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A wireless electronic implant that clears excess glucose directly from the bloodstream could offer a drug-free way to manage type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a landmark study.
The device, developed by bioengineers at ETH Zurich, bypasses traditional pharmaceutical therapy entirely.
Instead, it relies on an electrically powered catalyst that physically breaks down excess blood sugar in the body.
In trials on mice with both conditions, the under-the-skin implant brought elevated blood sugar levels back to normal within 60 to 90 minutes of being activated, researchers reported in the journal Science.
Over six weeks of treatment, the animals lost up to 10 per cent of their body weight and showed significant reductions in triglycerides, a common type of fat in the blood.
Diabetes affects more than five million people in the UK alone. Conventional type 2 diabetes treatments – including daily insulin injections and newer GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro – require meticulous dosing and ongoing management.
Even experimental diabetes-controlling implants still rely on the hormone insulin, which clears sugar from the bloodstream but does not rid the body of it, said Professor Martin Fussenegger, a bioengineer at ETH Zurich.
The new implant instead removes glucose from the body without added drugs, genes, or living cells.
It contains a catalyst made of gold flakes and platinum particles layered onto spongelike graphite, which when powered by low-voltage electricity, converts glucose into gluconate, a compound that the kidneys can easily flush out in urine.
Prof Fussenegger said: “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.”
“This system kind of targets the root cause, which is the energy surplus by glucose in the body,” Prof Fussenegger explained.
The device functions as a wearable continuous glucose monitor, which detects elevated blood sugar and relays readings through a smartphone that wirelessly switches the implant on.
When levels drop back to a safe range, the device shuts off automatically.
But while preliminary trials on mice have showed success, independent experts have urged caution, warning that major hurdles must be cleared before the technology can be considered for use in human patients.
“This is a potentially promising method,” says Dr David Klonoff, an endocrinologist at Sutter Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in California, who was not involved in the research.
“But the risks are significant and must be carefully ruled out before it can be safely tested on humans.”
Dr Klonoff highlighted that researchers need to establish precisely how much gluconate human kidneys can process.
If the compound accumulates, it could disrupt the body’s acid-base balance and trigger symptoms such as nausea and confusion, while flushing it out could deplete essential electrolytes such as sodium and potassium, he said.
Professor Fussenegger’s team now plans to test the system in larger animals, including pigs and sheep, before taking steps towards human clinical trials.
If proven safe and effective, the implant could offer an alternative to traditional diabetes therapies and open a new route for weight management, regardless of whether a patient has diabetes.