Sophia Hoffmann from University College Cork presented her latest research at the AAPS PharmSci 360 Conference, held in San Antonio, Texas (USA) from 9–12 November 2025. Her poster, titled “Assessing Gastric Emptying of Gastro-Resistant Capsules in Pigs: Impact of Capsule Size,” was presented on 10 November 2025 to an international audience of pharmaceutical scientists from both academia and industry.
The presented study examined gastric emptying of clinically relevant gastro-protective oral formulations in pigs, an important preclinical model for oral drug delivery. Using paracetamol pharmacokinetics and capsule endoscopy, the study evaluated the influence of capsule size and investigated the potential of the prokinetic agent metoclopramide to accelerate gastric emptying. The aim was to address translational challenges by improving the understanding of gastric emptying times in pigs and how they compare to those in humans.
The work contributes to addressing a key challenge in pharmaceutical development: improving the translation of findings from preclinical animal models to humans. A better understanding of gastric emptying times supports the interpretation of preclinical data during the development of gastro-protective drug formulations and helps inform their potential performance in clinical settings.
Reflecting on the experience, Sophia highlighted the value of presenting at such a broad international event:
The conference also highlighted the strong collaboration between academia and industry within the GENEGUT project. In addition to Sophia Hoffmann representing University College Cork, partners from Lonza, including Vincent Jannin and Elisa Millet, also contributed to the discussions within GENEGUT Work Package 3.
Sophia’s participation helped showcase GENEGUT’s ongoing work on advanced oral drug delivery systems and strengthened the project’s visibility within the global pharmaceutical science community.
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