A number of researchers around the world are developing tiny micromotors to perform highly targeted tasks within the body. Researchers at University of California San Diego, for example, have developed micromotors that have an antibiotic coating to treat stomach ulcers. Though the technique works great, getting the micromotors to the ulcers without the GI system destroying them first is a challenge.
The UC San Diego researchers have now created special pills that protect the micromotors as they travel through the esophagus and the stomach. The pills, consisting of the sugars lactose and maltose, act as protectors without hurting the functionality of the micromotors, which are made in this case of magnesium/titanium dioxide.
The sugars can be made into a tablet and they dissolve nicely once reaching the stomach. This was already attempted on lab mice, demonstrating that the pills are able to deliver a lot more of the micromotors into the stomach than silica-based tablets or via a liquid gavage.
Study in ACS Nano: Micromotor Pills as a Dynamic Oral Delivery Platform…