Researchers from the University of the Basque Country/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitataa, together with the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital and the Pompeu Fabra University, in Spain, have started a project for the development of a “living” medicine, based on synthetically designed cells that will respondTo blood sugar releasing insulin, thus regulating blood glucose through a single application, which would last weeks or even months, thus avoiding the need for daily insulin injections.
Diabetes is an epidemic that mainly affects the most developed countries.It is estimated that, in Spain, 13.8% of the population over 18 has diabetes, which is equivalent to more than 5.3 million people.Type I diabetes, although less frequent, can affect between 1% and 5% of total people with diabetes.The early diagnosis and treatment of this disease are fundamental, since it affects such important organs as the kidneys, view, heart or nervous system.
One of the main researchers of the project, the UPV/EHU Gorka Orive professor, will be in charge of the final development of the medication using the most leading microencapsulation technologies.The project tries to design and develop synthetic cells capable of responding to external glucose levels, which will be introduced into microcapsules (spheres that will act as medication) and will be able to secrete insulin on demand."Our idea is to explore immunomodulatory biomaterials when manufacturing the" living "medication, so that the immune system of the receiver does not respond or does it minimally to the medicine implant.If so, we would develop a medication that, after a single administration, could control glycemia for weeks or months without the need for repeated insulin injections, ”explains Dr. Orive.
The project to develop this new medicine, with the name 'encapsulated synthetic cell circuits to restore glycemic control in diabetes mellitus type 1', begins in 2017 and has an important financing from the funds obtained in the annual call of the marathon of the mara.Catalonia.The La Mararató Foundation of TV3 was created in 1996 by the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation with the mission of promoting and promoting the biomedical research of excellence from the economic funds obtained in the La Mararató program of TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio.The research activity financed by this foundation encourages transverse and translational research, as evidenced by the progressive investment in basic and clinical research projects and coordinated projects, assuming network work from different institutions.
The first results of the investigation will be presented throughout 2019. (Source: UPV/EHU)
