Managing Diabetes with Hydrogel Drug Delivery

Diabetes is one of the most pressing healthcare challenges facing society. Dysfunctional insulin signaling causes diabetes, leading to blood glucose instability and many associated complications. While the administration of exogenous insulin is then essential for achieving glucose control, issues with dosing accuracy and timing remain. Hydrogel-based drug delivery systems have been broadly explored for controlled protein release, including for applications in long-lasting and oral insulin delivery. More recently, efforts have focused on injectable hydrogels with glucose-directed controlled release of insulin and glucagon, aiming for more autonomous and biomimetic approaches to blood glucose control. These materials typically use protein-based sensing mechanisms or glucose binding by synthetic aryl boronates for glucose-directed release. Despite advancements in this area, there remains a need for more precise timing of therapeutic availability to afford healthy blood glucose homeostasis, providing an opportunity for further research and innovation. This review summarizes the current state of hydrogel-based delivery of insulin and glucagon, with insights into the potential benefits, future directions, and challenges that must be overcome to achieve clinical impact.