DrugsInGut · Multi-Scale Biomimetic Modeling of Small Intestine Motility and Drug Dissolution for Next-Generation Oral Drug Delivery

Oral administration is the most common and cost-effective way of delivering medicines, yet predicting how drugs dissolve and are absorbed in the small intestine remains highly unreliable. This is because absorption depends not only on the drug formulation, but also on complex physiological factors such as gut motility, fluid mixing, rheology, and the microscopic structure of the mucosa. Current in vitro and in vivo models cannot reproduce these features, limiting reliable design of oral therapies and contributing to high healthcare costs, especially in gastrointestinal disorders.The DrugsInGut project will develop the first integrated multi-scale framework that couples computational fluid dynamics simulations with biomimetic experimental models to study drug dissolution and absorption in the small intestine. High-resolution imaging of intestinal motility will be used to inform advanced CFD models capable of capturing villi-scale micro-mixing and organ-level peristalsis. In parallel, soft biomimetic intestinal reactors with villi-like structures and active contractions will be fabricated to replicate physiological conditions in vitro. Together, these approaches will provide unprecedented insight into how motility, rheology, and microstructure control the fate of oral drug formulations.By delivering a validated open-source predictive model, DrugsInGut will directly benefit pharmaceutical research and regulation, enabling faster and safer drug development pipelines. The project is fully aligned with the Horizon Europe objectives of promoting open science, digital health innovation, reduction of animal experimentation, and personalized medicine. In the longer term, the outcomes will contribute to more effective and inclusive oral drug delivery strategies, ultimately improving patient care and reducing healthcare costs in Europe.