Scientists develop “living pharmacy” that takes pills for you

Millions of people go to the pharmacy to pick up their meds every day. But what if the pharmacy came to you instead—and even took your pills for you?

That’s the idea of a new implantable “living pharmacy” developed by a scientific team co-led by Northwestern, Rice, and Carnegie Mellon.

How it works

The tiny device—roughly the size of a folded stick of gum—contains engineered cells that continuously produce medicines inside the body.

• In a new study, researchers programmed those cells to simultaneously produce three different treatments: an anti-HIV antibody, a GLP-1-like peptide for type 2 diabetes and a hormone regulating appetite and metabolism (leptin).
• When implanted under the skin of an animal model, the “living pharmacy” kept the drug-producing cells alive and successfully delivered all three treatments at once.

Called HOBIT (Hybrid Oxygenation Bioelectronics system for Implanted Therapy), the tiny device shields the engineered cells from the body’s immune system while also keeping them alive with oxygen and nutrients, allowing the cells to produce biologic drugs for several weeks.

The potential impact: While more work is needed, scientists say their “living pharmacy” design could eventually bypass the need for patients to carry, inject, or remember to take medications.