People suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes may no longer have to take their daily injection of insulin, as doctors at the city-based Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG) have devised an easier alternative. The AIG team has developed an insulin bag to be kept under the skin, which will supply the insulin dose required to the patient for about three to five years. Once the supply is exhausted, the bag, which is made from a material called theracyte, can be refilled through an injection containing the insulin-producing beta cells obtained from islets cells in the pancreas.
Dr D. Nageshwar Reddy, chief of gastroenterology and therapeutic endoscopy at AIG, said the islets cell culture developed by his team has been successful in monkeys and it’s now ready for use in human beings. “We have received clearances for use in diabetic patients. We will start it next month,” he said.
The beta cells of the islets in pancreas secrete insulin. Non-production of insulin or production of ineffective insulin leads to diabetes classified as type 1 and type 2. A relatively new type of diabetes called type 3 has been identified now. While type 1 and type 2 causes fluctuation in blood glucose levels, type 3 does not. However, type 3 affects the brain sugar as scientists recently discovered that brain too produces insulin. The AIG therapy works for type 1 and type 3 diabetes.