Artificial Synthetic Beta Cells have been developed that automatically release insulin into the bloodstream when glucose levels rise. This work was done in lab experiments but could lead to a much more patient-friendly treatment than injections. Treating type 1 diabetes and some cases of type 2 diabetes has long required painful and frequent insulin injections or a mechanical insulin pump for insulin infusion.
But researchers from the University of North Carolina and NC State have now developed what could be a much more patient-friendly option: artificial cells that automatically release insulin into the bloodstream when glucose levels rise. These "artificial beta cells" (AβCs) mimic the functions of the body's natural glucose-controllers, the insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas. The loss or dysfunction of these cells causes type 1 diabetes and many cases of type 2 diabetes.…
