Extended-Release Injectable Drug Delivery Could Redefine Thai Healthcare
A collaboration between MIT engineers and Brigham and Women’s Hospital has introduced an injectable drug-delivery system that sustains medication effects for months or years. Published in Nature Chemical Engineering, the study demonstrates how simple formulations can achieve longer-lasting treatment, offering potential benefits for health systems facing access challenges, including Thailand.
Led by mechanical engineering professor Giovanni Traverso, the MIT team envisions depots that form after a minimally invasive injection and release drugs steadily over extended periods. The concept grew from a Gates Foundation initiative aimed at expanding contraceptive options in resource-limited settings. Vivian Feig, formerly an MIT postdoc and now a faculty member at Stanford, helped merge implant stability with the convenience of injections.