On the cutting edge of medical innovation, a team of South Korean researchers has unveiled a breakthrough that could reshape the treatment landscape for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). On February 26, 2026, Professor Lee Se-jung of Pukyong National University and Professor Choi Chang-hyung from Yeungnam University, along with their dedicated teams, announced the development of a next-generation oral drug delivery system. Their work, as reported by Yonhap News and Korea Healthlog, centers on a clever solution to a stubborn problem: how to ensure that powerful anti-inflammatory drugs survive the harsh journey through the digestive tract and arrive intact where they’re needed most—the colon.
IBD, which includes conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is notorious for its chronic, relapsing nature. Patients often face a lifetime of symptoms, ranging from abdominal pain and diarrhea to severe weight loss. The need for therapies that target the disease site effectively, while minimizing side effects, has long been recognized by clinicians and patients alike.
At the heart of this new approach is a drug called pentoxifylline. Pentoxifylline is already widely prescribed as a blood circulation enhancer, but researchers have discovered that it also possesses impressive anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties. Unfortunately, when taken in the usual oral form, pentoxifylline faces a double jeopardy: it’s quickly broken down by the acidic environment of the stomach and then rapidly cleared from the body. This means that, despite its promise, pentoxifylline has struggled to make a meaningful impact on colitis and other forms of IBD—until now.
The innovation from Professors Lee and Choi’s teams lies in their use of microcapsules, each about as thick as a human hair. These tiny capsules act as a protective shield, safeguarding the drug as it passes through the stomach. According to Korea Healthlog, the capsules are engineered to remain intact in the strongly acidic conditions of the stomach but are designed to swell (a process known as swelling or "팽윤") and release their contents only when they reach the neutral pH environment of the colon. This targeted delivery ensures that pentoxifylline is released precisely where inflammation is most intense, maximizing its therapeutic punch while reducing unnecessary exposure to the rest of the body.
"Inflammatory bowel disease is a condition that requires long-term management, and technology that delivers drugs precisely to the needed area is more important than anything else," Professor Lee Se-jung explained, as quoted by Korea Healthlog. "This study is an example of overcoming the limitations of existing drugs and presenting new therapeutic possibilities." Professor Lee also emphasized the team’s commitment to further refining microcapsule and microneedle-based drug delivery platforms, with the goal of tackling other intractable inflammatory diseases in the future.
Animal studies conducted by the research team provided compelling evidence of the system’s effectiveness. In colitis models, symptoms such as weight loss, diarrhea, and the shortening of intestinal length—a classic marker of severe inflammation—showed significant improvement after treatment with the microcapsule-encapsulated pentoxifylline. Tissue damage and inflammatory responses in the colon were dramatically reduced, according to the findings published in Materials Today Bio, an international journal specializing in biomaterials.
But the benefits didn’t stop at symptom relief. The researchers also examined the animals’ intestinal microbiome—the vast community of bacteria that plays a crucial role in gut health. Remarkably, the gut microbiome of treated animals was restored to levels close to those seen in healthy controls, suggesting that the new delivery system not only quells inflammation but also helps re-establish a balanced microbial environment.
Park Ji-yeon, a master’s student at Pukyong National University, played a leading role in the laboratory experiments, as highlighted by Yonhap News. The collaborative nature of the project, bridging expertise from both Pukyong National University and Yeungnam University, underscores the growing emphasis on interdisciplinary teamwork in tackling complex medical challenges.
Professor Lee’s comments to Yonhap News further illuminate the significance of the achievement: "The technology overcomes existing drug limitations and offers new therapeutic possibilities by precisely delivering drugs to needed sites." This sentiment is echoed by many in the field, who recognize that the holy grail of IBD treatment is not merely suppressing symptoms, but delivering drugs in a way that minimizes side effects and enhances quality of life.
To appreciate why this matters, it’s worth considering the broader context. Traditional oral medications for IBD often have to be given in high doses to compensate for the losses incurred during digestion and absorption. This can lead to unwanted side effects throughout the body, from headaches and fatigue to, in some cases, serious complications affecting the liver or kidneys. By ensuring that drugs like pentoxifylline are released only at the site of inflammation, the new microcapsule system could allow for lower doses, fewer side effects, and more effective control of the disease.
The technology’s pH-responsive design is a masterstroke of biomedical engineering. The capsules’ ability to "know" when they’ve reached the colon (thanks to the shift from acidic to neutral pH) means that the drug is shielded during its perilous journey through the stomach and small intestine. Once in the colon, the capsule swells and releases its payload, ensuring that the medicine lingers where it’s needed, rather than dissipating throughout the body.
While these results are still at the preclinical stage—meaning human trials have yet to commence—the promise is clear. Should the technology prove safe and effective in people, it could represent a significant leap forward in the management of IBD and potentially other localized inflammatory conditions. The researchers are already looking ahead, with plans to further develop both microcapsule and microneedle-based platforms for drug delivery.
Publication of the results in Materials Today Bio marks an important milestone, bringing international attention to the work of Korean scientists and highlighting the global race to develop smarter, more targeted therapies for chronic diseases.
For patients and clinicians alike, the prospect of a treatment that delivers potent anti-inflammatory effects directly to the source of trouble, while sparing the rest of the body, is an appealing one. As Professor Lee and his colleagues continue to refine their technology, the world will be watching to see if this tiny capsule can make a big difference in the fight against IBD.