Nanoparticle Pills Could Help End Injections

Nov-30-13 Researchers have developed a drug-carrying nanoparticle that can be taken orally and could offer people suffering from chronic diseases an alternative to regular injections.

Developed by a team from MIT, the drug-ferrying nanoparticle can be ingested orally and then absorbed through the digestive track. This method of drug delivery had not been possible before, because the layer of epithelial cells that lines the intestine has previously blocked nanoparticles from entering the bloodstream.

To overcome the barrier, the team turned to previous research as to how babies absorb antibodies from their mothers’ milk. Research had shown that the antibodies latch onto to a cell surface receptor called FcRN, which gave them access through the intestinal lining and into the bloodstream. Because adult intestinal cells also contain FcRN receptors, the team coated the nanoparticles with Fc proteins (the part of the antibody that binds with the FcRN receptor). This allows the nanoparticle, and its shipment of medicine, to slip through the intestine and enter the bloodstream.

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[GIZMAG.COM]
[MIT]

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