Ingestible sensors pass human trials

At Digestive Disease Week, to be held in Chicago in May, RMIT researchers will announce the successful completion of phase one human trials of ingestible capsules. These ingestible smart capsules, the size of a vitamin pill, journey through the gut and measure gas levels in the gastrointestinal tract.

The ingestible technology has demonstrated several thousand times more sensitivity to gut gases than alternative techniques and has the potential to revolutionise the prevention and diagnosis of gut disorders and diseases.

“Currently, one of the only methods for diagnosing gut disorders, such as malabsorption of carbohydrates, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammable bowel disease, is to measure hydrogen concentrations in the breath,” said the pill’s co-inventor, Distinguished Professor Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh.

“However, breath tests are mired by a lack of sensitivity and specificity and are unable to provide the necessary gold standard for diagnosis.”

Co-inventor Dr Kyle Berean said: “Ingestible sensors also offer a reliable diagnostic tool for colon cancer, meaning that people won’t have to undergo colonoscopies in future.” 

A key finding from the initial trials was just how safe the new technology is.

“Smart pills are harmless and there is no risk of capsule retention,” Berean said.

An added advantage is that the capsules can be synched with smartphones, meaning results are easily accessible by users and doctors online.

The potential applications from this technology are profound.

“The sensors allow us to measure all the fluids and gases in the gut, giving us a multidimensional picture of the human body,” Kalantar-zadeh said. “Gas sensing is just the beginning.”          

The human trials were undertaken in collaboration with colleagues from Monash University, who have since been praised by Kalantar-zadeh.

“We have been lucky to have Monash medical academics helping us on this journey,” he said. “Without their input, we would not be able to proceed.”

A paper by the Centre for Advanced Electronics and Sensors (CADES) research team outlining the future of ingestible sensors has been published in the April issue of ACS Sensors.