Smartphone
Controlled Cells Produce Insulin in
Diabetic Mice
Scientists in China and Switzerland have developed hydrogel implants containing red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and engineered
Cells that
Produce and release
Insulin in response to the far-red light emitted by the LEDs. The LEDs can be
Controlled wirelessly using a
Smartphone app, meaning that the scientists could control
Insulin levels in
Diabetic Mice using the surgically implanted hydrogel capsules.
At present, people with diabetes often need to inject themselves several times a day to control their blood glucose levels. Scientists are trying to develop methods for
Insulin control that are needle and wire-free. This latest tech**logy, recently reported in journal*
Science Translational Medicine, combines
Smartphone tech**logy with living
Cells to achieve that goal.
Haifeng Ye/East China **rmal University
Implanted beneath the skin of
Diabetic mice, the hydrogels were designed to hold the
Cells and LEDs together in the treated animals. The red LEDs in the hydrogel implants were activated wirelessly using an external electronic field and could be easily
Controlled using a
Smartphone app. The
Cells were optogenetically engineered to
Produce mouse
Insulin in response to far-red light, and the strength and duration of the LED illumination could be controlled.
Finally, the implants were paired with a Bluetooth-enabled glucose monitor, which provided direct feedback on how effectively the released
Insulin was affecting glucose levels. This allowed the
Mice to achieve and maintain stable glucose levels over the course of several weeks. The scientists hope that similar systems might one day be possible in humans, allowing for wireless diabetes monitoring and control.
Study in
Science Translational Medicine.
Smartphone-controlled optogenetically engineered cells enable semiautomatic glucose homeostasis in diabetic mice…
Via:
American Association for the Advancement of Science…
