Medicsen Smartpatch: A New Approach to Diabetes Management

Abstract

Introduction: Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by a dysregulation of the glucose levels. With insulin being the main drug to be administrated for glucose levels modulation, it needs to be injected subcutaneously with daily injections, which can lead to poor patient compliance, apart from several side-effects. Although other administration methodologies have been investigated (oral or inhaled insulin), they show enough drawbacks to not to be consider as feasible alternatives for diabetes therapy. That′s why Medicsen has developed a Smartpatch that integrates a wide range of technologies, with the purpose of ensuring the correct insulin delivery from the skin′s surface to the bloodstream using a non-invasive and painless drug delivery method through a phenomenon induced by sonophoresis. Materials and Methods: Several in vitro and in vivo tests have been performed to prove the efficacy and safety of the technology, allowing us to collect experimental evidence through different methodologies that demonstrate the therapeutic potential of the device. Among these methodologies, permeability studies using Franz diffusion Cell and swine models (that prove efficacy of the technology) as well as safety studies, for both the insulin and the skin are highlighted. Results: In voltage experiments, the mean time for the disappearance of the membrane potential between the compartments separated by skin was: 334.7 (SD+/-103.6) seconds. Regarding the slope of the voltage line, as an approximation to the transfer speed, an arithmetic mean of (μ)= 0.0164 Mvolts/sec (+/- SD(σ): 0.006) was obtained. No significant differences were found between the circular dichroism spectra of samples (minimum peak at 219nm (sd+/-8.31) and that of the standard, which suggests that the molecular structure of insulin maintains stability. In the same way, HPLC studies shows no variability between the standard and all groups tested. Regardin skin safety, SEM images shows no significant damage to the skin, and ELISA test for TNF α and IL-2, as well as other biochemical tests, show no differences between control and samples. On In vivo experiments with our technology, glucose changes are comparable to those evoked through direct drug injection using conventional syringes. Lastly, the technology proved to be effective in the delivery of insulin through the skin in a non-invasive way, as observed in a Franz Diffusion Cell system and in the in vivo model of blood glucose reduction. Conclusions: Results observed during in vitro and in vivo studies indicate that the technology developed by Medicsen is effective and safe for the patient and the insulin. Following steps, including human trials, will be critical to fully demonstrate its potential in the treatment of diabetes.