Technology
Background
Reducing postprandial hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia is a major challenge in the treatment of patients with diabetes. Despite the availability of rapid-acting insulin analogs, postprandial hyperglycemia still occurs. Hyperglycemic postprandial glucose (PPG) excursions were found to reach glucose levels >300 mg/dL in 50% of children with type 1 diabetes with relatively good metabolic control as can be seen in the next figure
(source: Elizabeth Boland, Teresa Monsod, Maria Delucia, Cynthia A. Brandt, Sanjay Fernando and William V. Tamborlane: Limitations of Conventional Methods of Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose. Diabetes Care 24:1858-1862, 2001)
This high incidence of postprandial hyperglycemia may be partially related to the delay between excursions in blood glucose levels following the meals and the absorption of subcutaneously injected insulin, which lags behind.
Due to this delay there is a need for faster insulin. There are several companies who develops faster insulin formulas. InsuLine have approached this problem from a different angle focusing on physiology and not on chemistry. Hence we can offer a physical solution to a problem rather than developing a new drug.
Technology
One of the reasons for the slow absorption of insulin injected to the subcutaneous tissue is the relatively low blood perfusion at the injection site. By increasing local blood perfusion one can improve insulin absorption to the blood system. Insuline’s technology involves applying local heat to the injection site to increase local blood perfusion without heating the insulin itself which is sensitive to heat. This is achieved by applying heat with a specific spatial and temperately patterns. The next figure demonstrate the mechanism underline this technology
Click here to view of animation of the InsuPad™ device operation
Insuline’s technology was tested in more than 100 clinical tests and was found to be effective and safe. The figure below shows the effect of heating the injection site on the insulin concentration in the blood.
As can be seen when the InsuPatch™ device is used insulin is faster. The time until maximum of insulin is reached is decreased by 40% and the amount of insulin during the first 75% is increased by 32%.