Nano pill may give insulin jab the flick

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People with diabetes could soon take a pill of insulin-loaded nanoparticles instead of having to give themselves painful injections, Indian researchers say.

Professor Chandra Sharma of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science & Technology presented the work this week at a biomaterials conference at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

"We have already developed the capsule form of the insulin," Professor Sharma said.

"We have already tried it on pigs and rats."

He says around the world, 40 per cent of the 135 million people diagnosed with diabetes are dependent on insulin using painful and inconvenient injections to control their blood sugar.

A number of research teams have been trying to develop an insulin pill to replace injections, but they face many challenges.

For example, because insulin is a protein, it will be digested and deactivated in the gut before it is absorbed into the blood stream, Professor Sharma says.

Nanoparticles

Professor Sharma has found a way to package the insulin in nanoparticles so that it is both protected from stomach acids and is able to get through the intestinal wall and into the liver and bloodstream.

The nanoparticles, which are smaller than 100 nanometres across, are water-attracting on the inside and water-repelling on the outside.

Once in the bloodstream, the nanoparticles break down in response to the pH of blood and release the insulin.

"This is a much more physiological way of giving the insulin," Professor Sharma said.

Rat experiments showed the nanoparticles entered the bloodstream and ended up in organs such as the liver and kidney.

Experiments in diabetic pigs showed that a pill containing the nanoparticles led to control of blood glucose after eating.

Professor Sharma hopes to develop a nano-insulin pill that people can take twice a day, 40 minutes before breakfast and dinner.

Safety studies

Professor Sharma said there were a number of concerns about the risks nanoparticles might pose to the human body; for example, nanoparticles could activate blood platelets and lead to clotting.

But he said tests with human blood showed this was not a problem and the nanoparticles were generally compatible with the blood.

Professor Sharma says tests show the nanoparticles do not harm cell nuclei, but further research is required to confirm their safety.

He says the exact nature of the nanoparticles is commercially confidential, but he implied were of natural origin.

The research was funded by the Indian Government and the technology has recently been transferred to an Indian-based company.