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Review
. 2021 Dec 10;10(24):5791.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10245791.

An Overview of Robotic Capsules for Drug Delivery to the Gastrointestinal Tract

Pablo Cortegoso Valdivia  1 , Alexander R Robertson  2 , Nanne K H De Boer  3 , Wojciech Marlicz  4 , Anastasios Koulaouzidis  5   6
Affiliations
Review

An Overview of Robotic Capsules for Drug Delivery to the Gastrointestinal Tract

Pablo Cortegoso Valdivia et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

The introduction of capsule endoscopy two decades ago marked the beginning of the "small bowel revolution". Since then, the rapid evolution of microtechnology has allowed the development of drug delivery systems (DDS) designed to address some of the needs that are not met by standard drug delivery. To overcome the complex anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, several DDS have been developed, including many prototypes being designed, built and eventually produced with ingenious drug-release mechanisms and anchoring systems allowing targeted therapy. This review highlights the currently available systems for drug delivery in the GI tract and discusses the needs, limitations, and future considerations of these technologies.

Keywords: capsule; capsule endoscopy; delivery; digestive; drug; gastrointestinal; innovation; technology.

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Conflict of interest statement

A Koulaouzidis is cofounder of AJM Med-i-CAPS, director of iCERV Ltd and consultant for Jinshan Science & Technology (Group) Co., Ltd. He has also been member of Advisory boards for Tillots, Ankon, FalkPharma UK, and received lecture honorania from FalkPharma UK. but NK De Boer has served as a speaker for AbbVie and MSD and has served as consultant and/or principal investigator for TEVA Pharma BV and Takeda. He has received a (unrestricted) research grant from Falk, TEVA Pharma BV, MLDS and Takeda, all outside the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic drawing of the Enterion™ capsule.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic drawing of the remotely controlled capsule (RCC).
Figure 3
Figure 3
A prototype capsule with an integrated anchoring mechanism and a targeted medication delivery system [with permission from Timothy G. Constandinou].
Figure 4
Figure 4
A prototype capsule for ultrasound-mediated targeted drug delivery, (a) the capsule body, (b) the tether with the electrical cables and the drug delivery channel, (c) the ultrasound source, (d) the light source and (e) the miniature camera [with permission from Sandy Cochran].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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