common over the years, with India being home to nearly 77 million diabetics as of Nov 2019. Insulin, the hormone which regulates sugar metabolism, is either not produced enough (type-1 diabetes) or the body is not able to efficiently use the insulin produced (type-2 diabetes).
Till date, diabetics had to consume oral medicines or take insulin injections, a couple of times a day, to keep their blood-sugar at healthy levels. The injection is given either through a needle using a pen-like device, or through an insulation pump. The latter is a mobile-phone sized device that is worn on the body, with a tube and a tiny needle at the end, called canula, delivering the insulin dosage required. The obvious drawback from this approach is the painful pin-prick, a couple of times a day, every day of the patient’s life.
A more significant drawback of the pen and pump methods are that if the insulin dosage is not properly regulated, the patient is at the risk of Hypoglycemia, where-in, the blood-sugar level drops drastically. This can be dangerous as it leads to various complications, including death.
Over the years, research has been ongoing in different parts of the world, on wearable skin-patches that deliver precise amounts of insulin as per the person’s blood- sugar levels, in real-time. The inspiration for this could have come from skin-patches that are being used to deliver medication for different ailments.
At the time of writing this article, there are over a dozen different patches from different pharma manufacturers, or Healthcare research institutions, in various stages of acceptance. Some are undergoing clinical trials, some are prescribed to specific categories of patients, and some are undergoing rework. Some are restricted to monitoring the glucose level only after which a physician or the patient can inject the insulin accordingly, while some monitor as well as dispense insulin.
What differentiates one patch from another is the way they sense glucose levels in the body, the frequency at which they do this and the mechanism used to dispense insulin doses.
For the purpose of this article, we will focus on only one of them which is showing a lot of promise, and interest from physicians worldwide.
Around 2015, bio-engineers in UCLA, UNC and MIT, which are top Universities in the US, released a Smart Insulin Patch. Their efforts were spearheaded by Dr. Zhen Gu, Professor of Bioengineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. The FDA-approved product consists of a coin-sized silicon strip fitted with hundreds of microneedles on the underside. These microneedles are made of a glucose-sensing polymer and covered with insulin. These needles penetrate just a millimeter below the surface of the skin, which is enough to deliver insulin. This way, there are no painful pricks. The needles are constantly monitoring glucose levels in the blood. As and when the glucose levels shoot up beyond a certain threshold value, the polymer is triggered to release insulin.
These patches have been successfully tested on mice in laboratories. Two groups of mice, one of which were given insulin shot and another which were administered this patch were studied. The group with insulin shots showed glucose levels coming under control initially and then shooting up again, which is what happens today even with human patients who take insulin shots. In contrast, the second group of mice which were administered this patch showed steady glucose levels even after several hours. Subsequent tests done on human beings were also successful, which means, very soon, diabetics around the world in large numbers can start using these patches.
These patches are recommended for patients of Type-1 diabetes and advanced type-2 diabetes who need to regularly take insulin shots, every day and more than once a day. The painful pin-pricks can be avoided with these patches and further, there is no danger of blood-sugar levels dipping dangerously low which is a risk with insulin shots today.
However, please note they should be used under prescription only. Only if a diabetologist or general physician who has been monitoring the person’s diabetes condition from day1 prescribes this patch, should he/she use them. Also, not all Insurance companies cover the patch under their policy. So use of this patch should be based on expert advice only.
The Smart Insulin Patch is in advanced stage of clinical trials. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US is expected to give an approval in early 2022. Once FDA-approved, the patch should be available on e-shoppes like Amazon. Alternately, one or more prominent Pharma companies in India may take up distributorship for this product. Then they will be available in retail pharmacies or pharmacies attached to prominent hospitals in the country.
If you or any of your dear ones are diagnosed with diabetes, do not fret or panic. Research on diabetes treatment is a multi-million-dollar industry today. New therapies, treatments and devices are being constantly churned-out in an effort to improve treatment-outcomes and patient-comfort. The Smart Insulin Patch is exactly one such innovation. It makes painful, daily, pin-pricks and the constant hassle of glucose-monitoring a thing of the past. It automates an important task for the patient, improves his/her quality of life, and makes the battle against diabetes a tad easier.
Reviewed by Dr Suresh S Venkita, Group Medical Director, Kauvery Hospitals
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
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