MIT researchers have developed a new ingestible capsule that can release insulin directly into the stomach and could be used to treat type 2 diabetes, reports Joe Palca for NPR. "We chose the stomach as the site of delivery because we recognized that the stomach is a thick and robust part of the GI tract," explains visiting scientist Giovanni Traverso.
Wired reporter Megan Molteni writes that MIT researchers have developed an ingestible capsule that could be used to deliver insulin to diabetes patients. The researchers were inspired by the leopard tortoise to create a self-orienting device that can position itself to deliver medication directly into the stomach. “The result was a roly-poly-pill that autonomously rights itself to be needle-down,” Molteni explains.
Associated Press reporter Lauran Neergaard writes that MIT researchers have created a pea-sized pill that, once swallowed, can deliver medications such as insulin directly to the stomach. “The way this works is it travels down the esophagus in seconds, it’s in the stomach within a few minutes, and then you get the drug,” explains visiting scientist Giovanni Traverso.
Inspired by the shell of a leopard tortoise, MIT researchers have developed a self-orienting ingestible capsule that can deliver doses of medication to the stomach, writes Megan Thielking for STAT. “If we’re able to deliver large molecules orally, it would not only change drug delivery but also drug discovery,” says Prof. Robert Langer.
A team of MIT researchers has created a tiny ingestible device that deliver medications such as insulin directly to the stomach and could replace the daily injections used to treat diabetes patients, reports Alice Park for TIME. “We see no reason why someday this couldn’t be used to deliver any protein to the body,” says Prof. Robert Langer.
Boston Globe reporter Martin Finucane writes that MIT researchers have developed an ingestible capsule that contains a small needle that injects insulin directly into the stomach. Finucane writes that the researchers “designed the pill with a special shape to ensure that it will fall and then orient itself at the bottom of the stomach so that the needle is facing toward the stomach lining rather than the stomach’s inside.”
Researchers at MIT have developed an expandable pill that can stay in the stomach for a month and could potentially track issues like ulcers and cancers. “The pill is made from two types of hydrogels -- mixtures of polymers and water -- making it softer and longer-lasting than current ingestible sensors,” reports Robert Preidt for HealthDay.
MIT researchers have developed a new ingestible pill that expands once it reaches the stomach and could be used to monitor a patient’s health, reports the BBC News. “The dream is to have a smart pill, that once swallowed stays in the stomach and monitors the patient's health for a long time, such as a month,” explains Prof. Xuanhe Zhao.
Guardian reporter Ian Sample writes that MIT startup Synlogic are developing a “living” medicine” made from genetically modified bugs. “By engineering these bacteria, we are able to control how they operate in the human gastrointestinal tract,” says Caroline Kurtz of Synlogic. “It allows us to think about many other diseases where you may need to produce something beneficial, or remove something that is toxic for the patient.”
In an article for The Wall Street Journal, Benjamin Powers highlights Affectiva and Koko, two MIT startups developing AI systems that respond to human emotions.
Prof. Linda Griffith speaks with Hari Sreenivasan of PBS NewsHour about her work developing a new “body on a chip” that could allow researchers to test new drugs on organ tissue. Griffith explains that the device models how different organs and cells communicate in the human body, which is “really important for things like arthritis, Alzheimer's, where you've got multiple organs involved.”
MIT researchers have developed a new system to detect contaminated food by scanning a product’s RFID tags, reports Devin Coldewey for TechCrunch. The system can “tell the difference between pure and melamine-contaminated baby formula, and between various adulterations of pure ethyl alcohol,” Coldewey explains.
TechCrunch reporter Ingrid Lunden highlights RapidSOS, an MIT startup that “helps increase the funnel of information that is transmitted to emergency services alongside a call for help.”
Prof. Linda Griffith speaks with Wall Street Journal reporter Mark Ellwood about her work developing a new device that allows researchers to test how a drug affects the human body. Ellwood notes that the technology that Griffith and her team have created “could prove vital for rapidly releasing new vaccines.”
In an article for Forbes, Charles Towers-Clark spotlights how MIT researchers developed a surgical technique that allows amputees to receive feedback from prosthetic limbs. The technique, Towers-Clark writes, “uses a muscle graft from another part of the body to complete the muscle pair, avoiding rejection which currently occurs in around 20% of cases, and allowing the patient to communicate naturally with the new limb.”