The tablet has been used to electrically stimulate stomach cells in pigs to increase levels of ghrelin, a hormone that regulates hunger and relieves nausea. If the technology is transferred to humans, it could treat nausea, vomiting, and lack of appetite in people with eating disorders or those being treated for cancer.

Current interventions using electrical stimulation to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms require invasive surgery. So, Giovanni Traverso at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and colleagues have developed a non-invasive, growth-sized capsule that delivers small shocks.

Inside the capsule, a battery generates electrical currents that run through gold wire wound on the outside. Grooves etched into the surface of the capsule drain fluid so that the wire can electrically stimulate receptors in the stomach tissue that trigger the release of ghrelin. The device is coated with a thin shell that dissolves when it enters the stomach so as not to irritate the tissues of the esophagus.

Traverso and his team tested the capsule on 13 pigs that were fasted overnight and given anesthetics. Eleven animals received a 20-minute stimulation and two others received no stimulation.

The researchers measured blood levels of ghrelin before and 10 minutes after the stimulation. They found that, on average, ghrelin levels increased by about 40% in stimulated pigs, while ghrelin levels decreased by about 50% in unstimulated pigs.

“The levels we are seeing are comparable to the levels we would expect to induce hunger or suppress nausea, but we have not evaluated these levels. [symptoms] in animals,” says Traverso. “Part of the next steps involves doing this in humans to see if, for example, nausea can be treated with this system.”

Traverso said all animals cleared the capsule within two weeks, a normal time for pigs. Tissue samples taken from their stomachs, duodenums and colons showed no change or signs of injury, suggesting the therapy was safe.

“To my knowledge, this is the first ingestible device that can produce electrical stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract,” he says. Stavros Skid at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in New York. The technology can be modified to provide electrical stimulation to other tissues in the gastrointestinal tract, such as the colon.

The FDA has expanded indications for the use of elexacaftor, tezacaftor, and ivacaftor (trikaft) for cystic fibrosis to include even young children. Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced..

Three drug combination extended shortcut currently covers children aged 2 to 5 years with cystic fibrosis and F508del mutation in CFTR gene or CFTR a gene mutation that has been shown to respond to a triplet based on in vitro data.

FDA approval for this indication was upheld. phase III open trial this showed an improvement in sweat chloride concentration and lung function in this young population after 24 weeks of treatment, with a safety profile consistent with that observed in older age groups.

“Early intervention with a CFTR modulatory therapy such as Trikafta may offer the potential to improve trajectory [cystic fibrosis] lung disease,” said researcher Jennifer Goralsky, MD, of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill. cause of their illness.

As of 2022 about 40,000 people in the USA living with cystic fibrosis.

Based on the results of two randomized trials, the triple combination won first. OK in 2019 for adolescents and adults with susceptible CFTR Gene mutations, a group representing approximately 90% of the CF patient population at the time. The subsequent expansion of the label allowed its use in patients aged 6 years and older.

The labeling of elexacaftor, tezacaftor and ivacaftor warns of increased transaminase activity, liver damage and cataracts. In addition, concomitant use with strong CYP3A inducers may reduce the exposure and efficacy of the triple drug.

The product is available in oral granules or tablets, depending on the age and weight of the patient, and should be taken with a fat-containing meal. Patients are advised to avoid eating or drinking food or drinks containing grapefruit while taking triplet therapy.