A team of scientists has discovered a new method to eliminate the pain associated with insulin injection needle pricks. The team has developed a special type of seaweed capsule that could potentially help make patients' lives better.

People suffering from Type 1 diabetes require a daily dose of insulin injection since their body produces none or a limited amount of insulin. Insulin is produced by insulin-producing cells in the pancreatic islets.

One way to minimise the need to take daily insulin injections is to transplant the fully functional pancreatic islets into the body of the patients. However, the problem is with the preservation of the islets just before the transplant. The freezing and thawing tend to destroy the islet cells.

To help solve this problem, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Technology and Science Graduate University (OIST), in collaboration with the University of Washington and Wuhan University of Technology, have developed a new cryopreservation technique that uses alginate as its base. Alginate is a natural component that occurs in seaweed.

The technique employs a droplet microfluidic device to encapsulate pancreatic islets in hydrogel made of alginate. The hydrogel consists of three types of water – freezable bound water, non-freezable bound water and free water. Free water and freezable-bound water crystallise as they reach their freezing point.

Non-freezable-bound water, meanwhile, does not freeze and protects the cells against damage due to freezing. This, in turn, also eliminates the need to add any cryoprotectants.

The research team also propose adding a fluorescent oxygen-sensitive dye in the hydrogel capsule containing pancreatic islets. The visible changes to the dye as the cells consume oxygen signifies that they are alive and healthy, reports Medical Daily.

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