--- title: "MIT Invents Smart Pill That Injects Insulin Into Your Stomach" description: "Researchers at MIT came up with a high-tech pill that can release periodic doses of insulin in the stomach thanks to an integrated needle." date: "2019-02-07" modified: "2019-02-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/mit-insulin-pill-stomach-diabetes" categories: - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "Diabetes" - "insulin" - "mit" - "pills" --- # MIT Invents Smart Pill That Injects Insulin Into Your Stomach ![Researchers at MIT came up with a high-tech pill that can release periodic doses of insulin in the stomach thanks to an integrated needle.]() *\Image: MIT\* ## Goodbye Injections Hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer from diabetes. Their bodies either can't produce or process insulin properly — so they have to regularly inject themselves with shots of freeze-dried insulin. But researchers at MIT may have found a futuristic solution: a high-tech smart pill called SOMA — yes, we get the Aldous Huxley reference, but it also stands for "self-orienting millimeter-scale applicator" — that releases periodic doses of insulin into your stomach with an integrated needle. "We are really hopeful that this new type of capsule could someday help diabetic patients and perhaps anyone who requires therapies that can now only be given by injection or infusion," said Robert Langer, an MIT professor and senior author of the study, in a [statement](). https://youtu.be/w7UTwEPYD4M ## Tortoise Inspiration The curvature of the pill's shell ensures it always stays upright. And that's important: the pill needs to keep contact with the stomach lining. The shape itself is based on the leopard tortoise, which has the ability to self-right from any orientation. The pill contains exactly the same kind of freeze-dried insulin as found in today's insulin injection kits, but compressed. It takes roughly an hour for the insulin to be fully released. The pill will then make its way safely through the digestive tract. The researchers have already successfully shown the pill's ability to release insulin in animal trials using pigs. ## Diabetics Rejoice The pill could have groundbreaking implications for diabetics everywhere. "We are not talking about incremental improvements in insulin absorption, which is what most researchers in the field have done so far," Maria José Alonso, a professor of biopharmaceutics and pharmaceutical technology at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain [told *MIT News*](). "This is by far the most realistic and impactful breakthrough technology disclosed until now for oral peptide delivery." READ MORE: [MIT’s insulin pill could replace injections for people with diabetes]() \[*TechCrunch*\] ***More on diabetes tech: [3D-Printed Glucose Sensors Could Cut Costs for People With Diabetes]()*** ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()