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Researchers at Tufts American University have developed a 3D pill with an osmotic pump that samples bacteria in the intestine as it pbades through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
This technology could be used to profile the bacterial species present in the gut, which will facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affected by the microbiome.
This pill represents the first non-invasive diagnostic tool capable of profiling microbiome populations throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Current methods involve the badysis of fecal DNA and its metabolites, but they provide limited information about the gastrointestinal environment before the distal colon, where bacterial species can vary widely.
The pill is printed in 3D with microfluidic channels that sample different stages of the gastrointestinal tract. The surface is covered with a pH-sensitive coating so that it does not absorb any sample until it enters the small intestine, where the coating dissolves.
Under the lining, a semi-permeable membrane separates two chambers inside the pill, one containing helical channels absorbing bacteria and the other containing a calcium salt. The salt chamber helps to create an osmotic flow through the membrane, attracting bacteria into the helical channels. A fluorescent dye in the salt chamber helps locate the pill after it exits the gastrointestinal tract.
The pill can also be used to target certain places in the intestines with the help of a small magnet placed inside. By placing a magnet on the outside of the body, clinicians can hold the pill in place in these areas, if a patient needs a specific part of his or her gastrointestinal tract.
Hojatollah Rezaei Nejad, a postdoctoral fellow and lead author at Tufts University, said, "We have incredible technology to badyze bacterial populations using DNA sequencing techniques. obtrusive. By sampling non-invasively, this pill could help us better identify and understand the role of different bacterial species in health and disease. "
Until now, the pill has only been tested in pigs and primates and clinical trials will be needed to determine if it can be used safely in humans.
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