Image shows bone progenitor cells labeled by red glow inside a cleared femur.
[Image from A. Greenbaum et al., Science Translational Medicine]
5. Engineered cells deliver insulin doses using a smartphone
Blood sugar levels remained normal when engineered cells produced insulin through prodding from a smartphone, according to a new study out of China.
Living tissues and new technology allowed engineered cells to produce insulin when exposed to far-red light, which usually comes from therapy bulbs and infrared saunas.
The researchers, led by Jiawei Shao at East China Normal University in Shanghai, put the cells onto biocompatible sheaths that could power red LED light wirelessly and created HydrogeLEDs that could be powered on and off by external electromagnetic fields.
When the HydrogeLEDs were implanted into mice skin, the researchers were able to deliver insulin doses through a smartphone application that had a custom-corded control algorithm without the cells having any cross-talk between normal cellular signaling processes, according to a news release from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
A Bluetooth-enabled blood glucose meter gave feedback between therapeutic cells and the diagnostic device to help maintain stable blood glucose levels over several weeks.
