Novo Nordisk, GE Developing Ultrasound Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity

The technology could regulate metabolic function in the body using ultrasound.

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GE HealthCare announced a collaboration with Novo Nordisk to further advance the clinical and product development of peripheral focused ultrasound (PFUS). This is a novel technology that has potential to specifically regulate metabolic function in the body using ultrasound that may support the treatment of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity.

PFUS is a non-invasive type of bioelectronic medicine that uses ultrasound to activate the nervous system to stimulate a response that may be able to treat disease. Pre-clinical proof of concept and initial early-stage clinical research suggests that it may impact glucose metabolism in people with diabetes via personalized ultrasound stimulation of nerve pathways. If validated with further clinical evidence, PFUS could represent a non-pharmacologic approach to normalize blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. The existing technology was developed by a team of scientists at GE HealthCare’s HealthCare Technology and Innovation Center, formerly part of the GE Research Center.

An estimated 540 million adults around the world have diabetes, with type 2 diabetes accounting for more than 90 percent of cases. An estimated one in eight individuals will have diabetes in 2045, with significant disease burden in low-and-middle-income countries.1 Given its impact on quality of life and mortality, and with its prevalence increasing at an alarming rate for the past three decades, type 2 diabetes is a significant public health burden. Obesity impacts approximately 1 billion people worldwide.

As part of the collaboration, GE HealthCare and Novo Nordisk will contribute their respective expertise in ultrasound medical technology and metabolic disease treatment and management as both parties work together to develop a PFUS solution to improve patient care, building upon the extensive foundational research done to date by the GE HealthCare team. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

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