Magnetically triggered ingestible capsule for localized microneedle drug delivery

Localized gastrointestinal (GI) drug delivery could substantially increase therapeutic efficacy for GI disorders by increasing the local concentration while reducing systemic side effects. Prior examples of localized oral drug delivery exhibited insufficient localization or reduced efficacy due to the mucosal barrier or are prohibitively complex and cumbersome for clinical practice. We demonstrate a scalable, ingestible capsule device that is remotely triggered using a handheld magnet, delivering drug-loaded microneedles to the intestinal tract in 2.91 ± 0.48 s. The system uses a resistive heating element to melt a binding adhesive, triggering deployment of cantilever actuators that insert microneedles into the intestinal tissue. Magnetic reed switches (6–10 ampere-turns [AT]) trigger the heater by closing at <1 mT field strength reliably. The demonstrated system is a major advancement for localized drug delivery and has significant potential to augment treatment of GI disorders, resulting in increased patient comfort, compliance, and treatment efficacy.