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Scientists Develop Insulin That Can Be Kept Without Refrigeration

September 27, 2021

A team of scientists in India have developed a "thermostable" variety of insulin which eliminates the need to keep it refrigerated.

This development is being hailed as a scientific breakthrough.

The research has been led by two scientists of the Bose Institute and the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) and two others from the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT).

They successfully introduced a matrix of four amino acid peptide molecules inside insulin molecules which prevented solidification of the insulin molecules when not refrigerated.

While insulin needs to be kept at an ideal temperature of approximately 36°F to 46°F, this new variety would be able to withstand a temperature of up to 149 °F, the researchers claim.

"You will be able to keep it outside the refrigerator for as long as you want, something that will help diabetes patients across the world because carrying insulin along with them was considered impossible all this while," said Subhrangsu Chatterjee, a chemical biologist at Bose Institute.

The scientists are also hoping for DST and CSIR -- who together funded the four-year research -- to help them out with corporate tie-ups for mass production.