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Type 1 diabetic patients can now do without pricking insulin and swallow a pill instead, a new study has found.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, promises to improve the quality of life for up to 40 million people across the world.
It is quite likely that the side effects could also be mitigated by the oral delivery of insulin.
According to a report by Medical Xpress, the idea of this new approach is to carry insulin in an ionic liquid comprised of choline and geranic acid. This acid is then put inside a capsule with an acid-resistant enteric coating.
The formulation is biocompatible and can be easily manufactured. It has a storage capacity of two months at room temperature without degrading. This periodicity is longer than some injectable insulin products currently available in the market.
"Our approach is like a Swiss Army knife, where one pill has tools for addressing each of the obstacles that are encountered," said Samir Mitragotri, Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard.
It is also anticipated that if the research progresses as expected, the next approach could be used for oral delivery of other proteins.
Harvard's Office of Technology Development is advancing its development through the Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator. They are also actively pursuing commercialisation opportunities for this technology.
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