Diagram showing the original position of the stomach relative to the body and different relative positions of the stomach with respect to the direction of gravity considered in this study. Credit: Rajat Mittal

A team of scientists from Johns Hopkins University has developed software components that simulate how the stomach processes drugs. Despite being a common method of administration, the efficacy of oral drugs depends on many complex factors.

The "StomachSim" can investigate and quantify the effect of body posture and stomach motility on drug bioavailability. The goal is to better understand how the gastrointestinal tract processes pills on their way through the digestive system.

How a stomach absorbs drugs is affected by conditions such as the composition of the drugs, the person’s posture, other contents in the stomach, and even stomach wall movements. Stomach contractions can also affect the path pills take. Because of this, pills often dissolve at different rates, thus affecting their potency.

Up until now, the methods used to study this process have not been adequate enough to provide a clear explanation of the mechanics behind it. The biomimetic in-silico simulator, therefore, is a ground-breaking tool that will shed light on the stomach’s digestive mechanism.

"In this work, we demonstrate a novel computer simulation platform that offers the potential for overcoming these limitations," said Rajat Mittal, co-author of the study published in Physics of Fluids. "Our models can generate biorelevant data on drug dissolution that can provide useful and unique insights into the complex physiological processes behind the oral administration of pills."

The simulator provided the scientists with a unique opportunity. Possibly for the first time ever, scientists were able to simultaneously examine not only the stomach’s motility, but also the trajectory of pills. Additionally, they were able to observe how the drugs dissolved on their way to the small intestine.

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