Georgia Tech engineers have developed a revolutionary capsule technology that could transform how patients receive insulin and other injectable medications, potentially eliminating the need for painful injections through an innovative "exploding" delivery mechanism.
The capsule, created by Mark Prausnitz and his research team including former PhD student Joshua Palacios, uses a pressurized explosion to shoot medicine past the protective barriers of the gastrointestinal tract directly into the bloodstream. In animal laboratory tests, the capsule successfully lowered blood sugar levels comparable to traditional insulin injections, with results published in the Journal of Controlled Release.
Breakthrough Mechanism Addresses $400 Billion Market
The technology targets a significant challenge in pharmaceutical delivery, as protein-based medications including insulin, semaglutide (sold as Ozempic and Wegovy), antibodies, and growth hormone typically require injection because they cannot overcome gastrointestinal barriers. These medications represent a $400 billion market that could benefit from oral delivery alternatives.
"This study introduces a new way of drug delivery that is as easy as swallowing a pill and replaces the need for painful injections," said Prausnitz, professor and chair in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Tech.
The capsule operates through a simple yet effective mechanism using water and sodium bicarbonate to build pressure inside the pill after swallowing. When the pressure overwhelms a small weak spot in the gelatin exterior, it creates a high-velocity jet of drug particles that sweeps away intestinal mucus and delivers medication directly to epithelial cells for bloodstream transfer.
Simple Design Enables Cost-Effective Manufacturing
Unlike competing technologies, the Georgia Tech capsule contains no complicated moving parts, batteries, or stored energy systems. The design leverages existing pharmaceutical manufacturing processes to ensure scalability and cost-effectiveness.
"It was important to us not to turn this capsule into a complex device or machine," Prausnitz explained. "Others have made mechanical devices for protein delivery that you can stick in your mouth or swallow, but they are costly and complicated. We wanted to make a capsule that uses a simple pharmaceutical formulation that is inexpensive to manufacture, but has the power of a mechanical device to increase drug delivery."
The capsule uses standard gelatin material strengthened through ultraviolet light exposure to withstand the stomach and small intestine environment. An internal compartment positions the drug for efficient ejection during the pressure release.
Addressing Current Oral Delivery Limitations
Current oral delivery methods for protein drugs face significant absorption challenges. No oral insulin delivery methods are currently available to patients, and existing oral protein medications like Rybelsus (oral semaglutide) achieve less than 1% absorption rates, with 99% of the drug wasted.
"Right from the start, we set an objective to develop the capsule so it can plug right into conventional capsule manufacturing methods," said Joshua Palacios, the study's first author. "Obviously, we're doing a few things differently, but it's critical to make these capsules at low cost and in large quantity. Leveraging existing manufacturing processes is key to making broad impact with this technology."
Future Development and Applications
The research team is now working to further increase drug absorption percentages and exploring applications beyond insulin, including semaglutide delivery through their capsule system. The high-velocity delivery mechanism prevents protein-eating enzymes from breaking down the medication during transit.
Prausnitz, known for pioneering microneedle technology for transdermal drug delivery, drew inspiration from jet injection methods used in needle-free vaccination. "While there are mechanical, electrical, ultrasonic, laser, and other devices you can apply to the skin, they are too complicated to be swallowed. But jet injection, which has been widely used for needle-free vaccination, could work in the gut. It's like a tiny bullet that shoots drug into tissue."
