Radio-controlled mouse hints at new diabetes treatment

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Northerner

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Type 1
A radio-controlled mouse might sound like a child's toy, but this version is flesh and blood and not for playing with. Genetically altered mice have shown that it is possible to regulate processes within the body remotely, opening the door to new ways of treating chronic disease.

Remarkably, the mice can respond to a radio signal by releasing insulin, which lowers blood sugar. One day this might allow people with type 1 diabetes to use an app on their phone to alleviate their disease at a cellular level. Jonathan Dordick of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, who was part of the team that carried out the work, says you can imagine tailoring the technique to treat other disorders, too.

The approach relies on the presence of iron particles, which can absorb energy from radio waves of the right frequency, changing cell behaviour.

http://www.newscientist.com/article...ed-mouse-hints-at-new-diabetes-treatment.html
 
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