Israeli company plans to make insulin injections obsolete

Modern medicine sometimes really is a miracle, with many illnesses and conditions that in the past spelled sure death now treatable and curable. Not only is medicine effective, but in recent years it’s becoming more convenient, futuristic and innovative. So why is it that many people still need to inject themselves every day to stay alive?

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This is a problem Israeli biopharmaceutical company Kadimastem is trying to resolve. It hopes to revolutionize diabetes treatment and make needles a thing of the past for insulin-dependent patients by creating an in-body device that creates insulin on its own. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which there are excess levels of sugar in the blood. There are two main types – type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas can’t create enough insulin, the hormone in charge of lowering sugar levels in the blood, while type 2 diabetes occurs when cells become resistant to insulin. Since their bodies can’t produce the necessary insulin, all people with type 1 diabetes need to receive insulin from an external source. They are joined by some 30 percent of type 2 diabetes patients who also become insulin-dependent. Overall, the global insulin-dependent population stands at over 100 million people. Traditional medicine deals with this large-scale problem by providing insulin injections. This usually involves patients measuring their blood-sugar level and injecting themselves several times a day – definitely lifesaving, but also a hassle. -- More...

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