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Lab Notes: Research News on Magnetic Pills, Amourous Mice, and More
The latest buzz from research labs around the world includes news of magnetic pills, polygamous mice, the use of stem cells to test heart drugs, and a new view of the brain.
Monday, Jan. 24, 2011 — No pill should be digested before its time — or it’s proper location, which sounds simple, but is nonetheless a challenge for drug makers. But a solution may be at hand: a magnetic addition to glycerin capsules could eliminate the problem of undigested pills.
In rats, an external magnet could hold the magnetized pills where they would be best digested in the intestine, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Prolonging that "intimate contact" between dose and intestine, as the researchers put it, could boost absorption of oral vaccines and medicines, such as agents for inflammatory bowel disease or GI cancers. Many drugs are optimally absorbed at specific sites in the intestine. The study wasn't the first to try magnetic control, but it stood out in trying to make the process safer.
The system actively controlled the force between the pill and the external magnet, and it monitored the pill's location with real-time videofluoroscopy.
Although it was safe in the rats tested, the researchers said they ultimately want to hone their pills' magnetic attraction for use in the outpatient setting.
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