This could be the end of Type 2 diabetes.
Researchers at ETH Zurich led by Martin Fussenegger built a small wireless implant that uses electricity to break down extra sugar in the blood.
It switches off when levels are normal — and means people won’t need diabetes drugs anymore.
Inside is a catalyst made of graphite felt coated with tiny gold and platinum particles, with no living cells or drugs. A glucose sensor worn on the arm watches sugar levels. When they climb after a meal, it signals a phone or smartwatch, which switches on the implant.
The catalyst then turns glucose into gluconate, a harmless compound the body flushes out in urine, and the system shuts off once sugar is back on target.
In diabetic mice, the device kept blood sugar under tight control for six weeks, the animals lost weight, and it caused no sign of tissue damage.
Because less sugar ends up stored as fat, the team sees it as a possible tool for both type 2 diabetes and obesity, without daily pills or injections. So far it has only been tested in mice, and human trials are still ahead.
source: Maity, D., et al. (2026). Wireless electrocatalytic closed-loop system for drug-free management of diabesity. Science.
