Drug delivery

Researchers have developed what they are calling “super-human red blood cells.” These are normal red blood cells loaded with synthetic drug molecules, creating a powerful hybrid cell designed to deliver drugs to targeted locations in the body.

The flu virus mutates quickly and unpredictably, making it hard to develop effective vaccines. Now, researchers have created a drug that protects mice against six different strains of the flu, potentially paving the way for a universal flu vaccine.

MIT researchers have designed a microneedle patch that can administer both a vaccine and quantum dots that sit under the skin for years at a time, essentially storing a person's vaccine history on their own body.

Some bacteria use tiny syringes to inject toxins into their host’s cells. Now, researchers from the Max Planck Institute have found a way to use this to our advantage, by swapping out these toxins for other chemicals, like drugs.

Predicting a wave of psychedelic legalization over the coming decade, start-up Silo Wellness has developed a magic mushroom nasal spray focused on delivering controlled psychedelic microdoses. New Atlas spoke to CEO Mike Arnold to learn more.

The Pill only works if you remember to take it every single day. To reduce that risk and hassle, researchers at MIT have updated their slow-release, star-shaped oral capsules to last up to four weeks, and used it to deliver contraceptive drugs.

Kidney stones are a common health problem, and while manageable, they can be quite painful. Now, researchers at MIT have found a particular combination of two drugs that can relax urinary tract tubes, allowing stones to be passed more easily.

A team of researchers is developing a bioelectronic implant designed to sense an opioid overdose and immediately administer a dose of life-saving naloxone.

A team at MIT has developed a new capsule that would survive a trip through the stomach and deliver its drug payload to the lining of the small intestine via microneedles.

Cancer drugs are getting more effective at killing tumors, but there’s one big problem: many work like a shotgun blast and harm healthy cells as well. Researchers from Georgia Tech have now developed a new way to deliver drugs only to where they need to be, using nanoscale “glass” bottles.

​Hooking our brains up to machines could mean new forms of treatment for brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. A new device shows promises in this regard, with an ability to be loaded up with different cartridges depending on the treatment needed and triggered remotely with a smartphone.

​For several years now, we've been hearing about "microneedle patches" that deliver medication less painfully and more safely than hypodermic needles. A new take on the technology may allow them to work even better, by copying the structure of venomous snakes' fangs.