Researchers control blood sugar levels in mice via smartphone app

Scientists at Shanghai’s East China Normal University have been able to regulate blood sugar levels in mice via the use of a smartphone app as a result of a new treatment method that utilises a subdermal device in combination with biological approaches.

The study was conducted to find a new and effective way to treat diabetes. The mice’s cells were first genetically engineered to produce blood sugar-regulating drugs such as insulin when exposed to specific wavelengths of red light. This light was then provided by a set of wirelessly powered LEDs implanted into the animals, which could then be controlled via a smartphone app.

It is thought that the new treatment pathway could have promising applications in a number of areas beyond diabetes, and "could pave the way for a new era of personalised, digitalised and globalised precision medicine", according to the research team. It is possible to tweak the approach to prompt cells to manufacture a range of drugs. As the technology develops, it could potentially become fully automated and self-regulating.

Calling the study an "exciting accomplishment", Professor Mark Gomelsky, Molecular Biologist at the University of Wyoming, explained: "How soon should we expect to see people on the street wearing fashionable LED wristbands that irradiate implanted cells engineered to produce genetically encoded drugs under the control of a smartphone? Not just yet, but the work provides us with an exciting glimpse into the future of smart cell-based therapeutics."