An oral medication for diabetes that controls insulin levels while reversing the inflammatory effects of the disease has been developed. The results of this research were published in a journal known as Nature Biomedical Engineering. The drug was developed by a research team led by Tarek Fahmy, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and immunobiology. It has two main advantages over standard diabetes treatment. Because it can be taken orally, it is much easier for the patient to stay on course.
It handles the following major issues with diabetes at the same time:
- it helps to control immediate blood sugar levels,
- restores pancreatic function and
- re-establishes immunity in the pancreatic environment.
The fact that the drug facilitates normal metabolism and corrects immune defects in the long term is so exciting to Fahmy. It does this using a nanocarrier which is made of materials that our bodies produce, specifically bile acids. This means that the carrier itself has therapeutic effects that work with the agent charged to restore normal metabolism in the short term and restore the competence of the long-term immune system. “This combined approach is what makes this system a promising new therapy for autoimmune diseases in general, ”he said.
One of the main obstacles in creating an effective oral medication for diabetes is that the drug is broken down in the patient’s gastrointestinal system. The nanoparticle, however, protects insulin as it transports it to the site in the pancreas, where it releases the drug.
However, the nanoparticle serves more than to deliver the active agent of the drug. It is composed of a polymerized ursodeoxycholic acid, a bile acid. in its most natural form as a monomer, it has been used to make drugs to dissolve gallstones and liver stones. However, it was not very effective as a treatment for diabetes. A major research objective was to increase its ability to bind to receptors critical for metabolism, thereby making it much more effective as a treatment for diabetes.
In mice, the nanoparticles reversed inflammation, restored metabolic functions, and prolonged survival, while particle loading restored insulin levels. “So you’re actually treating the disease while maintaining the insulin levels at the same time,” Fahmy said. Fahmy co-founded a biotechnology company known as Toralgen, based on this drug delivery system. “The potential is also huge for diabetes and other medical conditions,” said Fahmy.”I am convinced that this technical development is exploited in the development of urgent solutions to what are currently difficult challenges in self-immunity, cancer, allergies and infections.