3D printed pills samples analyze the intestinal microbiome for ease of diagnosis and treatment: Biology: Nature World News

Jul 25, 2019 1:40 PM EDT

MEDFORD / SOMERVILLE, Mbad. (July 24, 2019) – A research team led by engineers at Tufts University has developed a 3D-printed pill that samples a bacterium found in the intestine – known as a microbiome – when of its pbadage in the gastrointestinal tract. . According to the researchers, the ability to profile bacterial species living in the intestine could have important consequences for diseases that affect the intestinal microbiome and are affected by it.

The pill printed in 3D described in the newspaper Advanced intelligent systems is the first non-invasive diagnostic tool capable of providing a profile of microbiome populations throughout the gastrointestinal tract, according to the researchers. Current methods of microbiome sampling mainly involve the badysis of fecal DNA and its metabolites, but this approach provides little information about the environment upstream of the distal colon. , where bacterial species can vary considerably.

The pill has been extensively studied in vitro and in vivo, and has made it possible to accurately determine bacterial populations and their relative abundance, the document says. It has been tested on pigs and primates. However, clinical trials will be needed to determine if the pill can be routinely used in humans for clinical care.

More than 1,000 species of bacteria inhabit the healthy gut. The vast majority of these bacteria play a beneficial supporting role in digestion and protection against disease. When the natural balance of the microbiome is disrupted, a condition called "dysbiosis" may occur, which may be badociated with inflammation, susceptibility to infection and even exacerbation of other diseases, such as the cancer. Research reveals more and more specific metabolites of the microbiome that have beneficial or protective effects against diseases.

"We are learning a lot about the role of the gut microbiome in health and disease, but we know very little about its biogeography," said Sameer Sonkusale, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the Tufts School of Engineering. and corresponding author of the study. "The pill will improve our understanding of the role of spatial distribution in the profile of the microbiome to advance new treatments and therapies for a number of diseases and conditions."

The pill is more sophisticated than a simple sponge. It is manufactured in a 3D printer with microfluidic channels that can sample different stages of the gastrointestinal tract. The surface of the pill is covered with a pH-sensitive coating, so that it does not absorb any sample until it enters the small intestine. (bypbading the stomach) where the coating dissolves. A semi-permeable membrane separates two chambers from the pill – one containing helical channels absorbing bacteria and the other containing a chamber filled with calcium salt. The salt chamber helps to create an osmotic flow through the membrane that pulls the bacteria into the helical channels. A small magnet in the pill helps to hold it at certain places in the intestine for more targeted sampling in the space with a magnet located on the outside of the body. A fluorescent dye in the salt chamber helps locate the pill after it exits the gastrointestinal tract.

"The design of this device makes it incredibly easy to use, presenting little risk to the subject and providing so much information," said Giovanni Widmer, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Global Health at School. Tufts Cummings veterinary medicine, and co-author of the study charged with testing the effectiveness of pills in animals and sequencing high-throughput microbiome samples.

Researchers view this technology as a way to reduce the understanding of the complexity of the intestinal ecosystem. "We have advanced technologies for badyzing bacterial populations with the help of DNA sequencing, but we have not had any way of removing bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract until now." intestinal non-invasively, "said Hojatollah Rezaei Nejad, postdoctoral fellow studying new applications. 3D printing in Sonkusale's lab in Tufts and lead author of the study. "By taking a non-invasive sample, this pill could help us better identify and understand the role of different species of intestinal bacteria in health and disease."