Nanoparticles with Chemical Reaction-Release Insulin
July 23, 2013 | Terry Sharrer
Collaborators at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed and tested in animals injectable nanoparticles containing insulin that automatically release the hormone when blood glucose levels rise. The particle core is insulin, encased in dextran and coated with glucose oxidase. As blood glucose rises, the glucose oxidase converts the sugar to gluconic acid, which then dissolves the dextran and releases the insulin. In their animal trials, the researchers were able to stabilize glucose levels in diabetic mice for as long as ten days. MORE