Sci Transl Med

Novel suction cup delivers drugs through cheek

November 2, 2023

Researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland developed an alternative to injections as a way to deliver large drugs, such as peptides, minimally invasively into the blood stream—a technology that may prove especially useful to treat injection-averse patients with drugs that aren't usually suitable for oral, inhalational, or transdermal administration.

• Inspired by the unique structural features of octopus suckers, a self-applicable suction patch was engineered, enabling strong adhesion to and effective mechanical deformation of the mucosal tissue.
• The innovative technology boosts drug absorption via a suction cup that affixes to the mucosal lining of the inside of the cheek and has been described by volunteers as preferable to injections.
• In the first in-human study of this technology involving 40 healthy participants, tests confirmed the dosage form's acceptability, thereby supporting the clinical translatability of this simple yet effective platform technology.
• When patients press the cup onto their cheek lining, a vacuum is created that helps to stretch the tissue, making it more permeable to drugs. The suction cup also exposes the mucosal lining to an additional reagent called a permeability enhancer, which fluidizes the cell membranes of the mucosa, allowing peptides to traverse the lining more easily.
• In tests so far, the suction cups have produced successful delivery of medication to the blood stream, and have been described by volunteers as preferable to injections.

Sources:

Hastings, C. (2023, October 23). Medgadget. Suction Cup Delivers Drugs Through Cheek. https://www.medgadget.com/2023/10/suction-cup-delivers-drugs-through-cheek.html

Luo Z, et al. (2023, September 27). Sci Transl Med. Boosting systemic absorption of peptides with a bioinspired buccal-stretching patch. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37756378/