Nanotechnological Approach to the Treatment of Diabetes

Nanotechnology in diabetes research has facilitated the evolution of novel glucose measurement and insulin delivery systems. As type 1 diabetes mellitus needs treatment with insulin from the very beginning on, the objective of any kind of diabetes therapy is to reach nearly physiological glucose levels. The current view points toward a continuous insulin infusion by means of an insulin pump. It is desirable then, that a glucose sensor would automatically control the insulin supply, given that an insulin pump works only manually. Worldwide diabetes research activities at its interface with nanotechnology have created devices at the micro- or nanoscale by which the experimental approach toward an artificial pancreas is already put in practice. The article discusses some aspects of conventional glucose sensors, as well as basic concepts and developments in the field of nanotechnology and their application in the field of diabetes research. Some types of nanoscale sensors and functionalized nanostructures as insulin-delivery systems are looked at, that could act as an artificial pancreas.