SYDNEY // Breakthrough research mapping how insulin works at a molecular level could lead to new diabetes treatments and end daily needle jabs, helping hundreds of millions of sufferers, scientists said yesterday.
A joint US-Australian team said that it had been able to lay out for the first time in atomic detail how the insulin hormone binds to the surface of cells, triggering the passage of glucose from the bloodstream to be stored as energy.
The lead researcher, Mike Lawrence, said the discovery, more than 20 years in the making and using powerful X-ray beams, would unlock new and more effective kinds of diabetes medication.
"Until now we have not been able to see how these molecules interact with cells," said Mr Lawrence, from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne.
"We can now exploit this knowledge to design new insulin medications with improved properties, which is very exciting."
Mr Lawrence said the team's study, published in the latest edition of Nature, had revealed a "molecular handshake" between the insulin and its receptor on the surface of cells.
"Both insulin and its receptor undergo rearrangement as they interact — a piece of insulin folds out and key pieces within the receptor move to engage the insulin hormone," he said of the "unusual" binding method.
Understanding how insulin attaches to cells was key to developing "novel" treatments of diabetes, a chronic condition in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body is unable to use it properly.
"The generation of new types of insulin have been limited by our inability to see how insulin docks into its receptor in the body,"Mr Lawrence said.
"This discovery could conceivably lead to new types of insulin that could be given in ways other than injection, or an insulin that has improved properties or longer activity so that it doesn't need to be taken as often.
"Our finding is a fundamental piece of science that ultimately might play across all three of those very serious diseases," Mr Lawrence said.
The Australian Diabetes Council, a lobby group representing people with the condition, said the development was welcome news.
"While we do not currently have a cure for diabetes, discoveries such as this insulin-docking breakthrough give us hope that it is coming ever closer," said council chief Nicola Stokes.
Ms Stokes said diabetes was diagnosed in an Australian every five minutes and its prevalence was growing by 8 per cent every year, making it the country's fastest-growing chronic disease and biggest health issue.
There are an estimated 347 million diabetes sufferers worldwide and diagnoses are increasing, particularly in developing countries, due to growing levels of obesity and physical inactivity.
It is expected to be the seventh leading cause of death in the world by 2030, with the World Health Organisation projecting that total deaths from diabetes will rise by more than 50 per cent in the next 10 years. Complications of diabetes include heart disease, blindness, limb amputation and kidney failure.
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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On sale: Now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
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Donating your hair
• Your hair should be least 30 cms long, as some of the hair is lost during manufacturing of the wigs.
• Clean, dry hair in good condition (no split ends) from any gender, and of any natural colour, is required.
• Straight, wavy, curly, permed or chemically straightened is permitted.
• Dyed hair must be of a natural colour
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
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The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Company%20profile
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if you go
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying