Scientists design octopus-inspired patch to deliver drugs

Inspired by the suction cups on octopus tentacles, Zurich researchers have developed a patch for delivering medicines. Keystone / Markus Scholz

Inspired by the suction cups on octopus tentacles, Zurich researchers have developed a patch for delivering medicines. The patch is stuck to the inside of the cheek and enables the delivery of medicines that would otherwise require a syringe.

In initial trials on humans, the patch proved to be safe and tolerable, as the researchers from the federal technology institute ETH Zurich (ETH Zurich) wrote in the study published on Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

To test their patch, the researchers loaded it with desmopressin, an approved diabetes drug for dogs, and stuck it on the oral mucosa, the lining or “skin” inside of the mouth, including cheeks and lips, of dogs. The patch stayed in the animals’ mouths for three hours without falling off or causing irritation, the study showed. The effect of the drug was comparable to the effect when given in tablet form.

+Medication side effects result in 700 deaths a year in Switzerland

The researchers then had 40 volunteers stick the patch to the inside of their cheeks for half an hour without medication while they talked, walked and rinsed their mouths. Most of the patches stuck. In addition, the subjects reported that they would prefer the patch over injections for daily, weekly or monthly treatment.

Further studies needed

According to the study, the patch could be suitable for insulin. Until now, diabetics have had to inject themselves with insulin several times a day. Other peptides and proteins can also only be administered by injection. Previous attempts to administer them via nasal sprays or microneedles showed only limited effectiveness, according to the study.

+Swiss Hospital Association director says single health insurance is ‘worth considering’

Before the suction cup is used, however, further studies are needed to determine the safety of repeated treatment with it, according to the researchers.

How we work

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here. 

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to [e-mail].