NEW hope has been offered to thousands of people with type 2 diabetes after the development of a new drug which is stimulated by the skin's exposure to a blue LED light.

Scientists have adapted an existing type of drug that promotes the release of insulin from the pancreas so that it changes shape when a type 2 diabetes patient's skin is exposed to the blue LED light. In theory, a patient could activate the drug by applying the blue LEDs to the skin and "turn it off" by removing the light.

It would not be active under normal conditions.

It is hoped it could give patients better control over their insulin levels, with existing drugs causing side effects that affect the brain or heart or stimulating too much insulin release.

It is believed there are about 236,000 people in Scotland - or five per cent of the population - who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, while a further 49,000 may have type 2 diabetes without being diagnosed.

The research into the light-activated drug was led by Dr David Hodson and Professor Guy Rutter from the Department of Medicine at Imperial College London and Professor Dirk Trauner and Dr Johannes Broichhagen at LMU Munich.

In a study published yesterday, the researchers demonstrated that the prototype drug, known as JB253, stimulates insulin release from pancreatic cells in the lab when exposed to blue light.

Dr Hodson said: "In principle, this type of therapy may allow better control over blood sugar levels because it can be switched on for a short time when required after a meal.

"It should also reduce complications by targeting drug activity to where it's needed in the pancreas.

"So far, we've created a molecule that has the desired effect on human pancreatic cells in the lab. There's a long way to go before a therapy is available to patients, but this remains our ultimate goal."

Although molecules that react to light have been known about since the 19th century, only in the last few years have scientists exploited their properties to make light-sensitive molecules with drug effects.

The type of drug adapted in the diabetes study is known as a sulfonylurea.

Dr Richard Elliott, of the charity Diabetes UK which helped fund the research, said: "Sulfonylureas help many people to manage type two diabetes even though, like other medications, they can have side effects.

"Work on light-activated medications is still at a relatively early stage, but this is nevertheless a fascinating area of study that, with further research, could help to produce a safer, more tightly-controllable version of this important therapy."