Miraculous Invention Of Unique Capsules: Breakthrough In Bleeding Disorder Treatment

Severe bleeding disorder or Hemophilia is a major health problem and it needs a great attention. Recently, researchers have made a great breakthrough with the inventions of capsules that can provide a great relief from painful weekly injections and treat Hemophilia properly.

Professor Nicholas Peppas of the Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Medicine of the University of Texas is working with his team to develop the capsule to treat the severe bleeding disorder, called Hemophilia.

Sources from ScienceDaily report that to treat Hemophilia, protein like factor IX is very essential. Now the important part is the capsules, which contain that protein, should survive in the acidic environment of the stomach. Actually, when the capsules reach the small intestine, they should release the protein to treat this health problem.

This process was not an easy task, but Professor Peppas and his team tried hard and developed specific polymer shells that can carry the protein to its required destination.

Hemophilia B is considered as an acute genetic disorder and boys are the victims of this disorder. The key cause of this problem is the defective factor IX gene, which resides on the X chromosome.

Boys actually inherit this chromosome from their mother. The result is the deficiency of the factor IX protein, which is essential for blood to clot. The surprising fact is though mothers carry it, but they don't have this problem. The cause behind it is they contain the normal factor IX gene on the other X chromosome.

Sources reveal that weekly injections are truly very painful to stop the fatal bleeding problem.

Prof. Peppas told that this health problem is painful as the mother and the families both suffer from emotional pain. This fact creates the urgency to develop the oral administration of factor IX, which provides a great relief to the affected families.   

From the desk of International Journal of Pharmaceutics, it is revealed that Prof. Peppers and his team have invented a unique delivery system. They used chemical and biomolecular engineering with proper advanced materials to invent the capsules to treat Hemophilia.

This capsule can easily carry the "factor IX protein to the small intestine where it is absorbed and then released into the bloodstream".

The researchers have developed a unique polymer capsule that can provide multiple functions in the "changing environment of the gastrointestinal tract".

They have designed a polymer that can help the capsule to survive even in the harsh stomach acids and can protect the factor IX protein. After completing the passage of the stomach the capsule enters into the small intestine that actually contains the protease, trypsin.

Now the amazing part is the trypsin can degrade polymer by allowing the intestinal fluids to enter and swell the capsule. This swelling process ultimately helps to release the clotting factor into the bloodstream.

The capsule is designed to act as a biodegradable one "in the neutral pH of the small intestine". This modern capsule enhances the absorption of factor IX protein into the bloodstream.

The amount of factor IX protein, delivered by two capsules is equal to the amount delivered by a single injection.

Currently, Prof. Peppas is working to perform necessary tests in animals so that clinical trials in the human body and FDA approval can be acquired as early as possible.

In a word, it can be said medical science has prepared a great process to treat Hemophilia.