Henry Daniell, vice chair and W.D. Miller Professor in the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences in Penn’s School of Dental Medicine, and his team of researchers developed a new plant-based, oral method of insulin delivery that regulates blood sugar levels similar to natural insulin.
This new method of delivery, which involves integrating insulin genes into lettuce plants, eliminates the need for expensive, complex laboratory equipment used in traditional insulin production and results in a product that is shelf stable at room temperature.
Moving forward in his research, Daniell plans to test this plant-based insulin in both canine and human subjects. Read more here.