Treating Obesity

The modified ISD would be non-surgically inserted into the stomach and then pulled back out for each treatment  Adapted from ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 2022, DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c00532

While some folks might say that obese people should just exercise more and eat less, things aren't always quite that simple. With that fact in mind, a new implant is being designed to help boost the weight-loss process, by killing hunger-inducing cells in the stomach.

Ghrelin is a naturally produced hormone that stimulates the appetite, increases food intake and promotes the storage of fat. And while small amounts of it are released by the brain, pancreas and small intestine, most of it is produced and secreted by cells in the upper portion of the stomach.

Scientists at the Catholic University of Korea recently set out to reduce the activity of those cells, by modifying an existing prototype implant. Known as the "intragastric satiety-inducing device" (ISD), it consists of a stent which is non-surgically lodged in the lower esophagus, connected to a disc that rests in the opening to the stomach. A small opening in that disc allows food to pass through.

In the new version of the ISD, the underside of the disc is coated with an FDA-approved drug called methylene blue. Additionally, a fiber optic laser passes down through the opening in the disc, curving back around to point at its underside.  READ MORE...