MSGID: 1:317/3 6440c044   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Wonder drug-capsule may one day replace insulin injection for diabetics   
      
      
     Date:   
         April 19, 2023   
     Source:   
         RMIT University   
     Summary:   
         Scientists have designed a new type of oral capsule that could mean   
         pain- free delivery of insulin and other protein drugs. Protein   
         drugs had proven challenging to deliver orally as the drugs degrade   
         very quickly in the stomach -- until now.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Scientists in Melbourne have designed a new type of oral capsule that   
   could mean pain-free delivery of insulin and other protein drugs.   
      
      
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   Co-lead researcher Professor Charlotte Conn, a biophysical chemist from   
   RMIT University, said protein drugs had proven challenging to deliver   
   orally as the drugs degrade very quickly in the stomach -- until now.   
      
   "These types of drugs are typically administered with an injection --   
   thousands of diabetics in Australia need insulin injections up to several   
   times a day, which can be unpleasant for the patient and results in high   
   healthcare costs," said Conn, from RMIT's School of Science.   
      
   She said the new technology could also be used to deliver other protein   
   drugs orally -- including a new type of oral antibiotic developed by   
   the RMIT team that can avoid resistance by dangerous superbugs.   
      
   "Other protein drugs such as monoclonal antibodies have been developed to   
   treat inflammatory conditions, cancer and other diseases with a projected   
   market value of about $400 billion by 2030," Conn said.   
      
   An international patent application has been filed for RMIT's technology.   
      
   Strong pre-clinical results provide optimism for a new way to deliver   
   insulin The team has tested the new oral capsule with insulin in   
   a pre-clinical study and the results have been published in the   
   international journal Biomaterials Advances.   
      
   "We think the results are really exciting, and we're doing a suite of pre-   
   clinical testing so we can move to clinical trials as soon as possible,"   
   Conn said.   
      
   The research paper assessed the performance of the oral capsules with   
   both fast-acting and slow-acting insulin.   
      
   "When controlling the blood-sugar, you need a very fast response if   
   you're eating a meal. That's known as fast-acting insulin," Conn said.   
      
   A slow-acting form acts over a much longer timeframe -- up to a day   
   or so -- to keep the insulin in the body steady. Most diabetics take a   
   combination of both types of insulin.   
      
   "We had excellent absorption results for the slow-acting form -- about   
   50% better than injection delivery for the same quantity of insulin,"   
   Conn said.   
      
   The capsule achieved good absorption results for fast-acting insulin,   
   but the significant lag in the insulin taking effect compared with   
   injection delivery would likely make it less practical.   
      
   "Our results show there is real promise for using these oral capsules   
   for slow- acting insulin, which diabetics could one day take in addition   
   to having fast- acting insulin injections," Conn said.   
      
   "The oral capsules could potentially be designed to allow dosing   
   over specific time periods, similar to injection delivery. We need   
   to investigate this further, develop a way of doing so and undergo   
   rigorous testing as part of future human trials."  How does the team's   
   drug capsule work?  Dr Jamie Strachan, the first author on the paper,   
   said the capsule protected the drug inside so that it passed safely   
   through the stomach to the small intestine.   
      
   "The capsule has a special coating designed to not breakdown in the low   
   pH environment of the stomach, before the higher pH levels in the small   
   intestine trigger the capsule to dissolve," said Strachan, from RMIT's   
   School of Science.   
      
   "We package the insulin inside a fatty nanomaterial within the capsule   
   that helps camouflage the insulin so that it can cross the intestinal   
   walls.   
      
   "It's actually similar to how the Pfizer and the Moderna COVID vaccines   
   work where the mRNA in those vaccines is also packaged within fats,   
   helping to keep the drugs active and safe during delivery in the body."   
   These vaccines contain mRNA, which is similar to DNA, to safely carry   
   the instructions for making a viral protein within the body, activating   
   our immune system.   
      
   A cheaper and more efficient way to deliver protein drugs Dr Ce'line   
   Vale'ry, a pharmaceutical scientist from RMIT and study co-author,   
   said they used the same amount of insulin in the oral capsules and in   
   the injection delivery.   
      
   "For many pre-clinical trials the oral formulations by necessity contain   
   much higher levels of insulin to achieve the same response as the   
   injection delivery. This is not a very cost-effective way to deliver   
   protein drugs which tend to be expensive," said Vale'ry, from RMIT's   
   School of Health and Biomedical Sciences.   
      
   "It's a great starting point but we need to do further trials to develop   
   an alternative, pain-free method for the delivery of insulin and other   
   protein drugs."   
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Diabetes # Pharmacology # Hypertension # HIV_and_AIDS #   
                   Pregnancy_and_Childbirth # Pharmaceuticals # Dentistry   
                   # Medical_Devices   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Analgesic o Antiretroviral_drug o Anti-obesity_drug   
             o Antiviral_drug o Stimulant o Pharmaceutical_company o   
             Biopharmaceutical o Psychedelic_properties   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by RMIT_University. Original written   
   by Will Wright. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Jamie B. Strachan, Brendan Dyett, Stanley Chan, Brody McDonald, Ross   
         Vlahos, Celine Valery, Charlotte E. Conn. A promising new oral   
         delivery mode for insulin using lipid-filled enteric-coated   
         capsules. Biomaterials Advances, 2023; 148: 213368 DOI:   
         10.1016/j.bioadv.2023.213368   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230419125104.htm   
      
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