A small syringe for medical injections is placed on top of an assortment of red...

© 5ph – stock.adobe.com

News • Goodbye to the needle

Replace injections with pills? New technology could make it happen

Researchers at the University of Bath have developed a new technology that, for many patients could make injections a thing of the past. The new system could be used in the future for a range of treatments including growth hormone, immunotherapy cancer treatments, and diabetes and weight management treatments such as Wegovy and Ozempic.

Whilst many medications can be taken as pills, drugs that are made of protein such as antibodies, certain hormones and other peptides (small proteins) can’t be taken orally because they would be digested in the stomach, so currently the only way to take them is via an injection. This is often painful, unpleasant and inconvenient for patients, meaning they sometimes miss doses, especially if they have long-term chronic medical conditions. 

Now, scientists at the University of Bath have developed a system that can transport therapeutic proteins across the gut wall and into the bloodstream, enabling these medications to be taken as a pill. Professor Randy Mrsny, from the University of Bath’s Department of Life Sciences, led the study, published in the Journal of Controlled Release

This has the potential to transform the lives of patients who currently have to inject themselves daily

Randall Mrsny

He said: “Whilst it’s not the first system to replace injections, ours is the first platform to work safely and consistently, delivering the drug at effective doses and using a well understood pathway. Once it’s been developed into a pill, our system would be more convenient for patients than injections, meaning no more needles.” 

The system works by mimicking a natural mechanism used by bacteria that inhabit the gut. The team linked the drug molecule - in this case human growth hormone - to a non-toxic carrier molecule derived from a bacteria that is otherwise associated with cholera. This carrier molecule binds to a receptor found on the surface of intestinal cells, transports the therapeutic protein across these cells, and releases the drug safely into the bloodstream. The team found this system consistently delivered 5-10% of the drug into the bloodstream, which is enough to make it commercially viable as a type of treatment. 

Schematic illustration of a new therapeutic protein delivery system
Graphical abstract of the new research

Image credit: University of Bath 

Having already tested the system in rats, the team is now working with pharmaceutical companies to optimise it further, with the potential to start initial testing in humans within two years. Professor Mrsny said: “This pathway is well understood and has been derived from events in the human intestine, so we know it will work in patients. Unlike previous systems, our method doesn’t damage the epithelium and can generically transport a large range of medications, including hormones and cancer treatments that can currently only be injected. This has the potential to transform the lives of patients who currently have to inject themselves daily, such as children who need to take growth hormones.” 


Source: University of Bath 

05.08.2025

More on the subject:

Related articles

Photo

Prof. Dr. Agnes Kant

‘Side effects are not a side issue’

Discovering knowledge about side effects needs to be faster and better. In her oration, Prof. Dr. Agnes Kant, Professor by special appointment of Innovation of Pharmacovigilance, calls for more…

Photo

News • Real-time drug identification

Wrong meds? A wearable AI camera detects what's in a syringe or vial

A newly-developed wearable camera system is designed to detect potential errors in medication delivery by identifying contents of vials and syringes with the help of deep-learning AI.

Photo

News • Circadian-based therapeutic strategies

Cancer drugs more effective when the time-of-day is right, study finds

The time of day can be an important aspect to consider for cancer therapy. Researchers from Charité are developing new methods to use the internal clock inside tumor cells to optimize treatments.

Related products

Subscribe to Newsletter