US researchers have developed a platform that allows wireless ingestion devices to be tracked in 3D as they travel through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This may provide an inexpensive and less invasive method to investigate, diagnose and treat disorders affecting gastric motility.
Gastric motility disorders such as Crohn’s disease, gastroparesis (stomach not emptying properly), incontinence, and constipation affect millions of people worldwide. They occur when the nerves and muscles of the intestine do not work together and can cause intestinal spasms and paralysis.
Currently, the most common methods of investigating and monitoring gastrointestinal motility disorders include endoscopy and the use of potentially harmful radiation such as nuclear medicine scans and computed tomography (CT). While these are the gold standard, these types of studies are not only expensive and invasive, they also need to be performed in a hospital setting.
Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, in collaboration with engineers at MIT and Caltech, have developed a wireless, non-invasive, ingestible microdevice used for gastrointestinal monitoring that can be used in non-clinical settings. We have developed a new way to track you.
Video capsule endoscopy (“pill cams”) and wireless motion capsules (WMC) are already in use, but neither can directly measure where the camera is placed in the gastrointestinal tract.
The newly developed platform includes an ingestible microdevice for anatomical mapping of the gastrointestinal tract (iMAG) that interfaces with a wireless Bluetooth receiver, such as a smartphone, to translate field data into corresponding spatial locations. to enable real-time location tracking. of the device as it travels through the intestine.
The system relies on flat, highly efficient electromagnetic (EM) coils placed on the patient’s back to generate a localized and safe 3D magnetic field. The coil can be attached to a backpack, jacket, or attached to a toilet seat for continuous gastrointestinal monitoring.
iMAG was tested in pigs, given the anatomical similarity of the animal gastrointestinal tract to the human gastrointestinal tract. Researchers who tracked the device using both magnetic field measurements and X-rays found iMAG to be highly accurate in measuring intestinal activity in pigs.
The researchers envision several clinical uses for the device, including diagnosis and treatment of diseases that cause slowing or acceleration of intestinal motility. The EM coils used in this system can be easily incorporated into “smart” clothing for monitoring bowel movement.
Additionally, this device may be used therapeutically to deliver drugs or electrical stimulation directly to specific anatomical structures in the intestine.
“Here we report real-time 3D localization and tracking of wirelessly ingestible microdevices in the gastrointestinal tract of large animals with millimeter-scale resolution,” said Giovanni Traverso, MD, PhD, corresponding author of the study. said. “Such a portable, non-invasive procedure is non-invasive and has the potential to bring significant clinical benefits.”
Large animal safety studies should be performed before human trials can be initiated.
This research nature electronics.
Source: Nature Electronics via EurekAlert!
