In order to tackle the wide spread menace of Type 2 Diabetes(T2D), researchers at the NIH's National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) are working on an alternative therapeutic approach for regulating blood sugar levels in people with T2D using a painless wearable skin patch that can last up to several days. The study was published in the journal 'Nature Communications'.

According to Richard Leapman, Ph.D., NIBIB Scientific Director, this experimental approach currently conducted in mice, could capitalize on the fact that people with T2D can still produce some insulin. Their approach using weekly microneedle patch application would be less complicated and painful than the traditional methods of frequent pricking.

To make the experimental patch, scientists used alginate, a sticky natural substance extracted from brown algae mixed with a formula of biochemical particles that can stimulate body's insulin production when it is needed and shuts off when sugar levels are normal. This mixture was poured into a microneedle form to create the patch. The dissolvable microneedles make the patch a responsive delivery system allowing the therapeutics to be absorbed by the body over a period of time, rather than all at once.

The study showed that just a half inch square of the patch on mice could control blood sugar levels for a week. Researchers said that the patch would need to be modified for use with human skin, including scaling up the size and extending the microneedle.

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