A gastric retentive robotic capsule enables emergency-prepared and responsive oral drug delivery in canine models

Abstract

Existing oral drug delivery modalities often fall short in medical emergencies due to the absence of readily deployable, internalized drug storage and delivery mechanisms that combine long-term standby with rapid activation. To address this challenge, we develop and validate a gastric retentive robotic capsule capable of autonomously prepositioning multiple drug doses within the stomach upon oral administration. This system maintains quiescence for extended periods while enabling on-demand, remote-triggered drug release within seconds during emergencies. In a canine (beagle) model, we demonstrate safe gastric residence and functionality for at least 10 weeks, including closed-loop emergency drug delivery modulated by external or onboard biometric sensors for unsupervised symptom detection. At the end of its service life, the capsule can be safely excreted on-demand through the administration of an alkaline solution. These findings establish such a system as a paradigm for emergency-prepared and responsive drug delivery, particularly in vulnerable patient populations.