UAE: Scientists Create 'Light Pill' That Could Treat Stomach Problems Without Surgery

Scientists at NYU Abu Dhabi have created a pill that patients can swallow to help treat digestive problems using light instead of surgery.

The device, called ICOPS, works like a tiny flashlight inside the stomach. It could help millions of people who suffer from gut disorders that are difficult to treat with current medicines.

About 40 per cent of adults worldwide have digestive problems like chronic stomach pain, constipation, or food moving too slowly through their system. Doctors currently struggle to study these issues because they need to perform surgery to see what's happening inside.

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"If you look at how we do any study trying to map neural function in the gut, it is all extremely crude," said Khalil Ramadi, the NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) professor leading the research. "We just do not have good tools for it."

The new pill changes this. After doctors prepare certain gut cells to respond to light, patients simply swallow the capsule. The device then uses light to activate specific nerve cells that control digestion.

For patients, the 'light pill' could eventually mean new treatments for conditions like gastroparesis, where food moves too slowly through the stomach, or severe constipation that doesn't respond to current medicines.

The device could also help with metabolic disorders and eating problems by controlling how the gut communicates with the brain about hunger and fullness.

The pill has been tested successfully on animals, with results published in the Advanced Materials Technologies journal. The research represents a major step forward for the UAE's growing medical technology sector.

The technology builds on a method called optogenetics, where scientists use light to control specific cells in the body. This approach has revolutionised brain research since 2005, but was previously too difficult to use in the stomach.

However, human trials are still years away. The technology requires safely modifying gut cells to respond to light, which needs extensive safety testing and regulatory approval, according to experts.

"You can transfect a certain subset of cells to be light sensitive, and then swallow this light pill whenever you want to activate those cells," Ramadi explained.

What makes this UAE innovation special is that it needs no battery. Instead, it gets power wirelessly from a device outside the body, similar to how some phones charge without plugs.

The team built the entire device in their Abu Dhabi lab using 3D printing. Lead researcher Mohamed Elsherif said this approach makes the technology much more accessible than traditional methods requiring expensive clean rooms.

The research team includes scientists from both NYUAD and NYU's New York campus, supported by UAE research funding. The researchers plan to develop future versions that could also deliver medicines directly to targeted areas of the digestive system, potentially creating a new category of smart medical devices made in the UAE.

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