People with diabetes often rely on insulin to lower high blood sugar, but using too much insulin or skipping meals can sometimes cause blood sugar to drop too low. This condition, known as hypoglycemia, can be dangerous.
It can lead to dizziness, confusion, seizures, or even coma if not treated quickly. To help prevent this, scientists have developed a new type of glucagon treatment that activates only when blood sugar levels get dangerously low—and early tests in mice show promising results.
Glucagon is a hormone that helps raise blood sugar by signaling the liver to release stored glucose into the bloodstream. It’s already used in emergency situations when someone with diabetes experiences severe hypoglycemia.
However, traditional glucagon injections have problems. The hormone is unstable and doesn’t dissolve well in water. It can also break down quickly or clump together, making it less effective and potentially harmful. Plus, many low blood sugar episodes happen at night, when people are less likely to check their blood sugar or respond in time.
To solve this, a team of researchers led by Andrea Hevener and Heather Maynard looked at a new way to deliver glucagon using micelles. Micelles are tiny, bubble-like structures that are already used in drug delivery.
They’re very small—on the nanometer scale—and can be designed to react to specific conditions in the body. In this case, the team created special micelles that carry glucagon and only break apart to release it when blood sugar drops too low.
These micelles work like a smart safety net. When blood sugar is in the normal range, they keep the glucagon sealed inside. But when sugar levels fall below 60 milligrams per deciliter—a level considered dangerously low—the micelles fall apart and release the glucagon to raise blood sugar again.
In lab tests, the researchers confirmed that the micelles only opened up in liquids that mimicked hypoglycemia. Then they tested the system in mice that had dangerously low blood sugar after being given too much insulin.
When these mice received the micelle treatment, their blood sugar returned to normal within 40 minutes. Importantly, the treatment didn’t release glucagon unless it was truly needed, and the empty micelles didn’t cause any harm to organs or trigger an immune response.
This is just the beginning, but it’s an exciting step forward. While more studies are needed in animals and eventually in humans, the research shows that it’s possible to create a smart, on-demand treatment for low blood sugar.
If developed into a real-world therapy, this technology could help people with diabetes avoid life-threatening episodes of hypoglycemia—especially during sleep, when help may not be readily available. It could also reduce the need for emergency injections and give patients more peace of mind.
Overall, the study offers a new direction for diabetes care by combining modern nanotechnology with life-saving hormones like glucagon. Instead of reacting after blood sugar crashes, this method could help the body respond automatically—before things become dangerous.
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about diabetes and vitamin B12, and the right diet for people with type 2 diabetes.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how to eat smart with diabetes, and turmeric and vitamin D: a duo for blood pressure control in diabetic patients.
The research findings can be found in ACS Central Science.
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