欢迎来到VOA在线收网 www.voa365.com
当前位置:VOA NEWS > VOA慢速英语 > 健康报道 >

Researchers Develop Long-Term, Drug Release Capsule

2016-12-12 07:07来源:未知

音频下载

This star-shaped structure with six arms can be folded inward and encased in a smooth capsule, which can be swallowed. Once in the stomach, the capsule opens and medicine is released in measured doses. (Photo courtesy of Melanie Gonick/MIT)

Researchers have developed a long-lasting capsule that, when swallowed, slowly releases medicine into the body.

 

The researchers say the capsule was developed for treatment of the disease malaria. But they believe it could hold medicines for a number of health problems.

 

Once inside the stomach, the plastic capsule opens up to release the drug in small, measured amounts. The plastic is designed to resist the stomach’s acidic environment. The device breaks down after about two weeks and is expelled with waste products. At that time, a patient would swallow another drug-containing capsule.

 

Researchers have tested capsules filled with the drug ivermectin on pigs and dogs. Ivermectin is used to treat parasitic organisms. It kills mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite.

 

Scientists are now designing a program to test the capsule in people next year.

 

The scientists work with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts. They decided to test ivermectin because of what they saw when it was used to treat river blindness in Africa. Many people there have malaria infections. Ninety percent of malaria cases worldwide happen in countries south of the Sahara Desert.

 

Researcher Giovanni Traverso works at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

 

“What was observed was that malaria would transiently drop. And so what we proposed was, you know, ‘what if we could increase the period of time during which individuals could have ivermectin in their system really to help suppress the mosquito population in those regions?’”

 

Researchers say the capsule could possibly be filled with ivermectin and another drug to decrease the number of malaria infections.

 

The World Health Organization says only about half of people in the West and 30 percent of those in developing countries take their medicine every day when told by doctors to do so. A computer model estimates that the capsule could increase that number to 70 percent.

 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Andrew Bellinger agrees.

 

“You can take advantage of the fact that patients don’t have to be reminded every day that they need to take their medicine. They can remember once a week to take their medicine and then live normally the rest of the time.”

 

Researchers say the capsule could be used to treat emotional disorders, diabetes, and cardiovascular and kidney diseases.

 

A study on the capsule and its development was published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine.


Words in This Story

 

 

capsule – n. a very small container that is filled with medicine and swallowed whole

 

acidic – adj. of or related to the qualities of an acid

 

parasite – adj. of or related to an animal or plant that lives in or on another animal or plant and gets food or protection from it

 

transiently – adv. not lasting long

 

region – n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way

 

gradually – adv. moving or changing in small amounts; happening in a slow way over a long period of time

 

dissolve – v. to mix with a liquid and become part of the liquid

 

(责任编辑:v365)
最新新闻
  1. 网传日月光Q4产能利用率降至70%
  2. 新型存储器已经开始增长,到20
  3. 市场人士透露:联发科在汽车芯片
  4. 【VOA在线闲聊】三星收购Arm会步英
  5. Nikola召回迄今为止生产的93辆Nik
  6. 蚂蚁数科两项区块链专利完成一对
  7. 蔚来申请注册“NIO CERTIFIED 蔚来官
  8. 获小米超千万投资 改装车公司工
  9. 法拉第未来首款电动汽车FF 91再次
  10. 消息称LG显示计划明年生产920万块
  11. 宝马面向欧洲市场推出最小的跨界
  12. 美国副总统哈里斯承诺就电动汽车
  13. 知情人士透露称马斯克和推特CE
  14. 因苹果缩减订单 台积电或修改明
  15. LG推出一项新技术,以开放局域网
  16. 小米13正式上线:骁龙8Gen2发布1
  17. 米家3 KG迷你洗衣机售价699元
  18. 苹果公司官方非常兴奋:印度将生
  19. 中国广电在全国31个省区开通广电
  20. 华为 Mate 50 Pro国外上市:售价远高
  21. 特斯拉柏林超级工厂回收工厂发生
  22. 华为 Mate 50原价4999
  23. iPhone 14销售比上一代下降了11%
  24. 2021至2025中国台湾将投350亿元新台
  25. 华为Mate50Pro预定5 G芯片,苹果公司
  26. 锐龙7000核显性能实测 单核及多核
  27. 索尼PS5最新更新:6 nm制程功率与
  28. 华为会议马上就要开始了!一种全
  29. 小米再次成为了冠军!该系列产品
  30. 还能吸收病毒?!戴森首个产品也
  31. 小米又推出了一款新产品,售价
  32. Imagination携手百度飞桨创建Model
  33. 奔驰要不要再加价?2024将发布
  34. TikTok在英国或被罚款2900万美元 被
  35. iPhone15PM改用 ULTRA:笔记本和 iPa
  36. 因库存不断提升存储芯片持续降价
  37. 预计小米Civi2将推出五款新产品
  38. 可靠商务桌面电脑推荐:联想M4
  39. 受飓风影响:NASA撤回阿尔忒弥斯
  40. 《三体》影迷们疯狂了!
  41. 4090设计实在是太离谱了!
  42. Meta试图Facebook和Instagram账户添加到
  43. 苹果公司在技术上遭受重大挫折,
  44. 我国成功发射遥感三十六号卫星,
  45. 骁龙8Gen2+120 W快速充电!小米13系
  46. 屏幕下手机价格大跌,灵动岛安卓
  47. 亚马逊宣布下月举办新会员促销活
  48. 酷睿i9-13900K预告片,5.8 GHz稳定!
  49. 美国流媒体巨头Netflix宣布在芬兰
  50. 外科手术机器人 商业化将加快世