Los investigadores de NYU Abu Dhabi han desarrollado un dispositivo electrocéutico ingerible, llamado sistema FLASH, que modula el eje intestino-cerebro, lo que afecta los niveles de hambre y potencialmente trata una variedad de trastornos. Inspirado en la piel de la lagartija espinosa australiana, el dispositivo utiliza una cápsula que absorbe fluidos para proporcionar estimulación eléctrica al tejido del estómago, lo que influye en la hormona grelina, que estimula el hambre. Crédito: NYU Abu Dabi
Inspiradas en la piel absorbente de agua del lagarto espinoso australiano, las cápsulas FLASH pueden conectarse directamente al tejido estomacal para modular las hormonas que provocan el hambre.
Un equipo de investigadores de la Universidad de Nueva York en Abu Dabi (NYUAD), dirigido por el profesor Khalil Ramadi, director del Laboratorio de Neuroingeniería Avanzada y Medicina Traslacional, ha desarrollado el primer dispositivo electrocéutico ingerible de su clase para la neuromodulación del eje del cerebro intestinal, el vía de señalización entre el tracto gastrointestinal y el sistema nervioso central. La cápsula ingerible es un método no invasivo y preciso que podría utilizarse para modular los niveles de hambre y tratar enfermedades metabólicas y neurológicas. Esto fue desarrollado en colaboración con el profesor Giovanni Traverso de[{» attribute=»»>MIT, who is a joint senior author of the study and James McRae, a graduate student at MIT, who is first co-author of the paper published in the journal Science Robotics.
Credit: Giancarlo Traverso (GT Reel Productions)
The FLASH system utilizes electrodes on its surface to deliver electrical stimulation to stomach mucosal tissue. The gut-brain axis regulates several physiological functions, including feeding and emotional behavior. The existing pharmaceutical and surgical methods to modulate the axis, including implanting electrodes through surgery, are imprecise, invasive, and have been associated with significant recovery periods and associated risks. Inspired by the water-wicking skin of Moloch horridus, the Australian thorny devil lizard, FLASH features a fluid-wicking capsule coating with grooved patterns and a hydrophilic (water-compatible) surface, enabling them to bypass the gastric fluid in the stomach and achieve direct electrode-tissue contact.
“Electroceuticals, or electrical stimulation therapies, have emerged as the next frontier of neuromodulation. FLASH is one of the first ingestible electroceutical that can regulate precise neurohormonal circuits, while avoiding the discomfort patients can experience with invasive treatments. Future ingestible electroceutical systems could be designed and customized for specific applications beyond acute, short-term gastric stimulation.”
— Professor Khalil Ramadi, Director of the Laboratory for Advanced Neuroengineering and Translational Medicine
Gastric electrical stimulation (GES) directly induces the release of the hormone ghrelin, which stimulates hunger, from the gastric mucosa through endoscopic stimulation. Oral ingestion of the FLASH capsule was shown to modulate levels of the ghrelin hormone significantly and repeatedly. In the paper titled Bioinspired, fluid-wicking, ingestible electroceutical capsules for hunger-regulating hormone modulation published on April 26, the researchers report the process of developing the FLASH capsules, which are swallowed, deliver stimulation to the stomach, and then excreted safely. The capsules are powered by ingestible batteries, which were shown to deliver stimulation for 20 minutes, and then be excreted within two weeks of ingestion in large animals.
Aquí, los autores describen el desarrollo y la aplicación de un novedoso electrocéutico ingerible capaz de estimular la liberación de grelina. Crédito: Giancarlo Traverso (GT Reel Productions)
Los fármacos hormonales actuales tienen una biodisponibilidad baja cuando se toman por vía oral. Es por eso que drogas como[{» attribute=»»>insulin need to be injected. FLASH can be taken orally to specifically target gastric neurohormonal circuits and modulate hormone levels in the blood. It is anticipated that this device could be used for a range of applications to treat metabolic, feeding, gastrointestinal, and neuropsychiatric disorders non-invasively, and with minimal off-target effects.
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Reference: “Bioinspired, fluid-wicking, ingestible electroceutical capsules for hunger-regulating hormone modulation” by Khalil B. Ramadi, James C. McRae, George Selsing, Arnold Su, Rafael Fernandes, Maela Hickling, Brandon Rios, Sahab Babaee, Seokkee Min, Declan Gwynne, Neil Zixun Jia, Aleyah Aragon, Keiko Ishida, Johannes Kuosmanen, Josh Jenkins, Alison Hayward, Ken Kamrin and Giovanni Traverso, 26 April 2023, Science Robotics.
DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.ade9676