Word: insulin
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Scientists are also reaping rewards from 3-D visualization. By studying insulin molecules modeled on a computer, the Danish biotechnology firm Novo- Nordisk was able to create a synthetic insulin that did not clump when injected into the blood, an insight that cut three years off the usual eight- year research-and-development cycle for a new drug. By displaying weather data on a computer, researchers at the University of Illinois have been able to capture the exact moment when a tornado forms within a thunderstorm, a breakthrough that if incorporated into an early-warning system, could one day save...
...dispense contraceptive hormones for a year. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are experimenting with dissolvable plastic wafers that are implanted in the brain and slowly release an antitumor drug for cancer victims. The day is not far off when most diabetics will be able to give themselves insulin with a nasal spray. In California doctors are working on drug-loaded bubbles of fat that bind themselves to diseased cells. Says Robert Langer, a biomedical engineer at M.I.T.: "It's an explosive field with enormous potential...
...powerful drugs to brain-cancer victims. Researchers have known for some time that disks formed of chemical structures called polymers work well for dispensing small molecules like nitroglycerin, a pain reliever commonly used for heart patients. But the polymers seemed stubbornly resistant to releasing larger molecules of substances like insulin and growth hormones in the slow, steady doses needed for diabetics and underdeveloped children...
...polymers to enable drugs to be dispensed in measured doses. Explains Langer: "Because its route is so tortuous, the drug gets out, but slowly." Langer is now testing an injectable system for diabetics in which enzymes sensitive to glucose in the bloodstream are placed in microscopic polymers along with insulin. The drug is released through the complex, porous polymer structure. Because the solubility of insulin increases in the presence of glucose, the more glucose in the blood, the more drug is released. This "intelligent" method represents a potential revolution in the treatment of diabetes, since blood-sugar levels in diabetics...
...Mountain View, Calif., a biotechnology company is developing a nasal spray for diabetics that uses "enhancer molecules" to coat and carry insulin through the mucous membranes and into the bloodstream. Preliminary tests show that a wisp of the spray at mealtime may mimic the healthy body's response to rising blood-sugar levels. According to the company, the insulin can take full effect in less than 15 minutes, in contrast to two to three hours for an injection...