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It's basically the medical world's version of a really cool Rube Goldberg machine, designed to save someone's life without pain.
It's the size of a blueberry and the product of many years of research by Mbadachusetts Institute of Technology scientists trying to find new, less intrusive ways to bring insulin to people with type 2 diabetes A study on the functioning of this new invention was published this week (February 7) in the journal Science.
Currently, people with type 2 diabetes must personally inject insulin by pricking themselves with a needle. It is a daily procedure that is annoying, painful and absolutely necessary to avoid medical complications. It is in this spirit that scientists have sought a more painless method for administering insulin.
The magic of their work lies in a pill covering a small rudimentary machine made of a single biodegradable needle (the first prototypes comprising several needles) whose tip is entirely composed of freeze-dried compressed insulin. The needle is attached to a compressed spring held in place by a tiny sugar disc. The idea is that once the person has swallowed this pill, the water of the stomach dissolves the sugar, thus releasing the source, which sends the tiny needle tip covered with Insulin in the wall of the stomach, where it enters the bloodstream.
The walls of the stomach have no pain receptors. The injection will be painless for people taking the pill.
"To ensure that the drug is injected into the stomach wall, the researchers designed their system so that, regardless of how the capsule arises in the stomach, it can orientate itself so that the needle is in contact with the lining of the stomach, "said an MIT. statement reads
This design was inspired by nature, in fact. Scientists discovered it while studying the physiology of a leopard tortoise, a reptile that feeds on the vast savannahs of the African continent. The shell of the animal has an abrupt dome, which allows it to easily recover when it is reversed. By using this same design in their modeling, the researchers discovered that they could build a capsule that sits near the stomach wall despite the dynamics of the internal environment of the organ. Research has already proved its effectiveness in pig tests.
It is unclear when the pill will begin to be tested on humans, let alone when it is ready for the consumer market. But researchers are at the next stage of their work, which includes a partnership with Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical multinational. With the help of this company, they hope to further develop the pill and create a manufacturing process allowing for wider distribution.
In the future, it could be designed for people with health problems other than type 2 diabetes. It could also work in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease, says the MIT press release.
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