If nutrient absorption and indicators of gut health could be measured by a small pill, it would save tedious and time-consuming medical tests for consumers, patients and medical personnel. In addition, it would help scientists and physicians understand what is happening in the gut. What nutrients are absorbed where? And where exactly in the intestines are people with Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome affected?
Intestinal diseases are common but currently not well understood. A better understanding would provide nutrition, pharmaceutical companies and physicians with opportunities to detect health problems at an early stage and develop more targeted interventions. This could improve people’s quality of life. In addition, problems in the gut are known to be linked to the entire body. For many diseases, where you might not immediately expect it, gut problems are known to play a role in both their onset and treatment.
OnePlanet Research Center has developed new technology and incorporated mini-sensors into a pill. Once in the gut, the sensors measure all kinds of parameters. The data are then wirelessly transmitted to a digital platform where they can be interpreted.
Experts from imec, specializing in sensor technology, nanoelectronics and wireless communication, are working closely within OnePlanet with nutritionists, chemists, physicians and gastroenterologists from Wageningen University & Research, Radboud University and Radboudumc to overcome the technological and practical challenges associated with such a groundbreaking innovation. The pill is made to be easy to swallow and resistant to digestive enzymes. In addition, it is traceable in the gastrointestinal tract and the amount of flow has been completely optimized for use. A first version of the sensor pill has now been successfully tested in healthy volunteers.
The intention is to expand the functionality of the first generation of smart pills in the coming years. At the same time, we are also investigating a version that can take intestinal fluid samples for microbiome analysis or biomarker research, for example.
By 2027, we want to have a highly advanced sensing platform available, with digital gut models and a dashboard that can monitor gut health.
Today we completed the first clinical trials of the first generation:
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