Science fiction is becoming reality thanks to MIT. Robocap, the robotic pill, is being tested in their laboratories. The aim is to make low-bioavailability medications into an oral medication by administering it directly onto the intestinal lining.
Taking medications is a common practice, but the body protects against the absorption of some. Mucus and epithelial cells help prevent permeation of the intestinal wall. An oral medication has a bioavailability; how easily it can make it through this protective barrier. Medications like insulin and certain antibiotics can’t be absorbed this way. They’re taken subcutaneously or intravenously, which is uncomfortable and sometimes inconvenient.
The Little Pill That Could!
This is where Robocap comes in! The size of a large multivitamin pill, Robocap contains a packet of medication inside it. Coated with a gelatinous skin, it protects the lining of the esophagus when swallowed, which is dissolved by gastric acids in the stomach. This uncovers a membrane sensitive to the PH balance of the small intestine. That membrane is then eaten away, which closes a circuit and activates Robocap.
The little motorized pill spins. The rotations and the highly textured surface turns Robocap almost into a drill. It scrubs away at the mucosal layer in the intestine. Then clears a spot to nestle into the plicae and villi. As it spins, it gradually releases the medication directly onto the cleared area.
Tests performed on anesthetized pigs showed a promising viability. Robocap increased the permeability of vancomycin — an antibiotic currently available intravenously — by 20 times compared to an administered control pill. Tests with insulin resulted in insulin levels increasing and glucose levels dropping. It’s a promising outlook for the little robot pill! Even better, the ten animals tested on passed the pill safely.
The Future of Medicine
Dr. Giovanni Traverso, the study’s senior author, and Dr. Shriya Srinivasan, lead author and postdoctoral researcher are very excited about what this means for the future of administrable medications. “Creating a micromachine that performs a variety of functions autonomously in the GI tract required the development of a robust system able to withstand the variation in environment and conditions present there.”
This is very promising for the future of medication. Modifying the pill’s PH sensitive membrane means medications could be administered to different parts of the GI tract. Effective pharmaceuticals with poor bioavailability — and thus not readily available — could be mass produced in a Robocap This could also mean a less expensive option for those who require hospital-mandatory medications. We’ll see what happens when Robocap is greenlit for clinical trials.
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