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Liu, PhD, Giovanni Traverso, MD, PhD, MBBCH, of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and colleagues show how a drinkable formulation called LIFT hydrogels could expand access to advanced therapeutics for people who have trouble swallowing pills." /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/" /> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" /> <meta property="og:title" content="Drinkable Hydrogels Bridge the Gap Between Pills and Liquid Therapies" /> <meta property="og:description" content="Gary W. Liu, PhD, Giovanni Traverso, MD, PhD, MBBCH, of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and colleagues show how a drinkable formulation called LIFT hydrogels could expand access to advanced therapeutics for people who have trouble swallowing pills." /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Brigham On a Mission" /> <meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/BrighamandWomensHospital" /> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2024-06-26T03:56:02+00:00" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pharmacy-and-healthcare-.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="300" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="225" /> <meta property="og:image:type" content="image/jpeg" /> <meta name="author" content="Faith Reidenbach" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="@BrighamWomens" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@BrighamWomens" /> <meta name="twitter:label1" content="Written by" /> <meta name="twitter:data1" content="Faith Reidenbach" /> <meta name="twitter:label2" content="Est. reading time" /> <meta name="twitter:data2" content="2 minutes" /> <script type="application/ld+json" class="yoast-schema-graph">{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/"},"author":{"name":"Faith Reidenbach","@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/#/schema/person/4b9967d6f8b443d2bfc1f5771e91574c"},"headline":"Drinkable Hydrogels Bridge the Gap Between Pills and Liquid Therapies","datePublished":"2024-06-26T03:56:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/"},"wordCount":498,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pharmacy-and-healthcare-.jpg","articleSection":["Gastroenterology & GI Surgery"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/","url":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/","name":"Drinkable Hydrogels Bridge the Gap Between Pills and Liquid Therapies","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pharmacy-and-healthcare-.jpg","datePublished":"2024-06-26T03:56:02+00:00","description":"Gary W. Liu, PhD, Giovanni Traverso, MD, PhD, MBBCH, of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and colleagues show how a drinkable formulation called LIFT hydrogels could expand access to advanced therapeutics for people who have trouble swallowing pills.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/#primaryimage","url":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pharmacy-and-healthcare-.jpg","contentUrl":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pharmacy-and-healthcare-.jpg","width":300,"height":225},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Drinkable Hydrogels Bridge the Gap Between Pills and Liquid Therapies"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/#website","url":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/","name":"Brigham On a Mission","description":"Latest Clinical & Research News","publisher":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/#organization","name":"Brigham and Women's Hospital","url":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/#/schema/logo/image/","url":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/cropped-icon.jpg","contentUrl":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/cropped-icon.jpg","width":200,"height":199,"caption":"Brigham and Women's Hospital"},"image":{"@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/#/schema/logo/image/"},"sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/BrighamandWomensHospital","https://x.com/BrighamWomens","https://www.instagram.com/brighamandwomens/","https://www.linkedin.com/company/brigham-and-women's-hospital/","https://www.youtube.com/user/Brighamandwomens"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/#/schema/person/4b9967d6f8b443d2bfc1f5771e91574c","name":"Faith Reidenbach","description":"None entered"}]}</script>  <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//stats.wp.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//fonts.googleapis.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//jetpack.wordpress.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s0.wp.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//public-api.wordpress.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//0.gravatar.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//1.gravatar.com' /> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//2.gravatar.com' /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Brigham On a Mission » Feed" href="https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Brigham On a Mission » Comments Feed" href="https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/comments/feed/" /> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Brigham On a Mission » Drinkable Hydrogels Bridge the Gap Between Pills and Liquid Therapies Comments Feed" href="https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/2024/06/25/drinkable-hydrogels-bridge-the-gap-between-pills-and-liquid-therapies/feed/" /> <script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/15.0.3\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/www.brighamhealthonamission.org\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=6.7.2"}}; /*! 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class="post-7859 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-gastroenterology-gi-surgery"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title textcenter-xs">Drinkable Hydrogels Bridge the Gap Between Pills and Liquid Therapies</h1> <div class="entry-thumbnail"> <img width="300" height="225" src="https://www.brighamhealthonamission.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/pharmacy-and-healthcare-.jpg" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high" /> </div> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <p>Some 50% of children and more than 37% of adults cannot swallow standard-sized pills or capsules. To facilitate oral drug administration, researchers have developed a drinkable formulation called LIFT (liquid <em>in situ–</em>forming tough) hydrogels that transitions from liquid to solid upon mixing in the stomach.</p> <p>Gary W. Liu, PhD, a fellow at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; <a target="_blank" href="https://physiciandirectory.brighamandwomens.org/details/12957/carlo-traverso-gastroenterology_hepatology_and_endoscopy-boston" rel="noreferrer noopener" title="Giovanni Traverso, MD, PhD, MBBCH, Profile">Giovanni Traverso, MD, PhD, MBBCH</a>, an investigator there and in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.brighamandwomens.org/medicine/gastroenterology-hepatology-and-endoscopy/overview" rel="noreferrer noopener" title="The Brigham Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy">Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy</a> at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; and colleagues show in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-024-01811-5" rel="noreferrer noopener" title="Drinkable in situ-forming tough hydrogels for gastrointestinal therapeutics"><em>Nature Materials</em></a> how LIFT hydrogels could expand access to advanced therapeutics for people who have trouble swallowing.</p> <h2>Design</h2> <p>Given the relatively short residence of liquids in the stomach (<30 minutes) and the complexity of gastric fluid, the researchers chose materials they believed could rapidly form two interpenetrating polymer networks. All materials are FDA-approved or have “generally recognized as safe” status.</p> <p>The final system calls for:</p> <ul> <li>Ingestion of a 200-mL crosslinker solution containing calcium chloride plus either dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) or poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-dithiol</li> </ul> <ul> <li>Subsequent ingestion of a 20- to 40-mL polymer solution containing alginate and four-arm PEG-maleimide</li> </ul> <h2>Characterization</h2> <p><em>In vitro,</em> LIFT hydrogels formed rapidly even in gastric fluid, were mechanically tough, and were biocompatible. Both DMSA and PEG–dithiol could crosslink with the alginate and PEG-maleimide solution.</p> <p>In pigs, which have a human-sized gastrointestinal tract, LIFT hydrogels and their components did not affect blood chemistry, were safely cleared, and did not cause obstruction or lack of appetite.</p> <h2>Small-Molecule Release</h2> <p>Lumefantrine, a small-molecule drug poorly soluble in water, was administered to pigs in a solution containing alginate and PEG-maleimide. Other pigs received the same lumefantrine dose within gelatin pills as a free drug control.</p> <p>The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) was similar with the two approaches, but the maximum observed drug concentration was significantly higher with free drug than with LIFT hydrogels.</p> <p>The ability of LIFT hydrogels to deliver comparable doses of drug at lower plasma concentrations may reduce drug toxicity. This has important implications for drugs whose efficacy is driven by AUC and not plasma concentration, such as tetracyclines.</p> <h2>Protection of Therapeutic Enzymes and Bacteria</h2> <p>In additional experiments, LIFT hydrogels protected therapeutic enzyme activity both <em>in vitro</em> and in rats (lactase was the enzyme studied in both models). The hydrogels are also protected against a protease (trypsin).</p> <p>In pigs, LIFT hydrogels supported the viability of <em>Lactococcus lactis,</em> a bacterium being investigated for oral delivery of synthetic biologic drugs.</p> <h2>Clinical Outlook</h2> <p>LIFT hydrogels may have wide applications in gastric drug modulation and delivery, weight loss, and protection of encapsulated biologics. 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