Management of complex medication schedules could soon become as simple as taking a single capsule every day. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a capsule that can be filled with medication and publish them at times designated throughout the day.
Advance, published in MatterCould help improve medication membership and health results by eliminating the need for patients to remember several drugs or doses at various times every day. This could potentially reduce the risk of missed doses or accidental overdoses.
“We want to simplify the management of drugs with a single capsule that is intelligent enough to deliver the right medication at the right dose at the right time,” said the first author of the study, Amal Abbas, who recently obtained his doctorate. In chemical engineering at UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. She managed this work with Joseph Wang, professor in the family department of the Aiiso Yufeng Li and Nano Engineering in UC San Diego.
Seeing its potential advantages for patients and their caregivers, Abbas launches a start-up to accelerate the development and marketing of the capsule.
Inside the capsule, several drugs are packed in separate compartments. Everyone is designed to release their content at a predetermined time. The drugs are separated by barriers made of a lactose and maltose matrix integrated with a polymer sensitive to pH. This polymer protects drugs from gastric acid but dissolves in a more alkaline environment.
By adjusting the density of this polymer, the researchers can control the time it takes at each barrier to dissolve, ensuring that the drugs are released at time intervals precisely.
The exterior shell of the capsule consists of a body and a cap based on vegetable cellulose. The main body of the capsule, where drug compartments are housed, is protected by a polymer sensitive to pH. The cap, which is not protected, dissolves as soon as it landed in the stomach, which initiates the release of the first medication.
Timing is not the only intelligent characteristic of the capsule. Researchers have also incorporated microscopic magnesium particles that operate as tiny agitators and last for a short period inside the body. They react with gastric acid to generate a flow of hydrogen bubbles – this movement arouses the contents of the capsule and makes the drug easier to dissolve, which is particularly useful for drugs that require rapid absorption, such as pain relievers, cardiovascular drugs or emergency treatments.
Magnesium particles serve another function: they neutralize gastric acid, which temporarily creates a localized alkaline environment. This helps dissolve polymers sensitive to pH to initiate the release of the next online drugs.
“This innovative approach to the daily capsule guarantees full -day compliance with the improvement of the results for patients,” said Wang.
The Wang’s research group was the pioneer of the use of microsified particles like these-which they have nicknamed microrobots-for therapeutic purposes. They were the first to translate microrobots into living animal models, demonstrating their potential in the treatment of a range of conditions, including pulmonary infections and diseases that require intensive care. Their experience with microrobots laid the basics of the integration of similar technologies in the timed liberation capsule.
All the materials used to make the capsule are approved by the FDA. “This will help ensure an easy translation on the market,” said Abbas.
As proof of concept, the researchers packed a capsule with three doses of Lévodopa, a drug for Parkinson’s disease. Each dose was coded by color with a food coloring – yellow, green and red – to visually follow its release in simulated stomach conditions.
The first dose, which was housed in a compartment containing magnesium agitators, was designed for rapid release. The second and third doses, housed in compartments without agitators, were released respectively at intermediate and slow rates. Experience has successfully shown that the capsule could deliver drugs in distinct phases.
The team has chosen a drug by Parkinson’s disease as a test case for their capsule, as it must be taken in a coherent manner every few hours to keep the symptoms under control. “This timed release of multiple doses could really help Parkinson’s disease,” said Abbas.
“If the level of the drug drops too low, patients will experience tremors and other motor symptoms. But if we can keep this level stable, we can also help maintain the movement of a stable patient. Our capsule has the potential to ensure this stability throughout the day – so patients do not have to worry about the timing of each dose perfectly. »»
Abbas also sees the potential for using this capsule for combined therapies. Cardiovascular diseases, for example, often oblige patients to take a combination of aspirin, beta-blockers and hypocholesterolian drugs-each with their own dosage calendar.
By adapting the compartments of the capsule to release these drugs in an excited sequence with precision, the patients could receive their aspirin in the morning, their beta-blocker in the afternoon and their drug with cholesterol at night-all of a single capsule. This approach could ensure that each medication is issued when it is the most effective, potentially reducing side effects and optimizing therapeutic advantages.
The next steps include in vivo tests; manufacturing manufacturing; extend the capacity to release the capsule beyond a single day; And explore the localized release of medication in the intestine for targeted therapies.
