Long-lasting insulin to treat liver disease

Pedro Berraondo

CIMA, Centro de investigación e Medicina Aplicada, Unviersidad de Navarra, Spain

Research
Long-lasting insulins are insulin formulations used in the treatment of diabetes to control fasting glucose. Chronic insulin resistance is aggravated by its lipogenic activity that generates hepatic steatosis and weight gain, thereby worsening insulin resistance. The proposed fusion protein is designed to avoid liver lipid accumulation.

Aim
The program aims to develop a novel fusion protein for the treatment of diabetic patients with an associated fatty liver disease.

Problem to Solve
Diabetes mellitus is a serious disease characterized by the lack of control of the amount of sugar in the blood. This condition is often associated with other metabolic diseases such as fatty liver disease. However, current treatments for diabetes are only focused on the glucose control and may be detrimental for the liver disease. The prevalence of diabetic patients with an associated fatty liver disease is estimated to be of 13% in Spain, in people over 18-years-old, and 40% in patients over 75 years of age.

Innovation
At CIMA (Center for Applied Medical Research, University of Navarra), we have designed a fusion protein aimed at improving both the control of glucose and at ameliorating the liver disease.

Level of Innovation
Long-lasting insulins are insulin formulations used in the treatment of diabetes to control fasting glucose. Chronic insulin resistance is aggravated by its lipogenic activity that generates hepatic steatosis and weight gain, thereby worsening insulin resistance. The proposed fusion protein is designed to avoid liver lipid accumulation. This new drug may have a strong impact in the society since the incidence of diabetes associated with fatty liver disease is growing rapidly and can be considered a pandemic. The new drug will contribute to improving the management of the people suffering from metabolic syndrome.