Scientists created a tiny device that can control your nerves to treat chronic pain

 

This tiny, wireless device could transform treatment for chronic pain and movement disorders by removing the need for surgery, batteries, or wires. Credit: NYU Abu Dhabi

A miniature medical device small enough to be delivered through a standard needle could change how doctors treat chronic pain and movement disorders. Developed by scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi in partnership with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, the technology can regulate nerve activity without surgical implantation, batteries, or connecting wires.

Roughly the size of a small seed, the device is injected into the body and positioned close to a specific nerve. Once in place, it sends carefully controlled electrical signals that alter the nerve's activity. Power is supplied wirelessly from outside the body, allowing doctors or patients to adjust the stimulation in real time.

The findings, published in Science Advances, describe a potentially less invasive way to deliver precise nerve stimulation. Rather than replacing existing treatments, which can include medications and surgically implanted devices, the technology could provide another option tailored to individual medical needs.

"This work represents a shift in how we think about treating nerve-related conditions," said Prof. Khalil Ramadi, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Tandon and the study's senior author. "By creating a device that can be injected rather than surgically implanted, we are making these therapies simpler, safer, and more accessible, while still maintaining precise control over nerve activity."

Wireless Nerve Stimulation Without Surgery

One of the device's key advantages is that doctors can locate and monitor it using familiar imaging techniques, including ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) scans. These methods help guide placement near the intended nerve and allow the device's position to be checked afterward.

The implant also provides programmable electrical stimulation. This means the signals it delivers can be adjusted to suit a patient's needs, potentially giving healthcare providers greater flexibility in managing conditions that involve abnormal or unwanted nerve activity.

"This collaboration with NYU Abu Dhabi reflects our commitment to advancing innovative, clinically relevant research that translates into meaningful improvements in patient care," said Dr. Sawsan Abdel-Razig, Chief Academic Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. "By bringing together multidisciplinary expertise, this work highlights how academic partnerships can accelerate the development of safer, less invasive therapies and expand access to advanced treatments for patients."

Promising Early Results for Chronic Pain Treatment

The researchers evaluated the technology through laboratory experiments and preclinical testing. Their results showed that the miniature device could deliver precise nerve stimulation while maintaining consistent performance under conditions designed to resemble real-world use.

The team also demonstrated that the device could successfully activate nerves in vivo, meaning within a living organism rather than only in an isolated laboratory setting. This finding represents an important early step toward determining whether the technology could eventually be used in medical care.

"This technology has the potential to bridge the gap between non-invasive therapies and traditional implants," said Dr. Mohamed Elsherif, Research Associate at NYU Abu Dhabi and first author of the study. "It opens the door to treatments that are both effective and easy to deliver, which could significantly improve patient care."

Although the device has demonstrated promising results in early testing, its ability to relieve chronic pain or improve movement disorders in human patients has not yet been established.

If further research confirms its safety and effectiveness, the technology could reduce the need for more invasive procedures while making advanced nerve stimulation treatments easier to deliver. Avoiding surgical implantation could also help decrease procedure-related risks and shorten recovery times, potentially expanding access to these therapies.

Additional contributors to the study from NYU Abu Dhabi were Salma Mansour, Zhansaya Makhambetova, Fotoon Aldhanhani, Batoul Khlaifat, Mahmoud Elbeh, Vega Pradana Rachim, and Sohmyung Ha. The Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi co-authors were Hicham Abada, Juan S. Barajas-Gamboa, and Carlos M. Abril Vega.

Journal Reference:

1. Mohamed Elsherif, Salma Mansour, Zhansaya Makhambetova, Fotoon Aldhanhani, Batoul Khlaifat, Mahmoud Elbeh, Vega Pradana Rachim, Sohmyung Ha, Hicham Abada, Juan S. Barajas-Gamboa, Carlos M. Abril Vega, Khalil B. Ramadi. An injectable, leadless bioelectronic interface for battery-free wireless peripheral neuromodulation. Science Advances, 2026; 12 (24) DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aeg1437

Courtesy:

New York University. "Scientists created a tiny device that can control your nerves to treat chronic pain." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 10 October 2026. <www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2026 / 10 / 261008005253.htm>.

 

 

Eating olive oil before carbs has a surprising effect on blood sugar

 

New findings suggest that meal order could become a practical tool for managing blood sugar, although human studies are still needed. Credit: Shutterstock

The order in which you eat different foods may have a surprising effect on blood sugar levels. Research in mice suggests that consuming fat before carbohydrates can reduce the sharp rise in blood sugar that typically follows a meal. The findings also reveal how hormones and nerve signals work together to influence this response.

Keeping blood sugar from rising too high after eating is an important part of diabetes management. Previous clinical studies have shown that eating vegetables, protein, or fat before carbohydrates can help limit these increases. This suggests that changing the sequence of foods during a meal could offer a practical, sustainable way to improve blood sugar control without eliminating entire food groups.

Scientists have generally explained this effect through two main mechanisms. The first is slower gastric emptying, which means food moves from the stomach into the small intestine more gradually. The second involves increased release of hormones called incretins, including GLP-1, which help the body regulate blood sugar.

However, researchers have not fully understood how hormones produced by the gut and pancreas interact with the nervous system to produce these effects. To investigate, an international research team examined how consuming fat before or after glucose influences blood sugar, hormone activity, and the speed at which the stomach empties.

"Our group has long been interested in practical dietary approaches that people can continue in everyday life," says corresponding author Daisuke Yabe of Kyoto University. "Meal-sequencing is appealing because it merely changes how a meal is eaten rather than requiring people to avoid entire food groups."

Testing How Olive Oil Changes Blood Sugar Levels

The researchers conducted a series of experiments in mice to determine whether the timing of fat consumption affected how the body processed glucose.

After an overnight fast, the mice were assigned to three groups. One group received water followed by glucose. A second group was given olive oil, followed 15 minutes later by glucose. The third group received glucose first, with olive oil administered 15 minutes afterward.

The scientists then measured blood glucose levels and several hormones involved in blood sugar regulation, including insulin, glucagon, GIP, and GLP-1. Glucagon is normally associated with increasing blood sugar, while GIP and GLP-1 help regulate glucose levels after eating.

To determine how quickly material was leaving the stomach, the researchers also administered acetaminophen, a common pain reliever. By measuring how much of the drug appeared in the bloodstream after oral administration, they could estimate the rate of gastric emptying.

The team extended the experiments to additional groups of mice, including animals with type 2 diabetes and others that lacked the receptor needed to respond to GLP-1.

They also performed experiments that blocked glucagon or GLP-1 signaling, surgically interrupted the vagus nerves below the diaphragm on both sides, and examined whether different dietary fats produced similar results. The vagus nerve is an important communication pathway between the brain and digestive system, helping coordinate functions such as digestion and hormone release.

Eating Fat First Slows Blood Sugar Spikes

The results showed a clear difference depending on when the mice received olive oil.

When olive oil was given before glucose, the initial rise in blood sugar was smaller than when the oil was administered afterward. The earlier fat intake also slowed gastric emptying, delaying the movement of glucose from the stomach into the intestine.

At the same time, consuming fat before glucose stimulated an early increase in several hormones, including glucagon, GIP, and GLP-1.

Importantly, these effects were also observed in mice with type 2 diabetes and severe insulin deficiency. This suggested that the response could still function even when normal insulin regulation was significantly impaired.

A Surprising Role for a Blood Sugar Hormone

One of the most unexpected findings involved glucagon, a hormone generally known for raising blood sugar by stimulating the liver to release stored glucose.

The researchers discovered that blocking glucagon signaling alone did not eliminate the blood sugar lowering effect of consuming olive oil before glucose. Blocking GLP-1 signaling by itself also failed to remove the benefit.

However, when both signaling pathways were blocked simultaneously, the beneficial effect was reduced.

This finding suggests that glucagon and GLP-1 work together as part of a more complex system that helps moderate blood sugar after fat is consumed before carbohydrates. It also reveals that glucagon, despite its familiar role in increasing blood sugar, can contribute to a response that ultimately limits the rise in glucose after eating.

The vagus nerve experiments provided another important clue. When the researchers interrupted these nerve pathways, the results suggested that communication through the vagus nerve also contributes to the body's response to nutrient order.

Together, these findings point to a coordinated interaction between digestive hormones, pancreatic signals, and the nervous system.

Could Changing Meal Order Help Manage Diabetes?

The findings offer a clearer biological explanation for why eating fat before carbohydrates may help reduce blood sugar spikes. Rather than relying on a single hormone or digestive process, the effect appears to involve multiple systems working together to control how quickly glucose enters the intestine.

This could have practical implications for diabetes management. Adjusting the order in which foods are eaten is relatively simple and may be easier to maintain than diets that require avoiding particular food groups.

However, the experiments were conducted in mice, and the same effects have not yet been established in humans through this research. Additional clinical studies will be needed to determine whether the mechanisms identified in the experiments can be used to improve blood sugar regulation in people with or without diabetes.

"Our findings suggest that the order in which nutrients reach the gut can engage a coordinated hormone-nerve response that changes how quickly the stomach delivers glucose to the intestine," says Yabe.

Journal Reference:

1. Yanyan Liu, Hiromi Tsuchida, Sodai Kubota, Saki Kubota-Okamoto, Takehiro Kato, Yukio Horikawa, Shin Tsunekawa, Hitoshi Kuwata, Yuuka Fujiwara, Yuji Yamazaki, Yuichiro Yamada, Hiroki Fujita, Katsumi Iizuka, Naoya Murao, Shinji Ueno, Yusuke Seino, Atsushi Suzuki, Yoshitaka Hayashi, Tsuyoshi Nakanishi, Daniel J. Drucker, Takahiko Shiina, Yasutake Shimizu, Yusaku Iwasaki, Toshihiko Yada, Yohei Seno, Yuya Takahashi, Toshinori Imaizumi, Takaaki Murakami, Michael Horowitz, Yutaka Seino, Daisuke Yabe. Olive Oil Before Oral Glucose Delays Gastric Emptying and Lowers Glycemia Through Partially Redundant Glucagon and GLP-1 Signaling in Mice. Diabetes, 2026; DOI: 10.2337/db26-0531

Courtesy:

Kyoto University. "Eating olive oil before carbs has a surprising effect on blood sugar." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 October 2026. <www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2026 / 10 / 261008102700.htm>.