Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a DIY jab that could soon offer women long-term protection from pregnancy, without the need for daily pills or invasive procedures. While it is yet to be tested in humans, scientists are hopeful about its effectiveness as a contraceptive
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A new DIY injection could soon offer women long-term protection from pregnancy, without the need for daily pills or invasive procedures.
Developed by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the jab could potentially transform contraception, especially for individuals in low-resource settings where daily pill intake or contraceptive implants may not be practical.
Dr Giovanni Traverso, a co-author of the study published in Nature Chemical Engineering, highlighted the significance of this development, noting its potential impact in making birth control more accessible.
But how does this self-injecting jab work? How long does it last for? What are the challenges involved? Here’s all that we know.
About the DIY injection
The contraceptive jab contains microscopic crystals that come together under the skin, forming a structure that gradually unleashes hormones that prevent women from releasing eggs for
fertilisation.
When injected into the abdomen, researchers from Mass General Brigham and MIT believe it could offer protection against pregnancy for extended periods—potentially lasting months or even years, depending on formulation adjustments.
Currently, contraceptive implants provide long-term protection but require a trained professional to surgically insert them. On the other hand, contraceptive injections are easier to administer but only last around three months. This new self-injectable method aims to combine the benefits of both, offering a long-lasting solution without the need for surgery.
“The overarching goal is to give women access to a lot of different formats for contraception that are easy to administer, compatible with being used in the developing world, and have a range of different timeframes of durations of action,” Vivian Feig, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University, was quoted by News Medical in a report.
“In our particular project, we were interested in trying to combine the benefits of long-acting implants with the ease of self-administrable injectables,” Feig added.
While the jab has not yet been tested on humans yet, scientists remain hopeful about its potential. They believe it could be a game-changer for individuals in low-resource settings where daily pills or medical procedures for contraception may not be an option.
“We anticipate that SLIM [the injection] could be a new addition to the current suite of family planning options available to women, especially for people in low-resource settings where options for contraception and health care facilities are limited,” said Traverso.
The challenges
One of the biggest hurdles in developing the self-injectable contraceptive was ensuring that it could be comfortably administered by individuals at home, according to Traverso.
“Our engineering challenge was finding a way to maximise comfort for patients by using smaller needles, which cause less bruising or bleeding,” said Traverso.
Beyond contraception, researchers are also exploring whether the DIY jab could be adapted for other long-acting treatments, such as medications for HIV, tuberculosis, schizophrenia, chronic pain, and metabolic diseases.
“This is a very simple system in that it’s basically a solvent, the drug, and then you can add a little bit of bioresorbable polymer. Now we’re considering which indications do we go after: Is it contraception? Is it others? These are some of the things that we’re starting to look into as part of the next steps toward translation to humans,” Traverso explained.
What’s next?
With promising early results, researchers are now focusing on advancing toward human trials. Their next steps include conducting more preclinical studies to assess how well the self-assembling crystals work in a clinically relevant skin environment.
They also plan to refine the technology by optimising dosing and determining how long the injection can remain effective in the body. Additionally, they aim to investigate its potential for delivering other long-acting medications, further expanding its possible medical applications.
With input from agencies
