This tiny device can stop a diabetic coma.
MIT’s new implant delivers emergency glucagon in seconds, preventing diabetic comas in real time.
Designed for people with Type 1 diabetes, the device stores a stable, powdered form of glucagon and can release it automatically or on command when blood sugar levels plunge dangerously low. That’s a game-changer for managing hypoglycemia, especially during sleep or for young children who may not recognize symptoms in time. The device’s key innovation is a shape-memory alloy capsule that responds to heat signals-like those from a glucose monitor-releasing a dose within minutes.
In lab tests, diabetic mice recovered from low blood sugar in just 10 minutes. The technology also worked with epinephrine, suggesting it could eventually be adapted for allergy emergencies or seizures. Because liquid glucagon spoils quickly, current emergency injectors are bulky and short-lived. This device solves that by keeping the drug stable in powder form and hidden beneath the skin, ready to act. With human trials expected in the next three years, the technology could represent a major leap in automated, wearable medicine-one that could save lives quietly, before a crisis even begins.
Source: “Emergency delivery of particulate drugs by active ejection using in vivo wireless devices.” Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2025. I need haashtags and mentions