The body precisely regulates metabolism, with specialized pancreas cells monitoring blood sugar. After meals, the body lowers blood sugar through a signal cascade. For people with diabetes, this mechanism is faulty, so they must measure blood sugar and inject insulin manually.
Professor Martin Fussenegger and his team at ETH Zurich work on cell therapies to treat or cure metabolic diseases like diabetes. They modify human cells by adding genes to give them special functions. These cells are implanted under the skin and activated by external stimuli.
Researchers have developed various electrical, light, and music switches to control these cells.
Recently, they have developed a gene switch that can be activated using commercially available nitroglycerine patches. The latest switch uses nitroglycerine in a patch to activate implanted cells that convert it into nitric oxide (NO). This helps regulate blood sugar by triggering insulin release and reducing food intake.
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The implanted cells are designed so that nitric oxide (NO) prompts the production and release of GLP-1, a chemical messenger. GLP-1 enhances insulin release from the pancreas’s beta cells, helping to regulate blood sugar levels. Additionally, GLP-1 creates a sense of fullness, reducing food intake.
This new switch is made entirely of human components, avoiding risks associated with foreign elements. Over the past twenty years, Fussenegger has created gene switches that respond to physical triggers like current or light, seeing the best potential for electromagnetic therapies.
Developing cell therapies is complex and lengthy, requiring decades, staff, and resources.
Fussenegger focuses on diabetes, but cell therapies could also target other metabolic, autoimmune, or neurodegenerative diseases. Unlike drugs, cell therapies mimic the body’s natural problem-solving methods.
Journal Reference:
- Mahameed M, Xue S, Danuser B, Charpin-El Hamri G, Xie M, Fussenegger M: Nitroglycerin-responsive gene switch for the on-demand production of therapeutic proteins, Nature Biomedical Engineering, 14 February 2025, DOI: 10.1038/s41551-025-01350-7
Source: Tech Explorist
