A new electrical pill that aims to regulate people's appetites could be the next promising treatment for diabetes and obesity.
The smart capsule, called Flash – which stands for fluid-wicking capsule for active simulation and hormone modulation – has been developed by a team of researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The ingestible capsule is a non-invasive electrical device that works by stimulating the stomach and triggering the brain to regulate gut hormones related to hunger.
It is designed to suppress hunger levels by sending electric shocks through the stomach once swallowed.
The pill could be used to treat eating disorders such as obesity and anorexia, and other medical conditions that benefit from adjusting someone's food intake.
The World Health Organisation estimates that a billion people in the world are living with obesity, while 422 million people worldwide have diabetes.
About one in five people in the UAE have diabetes, with that ratio expected to double by 2040.
The condition is usually associated with obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet.
"Flash is one of the first ingestible electroceutical that can regulate precise neurohormonal circuits, while avoiding the discomfort patients can experience with invasive treatments," Khalil Ramadi said in a press release.
In a study co-authored by Prof Ramadi and published in Science Robotics, the researchers revealed they were able to trigger the release of ghrelin — an appetite hormone — using Flash in trials on pigs, by orally administering a single pill.
Its design was inspired by the water-wicking skin of the Australian thorny devil lizard, which allows it to connect directly to the stomach tissue to regulate hunger-triggering hormones.
Researchers now believe Flash could be used as an alternative to diabetes treatments such as insulin, as well as other medical conditions, including heart disease and eating disorders, that require medication or surgery.
Prof Ramadi, who led the team of researchers, said that further development of the pill could go on to offer customisation for patients, and even treat neuropsychological conditions such as depression and anxiety.
According to the researchers, Flash requires no surgical intervention and has no side effects, unlike other medications used to treat diabetes and eating disorders which can cause unwanted side effects such as restlessness, nausea, uncontrolled weight gain, headaches and muscle spasms.
Doctors are now doing pre-clinical testing with the goal of starting human trials with an advanced prototype within five years.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Boulder shooting victims
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
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- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
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