Novo Nordisk Expands Research Collaboration in Novel Delivery Technologies for Biologic Medicines

Novo Nordisk has expanded its existing research collaboration in oral drug delivery technologies with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH).

Since 2015, scientists from Novo Nordisk and the laboratories of Prof. Giovanni Traverso and Prof. Robert Langer have explored novel technologies as alternatives to syringes and pen injectors, by co-creating new devices that safely and effectively deliver biologic medicines through oral administration. This collaboration has resulted in several high-impact scientific publications describing breakthrough inventions, including the SOMA robotic pill, which has subsequently been licensed exclusively to Novo Nordisk for clinical development, said the company in its press release.

“Working with the Langer and Traverso teams continues to be a unique opportunity for Novo Nordisk to live out our aspiration of bringing transformational new solutions to patients by thinking big, working with the best, and using our distinct capabilities to aim to achieve what might otherwise seem impossible,” said Marcus Schindler, PhD, professor, executive vice president and chief scientific officer of Novo Nordisk.

The new agreement extends the collaboration through 2026, expanding the scope to encompass the creation and integration of bioelectronics, biosensors and stimuli-responsive delivery devices, the company said.

“We continue to explore the immense potential for enhanced delivery of biologic drugs and stem cell-derived therapeutics through the platforms we are developing,” said Giovanni Traverso, the Karl van Tassel, Career Development Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.

“Our group at MIT strives to combine engineering and medicine to solve important problems and find the best ways to get those solutions to the people who need them,” added Robert Langer, David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT. “Our work together with Novo Nordisk has shown that they share this vision, and we are thrilled to expand into this ambitious new program together”.