Overview
- Researchers reported Monday that cellulose‑based, magnesium–molybdenum batteries worked for about three days in lab tests and in pigs while powering a gastric‑stimulation capsule and an active RFID ingestion tag.
- The battery uses edible‑style cellulose support, a biodegradable ionic‑liquid gel electrolyte and beeswax coatings with magnesium anodes and molybdenum oxide cathodes so corrosion yields ions the body can absorb.
- In pig tests the stimulation capsule raised blood ghrelin by roughly 36–50 percent after 20 minutes and the battery‑powered RFID tag was detectable from inside the throat at about 1.5 meters.
- The authors caution the work is early stage because studies used small fasted animal groups, degradation relied partly on accelerated lab tests, and some electronics such as the circuit board and RFID chip are not yet bioresorbable.
- Next steps include larger, more realistic gut and safety studies, manufacturing refinement and a planned SAFARI ingestion‑monitoring clinical trial in about two years with funding from Novo Nordisk, ARPA‑H and institutional sources.