Bacteria-Grabbing 'Pill' Samples Your Whole GI Tract

A new swallowable tool from Purdue University  acts like a colonoscopy, except that instead of looking at the colon with a camera, it takes samples of gut bacteria. The technology could also move throughout the whole gastrointestinal tract, which also includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small intestine, and rectum. The tool is a drug-like capsule that passively makes its way through the gut without needing a battery. A pill version of a colonoscopy is already commercially available but it can't sample bacteria. The researchers 3D-printed the capsule out of resin, which would need to be slightly modified for humans to ingest. When exposed to the pH of a certain gut location, the capsule’s biodegradable cap dissolves. Inside the capsule, a hydrogel expands and collects intestinal fluid containing bacteria.

Transcript

00:00:00 - In the GI system, we have over a thousand different bacterial species, which plays an essential role in food metabolism, nutrition, and drug uptake. There is interest in terms of studying how this microbial community affects different kinds of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and also metabolic syndromes. There is a limited understanding

00:00:22 because of the limited access that we currently have at different locations throughout the GI tract. This is the first time that we've developed a low cost sampling device that will allow targeted sampling throughout the GI tract. So the capsule is composed of a 3D printed container that holds a super absorbent hydrogel. Upon entering the GI tract, the pH sensitive polymer

00:00:48 on top of the capsule will dissolve. The fluid inside the targeted location will enter the capsule. The hydrogel will swell. It will basically absorb, and collect the targeted microbial community. With its swelling, it will push a plunger that will close the capsule until the capsule is excreted from the body. So once the capsule is excreted,

00:01:09 because of the 3D printed geometry that we have, it could be easily unscrewed, and the sample of material can be extracted from the capsule. So we envision that this technology could further advance our understanding of how this microbial community affects these different diseases. (machine revs)

00:01:30 Because of the simplicity of the design, and it's low cost, it could be easily used in different kinds of clinical settings, and also help improve our understanding about how to develop better drugs that could address these issues. And how can we design therapeutics that better could alter, or be more compliant with the microbial community.

00:01:49 (outro music)