Progress in Ingestible Microbiome Sampling Pill Technology

At the Tufts University School of Engineering, significant progress has been made in creating a tiny device comparable in size to a vitamin pill. This device can be swallowed to sample the entire population of microorganisms in a person's gastrointestinal tract.

This device could further research on how resident bacteria and a variety of medical disorders are related. As a diagnostic tool, it could also modify the microbiome or deliver medications to treat ailments.

As reported in the journal Device, the device has finished preclinical characterization, opening the door for future human clinical trials.

It is distinguished by a sidewall that has inlets that open in response to changes in acidity as the tablet enters the small intestine and a soft elastic exterior created using 3D printing. Once the intestinal content has been collected, the elastic microvalves with swellable polyacrylate beads in the pill close the inlets. A group led by Professor Sameer Sonkusale at Tufts Nano Lab developed the technology, with post-doctoral researcher Ruben Del-Rio-Ruiz serving as the primary author of the preclinical study.

The tests were carried out in animals, and the samples that the pill collected were examined by a second team of researchers headed by Professor Giovanni Widmer of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, with assistance from Ph.D. Candidate Debora Silva.

The pill is now easier to swallow than before using its softer, elastic exterior instead of a hard shell, and it has much better control over localized microbiome sampling in the small intestine.

This technology represents a significant advancement in understanding the function of the thousands of microbial species that populate the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract and their effects on health. Currently, techniques to study the intestinal microbiome primarily rely on fecal matter.