New lizard-inspired pill could help regulate appetite

(CN) — An electronic pill could combat nausea and other appetite-related conditions, according to a study published in Science Robotics on Wednesday. 

The tech is designed to be ingested and sit in the stomach for a day, delivering electrical stimulation to the stomach walls that disrupts the communication between the digestive system and the brain.

“Electroceuticals, or electrical stimulation therapies, have emerged as the next frontier of neuromodulation,” said lead author Khalil Ramadi, director of the laboratory for Advanced Neuroengineering and Translational Medicine at New York University Abu Dhabi, in a press release. 

The electric lozenge was developed through a collaboration of a team of researchers from New York University Abu Dhabi, led by Ramadi, and first study co-author and Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate student James McRae and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Giovanni Traverso.

Dubbed the FLASH device, the technology challenges poorly absorbed nausea medications that have been around for decades and risky, invasive electrode-placing procedures. The FLASH can increase hunger levels by stimulating the production of the ghrelin hormone, which also known as the “hunger hormone.” 

It may seem that electric signals and the gooey, liquid landscape of a stomach wouldn't mix. To address such concerns, Ramadi and his team pulled inspiration from a unique lizard. The Australian thorny devil lizard has water-wicking skin that pushes moisture it comes in contact with into skin channels before its absorbed. Similarly, the FLASH has a moisture-wicking coating and deep grooves for fluid to collect, keeping it away from the shallower electrode indentations. This mix of nature and technology allows the pill to maintain electrode-to-tissue contact. 

The scientists tested the pill on pigs, given their anatomic similarities to humans. The devices were placed with a scope into the stomach, where they remained for one day before passing through the rest of the digestive tract. The results have the team hopeful, with all FLASH devices passing without significant trauma or bleeding. 

FLASH is the size of a pill. According to the 14-page study, it is cheap to manufacture and consists of materials already FDA-approved. The researchers estimate that each FLASH contains a one-dollar battery, small circuitry, gold wires that run about three dollars per device, and polypropylene materials, which can be 3D printed or cut en masse using a computer numerical control machine. 

While the study directly mentions cancer patients, anorexia, gastroparesis and cachexia, the researchers claim the pill that's the "first-of-its-kind" in medical bioengineering could open doors for even more ingestible electric solutions.

“FLASH is one of the first ingestible electroceutical that can regulate precise neurohormonal circuits, while avoiding the discomfort patients can experience with invasive treatments. Future ingestible electroceutical systems could be designed and customized for specific applications beyond acute, short-term gastric stimulation,” Ramadi said. 

Follow @@smolestwriter

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit