By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Nanoparticle Pills Usher Medicine Into the Future: No More Needles!
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Devices > Nanoparticle Pills Usher Medicine Into the Future: No More Needles!
Medical DevicesMedical InnovationsTechnology

Nanoparticle Pills Usher Medicine Into the Future: No More Needles!

Susan Scutti
Susan Scutti
Share
4 Min Read
nanoparticle pill developed
SHARE

nanoparticle pill developedAlthough nanomedicine is a promising area of research, scientists have been unable to figure out a way to deliver drugs using nanoparticles other than by injection, which is both distasteful and inconvenient for patients.

nanoparticle pill developedAlthough nanomedicine is a promising area of research, scientists have been unable to figure out a way to deliver drugs using nanoparticles other than by injection, which is both distasteful and inconvenient for patients. Now, a team of researchers from MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have developed a new nanoparticle that can be absorbed through the digestive tract, allowing patients to take a pill instead of receiving injections.

“If you were a patient and you had a choice, there’s just no question,” Professor Robert Langer, of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, stated in a press release. “Patients would always prefer drugs they can take orally.” 

Like Mother’s Milk?

Ultrafine particles, or nanoparticles, are between one and 100 nanometers in size. What makes nanoparticles so interesting to scientists, particularly in the field of medicine, is the fact that the physics underlying nanoparticles means that their properties are different from the properties of the bulk material. Additionally, size and surface characteristics of nanoparticles can be manipulated. Yet, nanoparticles have not yet been available as a pill because, despite their tiny size, they are unable to penetrate the intestinal lining. This is no simple feat as the lining is made of a layer of epithelial cells that join together forming impenetrable barriers known as tight junctions.

“The key challenge is how to make a nanoparticle get through this barrier of cells,” Omid Farokhzad, director of the Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Biomaterials at BWH, stated in the press release. He explained how the lining is “analogous to a brick wall where the bricks are the cells and the mortar is the attachments, and nothing can penetrate that wall.” To break through the barrier, he and his colleagues based their work on previous research that explained how babies are able to absorb antibodies from their mothers’ milk in order to enhance their own immune defenses. Essentially, antibodies within maternal milk attach to a cell surface receptor called the FcRN, and this grants them passport through a baby’s intestinal lining into adjacent blood vessels. Mimicking this mechanism, the researchers coated nanoparticles with Fc proteins — the part of the antibody that binds to the FcRN receptor. After ingestion, the protein would bind to the FcRN in the intestinal lining and gain entry, bringing the entire nanoparticle with them.

For this study, the researchers demonstrated how nanoparticle pills could deliver insulin to mice. After coating the pills with Fc proteins, the team discovered that the insulin they contained reached the bloodstream 11 times more efficiently than nanoparticle pills without the coating. Most importantly, the amount of insulin delivered was large enough to lower the mice’s blood sugar levels. The team is now hoping to design nanoparticles that are able to cross other barriers, such as the blood-brain barrier, which prevents many drugs from reaching the brain. “If you can penetrate the mucosa in the intestine, maybe next you can penetrate the mucosa in the lungs, maybe the blood-brain barrier, maybe the placental barrier,” Farokhzad said.

Source: Pridgen E, Farokhzad O, Langer R, et al. Transepithelial Transport of Fc-Targeted Nanoparticles by the Neonatal Fc Receptor for Oral Delivery. Science Translational Medicine. 2013.

(shutterstock)

TAGGED:nano particle pills
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

contamination
Batch Failures And The Hidden Costs Of Contamination
Health Infographics
October 21, 2025
Medication Management For Seniors
Simplifying Medication Management For Seniors
Infographics Senior Care
October 21, 2025
Guide To Pursuing a Career in Nursing as a Foreigner in the USA
Collaboration Is the Prescription for Better Patient Care
Health
October 20, 2025
Epidemiological Health Benefits
Personal and Epidemiological Health Benefits of Blood Pressure Management
Health
October 13, 2025

You Might also Like

How Technology Is Enhancing Healthcare Services

July 30, 2013
eHealthMedical RecordsTechnology

Phishing in the Healthcare Industry is Real – And Can Have Grave Consequences

April 24, 2018
patient engagement
eHealthMobile HealthTechnologyWellness

Patient Engagement in Healthcare: Stewards of the Brand Promise

February 8, 2014
Benefits of Big Data & Real-Time Analytics in Clinical Trials
eHealthTechnology

Role of Information Technology in the Health Industry?

October 26, 2020
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?