A novel oral capsule can deploy microneedle patches that release drugs into the intestinal wall for uptake into the bloodstream as shown in animal studies, thereby avoiding injections.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$29.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Marcum, Z. A., Sevick, M. A. & Handler, S. M. JAMA 309, 2105–2106 (2013).
Rubin, R. R., Peyrot, M., Kruger, D. F. & Travis, L. B. Diabetes Educ. 35, 1014–1022 (2009).
Liu, C., Kou, Y., Zhang, X., Cheng, H., Chen, X. & Mao, S. Expert Opin. Drug Deliv. 15, 223–233 (2018).
Abramson, A. et al. Nat. Med. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0598-9 (2019).
Homayun, B., Lin, X. T. & Choi, H. J. Pharmaceutics 11(3), 129 (2019).
Lipinski, C. A., Lombardo, F., Dominy, B. W. & Feeney, P. J. Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 23, 3–25 (1997).
Prausnitz, M. R. Annu. Rev. Chem. Biomol. 8, 177–200 (1997).
Bhatnagar, S., Dave, K. & Venuganti, V. V. K. J. Control. Release 260, 164–182 (2017).
Hou, A., Cohen, B., Haimovic, A. & Elbuluk, N. Dermatol. Surg. 43, 321–339 (2017).
Grover, N. Endpoints News https://endpts.com/robotic-pill-technology-found-to-be-safe-tolerable-in-early-human-study-paving-ground-for-oral-biologics/ (28 February 2019).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
M.P. is an inventor of patents that have been or may be licensed to companies developing microneedle-based products, is a paid advisor to companies developing microneedle-based products and is a founder/shareholder of companies developing microneedle-based products, including Micron Biomedical. These potential conflicts of interest have been disclosed and are being managed by Georgia Tech and/or Emory University.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Prausnitz, M.R., Gomaa, Y. & Li, W. Microneedle patch drug delivery in the gut. Nat Med 25, 1471–1472 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0606-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-019-0606-0