University of Hyderabad develops potential new treatment for diabetes

Hyderabad: Reagene Innovations Pvt Ltd, a start-up biotech company incubated at the University of Hyderabad’s BioNEST incubation centre has developed a new strategy to reduce blood glucose.

They proposed that 70 percent of blood glucose could be derived from diet, so inhibiting the absorption of dietary glucose by the small intestine could lower glucose levels.

To achieve blocking intestinal glucose absorption, they developed chicken antibodies to a protein SGLT1 which transports glucose.

Diabetes (Type I, Type 2 and gestational diabetes) is a disease in which blood glucose levels rise uncontrollably causing damage to the heart, kidneys, eyes and nerves.

Several drugs are available to treat Type 2 diabetes, yet many patients cannot attain normal glucose levels and hence new options to treat this disease are urgently needed.

They developed chicken antibodies to SGLT1 and now show that the antibodies improve glucose levels and glycemic profile in animal models demonstrating potential new therapy for humans.

CEO of ProdIgY Bio Inc, USA, Dr Satish Chandran, said, “Using chicken-derived IgY antibodies in humans is accepted by regulatory bodies in the world, the approach is highly feasible as a treatment for diabetes.”

Co-Founder of Reagene Innovations, Dr Subrahmanyam Vangala said, “Type 2 diabetes needs new approaches urgently so demonstration of a new potential treatment option is very exciting.”

Professor GS Prasad and Professor S Rajagopal, directors of ASPIRE BioNEST Incubator, said that the start-up ecosystem at BioNEST is built to support startups with new ideas and every new innovation developed at the incubator adds significant value.