14 DAY TRIAL // A newly-developed approach to treating low sugar levels in the blood of diabetic patients has been developed by researchers at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and the North Carolina State University. The technique uses nanoparticles and ultrasounds to deliver insulin to the body.
Tiny particles laden with the critically important compound are now able to release insulin only when an ultrasound device is used. The particles themselves have to be injected as before, but patients can now go days between shots. At this time, people with severe diabetes may have to inject insulin several times per day.
“This is hopefully a big step toward giving diabetics a more painless method of maintaining healthy blood sugar levels,” says the senior author of the paper, expert Dr. Zhen Gu. This innovation is the cover story for the latest issue of the medical journal Advanced Healthcare Materials.
In addition to improving the quality of life for these patients, the new, nanotechnology-based approach will also decrease the amount of pain diabetics have to endure every day. Instead of syringes and needles, they will simply use a hand-held ultrasound device to prompt the nanoparticles into releasing their insulin cargo, EurekAlert reports.