Enject (United States)

Severe hypoglycemia (SH) is a common problem in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Annually, nearly 1 of 5 persons with long-standing T1D will have SH. Though injections of glucagon are effective in treating SH, liquid formulations of glucagon are biochemically very unstable. For this reason, available preparations of glucagon are lyophilized; the powder and the diluent must be mixed at the point of care prior to administration and any remaining drug must be discarded. The process of mixing and delivery is complex. Coupled with the emotional stress of the caregiver, errors in glucagon delivery are very common. For these reasons, workers at Enject, Inc are in the process of developing a device that addresses the shortcomings of this currently approved method of glucagon delivery. The Enject device will store the glucagon powder and the diluent in separate compartments and will rapidly mix and inject the components only upon activation of the pen at the point of care.

Variations in the shape habit of crystals are possibly due to variations in the rate of growth in different directions within the crystal. This is illustrated by sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is an ionic bond type of crystal. Crystals of other foods vary from this to the predominantly hydrogen bond type, as in ice and sugar, and the predominantly van der Waals bond type, as in glycerides. Depending upon the type of crystal and other conditions, hydrocolloids can affect crystal growth in foods in at least three ways: They can have direct effect on the crystalline solid as it forms—for example, by adsorption; they can affect the solvent—for example, by changing its physical properties; and they can combine with or otherwise affect impurities present which might otherwise influence crystallization.