QUEEN’S We Will Rock You has raised the heart rates of stadiums across the world — but now it could be used to treat diabetes, a study suggests.
The anthem helped engineered cells release the blood sugar-controlling hormone insulin, Swiss researchers found.
The cells released almost 70 per cent of their insulin in mice within five minutes of the song being played.
They released all of it within 15 minutes — similar to how much is let out by healthy pancreatic cells — and now experts are planning trials in humans.
Professor Martin Fusenegger, of ETH Zurich, said: “Our designer cells release insulin only when the sound source with the right sound is played directly on the skin above the implant.”
More than five million Brits are thought to be living with diabetes, with cases doubling in the last 15 years.
The NHS spends at least £10billion annually on the disease — around 10 per cent of its entire budget.
It causes blood sugar levels to become too high because of problems with how the body produces the hormone insulin, which breaks down glucose.
Many diabetes patients have to take insulin injections to ensure sugar is properly metabolised in the blood.
But the new technology, presented in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, uses specially designed cells that can be implanted to release insulin instead.
The insulin-producing cells are put in capsules that are implanted into the body under the skin.
The cells are sensitive to sound waves, opening to allow in calcium particles circulating in the blood and releasing the hormone in response to music.
Researchers tested them in mice, playing different types of music at different volumes to see how well they work.
We Will Rock You saw the best release of insulin, while classical music caused some release but not as much.
Background noises like lawn mowers or fire engines and speech did not trigger a response.
Professor Fussenegger said: “It could cover the typical needs of a diabetes patient who eats three meals a day.
“There’s no depletion or unintentional discharge taking place.”