💩 Goodbye, camera up the bum – swallowable bacterial capsule can detect intestinal diseases

• Researchers have developed a capsule with bacteria that is swallowed, detects bleeding in the gut, and can then be easily collected from stool using a magnet.
• In tests on mice with colitis, the sensor could detect intestinal bleeding within minutes, and the signal strength increased with the severity of the disease.
• The entire process from collection to analysis takes about 25 minutes.

Millions of people avoid colonoscopy

In the U.S., millions of people have colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease, including colitis, which can cause intestinal bleeding, diarrhea and cramping. The current standard method for diagnosis is colonoscopy with an endoscope – a camera on a long tube that is inserted into the large intestine. However, many people avoid the procedure because of the preparation required and because the method is invasive.

Researchers at a Chinese university have now developed an alternative method. They have created small microspheres filled with bacteria that can be swallowed and then detect heme – a component of red blood cells that indicates intestinal bleeding. The technology offers a new way to quickly and non-invasively detect gastrointestinal diseases.

Bacteria protected in hydrogel spheres

The research team had previously developed bacteria that light up in the presence of blood, but the bacteria broke down in the digestive system and were difficult to collect. In the new study, published in ACS Sensors, they solved the problem by encapsulating the bacteria together with magnetic particles in small clumps of sodium alginate – a thickening agent used in foods.

The process creates small hydrogel microspheres that can easily be removed from stool with a magnet after they have passed through the body. Initial tests showed that the hydrogel protected the bacteria from simulated digestive fluids, but still allowed heme to interact with the bacterial sensor and cause it to glow.

Tests on mice show promising results

The researchers administered the microspheres orally to mice with varying degrees of colitis, from no disease activity to severe stages. After the microspheres passed through the animals' gastrointestinal systems, the researchers collected the sensors from the stool with a magnet.

The results showed that cleanup and signal analysis took about 25 minutes. As the disease stage became more severe, the intensity of the light produced by the sensor increased, indicating more heme from mice with more advanced colitis. Assessments of healthy mice given the sensor showed that the microspheres were biocompatible and safe.

The researchers say that the bacteria in the sensor can be adapted to detect other intestinal diseases. The method of encapsulating bacterial sensors could be used to diagnose gastrointestinal diseases as well as monitor treatments and disease progression.

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