Diabetes is a metabolic disorder caused by the body’s inability to produce or use insulin. Considering the predictions by the World Health Organization, research on insulin delivery systems is urgently needed.

In a collaboration with researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, iBB researchers João Carlos Silva, Teresa Esteves and Frederico Ferreira helped in the development of a novel soft biointerface based on a thiol–yne poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) click-hydrogel as an advanced treatment option to administrate insulin.
The device was rendered electroactive by incorporating biocompatible poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanoparticles (PEDOT NPs) as conductive moieties to precisely control the release of insulin over an extended period through electrochemical stimulation (ES). The conductive hydrogel was characterized in terms of its morphological, mechanical, electrochemical, and cytocompatibility properties and the control over insulin delivery through ES was verified in vitro, with released insulin being detected by high-performance liquid chromatography.
The hydrogel-based device establishes a method for controlled insulin delivery with high potential for translation to other relevant bioelectronic applications.

Read the full publication at: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsapm.4c00911

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