Imec demos ingestible gut health sensor

Uncomfortable endoscopies or coloscopies may become a thing of the past thanks to Imec’s ingestible sensor capsule that performs measurements as it moves through the digestive tract. The sensor, at 2.1 centimeters in length and 0.75 centimeters in diameter three times smaller than existing capsule endoscopies, is designed to measure certain chemical balances, pH and temperature. This provides insight into intestinal inflammation and the gut microbiome.

“Our ingestible sensor technology was successfully evaluated in healthy volunteers in a study conducted with Wageningen University & Research, providing the first-in-human measurements of redox balance along the gut. By providing real-time data on redox balance, the sensor can help identify oxidative stress, a marker for inflammation, and offer new insights into the gut microbiome and its role in overall health,” says Imec researcher Aniek Even.

The sensor was developed at the Oneplanet Research Center, a joint research outfit from Imec, Wageningen University & Research, Radboud University and Radboud UMC.