Scientists create insulin pill for diabetics

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Spotted: A team of scientists have developed a special capsule for diabetics, which could replace insulin injections. The key to the capsule is its design — inspired by the shell of an African leopard tortoise. The capsule has high, rounded sides that guarantee it can flip over if it lands upside down. This is important because it ensures the medicine is delivered correctly. The flat bottom keeps it in position once it lands.

The pill is small, about the size of a blueberry, making it easy to swallow. The capsule contains a small biodegradable needle made of compressed insulin. It releases the insulin once in place. The mechanism was a eureka moment for the team. The scientists realised the humidity of the stomach would dissolve a disk of sugar. They used the disk to hold the needle in place until it reached the stomach lining.

Funding for the research came from Novo Nordisk, the National Institutes of Health, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the MIT Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and various grants.

Takeaway: Currently diabetics give themselves insulin shots, sometimes multiple times a day, to control sugar levels. Shots are painful and create barriers for people to get the medicine they need. But this capsule could change that. The team has already successfully tried capsules containing insulin on pigs. The dose was comparable with what human diabetics receive from injections, they said. It will take three years for the capsule to be tested on humans, however. But the design has the potential to radically change how we take medication, from insulin to vaccinations. Danish Novo Nordisk funded the research and is considering clinical trials using the capsule for drugs to treat obesity, haemophilia, and as growth hormones. The new method could have significant ramifications for drugs like insulin, hormones and vaccinations.

Website: www.web.mit.edu
Contact: www.news.mit.edu/contact

Published in: February 2019

Source: New feed 1