RoboCap (smart capsule for fast drug delivery)

2022: Device Announcement

On September 28, 2022, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) unveiled a new developed capsule with a robotic mechanism to improve drug delivery to parts of the body. The product was named RoboCap.

Large protein preparations usually cannot pass through the mucous barrier that covers the digestive tract. Therefore, insulin and most other "biologics" containing proteins or nucleic acids must be injected or administered in the hospital using syringes, according to the institute's news website.

RoboCap (smart capsule for fast drug delivery)

A new drug capsule is capable of replacing injections, researchers claim. It is equipped with a rotating robotic cap. This helps her penetrate the mucous barrier when she reaches her small intestine. Thus, drugs carried by the capsule can enter cells located in the intestine.

The researchers used a developed capsule to deliver insulin and vancomycin (used to treat infections) in animal experiments. They found that the capsule was able to deliver 20 to 40 times more drugs than a similar capsule without a mechanism.

The smart capsule is about the size of multivitamin. It contains medicine in a small reservoir at one end, and motor functions cover the main part of the capsule and its surface. Gelatin, which can be adjusted to dissolve at a certain pH, coats the capsule.

When the coating dissolves, the pH change triggers a tiny motor inside the RoboCap capsule, which begins to spin. As a result of this movement, the capsule penetrates the mucus and displaces it. In addition, there are small spikes in its body that clean mucus similar to the action of a toothbrush.

Rotation also contributes to the erosion of the compartment carrying the drug. The drug is then gradually released in the digestive tract. Once the drug is released, the capsule passes through the digestive tract. The researchers found no signs of inflammation or irritation in the digestive tract after passing the capsule. They also noted that the mucus layer recovers within hours of the capsule displacing it.

The researchers also note that because the new approach uses only mechanical action, it can be applied to a wider range of drugs. According to them, it can be directed not only to the small intestine, but also to the stomach or colon. To do this, it is necessary to change the pH at which the gelatin coating should dissolve.^[1]

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