Smart Grippers for Oral Medication Delivery
Autonomous Grippers in the Gastrointestinal Tract
This project is developing tiny, smart devices that can deliver important medicines like insulin and treatments for autoimmune diseases directly in your stomach, so you might not need injections.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11092865 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Many important medicines for conditions like diabetes and autoimmune diseases currently require injections or infusions because they are too large to be absorbed as pills. This can be inconvenient, lead to missed doses, and sometimes cause complications like infections or allergic reactions. Our goal is to create tiny, swallowable devices, called autonomous grippers, that can attach to the lining of your stomach or intestines. These grippers are designed to safely release these vital medications directly into your body, potentially replacing the need for injections. This approach aims to make taking your medication simpler, safer, and more effective.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients who currently rely on injectable or infused peptide medications for conditions such as diabetes or autoimmune disorders like IBD, lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis might eventually benefit from this research.
Not a fit: Patients whose conditions are not treated with peptide-based medications or who do not have issues with current injection methods may not directly benefit from this specific delivery technology.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this technology could allow patients with conditions like diabetes and autoimmune diseases to take their essential peptide medications orally, avoiding the need for injections and their associated complications.
How similar studies have performed: This approach to orally deliver large molecule drugs is innovative, building on the known challenges of injectable medications.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Selaru, Florin — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Selaru, Florin
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.