Wireless electrocatalytic closed-loop system for drug-free management of diabesity.

Wireless, low-power activation of an implantable ECHO electrocatalytic device in type 2 diabetic mice restored glucose homeostasis within 1 hour using 0.75 volts and 10 milliamperes.

• Why it matters: Lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes and associated obesity affect >2.5 billion people worldwide and drive nearly $3 trillion in annual health care costs.
• What they did: The ECHO device uses platinum-decorated gold nanoclusters in graphite felt to selectively, electrically tune oxidation of blood glucose to renally cleared gluconate, and was coupled to continuous glucose monitoring for autonomous smartphone control.
• The result: Over 6 weeks, it shifted metabolism toward lipid utilization, reduced body weight and triglycerides, increased free fatty acids and ketone bodies, and showed no detectable hypoglycemia or adverse physiological, inflammatory, or behavioral effects.