Biotech company Nuritas is to receive EU funding to develop a peptide into a full-on treatment which could prevent pre-diabetic patients developing full-blown Type 2 diabetes.

The company says the discovery “represents a major breakthrough in the battle to prevent Type 2 diabetes” and that its peptide “carries the potential to prevent pre-diabetic patients developing diabetes”.

According to Nuritas, EU Horizon 2020 funding "will now unlock a total of over €3 million for Nuritas to support the final stage of its research and the commercialisation of what would be a world-first development in diabetes prevention.

“This will include a series of Irish-based clinical trials being rolled out over the next 18 months. Pending regulatory approval, Nuritas will have its new peptide integrated into functional food products and available on the market as early as 2020.”

Nuritas CEO Emmet Browne said: “This is a hugely important validation for Nuritas and our use of cutting-edge artificial intelligence driven technology to transform the future of disease prevention and food around the globe. This peptide carries huge potential to bridge an enormous gap in medical science and act as a major weapon in the global battle against diabetes, now recognised as a full blown epidemic.

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“This is the essence of why Nuritas exists and we are delighted that after significant and deep consideration, the EU has demonstrated such faith in Nuritas’ ability to tackle this huge global issue.”

There is no ‘cure’ for diabetes and it is controllable but irreversible, so prevention strategies are key to any real treatment.

Photo: Emmet Browne and Dr Nora Khaldi, founder and Chief Scientific Officer