{"id":646025,"date":"2026-10-30T16:24:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T16:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/646025\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T16:24:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T16:24:20","slug":"a-drug-free-treatment-for-diabetes-and-obesity-is-within-reach-say-experts-and-its-not-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/646025\/","title":{"rendered":"A drug-free treatment for diabetes and obesity is within reach, say experts (and it’s not exercise)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scientists have invented a wireless electronic device that removes excess sugar from the blood and could, one day, offer a drug-free treatment for diabetes and obesity.<\/p>\n

The device, which was developed by a team of researchers in Switzerland and France, is paired with a continuous glucose monitor, and is automatically activated when blood glucose levels get too high.<\/p>\n

It then triggers a reaction that converts the excess glucose into a product called gluconate, which gets cleared by the kidneys, and brings glucose levels back down to normal.<\/p>\n

In a study<\/a> published in October, the team tested the device by implanting it in mice with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Over the course of six weeks, the device not only lowered the mice\u2019s high blood glucose levels, but also reduced their body weight by 10 per cent.<\/p>\n

If the device can be successfully adapted for humans, the study authors say it could offer a “drug-free” alternative to medications used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity \u2013 conditions that frequently coexist and by 2050 are projected to afflict 1.27 billion<\/a> and 1.95 billion<\/a> people worldwide, respectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur device does something fundamentally different from conventional diabetes treatments [such as insulin and metformin],\u201d said Prof Martin Fussenegger<\/a>, professor of biotechnology and bioengineering at ETH Zurich and the University of Basel, who co-authored the study.<\/p>\n

\"InsulinNewer diabetes treatments, such as automated diabetes pumps, have hugely improved real-time glucose control. However, they still face technical limitations and have limited scope for personalisation – Credit: Getty<\/p>\n

When there\u2019s less glucose in the blood, the body turns to its fat reserves as a source of fuel. That\u2019s why, Fussenegger explained, mice implanted with the device experienced weight loss, as their bodies increasingly burned through fat stores.<\/p>\n

Dr Sufyan Hussain<\/a>, a consultant diabetes physician at Guy’s and St Thomas\u2019 NHS Foundation Trust and King\u2019s College London, said the study used a \u201cnovel and exciting approach\u201d that \u201copens up exciting possibilities for managing both glucose and weight\u201d.<\/p>\n

But while the initial findings are \u201cvery promising\u201d, he said, \u201ccarefully controlled human trials will be essential\u201d before such a treatment could be used in people.<\/p>\n

Fussenegger admits there are still many hurdles to overcome. \u201cThe biggest challenge will be demonstrating that we can safely and reliably remove sufficient glucose in the much larger and complex human metabolic system over extended periods,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would also need to understand the longer-term effects of producing and clearing gluconate, particularly on kidney function,\u201d said Hussain.<\/p>\n

Fussenegger added that people with impaired kidney function, for instance, may require special consideration since the device relies on the kidneys\u2019 ability to remove gluconate from the body.<\/p>\n

\u201cDiabetes is a complex disease and such devices won\u2019t be suitable for everyone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But he and his team are determined to make these new technological treatments work for patients who can benefit from them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur vision is a new generation of \u2026 intelligent implants [that] continuously monitor the body\u2019s metabolic state and intervene only when necessary, without administering drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scientists have invented a wireless electronic device that removes excess sugar from the blood and could, one day,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":646026,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[134,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-646025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646025","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=646025"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/646025\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/646026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=646025"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=646025"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=646025"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}