Researchers treat Diabetes using ultrasound pulses

A recent study has proven that regular use of ultrasound pulses on targeted areas can reduce glucose and insulin levels and treat Diabetes. 

According to details, researchers have proven that short ultrasonic bursts aimed at certain nerve clusters in the liver can reduce insulin and glucose levels. The method, used on three animals, successfully treated Type 2 diabetes.

The research was conducted by GE Research and investigators from Yale School of Medicine, UCLA, and the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. The study, published in the Nature Biomedical Engineering journal, stated that a unique non-invasive ultrasound method is designed in the study to stimulate specific sensory nerves in the liver. The technology lets highly targeted ultrasound pulses hit tissues containing nerve endings.

“We used this technique to explore stimulation of an area of the liver called the porta hepatis. This region contains the hepatoportal nerve plexus, which communicates information on glucose and nutrient status to the brain but has been difficult to study as its nerve structures are too small to separately stimulate with implanted electrodes,” the researchers explained.

Three species of animals, mice, rats, and pigs, were successfully treated by using the above-mentioned technique.

A Yale School of Medicine endocrinologist working on the project Raimund Herzog explained that “ultrasound neuromodulation would represent an exciting and entirely new addition to the current treatment options for our patients,” if the ongoing clinical trials confirm the research.

According to the study, lowered blood glucose levels were witnessed in diabetic animals with just three minutes of focused ultrasound each day. The method is yet to be tried on humans.

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The method right now requires trained technicians but the team is working to make it usable for at-home self-treatment.

The technology used in the study requires trained technicians but is aimed to be used at home for effective treatment.