Now, smartphone controlled system to keep diabetes in check : The Tribune India

Join Whatsapp Channel

Now, smartphone controlled system to keep diabetes in check

BEIJING: Scientists have successfully engineered cells to produce insulin under the command of a smartphone, helping keep blood sugar levels within normal limits in diabetic mice.

Now, smartphone controlled system to keep diabetes in check

Photo source: Thinkstock



Beijing

Scientists have successfully engineered cells to produce insulin under the command of a smartphone, helping keep blood sugar levels within normal limits in diabetic mice.

The new system developed by researchers, including those from East China Normal University, involves engineering insulin-producing cells to do their work when illuminated with infrared light.

Human cells can be genetically engineered into living factories that efficiently manufacture and deliver hormones and signalling molecules, but most synthetic biological circuits do not offer the same degree of sensitivity and precision as digital sensors, researchers said.

They placed the cells in an insulated sheath that also contained red LED lights — then, they placed the sheath under the skin of test mice.

They controlled the lights remotely via smartphone app, sending signals to a control box containing a coil that activated the lights.

The smartphone received data from an embedded blood glucose metre. The result was a closed-loop system in which the glucose metre automatically conducted glucose testing on a periodic basis.

The smartphone app analysed the data to determine when and how much insulin needed to be produced.

It then sent a signal to the control box, activating the LED lights, causing the cells to produce and release insulin into the bodies of the mice.

The researchers tested their system with mice over a period of several weeks and report that it successfully maintained insulin levels.

"Successfully linking digital signals with engineered cells represents an important step toward translating similar cell-based therapies into the clinic," researchers said.

The study was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. — PTI

Top News

Jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies of cardiac arrest

Jailed gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari dies of cardiac arrest

Ansari was hospitalised after he complained of abdominal pai...

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

Delhi High Court dismisses PIL to remove Arvind Kejriwal from CM post after arrest

The bench refuses to comment on merits of the issue, saying ...

Arvind Kejriwal to be produced before Delhi court today as 6-day ED custody ends

Excise policy case: Delhi court extends ED custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1

In his submissions, Kejriwal said, ‘I am named by 4 witnesse...

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

‘Unwarranted, unacceptable’: India on US remarks on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest

MEA spokesperson says India is proud of its independent and ...

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Gujarat court sentences former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt to 20 years in jail in 1996 drug case

Bhatt, who was sacked from the force in 2015, is already beh...


Cities

View All