Scientists develop a robotic pill that could be used to orally administer large protein drugs such as insulin

Drug distribution has been one of the most challenging medical research discoveries, and there are still a number of obstacles, including surviving the stomach’s acidic regions, digestive enzymes, and—most importantly—the mucus barrier that borders the digestive canal.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have discovered a fresh approach.

They have created a robotic pill that might be used to orally distribute big protein medications like insulin, which are currently only available as injections and are made of proteins or nucleic acids.

The MIT-developed RoboCap contains a robotic cap that, once it reaches the small intestine, tunnels through the mucus barrier, allowing the medications to enter the cells lining the intestine.

Shriya Srinivasan, a research affiliate at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, wrote a study in Science Robotics that described the pill in detail.

Researchers have shown that the novel pills can transport both insulin and vancomycin, an antibiotic peptide that is currently administered intravenously.

The protective capsule was created by theScientists develop a robotic pill that could be used to orally administer large protein drugs such as insulin team to navigate obstacles inside the body by rotating and tunnelling.