Octopus tentacles inspired a new drug delivery patch that sticks to the inside of your cheek

Researcher Zhi Luo, the lead author of a new paper detailing the patch development published in Science Translational Medicine, was enjoying the spicy fondue dish when he found himself fascinated by Sichuan peppercorns. Not their flavor — though the mouth-numbing tingling of the little berries is a thing of wonder — but the fact that they had a tendency to get stuck to the inside of the mouth and throat. As an oral drug delivery specialist, he knew that people’s mouths and throats have developed so that it’s hard for foods to get stuck to them. So what was up with Sichuan pepper?