CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS — Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have developed a single capsule that can gradually release medication over an extended period of time.
The researchers created a star-shaped capsule that can load medication needed for weeks. Once the drugs are loaded, the arms of the capsule can be folded inward and to form a single capsule.
The acid in the stomach dissolves the outer layer of the capsule and thus unfolding the six arms. The star-shape can help the capsule to stay inside the stomach instead of being pushed down the digestive tract.
After the last dose is released, the arms of the capsule break apart, allowing it to be released from the human body. Animal tests confirmed that the capsule is able to gradually release medication over two weeks time.
“This really opens the door to ultra-long-lasting oral systems, which could have an effect on all kinds of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s or mental health disorders. There are a lot of exciting things this could someday enable,” Robert Langer, senior author of the research and the David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT told MIT News.
