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By Jennifer Chu

 

Maintaining tight control over blood-sugar levels is a daily challenge for people with diabetes: it requires constant monitoring and multiple insulin injections each day. Now the biotech company SmartCells, based in Beverly, MA, is developing a drug that may do most of the heavy lifting in controlling diabetes. The injectable drug, called SmartInsulin, senses high glucose levels and automatically dispenses insulin on demand. As glucose levels drop off, the drug stabilizes, trapping insulin until the next glucose spike. Such a drug may cut down the number of insulin injections required to once a day.