Implant and circuit board for electronic insulin release

Swiss bioengineers show how an electronic device can release insulin in the body: “A radio signal from outside the body activates the electronics in the implant, which then transmits electrical signals directly to the cells. The electrical signals stimulate a special combination of calcium and potassium channels; in turn, this triggers a signaling cascade in the cell that controls the insulin gene. Subsequently, the cellular machinery loads the insulin into vesicles that the electrical signals cause to fuse with the cell membrane, releasing the insulin within a matter of minutes.”  MORE

Image Credit:  Krzysztof Krawczyk / ETH Zurich)