New Method Delivers insulin Through Skin, Potentially Eliminating Injections
November 20, 2025 - Researchers have developed a non-invasive method to deliver insulin through the skin, potentially freeing patients with type 1 diabetes from daily injections. The technique utilizes a molecule, OP, to bind with insulin, allowing it to permeate the skin barrier and enter the bloodstream.
The study, published in Nature (doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09729-x), details successful testing in mice and mini pigs with type 1 diabetes. Researchers used a fluorescent marker to track the insulin-OP combination’s penetration, finding it spread throughout the skin within 30 minutes.
“The fluorescence of the surgical insulin spread throughout the skin within 30 minutes,” the scientists report.Following request, blood sugar levels in the treated animals returned to normal ranges within one to two hours – comparable to the rate achieved with conventional insulin injections.
Notably, the insulin delivered via this method demonstrated a longer duration of effect than injected insulin. The research team, led by wei, also observed increased accumulation of the insulin in tissues crucial for blood sugar regulation, including the liver, adipose tissue, and muscles.
Crucially, the application proved non-irritating and non-invasive. “The surgical insulin penetrated the skin wholly non-invasively and without causing irritation,” the research team stated. Repeated applications showed no structural changes to the skin, inflammation, or cell death.
Researchers believe this approach could extend beyond insulin delivery. “This could free patients with diabetes from subcutaneous injections,” they write, adding that the technique might potentially be applicable to other protein and peptide-based therapeutics currently limited by thier inability to penetrate the skin.
Further studies are planned to confirm long-term safety, effectiveness, and to refine dosage for human application.