MIT’s wireless skin implant delivers glucagon instantly when blood sugar drops, offering new safety for diabetics, even while they sleep.
MIT engineers have designed a new emergency implant to protect people with Type 1 diabetes from life-threatening hypoglycemia. The device, about the size of a quarter, sits under the skin and releases a dose of glucagon when blood sugar levels dip too low.
It can be activated manually or triggered wirelessly by a sensor.Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a constant danger for people with Type 1 diabetes. When glucose levels fall sharply, patients often rely on injecting glucagon, a hormone that signals the liver to release stored sugar into the bloodstream. But in many cases, especially during sleep or in children, patients may not recognize the signs in time to act.“This is a small, emergency-event device that can be placed under the skin, where it is ready to act if the patient’s blood sugar drops too low,” said Daniel Anderson, professor of chemical engineering at MIT and senior author of the study. “Our goal was to build a device that is always ready to protect patients from low blood sugar.”Researchers showed the device could also deliver emergency epinephrine for heart attacks or severe allergic reactions. Credit – MITThe new device was developed to help patients who miss warning signs or can’t self-administer glucagon quickly. It also offers a backup if hypoglycemia occurs during sleep.Signal-activated drug deliveryTo develop the system, MIT researchers created a small drug reservoir using 3D-printed polymer, sealed with a shape-memory alloy that responds to heat. The metal component, made of nickel-titanium, curls and opens when it reaches 40 degrees Celsius. This action releases the powdered drug stored inside.Since glucagon in liquid form breaks down over time, the team stored a powdered version instead, which remains stable for longer periods. The implant includes an antenna tuned to a specific radio frequency, allowing external wireless activation. A small electric current heats the metal seal to release the drug.“One of the key features of this type of digital drug delivery system is that you can have it talk to sensors,” said Siddharth Krishnan, lead author of the study. “In this case, the continuous glucose-monitoring technology that a lot of patients use is something that would be easy for these types of devices to interface with.”Tested on diabetic miceThe team implanted the device in diabetic mice and triggered it as blood sugar levels dropped. Within 10 minutes, sugar levels stabilized and remained in the normal range.They also tested a powdered version of epinephrine. Ten minutes after activation, the drug circulated in the bloodstream and increased heart rate, showing its potential use for heart attacks or severe allergic reactions.In trials, devices remained in place for four weeks and continued working even after scar tissue formed around them. Researchers are now working to extend that timeline up to a year or more.“We don’t know exactly what that is — maybe a year, maybe a few years, and we’re currently working on establishing what the optimal lifetime is,” Krishnan said. “But then after that, it would need to be replaced.”The team plans further animal trials and aims to begin human testing within three years.“It’s really exciting to see our team accomplish this, which I hope will someday help diabetic patients and could more broadly provide a new paradigm for delivering any emergency medicine,” said Robert Langer, another author of the paper.The study is published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Diabetes Emergency Medicine Glucagon Hypoglycemia Medical Implants MIT Type 1 Diabetes Wireless Drug Delivery
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