Researchers develop technology for diabetes treatment with OLED light

A team of Korean researchers has developed a technology that can treat diabetes symptoms such as blood sugar decline using light.

KAIST announced on Wednesday that Yoo Seung-hyeop, a professor of electrical and electronic engineering, in collaboration with Park Do-hyun, a professor of gastroenterology at Seoul Asan Medical Center, and the Reality Devices Research Division at the Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, conducted the world's first light therapy by inserting organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices into the body. The study was published in the online edition of the international journal Science Advances.

Light therapy can produce positive effects without surgical or pharmaceutical intervention. However, it has been difficult to apply to internal organs due to limitations such as absorption and scattering through the skin. The researchers overcame this barrier by developing an ultra-thin, flexible OLED catheter. A catheter is a thin tube inserted into the digestive tract or bronchi to inject medication.

The researchers inserted the device into the duodenum of a rat model with type 2 diabetes. As a result, 798 millijoules of light energy were delivered, which resulted in a trend of decreased blood sugar levels and reduced insulin resistance compared to the control group. In addition, the low heat generation characteristic unique to OLEDs prevented heat-induced tissue damage.

"Securing OLED technology for biomedical applications is one of the key challenges in opening new horizons for the OLED industry, which is currently limited to displays and lighting," said Prof. Yoo.


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