The fuel cell itself, which resembles a teabag that’s slightly larger than a fingernail, is covered in a nonwoven fabric and coated with alginate, an algae-derived product used widely in biomedicine because of its high degree of biocompatibility. When implanted under the skin, the cell’s alginate soaks up body fluid, allowing glucose to permeate the surface and flow into the power centre.
Overall, the two components provide a self-regulating circuit. When the fuel cell powered by glucose senses excess blood sugar, it powers up. This then stimulates the beta cells to produce and secrete insulin. As blood sugar levels dip, it trips a threshold sensor in the fuel cell, so it powers down, in turn stopping the insulin production and release.
This self-sustained circuit could also produce enough power to communicate with a device such as a smartphone, which allows for monitoring and adjusting, and even has potential for remote access for medical intervention.
Well, this looks promising, so we'll have to see if it actually becomes a reality and available for use.
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Sugar-powered teabag-like implant successfully manages type 1 diabetes #
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Glucose fuel cells that can effectively harness the body’s chemical energy and turn it into an electrical charge has been a long-term holy grail for scientists since such potential was first studied back in 1968.
