Development of a superfast acting prandial insulin

There is a recognised unmet medical need to develop insulin products with a significantly faster onset of action compared with the current state-of-the-art prandial insulin products (Novolog, Humalog, Fiasp). Prandial insulin is used by diabetics to control blood glucose rises after meals. To ensure effective blood glucose management and the best patient outcomes it is essential that, once injected, insulin begins to act as rapidly as possible. In a healthy individual insulin is released very quickly in response to a rise in blood sugar reaching half maximal concentration in 16- 18 min which is approximately twice as quickly as state-of-the-art injectable rapid acting insulins. There is evidence to demonstrate that for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics, an even faster acting insulin (Superfast) will lead to better control of blood glucose rises after meals and greater treatment flexibility. Superfast insulin is also a key component required for the development of efficient closed-loop pump systems that would enable automatic glucose control, continuous glucose measurement and smart algorithms to control how much superfast insulin to deliver via an integrated insulin pump. The primary output from this project will be a safe and stable Superfast acting insulin that closely mimics physiological release of insulin, ultimately reducing complications and improving patient outcomes. The effectiveness and safety of the developed technology will be evaluated in model systems to ensure the desired profile is met and generating a tangible asset for partnering with key Pharma companies under a well validated licensing model. Further value is added via the development and implementation of drug product manufacturing. Superfast acting insulin represents a considerable scientific innovation over the current state-of-the-art and a significant commercial opportunity to develop a superior therapeutic product for the management of diabetes. Almost 80% of diabetes treatment costs are spent on disease complications. With an ~14bn p.a. direct cost of diabetes to the NHS there is an excellent opportunity to benefit the U.K. in terms of both socio-economic factors and scientific innovation.