New Wireless Skin Implant Could Prevent Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetics: Study Shows

A new study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering reveals a potentially life-saving innovation for people with Type 1 diabetes: an implantable device that releases glucagon when blood sugar levels plummet dangerously low. Developed by engineers at MIT, the wireless-triggered reservoir aims to prevent hypoglycemia, a life-threatening condition often marked by confusion, seizures, or even coma.

For those managing Type 1 diabetes, hypoglycemia is a constant risk. While glucagon injections are the standard emergency treatment, patients may not always recognize early symptoms especially during sleep or in young children. The newly designed device can stay under the skin and release powdered glucagon in response to a wireless signal or possibly even automatically via glucose sensor integration.

“This is a small, emergency-event device that can be placed under the skin, where it is ready to act if the patient's blood sugar drops too low,” said senior author Daniel Anderson, a professor at MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering. “Our goal was to build a device that is always ready to protect patients from low blood sugar.”

The device, about the size of a quarter, consists of a 3D-printed polymer reservoir sealed with a shape-memory alloy specifically, nickel-titanium that bends when heated. The reservoir stores powdered glucagon, which is more stable than its liquid form. Upon receiving a specific radiofrequency signal, the device heats the alloy, curls the seal, and releases the drug.

In diabetic mice, the device successfully released glucagon within 10 minutes of activation, stabilizing blood sugar levels. The researchers also demonstrated successful delivery of epinephrine, suggesting broader emergency medical applications.

Even after fibrotic tissue formed around the implant a common response to foreign objects the device functioned effectively. The team now aims to develop a version that could last a year or more and hopes to begin human clinical trials within three years.

Reference: Siddharth R. Krishnan, Laura O’Keeffe, Arnab Rudra, Derin Gumustop, Nima Khatib, Claudia Liu, Jiawei Yang, Athena Wang, Matthew A. Bochenek, Yen-Chun Lu, Suman Bose, Kaelan Reed, Robert Langer, Daniel G. Anderson. Emergency delivery of particulate drugs by active ejection using in vivo wireless devices. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-025-01436-2