Can light really get through the skin?

Yes!  When you see someone’s tattoo, you are seeing light that went through the skin, hit a pigment in the dermal layer and then reflected back through the skin to your eye.  So light can definitely traverse the shallow layer of the skin.

Isn’t there a danger of ambient light releasing insulin?

Yes!  That is why the site of injection should be covered (shadowed), by a controllable light source.  The light source would for example be in the form of an arm band (think MP3 player).  This would cover the injection site and prevent light from hitting it, until insulin was needed and the light source specifically illuminated the site. 

Is it possible that this approach won’t work?

Yes!  This is the nature of research.  But given this,  we do try to minimize the potential sources of failure, and to think as deeply as possible about the potential problems that might prevent success, so that they can be addressed early on.

Please forward any further questions to Professor Simon Friedman at friedmans@umkc.edu.