Health · Medical Research · 5 hrs ago
Experimental implant lowers blood sugar and weight in mice
Researchers at ETH Zurich tested a wireless implant in mice with type 2 diabetes and obesity.
When switched on, the device uses electricity to convert excess glucose into gluconate, which the kidneys can remove in urine.
Blood sugar returned to normal within 60 to 90 minutes of the implant being switched on.
After six weeks, treated mice lost up to 10 percent of their body weight and had lower levels of blood fats called triglycerides.
The device has not been tested in people, and a human version may need to be much larger because people consume far more carbohydrates than mice.
Researchers also need to check whether gluconate could build up or disrupt the body's balance of acids and electrolytes.
The team plans to test the implant in pigs and sheep before considering human trials, so its safety and effectiveness in people remain unknown.
An experimental wireless implant converted excess blood glucose into gluconate, which the body can excrete in urine.
In mice with type 2 diabetes and obesity, the device brought high blood sugar back to normal within 60 to 90 minutes of activation.
After six weeks, treated mice lost up to 10 percent of their body weight and had lower blood triglycerides.
The implant uses electricity and a gold-and-platinum catalyst, without added drugs, genes or living cells.
Its safety and effectiveness in people are unknown, and researchers plan to test it in pigs and sheep before considering human trials.
- Who
- Researchers led by Martin Fussenegger at ETH Zurich developed the implant. David Klonoff, an endocrinologist who was not involved, raised safety concerns.
- What
- An experimental implant converts excess blood glucose into gluconate for excretion in urine. It lowered blood sugar and weight in mice.
- When
- The findings were reported in Science on October 22. The articles were published on November 2 and 3, 2026.
- Where
- The device was tested in mice. Fussenegger works at ETH Zurich in Basel.
- Why
- It is designed to remove excess glucose from the body, potentially addressing surplus energy and offering a different approach to type 2 diabetes and weight loss.
Researchers
David Klonoff
Potential benefits
Researchers
The implant lowered blood sugar and weight in mice. Fussenegger said it could offer an alternative to existing diabetes treatments and a weight-loss option if proven safe and effective.
David Klonoff
Klonoff called the method potentially promising.
Safety and practical concerns
Researchers
The team plans to test the device in pigs and sheep before considering human trials.
David Klonoff
Klonoff said risks must be ruled out before human testing, including possible gluconate buildup, electrolyte loss and challenges scaling up the implant.
The findings were reported in the journal Science.
The automated system ran in eight mice.
Treated mice had lost up to 10 percent of their body weight and had lower triglycerides.
The catalyst remained able to convert glucose after being under the mice’s skin for this period.
- Blood sugar response
- Returned to normal within 60 to 90 minutes of activation in mice
- Weight change
- Treated mice lost up to 10 percent of body weight after six weeks
- Device length
- 3 centimeters
- Catalyst materials
- Gold flakes and platinum particles on spongelike graphite
- Global diabetes estimate
- About 830 million people worldwide
- Next research step
- Tests in pigs and sheep before considering human trials
2 sources
What people are saying
This system kind of targets the root cause, which is the energy surplus by glucose in the body
This is a potentially promising method
But the risks are significant and must be carefully ruled out before it can be safely tested on humans.