Light-activated diabetes treatment possible

Diabetes drugs that promote the release of insulin from the pancreas can cause side effects due to their actions on other organs such as the brain and heart.

Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong condition that occurs when the body is unable to produce the necessary amount of insulin needed to function properly.

According to figures published via the NHS, there were approximately 3.1 million people aged 16 or over with diabetes (both diagnosed and undiagnosed) in England in 2010, while over 350 million people are currently thought to suffer from type 2 diabetes worldwide.

“In principle, this type of therapy may allow better control over blood sugar levels

ICL researcher David Hodson

To help develop better treatments for diabetes sufferers, researchers at ICL and LMU Munich have adapted an existing type of drug called a sulfonylurea so that it changes shape when exposed to blue light.

Richard Elliott, from Diabetes UK, said: “Sulfonylureas help many people to manage type 2 diabetes even though, like other medications, they can have side effects.

“Work on light-activated medications is still at a relatively early stage, but this is nevertheless a fascinating area of study that, with further research, could help to produce a safer, more tightly-controllable version of this important therapy.”

According to researchers, the newly developed drug would be inactive under normal conditions, but a patient could in theory switch it on using blue LEDs stuck to the skin.

The effects, which researchers say are reversible, have been demonstrated using the prototype drug, known as JB253, which stimulates insulin release from pancreatic cells in the lab when exposed to blue light.

David Hodson, who led the study, said: “In principle, this type of therapy may allow better control over blood sugar levels because it can be switched on for a short time when required after a meal. It should also reduce complications by targeting drug activity to where it’s needed in the pancreas.”

“So far, we’ve created a molecule that has the desired effect on human pancreatic cells in the lab. There’s a long way to go before a therapy is available to patients, but this remains our ultimate goal.”

Elsewhere, scientists at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, published a report last Thursday detailing a ’giant leap’ in the production of millions of human insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

The discovery could eliminate the need for daily insulin injections if further research proves successful.

“The ability to create insulin-producing cells not only has significant clinical potential, but it opens an important new path for researchers to understand and develop novel treatments for type 1 diabetes,” said Eliot Brenner, programme director of the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s type 1 diabetes programme.