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Stomach ulcers: Better treatment on the horizon

Plagued by stomach cramps and reflux? Researchers have just come up with a clever trick that could solve the problem in the not-too-distant future.

“Safety is always the main concern when introducing any medical innovation," says Dr. Ali Raza, a researcher at UiT The Arctic University of Norway.

(Photo: Jan Fredrik Frantzen / UiT)

Jan Fredrik Frantzen Jan Fredrik Frantzen Communications Adviser

Presented by: Presented by: UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Published 7 July 2026 - 00:01

Between 50 to 100 per cent of people in countries with poor access to clean water are infected with a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori.

This particular bacterium is a leading cause of ulcers in the stomach, and it can even cause gastric cancer.

There is already a treatment that can remove the bacterium from the stomach, thereby removing the cause of the ulcers.

But the existing treatment requires large amounts of several antibiotics taken at the same time. Patients must follow a strict medication regimen for about a week, or even longer.

The results are often good, but this traditional treatment can cause both significant side effects and disrupt the gut microbiome.

Using a lot of antibiotics also increases the risk of developing antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Medical illustration of healthy and ulcerated stomach lining with Helicobacter pylori and pain symptoms. — In a healthy stomach, the protective lining works like a charm. If you have an ulcer, on the other hand, the wound is a breach in the barrier and allows bacteria like Helicobacter pylori to wreak havoc on your body. It can cause symptoms like stomach pains, nausea, and complications that require medical attention.

A medicine that 'unfolds'

Researchers at UiT The Arctic University of Norway have found a clever approach that they have successfully tested.

The method combines a natural polymer from algae, long chains of molecules, with a synthetic polymer.

Polymers

Polymers are long molecular chains made up of many small, repeating units called monomers.

Imagine a string of beads, where each bead is a tiny building block ( a monomer), and the whole string is the polymer (many monomers joined together).

The main ingredients are a natural polymer called alginate and PEGDA (polyethylene glycol diacrylate). The 'beads' are sugar molecules that come from seaweed.

PEGDA is a man-made or synthetic polymer. Its beads are like tiny, soft plastic beads that can be linked together to form a stretchy, jelly-like material.

They then add the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin and 'fold' the whole thing to pack it neatly into a capsule.

The point is that the capsule dissolves when you swallow it and it reaches the acids of your stomach.

The polymers that are laced with antibiotics then unfold themselves and return to the shape of a large film that is too large to pass from the stomach through the narrow opening into the intestines, called the pyloric sphincter.

“This property lets the films stay in the stomach for a long time so that they can release the antibiotics directly to the infection site,” says researcher Ali Raza from the Department of Pharmacy at UiT.

The films can withstand the squeezing forces of the stomach for at least 48 hours. This makes them far more effective at dosing out the antibiotics than taking tablets that rush through your intestines in just a few hours.

Medical illustration showing a capsule dissolving and unfolding inside the stomach. — Working of the unfolding machine. Dissolution of the capsule shell and unfolding of the polymeric system in the stomach.

Appears to be safe

Now the crucial question: Is it safe?

It certainly seems so.

“Safety is always the main concern when introducing any medical innovation. We tested the hydrogel films on human cells and found them to be safe, as over 90 per cent of the cells survived various concentrations,” Raza explains.

The research could therefore provide a new and effective way to treat Helicobacter pylori infections by delivering antibiotics locally in the stomach over a prolonged time, rather than exposing the entire body to large amounts of antibiotics.

“Some limitations remain that should be addressed before considering testing it on patients in a clinical setting, such as validating how effective and exactly how safe it is,” says Raza.

Reference:

Raza et al. Alginate/polyethylene glycol diacrylate shape memory hydrogel films for gastric retention and antibiotic delivery in H. pylori infection, Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and Applications, 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.carpta.2025.100967