Supramolecular insulin assembly II for a sustained treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes is a chronic disease requiring continuous medical supervision and patient education to prevent acute secondary complications. In this study, we have harnessed the inherent property of insulin to aggregate into an oligomeric intermediate on the pathway to amyloid formation, to generate a form that exhibits controlled and sustained release for extended periods. Administration of a single dose of the insulin oligomer, defined here as the supramolecular insulin assembly II (SIA-II), to experimental animals rendered diabetic by streptozotocin or alloxan, released the hormone capable of maintaining physiologic glucose levels for >120 days for bovine and >140 days for recombinant human insulin without fasting hypoglycemia. Moreover, the novel SIA-II described here not only improved the glycemic control, but also reduced the extent of secondary diabetic complications.