Major Research Study Aims To Develop New Electrical Type 2 Diabetes Treatments

[DCUK NewsBot]

A $2.9m research project aiming to find ways to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes using electronic devices is underway. Global giant General Electric (GE) has announced a collaboration with Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to create bioelectronic treatments for the condition which do not involve drugs. GE's experience lies with biomedical research, while DARPA develops non-drug treatments for medication conditions that target the nervous system. The theory behind the partnership is that some diabetes drugs can cause side effects, but non-invasive medical devices could eliminate these. The three-year program will focus on developing devices which read and modulate the electrical activity in the body's nervous system. Then the aim is for the devices to stimulate metabolic biosystems and replicate the actions of conventional drugs. The scientists aim to one day be able to prevent the onset of metabolic dysfunction, which is related to development of type 2 diabetes. "Today's drug treatments and monitoring methods for diabetes can be uncomfortable and time consuming, and create side-effects for patients. Our project with DARPA aims to find a better alternative that treats diabetes with non-invasive medical devices without the side effects associated with drug treatments," said Victoria Cotero, global research biologist at GE. The team recently looked at reading and interpreting nerve signals as part of research carried out by the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. Editor's note: Research to restrict the need for medication in diabetes is encouraging, and coming off medication in type 2 diabetes has shown to be possible by eating a healthy, real-food diet and getting regular exercise. For more information, visit our Low Carb Program.

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[Guzzler]

My first thought on this was that I hope that this is not some kind of aversion therapy or something that would zap my beta cells and/or liver to induce compliance. We shall have to wait and see.

 

[kitedoc]

It all sounds a bit far fetched at present. Yes an electric shock will send my BSL up but due to pain and release of adrenaline and maybe a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) machine might ease pain and associated stress to keep BSLs down. But without actually placing an electrode near a nerve deep in the body to then stimulate the nerve, how will nerve stimulation work to reduce BSLS or correct pre-diabetic conditions?
We are aware of ECT, which is a procedure where a person is given an electric shock to one side of the head (and brain).
The idea is that it might heal their depression or other mental illness when medications have failed. I dread the idea that is is used and that it was preceded by insulin shock therapy.
With this latter (but earlier in history) therapy (depicted in the movie "A Beautiful Mind") psychiatric, usually non-diabetic patients were made hypo with insulin doses as a form of shock treatment.
Thankfully some bright spark of doctor (pun intended) realised at some point later that hypos can cause brain damage.
How the dull sparks were ever allowed to get away with it in the first place is a damning indictment of psychiatry and its practitioners and beyond my understanding, but not beyond my absolute cynicism.
And research is ongoing on use of magnetic force to treat depression. Good luck there, but at least it is not invasive (just do not snort iron filings or have permanently situated implanted ear buds - warning to all teenagers) !!
I return to the subject at hand and wish the researches all the best with their efforts !!

 

[ickihun]

If its effective I'm all for treatments with no side affects. Or at least no known side affects.

 

[Oldvatr]

As an electronics engineer, I would be surprised if this research proved to be effective. I think we have covered most of the EM spectrum and zapped unsuspecting engineers like me with most forms of radiation and I still got T2.

I have more faith in faecal transplants for a cure. Apparently this technique works for Parkinsons Disease, and so points to our gut biome being reponsible for many things and maybe diabetes is linked since they are also using keto diets for PD and Low Carb seems to offer promise for both diseases. It may be that Bart Simpson is not that far off with one of his fav sayings.