Forget Ozempic injections — scientists are working on an electronic pill that could regulate appetite

Assistant Professor of Bioengineering Khalil Ramadi and colleagues at MIT are creating an appetite-regulating pill that works by sending out electronic pulses in the stomach, triggering natural stores of ghrelin, a gut hormone that makes people feel hungry. If successful, this technology could offer new treatment options for patients who struggle to eat. "It's fundamentally a new concept for how we can treat disease," Ramadi said. Without any drugs or surgery, "we can actually increase hunger promoting hormones," just by stimulating the ones the body already has on board.”

Additional media about this study:

• Ingesting this electric capsule may help cure an eating disorder, Daily Beast, April 26, 2023
• Pill that zaps stomach cells could treat nausea and lack of appetite, New Scientist, April 26, 2023
• A cutting-edge appetite stimulator was inspired by the thorny devil lizard, Popular Science, April 28, 2023