MIT is like New vibrating capsule To drink a cup full of water before eating. Nutritionists recommend the latter as a way to send it to your brain to simulate the sensation of fullness. The researchers behind the new project also suggest that it is a future alternative to surgery and GLP-1s. The latter, which includes semaglutides such as Ozempic and Wegovy, are very popular and expensive, largely due to drug intellectual property laws.
The MIT capsule has seen some laboratory success. Giving test animals the pill 20 minutes before eating reduces their intake by about 40%, according to each team. Like the water cup trick, the capsule stimulates mechanoreceptors, which send a signal to the brain through the vagus cranial nerve. Once activated, the brain begins to produce insulin and the hormones GLP-1, C-peptide and Py, which reduce hunger while intensifying the digestive process.
“Behavioral change is profound, using the internal system rather than any external treatment,” points out Associate Professor Giovanni Traverso. “We have the potential to overcome some of the challenges and costs associated with biologic drug delivery by modulating the enteric nervous system.”
The capsule, which is about the size of a standard multivitamin, contains a vibrating motor powered by a silver oxide battery. After reaching the stomach, stomach acid dissolves the outer layer and completes the circuit, causing the vibration to begin.
Beyond effectiveness, the team is working to determine the safety of the system. This requires a way to scale up production and eventually human testing. “At scale, our devices can be manufactured at a very cost-effective price,” says postdoctoral researcher Shreya Srinivasan.
Capsule-based technological therapies have become a hot category in recent years, with researchers exploring ingestible sensors and even tiny robotic systems.