Smart insulin patch
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{{short description|Wearable medical device}}
File:Smart Insulin Patch 2.0.jpg
A smart insulin patch, also known as a glucose-responsive insulin patch, is a type of wearable medical device for diabetes treatment. It is a transdermal patch comprising glucose-sensitive microneedle-array loaded with insulin for blood glucose regulation. Once applied on the skin, the microneedles penetrate under the skin and can sense blood sugar levels. If glucose levels go up, it can promote the release of insulin, which is transported through the regional lymph and capillary vessels for glucose regulation.
History
Insulin was introduced by Frederick Banting and Charles Best from the University of Toronto in 1921 as an injectable agent. Researchers first reported the concept of "smart insulin patch" in 2015.{{Cite journal |last1=Yu |first1=Jicheng |last2=Zhang |first2=Yuqi |last3=Ye |first3=Yanqi |last4=DiSanto |first4=Rocco |last5=Sun |first5=Wujin |last6=Ranson |first6=Davis |last7=Ligler |first7=Frances S. |last8=Buse |first8=John B. |last9=Gu |first9=Zhen |date=2015-07-07 |title=Microneedle-array patches loaded with hypoxia-sensitive vesicles provide fast glucose-responsive insulin delivery |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=112 |issue=27 |pages=8260–8265 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1505405112 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=4500284 |pmid=26100900 |bibcode=2015PNAS..112.8260Y |doi-access=free}} The prototype of smart insulin patch "was demonstrated as a continuous glucose control in a type 1 diabetic mouse model.{{Cite journal |last1=Veiseh |first1=Omid |last2=Langer |first2=Robert |date=August 2015 |title=A smart insulin patch |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/524039a |journal=Nature |volume=524 |issue=7563 |pages=39–40 |doi=10.1038/524039a |pmid=26245577 |s2cid=205085834 |issn=1476-4687|url-access=subscription }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/06/22/the-smart-insulin-patch-that-might-one-day-replace-injections-for-diabetics/ |title=The 'smart' insulin patch that might one day replace injections for diabetic patients |last=Dennis |first=Brady |date=2015-06-22 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en |access-date=2020-03-06}}
As of 2019, glucose-responsive insulin patches are becoming more common.{{Cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Guojun |last2=Yu |first2=Jicheng |last3=Gu |first3=Zhen |date=January 2019 |title=Glucose-Responsive Microneedle Patches for Diabetes Treatment |url= |journal=Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology |language=en |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=41–48 |doi=10.1177/1932296818778607 |issn=1932-2968 |pmc=6313291 |pmid=29848105}}
In 2020, scientists at UCLA and Zenomics Inc. developed "Smart Insulin Patch 2.0" and validated its feasibility in a diabetic minipig model.{{Cite journal |last1=Yu |first1=Jicheng |last2=Wang |first2=Jinqiang |last3=Zhang |first3=Yuqi |last4=Chen |first4=Guojun |last5=Mao |first5=Weiwei |last6=Ye |first6=Yanqi |last7=Kahkoska |first7=Anna R. |last8=Buse |first8=John B. |last9=Langer |first9=Robert |last10=Gu |first10=Zhen |date=2020-02-03 |title=Glucose-responsive insulin patch for the regulation of blood glucose in mice and minipigs |url= |journal=Nature Biomedical Engineering |volume=4 |issue=5 |pages=499–506 |language=en |doi=10.1038/s41551-019-0508-y |pmid=32015407 |issn=2157-846X |pmc=7231631}}
Currently, Zenomics is applying for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for first-in-human trials and the technology has been accepted into the FDA's Emerging Technology Program.{{Cite web|url=https://samueli.ucla.edu/smart-insulin-patch/|title=UCLA Researchers Develop Coin-Sized Smart Insulin Patch {{!}} UCLA Samueli School Of Engineering|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-06}}{{Cite news |url=http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2020/february/ucla-unc-mit-researchers-successfully-test-coin-sized-smart-insulin-patch |title=UCLA, UNC, MIT Researchers Successfully Test Coin-Sized Smart Insulin Patch — News Room - UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine |access-date=2020-03-06}}