Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

A research team from East China Normal University in Shanghai has developed a modified oral probiotic that could offer a completely new approach to diabetes treatment. The drug is based on a live microorganism equipped with a glucose-intelligence function called GIFT — glucose recognition and functional response. The system is designed to detect changes in blood glucose levels and respond accordingly, AzerNEWS reports.

The study was carried out by scientists from the university’s School of Biological Sciences, and the results were published in the journal Nature on August 12.

Using synthetic biology, the researchers modified a probiotic strain with a long history of safe use and transformed it into what they describe as an “intelligent virtual organ.” Taken orally, the probiotic can monitor fluctuations in blood glucose and automatically release glucose-lowering hormones when needed. This could allow the treatment to adjust its response to the patient’s glucose levels in real time, rather than relying on a fixed dose.

Diabetes has become one of the world’s major chronic metabolic diseases. According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 530 million adults worldwide are currently living with diabetes, and that number could rise to more than 850 million by 2050.

China is also facing a major diabetes challenge, with around 120 million people affected by the disease.

What makes the GIFT technology particularly interesting is its potential to turn a simple probiotic into a miniature biological “control system” inside the body. If further studies confirm its safety and effectiveness, this approach could eventually lead to treatments that respond automatically to changes in a patient’s metabolism, making diabetes management more personalized and potentially reducing the need for constant manual adjustments.

The researchers say the technology could represent a new direction in smart medicine, combining synthetic biology with precision treatment and bringing scientists one step closer to developing therapies that can “sense” what the body needs and react accordingly.