Koch Institute

STAT reporter Sharon Begley spotlights the 10 bioscience images selected to be exhibited in the Koch Institute’s public galleries this year. The images “offer a peek into the living world as few have ever seen it,” writes Begley.

MIT researchers have found that some inactive ingredients in medications could play a role in triggering irritation or allergic reactions, reports Bob McDonald for CBC Radio. The researchers hope that, “pharmaceutical companies provide more information to doctors, and that alternative drug formulas can be developed for people with allergies or sensitivities.”

Prof. Giovanni Traverso speaks with STAT reporter Shraddha Chakradhar about a study examining how the inactive substances in most medications could trigger a patient’s allergies and intolerances. “As you start taking more and more tablets, then you are also taking more and more of some of these ingredients,” says Traverso. “We want to raise awareness that these ingredients are there.”

NBC News reporter Linda Caroll writes about a new study by MIT researchers showing that inactive ingredients in medications could lead to adverse reactions in some patients. The researchers found that some of the inactive ingredients “can worsen symptoms in people with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.”

MIT researchers have developed a new drug-releasing coil that could be used to help treat tuberculosis, reports Ruby Prosser Scully for New Scientist. Scully explains that the coil is “too large to leave the stomach, so it stays there, and the medicines threaded onto it leach out at a rate depending on the type of drug and the polymer the developers use to make the pills.”

Gizmodo reporter Ed Cara writes about a study by MIT researchers have finds “inactive” ingredients in pills could trigger a patient’s allergies or intolerances. “We’re not saying that everyone should stop taking these medications,” explains Prof. Giovanni Traverso. “But people with an allergy or intolerance should definitely have the opportunity to find out if they have to worry about certain medications.”

MIT researchers have found that many pills contain “inactive” ingredients that could be troublesome for patients, reports Richard Harris for NPR. Prof. Giovanni Traverso explains that if a patient with lactose intolerance takes a pill containing lactose, “it's probably not going to manifest in any significant symptoms. But as the number of pills you're taking [increases], then certainly you might cross that threshold."

AP reporter Lauran Neergaard writes that a new study by MIT researchers finds that pills often contain “inactive” ingredients capable of causing allergic or gastrointestinal reactions. The researchers found that “it’s hard for those patients, or even their doctors, to tell if a pill contains an extra ingredient they should avoid,” Neergaard explains.

NIH Director Francis Collins highlights how MIT researchers have developed a new ingestible device, shaped like the shell of an African leopard tortoise, that can inject insulin directly into the stomach wall. Collins writes that, “this fascinating work serves as a reminder that when it comes to biomedical science, inspiration sometimes can come from the most unexpected places.”

MIT researchers have developed a new ingestible capsule that in the future could be used to deliver medication to diabetes patients, reports Dr. Erica Orsini for ABC News. “The oral route is preferred by both patients and health care providers,” explains visiting scientist Giovanni Traverso.

A new ingestible pill developed by MIT researchers positions itself against the walls of the stomach and can deliver insulin directly to the bloodstream, reports Gina Kolata for The New York Times. “It’s a very new concept and a really cool idea,” says Edith Mathiowitz, a professor of medical science and engineering at Brown University.

Financial Times reporter Clive Cookson writes that MIT researchers have developed an ingestible pill that can deliver insulin directly to a patient’s stomach. “This discovery has the potential to transform not only drug delivery but drug discovery as well,” explains Prof. Robert Langer, “since most current drug discovery efforts are aimed at creating small molecule drugs that patients can take orally.”

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.