Latest news with #GiovanniTraverso
The Guardian
24-03-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Scientists develop injection for long-lasting contraceptive implant
Researchers are developing an injection that creates a contraceptive implant in the body using an approach that could herald a new way of delivering drugs over long periods of time. Current contraceptive implants last for years, meaning women do not have to take a pill every day, but the devices must be fitted by a trained professional via a small surgical procedure. Contraceptive injections are already available but they have limitations, including that they last for only three months. Now scientists say they have completed proof-of-concept experiments for a new type of long-lasting implant that self-assembles in the body. While not yet tested in humans, the researchers behind the work say the approach could bring benefits beyond the field of birth control, offering a simple way to administer long-acting drug delivery systems without the need for invasive procedures – an appealing prospect for parts of the world with poor medical infrastructure. 'It's suitable for any poorly soluble hydrophobic drug, especially where long-acting delivery is needed. This includes treatments for HIV, TB, schizophrenia, chronic pain, or metabolic disease,' said Dr Giovanni Traverso, a co-author of the study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women's hospital in the US. The approach involves injecting micro-crystals of a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone contained in a solvent that does not mix well with water. Once in the body, the solvent exchanges with bodily fluid. However, the micro-crystals prefer to clump together than interact with this water-rich environment. This, together with the formation of further crystals as the solvents exchange, results in the development of a solid implant, capable of releasing the drug slowly over time. The team, whose study was published in the journal Nature Chemical Engineering, tested the approach in rats, allowing them to refine the choice of solvent in the injection. The drug release in rats was sustained for at least 97 days, although Traverso said there was potential for longer durations depending on formulation adjustments. 'The dosing and volumes of drug are compatible with multi-year dosing,' he said, adding that the formation of a solid implant means it can be removed if required, while the approach is also compatible with the use of small needles. However, the research is still in its early stages, with the efficacy of the approach yet to be tested. 'It lays the groundwork for future human studies which we hope will start in the next three to five years,' Traverso said. Dr Janet Barter, the president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, said the approach could be an exciting advancement. 'This innovation has the potential to be convenient option for individuals in low-resource settings, where access to contraception and healthcare services can be limited,' she said. 'We welcome further research into the safety, efficacy, and the accessibility of this promising technology and encourage the authors to work with potential users in future to ensure they meet the needs and preferences of those who will rely on it.'
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists Propose Injecting Astronauts With Tardigrade RNA After Finding It Prevents Radiation Damage
Scientists have discovered a wild treatment that they say could protect astronauts from the copious amounts of space radiation they'd be exposed to during trips into deep space. In an effort to find new ways to protect cancer patients from the many side effects of radiation therapy, a group of researchers found that a protein from tardigrades — tiny, practically indestructible "water bears" that have been known to survive the hostile vacuum of space — may be the answer. The protein was previously identified as helping tardigrades survive some of the most extreme conditions on Earth — and yes, even space. Now, a team led by Harvard Medical School instructor and MIT visiting scientist Ameya Kirtane used messenger RNA encoding to inject the protein into mice. As detailed in a paper published this week in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, the team found that their technique generated sufficient protein to protect the mice's DNA from radiation-induced damage. The same method, they hope, could eventually be used in human cancer patients. "Radiation can be very helpful for many tumors, but we also recognize that the side effects can be limiting," MIT associate professor of mechanical engineering Giovanni Traverso in a statement. "There's an unmet need with respect to helping patients mitigate the risk of damaging adjacent tissue." The side effects of radiation treatment can be brutal, from mouth sores to rectal bleeding. Scientists have come up with drugs that reduce this damage, but only to a degree. In search for a better option, the researchers drew inspiration from tardigrades and their incredible survival ability. A suppressor protein, dubbed Dsup, helps to protect the tardigrades' DNA from radiation-induced damage by binding to it. According to MIT, this protein allows the tiny creatures to survive doses 2,000 to 3,000 times higher than what humans can tolerate. By delivering this protein through messenger RNA encoding, the team found that the Dsup protein was expressed successfully in the colon and mouth tissues in mice, two areas that are susceptible to radiation-induced damage in human cancer patients. "One of the strengths of our approach is that we are using a messenger RNA, which just temporarily expresses the protein, so it's considered far safer than something like DNA, which may be incorporated into the cells' genome," Kirtane explained. Apart from helping cancer patients during radiation therapy, the researchers suggest it could also help patients receiving chemotherapy. It could even help astronauts from suffering radiation damage, since long voyages through space, such as a trip to Mars, would expose future space travelers to dangerous levels of cosmic radiation. "Another possible application would be to help prevent radiation damage in astronauts in space," MIT enthused in the statement. More on tardigrades: Scientists Propose Sending Small Creatures to Neighboring Star Systems
