BioTechniques News
Beatrice Bowlby
An implantable device that uses an electrically powered catalyst to lower blood sugar may offer a drug-free approach to managing diabetes and obesity.
Scientists from ETH Zurich (Switzerland) have designed an experimental implant that uses electricity to convert excess glucose in the bloodstream into gluconate, a lower-energy metabolite that is readily excreted through the kidneys, presenting a promising opportunity to control diabetes without medications or insulin. The wirelessly powered system was coupled with continuous glucose monitoring to enable autonomous metabolic control in mouse models. It also promoted the use of stored fat, demonstrating its potential for tackling diabetes and obesity in tandem.
Type 2 diabetes and obesity frequently coexist (diabesity), affecting more than 2.5 billion people worldwide. Current treatments largely rely on reducing blood sugar levels; however, they often come with side effects, require lifelong administration and lose effectiveness over time. Patients are generally prescribed insulin, which helps transport glucose from their bloodstream into liver, muscle and fat cells. While this effectively lowers blood sugar levels, if the energy doesn’t get used by the body, it is converted into fat, hence many patients continue to gain weight despite treatment.
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As a result, there is a considerable need for novel, closed-loop diabesity therapeutics. Previous attempts at this have involved developing genetic networks to regulate blood glucose levels, but these have fallen short due to their use of biological components, which throws up obstacles for immune tolerance, stability, manufacturing and regulatory approval.
The implant from the team at ETH Zurich could be a more biocompatible alternative. It is made entirely from inorganic materials, namely platinum-decorated gold nanoclusters embedded in graphite felt, which use electrical energy to catalyze the oxidation of blood glucose to gluconate that is then cleared in urine.
The device is wirelessly connected to a glucose sensor; when blood sugar rises too high, the sensor sends a signal to a smartphone or smartwatch via Bluetooth, triggering the catalyst. Once glucose levels have dropped to safe levels, the implant switches off, preventing hypoglycemia. The electrical stimulation can be precisely controlled, meaning that the removal of glucose from the bloodstream can also be meticulously regulated.
The researchers put the system to the test in a series of experiments. First, they applied it to a tank holding a glucose-containing nutrient solution designed to match the volume of blood in the human body, which revealed that the catalyst was capable of converting glucose in this amount of liquid.
Then, they implanted the device in mice with diabesity. Wireless activation restored elevated blood glucose to the normal range within 1 hour, while repeated treatment maintained glucose control for 6 weeks without dropping dangerously low. What’s more, using the implant to lower blood glucose shifted metabolism toward the use of stored fat, reduced body weight and circulating triglycerides, and increased concentrations of free fatty acids and ketone bodies. The device remained functional throughout the 6-week treatment period, and no adverse physiological, inflammatory or behavioral effects were reported.
Together, the findings point to a potential autonomous, closed-loop approach that uses electrocatalysis to treat diabesity. “For decades, we have treated diabetes by telling the body how to manage glucose. We are now showing that we can take control of glucose directly, using electronics rather than drugs,” study lead Martin Fussenegger summed up.
Fussenegger and colleagues are now looking to develop the system into a medical device, in the hope that its preliminary success will translate to the clinic.
The post New implant reduces blood sugar with electricity, offering promise for drug-free diabetes treatment appeared first on BioTechniques.
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