Electronics Weekly
Monitoring gut health is challenging due to the complexity and inaccessibility of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Traditional methods, such as endoscopy and colonoscopy, cannot provide a comprehensive view of the entire GI tract and are inherently unpleasant procedures.
Capsule endoscopies, on the other hand, while currently used for diagnosing gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn’s disease through visual inspection, also require unpleasant bowel preparation. Moreover, current solutions lack sensors to measure the chemical environment.
Today at ITF World, imec researcher Aniek Even will swallow the ingestible sensor, after which real-time measurements will be be shown on a screen, highlighting its ease of use and practical application.
”Our ingestible sensor technology was successfully evaluated in healthy volunteers in a study conducted with Wageningen University & Research, providing the first-in-human measurements of redox balance along the gut,” says Aniek Even, “by providing real-time data on redox balance, the sensor can help identify oxidative stress, a marker for inflammation, and offer new insights into the gut microbiome and its role in overall health. Our small and easy-to-use device could revolutionize the way we diagnose and manage gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal cancers.”
The sensor can take measurements every 20 seconds over a period ranging from 24 hours to a week, depending on the individual’s gut motility.
Looking ahead, the researchers aim to evaluate the sensor in patient populations, with follow-up trials in collaboration with Radboud University Medical Center focusing on patients with cancer or chronic inflammation, as well as trials with other universities and clinical centers.
The team welcomes opportunities from other institutions to incorporate the ingestible into diverse clinical trials, further advancing innovation in healthcare.
