Robotic insulin tablet might avoid needles
by
ANNU
There are still several obstacles that need to be overcome before drug delivery may be considered a complete success in medicine, such as resistance to stomach acid, digestive enzymes, and, most importantly, the mucus barrier that coats the digestive system. A new approach has been discovered by MIT researchers.
They have created a robotic pill that might be used to orally distribute big protein medications like insulin, which are composed of proteins or nucleic acids and are now solely injectable. MIT's RoboCap is a robotic cap that, once it reaches the small intestine, burrows through the mucus barrier, allowing the medications to enter the cells lining the gut.
Shriya Srinivasan, a research associate at MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and her team have published a study in Science Robotics outlining the specifics of the pill.
Researchers have shown that the novel tablets may be used to provide insulin and vancomycin, an antibiotic peptide that is typically administered through injection. The protective capsule was created to spin and tunnel its way through the body, overcoming the obstacles it would encounter on its route.