Insulin discovery a game-changer for improving diabetes treatments

An international collaboration co-led by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute has made a discovery that could enable therapeutic insulins to be made more effective than they currently are.

The findings will help to improve treatments for diabetes, a disease that impacts the lives of millions of people worldwide.

Published in Nature Communications, the study reveals the first definitive 3D image of how insulin successfully interacts with its receptor, a ‘gatekeeper’ for transmitting information into cells, in a process that is crucial for instructing cells to lower blood sugar levels in the body.

Understanding exactly what this process looks like can inform the design of faster-acting and longer-lasting insulin therapies.