Device identifies hypoglycemia in diabetics – 10/02/2024 – Balance and Health

A responsive instrument that identifies the beginning of hypoglycemia and, from then on, releases a hormone that acts to regulate the level of glucose in the body could be an effective tool for people living with diabetes. The mechanism, still in the early stages of development, was reported in an article published this Wednesday (2) in the scientific journal ACS Central Science.

Hypoglycemia is a low level of glucose in the body. Patients with diabetes tend to suffer from the health problem: on average, they experience the condition 1 to 2 times a week, even if it is not very serious. This happens because, with diabetes, it is necessary to control glucose so as not to reach high levels — hyperglycemia. In certain situations, however, insulin treatment or a regulated diet result in hypoglycemia.

One of the ways to deal with cases like this is through the hormone glucagon, which, among other functions, acts to regulate glucose levels. However, this mechanism is currently only used as an emergency when a patient already has hypoglycemia. What the authors proposed was a technology that would act as a prevention for low blood glucose levels.

The technology consists of a micelle, a kind of bubble on a microscopic scale, which contains the hormone. This element was developed to be dissolved only when the glucose level is low — that is, a responsive way of dealing with the health problem. This way, the patient can inject the liquid containing these micelles into their body before hypoglycemia occurs.

After creating the micelle, the researchers tested the invention on mice. One of the concerns was to check whether the element would remain stable when the glucose level was normal. If not, the product could cause hyperglycemia, as glucose would be released in an unnecessary scenario.

In testing, such cases were not documented, which is an indication of the safety of the technology. Furthermore, empty micelles, without being filled with glucagon, were checked to investigate possible cases of toxicity. As reported in the published article, the product also did not present such problems.

The result of the study was important for the article’s authors, including Heather Maynard, from the University of California, Los Angeles. The conclusion is an indication that the technology concept makes sense and that it could, in the future, be used in the treatment of hypoglycemia. However, it is still necessary to improve these findings — tests on humans have not been carried out, and this could alter what was seen in the laboratory and with mice.

Maynard states that there are already plans for the coming years to possibly achieve the goal of developing micelles for people. “Looking ahead to the next two to five years, we will continue to study the safety and efficacy of responsive micelles to evaluate their potential efficacy in treating hypoglycemia.”

Some aspects are more relevant to the advancement of technology. One of them is about the minimum dose that needs to be injected to provide the desired effect on the patient. The half-life of micelles is also something that researchers want to improve: the idea is to better understand the period that micelles can remain in the human body and how to increase it.

Side effects, such as the appearance of an immune response by the body in the presence of an external agent, are another factor that the study needs to investigate. Although degrees of toxicity have not been observed in animals, this may differ in humans. “These studies will bring us closer to our long-term goal of helping diabetic patients regulate their glucose levels,” concludes Maynard.