US EditionMIT Advances Implantable Hypoglycemia Rescue Device Toward Year-Long Use
MIDDLESEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS, JUL 9 – The MIT-developed implant delivers emergency glucagon automatically or manually to prevent hypoglycemia in Type 1 diabetes, with potential for multi-dose use over months, researchers say.
- On July 9, 2025, MIT engineers published a study in Nature Biomedical Engineering about an implantable device that releases glucagon to prevent hypoglycemia in Type 1 diabetes patients.
- The device was developed because patients with Type 1 diabetes often experience dangerous low blood sugar, which can cause confusion, seizures, or even coma, and some cannot self-administer injections.
- The quarter-sized implant contains a powdered glucagon reservoir sealed by a shape-memory alloy that bends at 40 degrees Celsius when triggered wirelessly, releasing the drug and restoring blood sugar rapidly.
- Researchers observed that the device normalized blood sugar in diabetic mice within 10 minutes even after fibrotic tissue formed, and it also effectively dispensed powdered epinephrine to elevate heart rate timely.
- Researchers plan further animal studies and aim to extend implant lifetime to at least a year, with human clinical trials expected within three years, potentially offering a new paradigm for emergency medicine delivery.
17 Articles
17 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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