Prof Chou is a diabetes expert at Stanford University, USA who develops proteins to treat type 1 diabetes and other conditions. In this project, Professor Chou and his team will develop and test an ultrafast-acting insulin that’s only active when needed and could reduce the risk of blood glucose highs and lows in people with type 1 diabetes. 

Fast-acting insulins

Synthetic, fast-acting insulins have been developed that make it easier for people with type 1 diabetes to manage their blood glucose levels. Despite these advances, there’s still a delay between injecting insulin and the point it starts to bring down blood glucose levels.  

This delay is in part because current fast-acting insulins are hexamers (group of six molecules) which need to get separated from each other to form single insulin molecules. Even once separated, the single molecules still tend to cluster together in pairs, making it more difficult for them to do their job. 

What will Prof Chou do in this project?

Prof Chou and his team want to overcome the problem by designing an insulin molecule that doesn’t cluster, so it can get into the bloodstream even more quickly. The team’s design is based on insulin molecules found in a surprising place – venom from the cone snail, a type of underwater snail that uses insulin as a weapon. 

The novel insulin will be designed to mimic natural insulin produced in the pancreas in people without diabetes. This means that, compared to currently available insulins, this novel insulin will be released more quickly when blood glucose increases. When blood glucose levels fall, the insulin will also stop acting sooner, reducing the risk of hypos.  

Prof Chou said:

“Our proposed research project focuses on developing ultrafast acting insulin, which aims to significantly improve the quality of life for individuals living with type 1 diabetes. By providing faster and more precise glucose control, our work promises to enhance daily management, ultimately leading to healthier and more fulfilling lives for people with type 1.”

How will this research help people with type 1 diabetes?

The delay between an insulin injection and when it acts on glucose in the blood can mean people experience long blood glucose highs, particularly at mealtimes when blood glucose levels can increase quickly. Ultrafast insulins could help address this delay and reduce the risk of the diabetes complications linked to high blood glucose levels over a long time. The shorter duration of action would reduce the risk of insulin-induced hypos. These two improvements would enhance the quality of life for people with type 1 diabetes. 

Chemistry catching up with technology

We also need faster acting insulins, like Prof Chou’s, to fully close the loop in technology that links continuous glucose monitors with insulin pumps (known as closed-loop insulin delivery systems). Creating a faster insulin that also stops working sooner will enable better integration with closed-loop insulin delivery systems. Prof Chou’s ultrafast insulin would bring this technology closer to the normal functioning of a healthy pancreas as it would remove the need for the individuals to tell the system when they are about to exercise or eat.