Insulin Therapy: Going The “Smarter” Way

Insulin pharmacology has evolved from nonhuman source based extraction of insulin, to use of recombinant technologies for human insulin production, to tailor made synthetic insulin analogues. The delivery techniques of insulin have also improved, from injections to pumps, and to pumps with sensors. However, to achieve the final goal of a closed loop insulin delivery is far from achieved. One of the researches in this direction includes synthetic smart insulins. These are systems with chemical sensors for glucose, linked to reactions that trigger glucose mediated insulin delivery. Interest in this field is high and recent publications and patents show promise. The current review tries to summarize the basic concept of smart insulin as well as cater the recent developments and patents in this direction.