Portal Instruments Brings the Star Trek Hypospray Closer to Reality
Watching CEO Patrick Anquetil demonstrate the device live, I immediately thought of Dr. McCoy’s hypospray from Star Trek.
Many biologics are becoming more concentrated because patients want fewer injections.
High-viscosity formulations create entirely new engineering challenges.
In other cases, the dose volume exceeds the capabilities of current auto-injectors.
Portal Instruments demonstrated a delivery platform designed to make high-volume, high-viscosity biologics more practical to administer. Seeing it in action made the Star Trek comparison feel surprisingly appropriate.
What struck me most was that the innovation wasn’t in the biologic itself. It was in solving one of the engineering barriers to getting these therapies into patients. As biologics continue to evolve, advances in delivery technology may become just as important as advances in the therapeutics themselves.
From communicators to flip phones. From PADDs to tablets. The hypospray has now entered the conversation. What piece of Star Trek tech would you most like to see become reality?
Comments
One response to “Field Notes from BIO2026 – Portal Instruments”
One way this falls short of the hypospray is that it still uses a needle, although a very small one. But I suspect transdermal spray is on the horizon. At least for non-venous infusions.