Making Insulin Last Longer with Tiny Coated Drug Particles
This patent describes how to create tiny, layered particles that can hold insulin and release it slowly into the body, aiming for longer-lasting diabetes treatment.
Original patent title: “Method and system for synthesizing nanocarrier based long acting drug delivery system for insulin”
This patent describes how to create tiny, layered particles that can hold insulin and release it slowly into the body, aiming for longer-lasting diabetes treatment. Granted to Tehram in 2016 with 9 claims, and it is expected to expire in 2034.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent details a method for creating nanoparticles designed to deliver insulin over an extended period. The core of these nanoparticles is an aqueous phase containing insulin, as described in claimclaimA numbered sentence at the end of a patent that legally defines what the inventor owns. The most important section.Read more → 1. This core is surrounded by a lipid layer, which can be made from specific fats like palmitic acid or glyceryl stearate, and a phospholipid bilayer. Finally, a chitosan shell or coat encapsulates the entire structure. For example, a method outlined in claim 5 involves dissolving specific lipids and phospholipids in an organic solvent, then adding this mixture dropwise to an aqueous solution containing insulin. A chitosan solution is then added, causing the nanoparticles to form and trap the insulin inside, allowing for slow release after injection.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover insulin delivery systems that do not use a lipid/phospholipid core with an aqueous insulin phase and a chitosan shell.
- Does not cover nanoparticles with a zeta potential outside the range of 10 mv to 30 mv, or a peak size distribution not at 128.5 nm.
- Does not cover methods of synthesis that do not involve adding an organic solution of lipids dropwise to an aqueous insulin solution.
- Does not cover long-acting insulin formulations that are not based on entrapping insulin within nanoparticles.
- Does not cover nanoparticles where the lipid component is not selected from monostearyl glycerol, distearyl glycerol, palmitic acid, stearic acid, or glyceryl stearate.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The noveltynoveltyThe requirement that an invention be different from anything publicly known before its priority date.Read more → lies in the specific layered structure of the nanoparticle, combining an aqueous insulin core with lipid, phospholipid, and chitosan layers, and the precise method of forming these particles via solvent diffusion to achieve controlled, slow release.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Experimental long-acting insulin formulations
Nanoparticle-based drug delivery research
Advanced diabetes treatment concepts
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Managing diabetes often requires multiple daily insulin injections. This patent aims to reduce injection frequency by creating a system where insulin is released slowly over time. If successful, such a system could improve the quality of life for people with diabetes by making their treatment regimen less burdensome. It represents an effort to advance drug delivery technology for chronic conditions.
Filed
July 21, 2014
Granted
June 21, 2016
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Given the patent's zero forward citationsforward citationsLater patents that cite this one as prior art. High counts signal foundational influence.Read more →, it appears that direct commercial development based specifically on this patent's claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more → has not widely occurred. However, the broader field of nanocarrier-based drug delivery for long-acting formulations is an active area of research for pharmaceutical companies like Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, and Sanofi, as well as numerous biotech startups focusing on advanced drug delivery systems.
Market impact
This specific patent has not demonstrably created a new market category or triggered significant litigationlitigationA lawsuit over patent infringement. Litigated patents often signal commercial importance.Read more →, likely due to its zero forward citationsforward citationsLater patents that cite this one as prior art. High counts signal foundational influence.Read more →. However, the underlying concept of using nanocarriers for long-acting drug delivery, particularly for chronic conditions like diabetes, continues to be a focus for innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. The market for diabetes treatments constantly seeks improvements in patient convenience and efficacy, which long-acting formulations aim to address.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent details a method for creating nanoparticles designed to deliver insulin over an extended period. The core of these nanoparticles is an aqueous phase containing insulin, as described in claim 1. This core is surrounded by a lipid layer, which can be made from specific fats like palmitic acid or glyceryl stearate, and a phospholipid bilayer. Finally, a chitosan shell or coat encapsulates the entire structure. For example, a method outlined in claim 5 involves dissolving specific lipids and phospholipids in an organic solvent, then adding this mixture dropwise to an aqueous solution containing insulin. A chitosan solution is then added, causing the nanoparticles to form and trap the insulin inside, allowing for slow release after injection.
The clever bit
The novelty lies in the specific layered structure of the nanoparticle, combining an aqueous insulin core with lipid, phospholipid, and chitosan layers, and the precise method of forming these particles via solvent diffusion to achieve controlled, slow release.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover insulin delivery systems that do not use a lipid/phospholipid core with an aqueous insulin phase and a chitosan shell.
- Does not cover nanoparticles with a zeta potential outside the range of 10 mv to 30 mv, or a peak size distribution not at 128.5 nm.
- Does not cover methods of synthesis that do not involve adding an organic solution of lipids dropwise to an aqueous insulin solution.
- Does not cover long-acting insulin formulations that are not based on entrapping insulin within nanoparticles.
- Does not cover nanoparticles where the lipid component is not selected from monostearyl glycerol, distearyl glycerol, palmitic acid, stearic acid, or glyceryl stearate.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Limited data
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
6/20
Moderate scope
Recency
5/20
Granted 10–20 years ago
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$38K – $120K
Midpoint $75K · 7.9 yr remaining · industry ×3.0
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
9 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Hamidi, M. (2016). Making Insulin Last Longer with Tiny Coated Drug Particles (U.S. Patent No. 9,370,488). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9370488/method-and-system-for-synthesizing-nanocarrier-based-long-acting-drug-delivery-s
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Making Insulin Last Longer with Tiny Coated Drug Particles cover?
This patent describes how to create tiny, layered particles that can hold insulin and release it slowly into the body, aiming for longer-lasting diabetes treatment.
Who owns patent US 9370488?
Tehram owns this patent, granted in 2016.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on July 21, 2034, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
Managing diabetes often requires multiple daily insulin injections. This patent aims to reduce injection frequency by creating a system where insulin is released slowly over time. If successful, such a system could improve the quality of life for people with diabetes by making their treatment regimen less burdensome. It represents an effort to advance drug delivery technology for chronic conditions.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover insulin delivery systems that do not use a lipid/phospholipid core with an aqueous insulin phase and a chitosan shell.
Patent monitoring