Self-righting capsule injects insulin in stomach wall

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A self-righting capsule that delivers insulin could one day replace daily injections administered by people with type 1 diabetes.

self-righting capsule
An MIT-led research team has developed a drug capsule that could be used to deliver oral doses of insulin (Pic: Felice Frankel)

Taken orally, the capsule is said to contain a small needle made of compressed insulin, which is injected after the capsule reaches the stomach. In animal tests, the MIT-led research team showed they could deliver insulin and lower blood sugar at levels comparable to injections through skin.

“We are really hopeful that this new type of capsule could someday help diabetic patients and perhaps anyone who requires therapies that can now only be given by injection or infusion,” said Robert Langer, the David H Koch Institute Professor, a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and one of the senior authors of the study.

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