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MIT Advances Implantable Hypoglycemia Rescue Device Toward Year-Long Use
MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS, JUL 9 – The implantable device releases glucagon automatically or manually to prevent severe hypoglycemia and restored normal blood sugar in diabetic mice within 10 minutes, researchers said.
- On July 9, 2025, MIT engineers published a study in Nature Biomedical Engineering about an implantable device that automatically delivers glucagon to prevent dangerously low blood sugar.
- The device responds to continuous glucose sensors to trigger emergency glucagon release, addressing hypoglycemia that can be dangerous especially during sleep or when patients cannot self-administer injections.
- The quarter-sized implant contains a 3D-printed reservoir sealed by a nickel-titanium shape-memory alloy that heats to 40°C to release powdered glucagon, and it remained effective for four weeks despite scar tissue formation.
- Daniel Anderson noted that in their experiments, glucose concentrations normalized in under ten minutes, while lead author Siddharth Krishnan explained that the goal is to have a sufficient number of doses available to enable effective treatment during emergencies over an extended timeframe.
- Researchers plan to extend implantation time to at least a year and aim for human clinical trials within three years, suggesting this technology could transform emergency treatment for hypoglycemia and possibly other conditions.
18 Articles
18 Articles
MIT engineers develop world's first emergency implant to protect people with Type 1 diabetes
Millions of people worldwide suffer from diabetes, a chronic condition, with Type 1 diabetes being the most prevalent type in children and young adults. This disorder causes the body's immune system to target the pancreatic cells that produce insulin, which results in insufficient insulin production and trouble controlling blood sugar levels. Insulin injections or infusions are necessary for the management of Type 1 diabetes in people for the re…
This tiny implant could save diabetics from silent, deadly crashes
MIT engineers have developed a tiny implantable device that could revolutionize emergency treatment for people with Type 1 diabetes. The device contains a powdered form of glucagon and can be remotely triggered—either manually or automatically by a glucose monitor—to release the hormone when blood sugar drops too low. This offers a potentially life-saving safety net, especially during sleep or for young children.
New implantable device could save diabetes patients from low blood sugar levels—No injections needed!
US researchers have developed a tiny implantable device that automatically releases glucagon to prevent life-threatening low blood sugar in Type 1 diabetics, eliminating the need for emergency injections.
Implantable device could save diabetes patients from dangerously low blood sugar
MIT engineers developed an implantable reservoir that can remain under the skin and be triggered to release glucagon when people with diabetes are in danger of becoming hypoglycemic.
MIT develops implantable device to automatically release emergency glucagon
For people with Type 1 diabetes, developing hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is an ever-present threat. When glucose levels become extremely low, it creates a life-threatening situation for which the standard treatment of care is injecting a hormone called glucagon.
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