A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge developed a material that can sense minuscule changes within the body, such as during an arthritis flare-up, and release drugs where and when they are needed, according to a study published in The Journal of the American Chemical Society.
This material can be filled with medication and, as the pH increases, it becomes softer and more jelly-like, allowing the release of drug molecules that can be encapsulated within its structure. For example, this material can notice how, during an arthritis flare-up, a joint becomes inflamed and slightly more acidic than the surrounding tissue. This approach could enable continuous treatment of arthritis, improving the efficacy of drugs to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
The authors recognise that extensive clinical trials are still needed before the material can be used to treat patients. This approach could improve outcomes for patients with arthritis and for those with other conditions, including cancer.
“For a while now, we’ve been interested in using these materials in joints, since their properties can mimic those of cartilage. But to combine that with highly targeted drug delivery is a really exciting prospect,” said Scherman, who is Professor of Supramolecular and Polymer Chemistry and Director of the Melville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis.
“These materials can ‘sense’ when something is wrong in the body and respond by delivering treatment right where it’s needed,” added first author Dr Stephen O’Neill. “This could reduce the need for repeated doses of drugs, while improving patient quality of life.”
One of the main advantages of this approach is that, unlike other drug-delivery systems that require external triggers, it is powered solely by the body’s own chemistry. This could pave the way for longer-lasting, targeted arthritis treatments that automatically respond to flare-ups, boosting effectiveness and reducing harmful side effects.
The researchers add that this approach could be used to treat a range of medical conditions by simply adapting the material’s chemistry. “It’s a highly flexible approach, so we could in theory incorporate both fast-acting and slow-acting drugs, and have a single treatment that lasts for days, weeks, or even months,” concluded O’Neill.
Stephen J.K. O’Neill, Yuen Cheong Tse, Zehuan Huang, Xiaoyi Chen, Jade A. McCune, and Oren A. Scherman. Journal of the American Chemical Society 2025 147 (37), 33337-33342, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c09897