Scientists Deliver Insulin Using LEDs and a Smartphone

Chinese researchers experimenting with mice have developed a method that uses engineered cells and a smartphone-controlled LED light to inject insulin. The researchers took human cells and genetically engineered them to produce insulin before implanting them in the mice. The cells are designed to respond to a specific wavelength of red LED light through a relatively new process called optogenetics. Optogenetic techniques allow researchers to essentially turn genes on and off by exposing the cells to light. In this case, red LED light triggers the insulin-producing genes in the modified cells.