A new approach to diabetes treatment: a gel that releases glucagon

Matthew Weber, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Notre Dame, said: "Parents can check their children's blood sugar levels before they go to bed.

Weber once heard parents of children with diabetes describe their fear of this situation-waking up several times a night to check blood sugar levels, panic in emergency situations, and sending their children to the hospital in the middle of the night

In severe cases, glucagon injections can stabilize blood sugar levels and allow parents enough time for their children to receive medical care

In this study, Weber and his team showed how they successfully developed a hydrogel that remains intact in the presence of glucose, but as the level drops, the hydrogel It will slowly become unstable, releasing glucagon into the system and increasing glucose levels

Webber said: "In the field of glucose-responsive materials, the focus is usually on managing insulin delivery to control blood sugar peaks

This gel is a three-dimensional structure based on water

Weber explained that in ideal applications in the future, the gel should be used every night before going to bed

Weber emphasized that this study is still at a very early stage, and parents and individuals of type 1 diabetes patients should not expect to see this treatment in the short term

He said: “One of the biggest challenges is to design the hydrogel to be stable enough in the presence of glucose and sensitive enough in the absence of glucose

Journal Reference :

1. Sihan Yu, Sijie Xian, Zhou Ye, Irawan Pramudya, Matthew J.