Author: Elisa Millet
Have you ever stopped to think about what a capsule actually does? We usually just swallow it and move on… but it’s much smarter than it looks! A capsule is basically a tiny protective shell that keeps a medicine safe as it travels through your digestive system, making sure it reaches exactly the right spot in your body.
Most capsules you know are made from gelatin or plant-based cellulose and designed to open in the stomach. And for many medicines, that works perfectly. But not always.
This piece is part of GENEGUT’s ongoing effort to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and public understanding. It highlights how cutting-edge laboratory research can have a real-world impact on how we treat chronic illnesses. Whether you’re new to the topic or already familiar with IBD, this post offers a clear and engaging look at how innovative tools are transforming biomedical research.
Next generation capsules: emerging technologies in capsule fabrication and targeted oral drug delivery
Elisa Millet, Joseph P O’Shea, Brendan T Griffin, Camille Dumont, Vincent Jannin | European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
For some diseases, like Crohn’s disease, the medicine needs to be released much further down in the gut. If the capsule opens too early, the drug can get damaged before it ever reaches the area where it’s needed. That’s why researchers started developing “ready-to-use enteric capsules” around 2010 — special capsules that don’t open in stomach acid but only later, in a specific part of the intestine.
And that’s exactly where my PhD project comes in.
I’m working on creating a new type of capsule that can:
- survive the very acidic environment of the stomach,
- make it through the first parts of the intestine (which are even tougher!),
- and finally open only when it reaches the right place to help the patient.
To do this, we need new manufacturing techniques that are much more precise than what has been used until now. The scientific paper I contributed to explains how capsule technologies are quickly evolving.
One big innovation is moving from classic single-layer capsules to double-layer capsules. Adding a second protective layer makes them much more resistant to stomach acid and better at protecting sensitive drugs.
In our article, we highlight three main technologies used to make these advanced capsules:
- Double-dipping – the evolution of the traditional method to fabricate capsule shells: a mold is dipped twice into two different solutions to form several layers. Simple and reliable, but limited to some polymers.
- Spray coating – tiny droplets of a protective solution are sprayed onto the capsule to build thin, controlled layers. This offers better precision and “enteric” properties but is limited by batch manufacturing.
- 3D printing – the most futuristic approach! It allows us to design capsules with custom shapes, thicknesses, and release profiles. It’s not ready for large-scale production yet, but it opens up huge possibilities for personalized medicine.
I’m doing this work as part of GENEGUT, a project that aims to develop new oral delivery systems for RNA-based treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases. It brings together researchers and engineers who are pushing capsule technology to a whole new level.
As these technologies progress, capsules are becoming much more than simple containers — they’re turning into true targeted delivery systems that could really change the way we treat diseases.