Posted on 06/15/2023 1:26:31 PM PDT by Red Badger
Animal cells share some qualities with plant cells, but one key feature ours lack is a rigid cell wall. While this provides structure for plants, it’s also something scientists are increasingly looking at for use in new materials, cellulose technology and, now, insulin delivery.
Led by Henry Daniell from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine, researchers have created a promising plant-based insulin, containing the three peptides that occur naturally in insulin, which can also be ingested orally.
Just as important as the genetic material on the inside, the plant cell walls are key to the drug's efficacy. Their sturdiness shields the insulin from upper digestive tract acids and enzymes, until the drug reaches the microbes in the gut, which work to release the insulin. From here, the insulin travels via the gut-liver axis to reach its destination.
In the trial on mice, the plant-based insulin was able to regulate blood sugar within 15 minutes, comparable to naturally secreted insulin. Mice treated with traditional insulin injections experienced crashing blood glucose levels leading to hypoglycemia.
“The risk of hypoglycemia is one of the biggest disadvantages of the current delivery system and can even result in a coma,” Daniell said. “Our insulin, given orally, has all three proteins and is delivered right to the liver. It works just like natural insulin, which minimizes the risk of hypoglycemia.”
Current medications such as injections via insulin pen run the risk of hypoglycemia, while the precise medicine delivery offered by an insulin pump requires prohibitively expensive hardware. Current machinery costs around US$6,500 and has a lifespan of three to four years.
(Excerpt) Read more at newatlas.com ...
Lettuce futures will soar and this new insulin will be prohibitively expensive.
Will this work for Diabetes Type 2?
Lettuce pray!
Lets just hope that this breakthrough is real and workable unlike fusion ... just around the corner for the last 50 years.
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