Imec showcases ingestible sensor for gut studies

Nanoelectronics specialist Imec will demonstrate a miniaturised, ingestible sensor device today that can monitor gastrointestinal (GI) health and could be a valuable tool for research and clinical trials.

The capsule-like prototype device, measuring 2.1cm in length and 0.75cm across, will be swallowed live at the ITF World conference by Imec researcher Aniek Even, after which the real-time measurements it captures will be displayed on a screen.

According to the Belgian and Dutch company, the prototype can provide insights into intestinal inflammation, the gut microbiome, and overall health. It reckons the device could be an alternative to conventional endoscopies and colonoscopies, which do not provide a comprehensive picture of the GI tract and are "inherently unpleasant procedures."

While similar capsule devices are sometimes used to carry out endoscopies for the diagnosis of GI disorders like Crohn's disease through visual inspection, they lack the sensors needed to measure the local environment in the gut and require a bowel preparation regimen that can also be tough to comply with.

Imec's prototype is around three times smaller than current capsule endoscopies and is also the first such device to measure redox balance, a marker for oxidative stress that can be an indicator of inflammation. After being swallowed, it takes measurements every 20 seconds over a period ranging from 24 hours to a week, depending on the individual's gut motility.

According to Even, the device, which has already been tested in human volunteers, "could revolutionise the way we diagnose and manage gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal cancers."

The next step for Imec will be to carry out studies of the sensor in patient populations as part of a project focusing on cancer and inflammatory disorders with Radboud University in the Netherlands.

Partners with Merck on 'organoids-on-a-chip'

Meanwhile, Imec also announced a new partnership with German pharma group Merck KGaA to develop miniaturised models of physiological systems that can be carried on a chip and used in R&D to reduce the need for animal testing.

The partners envisage that the microphysiological systems (MPS), which will use stem cells and patient-derived organoids (collections of living cells designed to work as miniature organ systems) provided by Merck, will eventually be used to simulate human body responses and make drug discovery and development more efficient.

The data generated by the MPS will also be used to train artificial intelligence (AI) models in a close-loop system that will "greatly improve data translatability to humans, speed discovery of new drug candidates, and enable researchers to more closely simulate the human body than ever before," according to Merck's head of technology enablement Steve Johnston.

Merck and Imec are hoping other biopharma companies will join the collaborative effort to develop a new generation of MPS models and tackle "the critical need for preclinical models in AI-driven drug development."