Taking insulin may one day be as easy as applying lotion

What if insulin didn’t always require a needle?

For this week’s Saturday Science Smiles post we want to highlight new early-stage research that suggests that insulin might one day be delivered through a topical cream instead of injections. Scientists developed a special polymer that can cross the skin barrier and “carry” insulin into the bloodstream. In animal models, a single application lowered blood sugar for hours.

This approach is still very experimental and has only been tested in animals so far. Human clinical trials are needed before this could ever be used in real-world diabetes care. But if it works, it could reduce injection-related stress and open the door to needle-free delivery of other medications too.