An experimental implant removed excess sugar from the blood of mice in a lab test. It also performed outside the body, cleaning five liters of glucose solution. Humans have roughly five liters of blood.
The team that created the implant wanted to make a system that could regulate blood sugar for people with blood sugar concerns. The system converts excess glucose into gluconate. That stops excess glucose from being stored in tissue. The gluconate leaves the body through urine.
The implant works in concert with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). The CGM tracks blood sugar. If it gets too high, a signal is sent to the implant to turn on. Once blood sugar is normal, the implant turns off.
The team first tested it on a vat of glucose solution. The device successfully converted the glucose to gluconate. Then they tested it on mice with blood sugar concerns and saw that they could control their blood sugar. Over a six-week trial, the mice lost weight, and the implant worked well without rejection. It caused no damage to the animals with either heat or electrical impulses.
“We are now showing that we can take control of glucose directly, using electronics rather than drugs,” said Martin Fussenegger, who led he team at ETH Zurich. “And the catalyst only activates when glucose levels are too high.”
The implant is an inch long and works on a chemical reaction triggered by small amounts of electricity. It’s powered wirelessly by a smartphone through low-level radio frequencies.
It could offer a totally new way to fight blood sugar concerns. The team is working toward testing the device in other animals before eventually moving into human trials.
Currently, the best way to handle blood sugar concerns is a mix of lifestyle changes and medical intervention. This implant is years away from coming to market. You can’t wait for something in the future to take care of your health now. Making healthy lifestyle changes and having a plan with your doctor can help you handle your blood sugar concerns now, without an implant. Even when the device comes to market, it won’t be a shortcut to better health, Prof. Fussenegger said, “Our device is not intended to replace healthy nutrition, physical activity or preventative medicine.”
