There are very effective insulins for diabetics available today, which are tailored to the needs of each individual. However, it still happens today that diabetes patients may have hypoglycemia after insulin administration or have high blood sugar levels. Both can be dangerous. Those affected have to estimate how much insulin needs to be injected into the subcutaneous fatty tissue via a pen or a pump in order to guarantee a blood sugar level that is as even as possible, based on the amount of carbohydrates ingested and the current blood sugar level, but also taking into account physical activity. This is difficult for those affected by the disease, even though turbo insulins are available in pump therapy and long-term insulins as basal insulins in syringe form, which can minimise the risk of hypoglycaemia. For this reason, scientists at several institutes are researching technologies for intelligent artificial insulins that release insulin depending on the blood sugar level. The aim is thus that smart technologies initiate a sugar-dependent release of insulin from the subcutaneous fatty tissue of the diabetic. This means that if blood sugar levels rise, for example, more insulin is simply released automatically. As a result, there is always a balanced ratio of sugar and insulin in the blood of the person concerned. However, this is still a dream of the future, even though scientists have been working on intelligent solutions for some time. The insulin would then also have to be bound to a carrier substance. This could be proteins or special nanoparticles that release the insulin when required. Studies on animals have already been successful, but the exact effectiveness and tolerability of the sensitive insulin must be tested on humans. However, there is another problem, because even „smart“ insulin, unlike the body’s own hormone which is produced in the pancreas in healthy people, does not enter the blood directly, but must first leave the subcutaneous tissue before it can take effect after a considerable time. For this reason, some research teams are concentrating on artificial insulin in the form of tablets that are resistant in the mouth and stomach, and on sprays that release insulin through the nose.
