“Smart” Glucose-Responsive Insulin

Technology Summary

A "smart" or glucose-responsive insulin that can automatically respond to changes in a patient’s blood stream and help treat patients with type 1 diabetes. This technology comprises compositions that integrate a zwitterionic polymer, insulin moieties, saccharide moieties, and saccharide binding molecules to create a glucose-sensitive system. The compositions are engineered to release insulin in response to elevated  glucose concentrations, improving diabetes management by maintaining insulin bioactivity and optimizing pharmacokinetics. The inclusion of biocompatible zwitterionic polymers and hydrogels enhances stability and controlled insulin delivery.

Key Advantages

• Responsive insulin release triggered by glucose levels
• Improved stability and biocompatibility via zwitterionic polymers
• Enhanced insulin bioactivity and pharmacokinetics
• Controlled and sustained insulin delivery through hydrogel encapsulation
• Potential for reduced side effects and improved patient compliance
• Controlled insulin release compared to traditional diabetes treatments
• More stable and less degradation than other insulin formulations
• Reduces need frequent insulin dosing and blood glucose monitoring

Market Opportunities

• Diabetes management and therapy
• Development of advanced insulin delivery systems
• Biomedical devices for glucose-responsive drug release
• Pharmaceutical formulations requiring fibril control

Stage of Development

Pre-clinical

Patent Status

Issued: US 12,257,309

References & Publications

2017 Jinbing Xie et al  “Simple Protein Modification Using Zwitterionic Polymer to Mitigate the Bioactivity Loss of Conjugated Insulin” Adv Healthc Mater 2017 Jun;6(11) DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201601428