An ingestible capsule made by drawing inspiration from the unique properties of lizard skin is a groundbreaking approach to treating gastrointestinal conditions.
That is in line with researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) who invented a non-invasive ingestible capsule that can use electrical stimulants to subdue the hunger-producing hormone ghrelin.
Alternatively referred to as FLASH, the method involves careful stimulation of gastrointestinal hormones by sending electric signals to the stomach while ensuring it doesn’t produce any antagonistic effects. The researchers hope this breakthrough model is capacious for treating various gastrointestinal, neuropsychiatric and metabolic disorders.
The findings of their study were published within the journal Science Robotics.
“Our lab strives to develop systems that can make it easier and more accessible for patients to receive therapies,” corresponding writer Giovanni Traverso, MB, BChir, Ph.D., a gastroenterologist within the Brigham’s Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, said in a media release. “That is an exciting proof-of-concept study and a feat of fundamental research and engineering demonstrating the potential of ingestible electroceuticals.”
The pill corresponds to the unique features of weird Australian lizard species called “Thorny Devil” whose body is roofed with formidable spikes. Although the initial study was carried out on pigs, the goal of the research is to offer wide-ranging advantages to humans.
The capsule holds stimulants with fluid-wicking technology but remains to be able to holding an electrode.
Khalil Ramadi, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Latest York University and a research affiliate at BWH who co-authored the study, called the outcomes “very promising.”
“An ingestible pill that incorporates electronics as a substitute of chemicals or drugs may be very promising,” Ramadi said within the news release. “It provides a option to deliver targeted electrical pulses to specific cells within the gut in a way that may regulate levels of neural hormones within the body.”
Electroceuticals are utilized in administering electronic signals to treat various conditions within the body. Nevertheless, the stomach is a dangerous site for its use considering the proven fact that the preexisting liquids would interfere with the impulses. This realization drove scientists to search for cues in nature, they usually found their inspiration in Thorny Devil.
The researchers at the moment are exploring avenues through which they will use the product on humans and see the way it performs.
“This development provides many latest avenues for research into the complex interconnections between the brain and gut and for furthering the usage of electroceuticals as a clinical intervention,” co-first writer James McRae, a Ph.D. Candidate at MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, said within the news release.
Capsule
Pixabay
Published by Medicaldaily.com