MIT spinout signs deal to commercialize microchips that
release therapeutics inside the body.
(June 29, 2015) An
implantable, microchip-based device may soon replace the injections and pills
now needed to treat chronic diseases: Earlier this month, MIT spinout
Microchips Biotech partnered with a pharmaceutical giant to commercialize its
wirelessly controlled, implantable, microchip-based devices that store and
release drugs inside the body over many years.
Invented by Microchips Biotech co-founders Michael Cima, the
David H. Koch Professor of Engineering, and Robert Langer, the David H. Koch
Institute Professor, the microchips consist of hundreds of pinhead-sized
reservoirs, each capped with a metal membrane, that store tiny doses of
therapeutics or chemicals. An electric current delivered by the device removes
the membrane, releasing a single dose. The device can be programmed wirelessly
to release individual doses for up to 16 years to treat, for example, diabetes,
cancer, multiple sclerosis, and osteoporosis.
Now Microchips Biotech will begin co-developing microchips
with Teva Pharmaceutical, the world’s largest producer of generic drugs, to
treat specific diseases, with licensing potential for other products. Teva paid
$35 million up front, with additional milestone payments as the device goes
through clinical trials before it hits the shelves.