Insulin cream offers needle-free option for diabetes

Insulin cream offers needle-free option for diabetes

Published: November 19, 2025

Duration: 42:05

00:45 A molecule that delivers insulin through the skin

Researchers have developed a skin-permeable polymer that can deliver insulin into the body, which they say could one day offer an alternative to injections for diabetes management. The skin’s structure presents a formidable barrier to the delivery of large drugs but in this work a team show that their polymer can penetrate though the different layers without causing damage. Insulin attached to this polymer was able to reduce blood glucose levels in animal models for diabetes at a comparable speed to injected insulin. While further research is required on...