“Ambika Bajpayee, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Northeastern, has been working with Giovani Travero and Robert Langer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to design a contraceptive pill that would need to be taken just once per month.”
“Their drug delivery system, described in a recent study in Science Translational Medicine, remains in the stomach for weeks, slowly releasing contraceptives.”
“Their solution resembles a six-armed star, more than two inches across, that is folded into a pill capsule. The arms are loaded with contraceptives mixed with various polymers to slow down their release rate.”
“You need something that can stay inside the stomach for several weeks, but is strong enough that it can withstand the peristaltic wave forces that break down food,” Bajpayee says. “And not degrade in the acidic gastric environment.”
“Once the pill is swallowed, the capsule dissolves and the star unfolds like a flower blooming in the stomach. Its arms are too wide to fit through to the small intestine.”
“Because of its expandable size, it cannot pass through the stomach,” Bajpayee says. “This results in long residence times of three to four weeks, during which contraceptive drugs loaded into the arms of the star are released into the stomach.”
“The star eventually breaks down into small pieces, Bajpayee says. The researchers designed specific areas of the star to dissolve, which allows it to pass easily through the digestive system and out of the body.”
“Loaded with different drugs, the star-shaped delivery system could help other patients whose well-being depends on daily pills, like individuals with HIV or various mental health disorders, as well as those looking for an oral contraceptive that doesn’t have to be taken every day.”
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