Nature Podcast

Squid-inspired pills squirt drugs straight into your gut

Nov 20, 2024

Giovanni Traverso, a researcher at MIT, discusses a groundbreaking squid-inspired device that delivers drugs directly into the gut without needles, enhancing medication efficacy by bypassing the digestive breakdown. Brydon Labai dives into innovative light-activated catalysts designed to tackle the persistent issue of 'forever chemicals,' providing hopeful solutions for environmental cleanup. Both guests highlight transformative advancements in drug delivery and pollution remediation that could reshape healthcare and environmental practices.

29:19

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Episode guests

Brydon Labai

Giovanni Traverso

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Quick takeaways

Researchers have developed a squid-inspired device for needle-free drug delivery that enhances the bioavailability of therapeutics like insulin.

Innovative light-activated methods are being explored to efficiently break down persistent pollutants known as forever chemicals, addressing environmental concerns.

Deep dives

Innovative Squid-Inspired Drug Delivery System

Researchers have developed a novel drug delivery system modeled after squids that injects medication directly into the gastrointestinal tract. This approach addresses the limitations of traditional oral pills, which often degrade before reaching their target site, consequently reducing their effectiveness. By utilizing mechanics similar to the way squids expel ink, the device can apply precise pressure needed to deposit drugs in submucosal tissues, potentially allowing for enhanced bioavailability of therapeutics such as insulin. Animal trials showed the system's efficacy, with insulin delivery through this method achieving comparable results to conventional subcutaneous injections.

Intro

3min

Cephalopod-Inspired Drug Delivery Innovations

11min

Breaking Down Forever Chemicals

10min

Volcanic Mysteries of the Moon's Far Side

4min

Genetic Engineering Creates Sweeter Tomatoes for Efficient Processing

2min

Exploring Protein Discoveries for Sweeter Produce

2min

00:45 A squid-inspired device for needle-free drug delivery

Inspired by squids’ ability to shoot ink, a team of researchers have developed swallowable devices that can deliver tiny jets of drugs directly into the gut lining, circumventing the need for needles. Previous studies have shown that most people prefer to take medication in pill form, rather than as an injection, but many drugs are degraded as they pass through the digestive system. The team’s new swallowable devices overcome this issue, and deliver drugs directly to where they need to be. So far, this approach has shown efficacy in animal models, but more work needs to be done to ensure their safety in humans.

Research Article: Arrick et al.

10:50 Research Highlights

The largest ‘terror bird’ fossil ever found, and a simple solution to help prevent premature births.

Research Highlight: Huge carnivorous ‘terror bird’ rivalled the giant panda in size

Research Highlight: Reducing pregnancy risk could be as easy as chewing gum

12:52 A milder way to break down ‘forever chemicals’.

Two papers describe how light-activated catalysts could be used to break down toxic ‘forever chemicals’, hinting at a new way to clean up pollution caused by these persistent compounds. Forever chemicals contain multiple carbon-fluorine bonds that give them useful physical properties, but these bonds are some of the strongest in organic chemistry, making these compounds energetically difficult to break down. The new, light-based methods demonstrate low-energy ways to sever these bonds, a milestone that could make forever chemicals less permanent.

Research Article: Zhang et al.

Research Article: Liu et al.

News and Views: Catalysts degrade forever chemicals with visible light