WANT to check on the health of your gut? It could be as easy as swallowing a gas-sniffing capsule thanks to Melbourne researchers.
The team at RMIT University said findings from the first human trials of a breakthrough gas-sensing smart pill - no bigger than a vitamin capsule - could revolutionise the way gut disorders and diseases are prevented and diagnosed.
The ingestible capsule detects and measures gut gases - hydrogen, carbon dioxides and oxygen - in real time as it travels through the digestive system, with data sent to a mobile phone.
The trials have uncovered mechanisms in the body that have never been seen before, including a potentially new immune system.
The new technology and discoveries offer a game-changer for the one in five people worldwide who will suffer from a gastrointestinal disorder, such as irritable bowel syndrome, in their lifetime. They could also lead to fewer invasive procedures like colonoscopies.
Study lead and capsule co-inventor Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh said the trials showed the human stomach uses an oxidiser to fight foreign bodies in the gut.
"We found that the stomach releases oxidising chemicals to break down and beat foreign compounds that are staying in the stomach for longer than usual," Professor Kalantar-zadeh said.
"This could represent a gastric protection system against foreign bodies. Such an immune mechanism has never been reported before."
The trials were conducted on seven healthy individuals on low- and high-fibre diets, and showed the capsule could offer a more effective way of measuring microbiome activities in the stomach - a critical way of determining gut health.
"Previously, we have had to rely on faecal samples or surgery to sample and analyse microbes in the gut," Professor Kalantar-zadeh said. "But this meant measuring them when they are not a true reflection of the gut microbiota at that time. Our capsule will offer a non-invasive method to measure microbiome activity."
Now the capsule has passed phase one human trials, the team is planning phase two of clinical trials.
The trials were conducted with Monash University. The findings are published in the inaugural volume of Nature Electronics.
