Breakthrough Australian research mapping how insulin works at a molecular level could open the door to novel new diabetes treatments, ending daily needle jabs for millions, scientists have announced.

A Melbourne team have been able to lay out for the first time how the insulin hormone binds to the surface of cells, triggering the passage of glucose from the bloodstream to be stored as energy.

Lead researcher Mike Lawrence on Thursday said the discovery, more than 20 years in the making, would make new and more effective kinds of diabetes medication possible.

‘Until now we have not been able to see how these molecules interact with cells,