Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
For children with Type 1 diabetes, the risk of experiencing a severe hypoglycemic episode is especially common -- and for parents, the threat of that happening in the middle of the night is especially frightening. Sudden and critical drops in blood sugar can go undetected overnight when the child is asleep, resulting in coma and death -- an event known as "dead in bed syndrome."
"A parent can check their child's glucose levels right before they go to bed and everything looks fine, then around 2 a.m. their blood sugar is dangerously low -- near comatose level," said Matthew Webber, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Notre Dame.
Webber has listened to parents of diabetic children describe the fear of such an episode -- waking up several times a night to check glucose levels and the panic of emergency situations and rushing children to the hospital in the middle of the night.
In severe situations, glucagon injections can stabilize blood glucose levels long enough for parents to get their child medical attention. But in a new study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Webber is rethinking the traditional use of glucagon as an emergency response by administering it as a preventive measure.
In the research, Webber and his team illustrate how they successfully developed hydrogels that remain intact in the presence of glucose but slowly destabilize as levels drop, releasing glucagon into the system, raising glucose levels.
"A parent can check their child's glucose levels right before they go to bed and everything looks fine, then around 2 a.m. their blood sugar is dangerously low -- near comatose level," said Matthew Webber, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Notre Dame.
Webber has listened to parents of diabetic children describe the fear of such an episode -- waking up several times a night to check glucose levels and the panic of emergency situations and rushing children to the hospital in the middle of the night.
In severe situations, glucagon injections can stabilize blood glucose levels long enough for parents to get their child medical attention. But in a new study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Webber is rethinking the traditional use of glucagon as an emergency response by administering it as a preventive measure.
In the research, Webber and his team illustrate how they successfully developed hydrogels that remain intact in the presence of glucose but slowly destabilize as levels drop, releasing glucagon into the system, raising glucose levels.
Novel method for glucagon delivery
A chemical and biomolecular engineer is rethinking the traditional use of glucagon as an emergency response by administering it as a preventive measure.
www.sciencedaily.com
