IIT Delhi develops device smaller than a rice grain to collect bacteria samples from the gut

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), have developed a swallowable micro-device that can collect microbial samples directly from the small intestine. As per the institute, this is considered a significant advancement in the field of gut microbiome research.

The tiny, pill-like device, after being swallowed, remains inactive as it passes through the stomach and only opens after reaching the intestines. Then, it collects bacteria and other biological markers from specific areas of the upper gastrointestinal (GI), seals itself, and safely exits the body, IIT Delhi said in an official statement.

“This approach helps in identifying micro-organisms down to the species level, and it provides much more accurate information than conventional stool tests,” the institute stated.

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IIT Delhi's pill-like device advances gut diagnostics

Sarvesh Kumar Srivastava, the principal investigator at IIT Delhi's Medical Microdevices and Diagnostics Laboratory, said “the human body contains a vast and largely unexplored microbial ecosystem.”

“Such small-scale devices are needed to explore the 'inner space' of the human body, and the invention is comparable to sending rovers into space,” he added.

“Understanding the microorganisms and chemicals in the small intestine will help in early disease detection, chronic disease monitoring, and targeted treatment development,” said Samagra Agarwal of AIIMS, New Delhi.

The research team highlighted that current methods for studying gut bacteria are either invasive, such as endoscopy and ileostomy, or they are indirect and limited in accuracy. The new ingestible device overcomes these challenges by helping to collect samples directly from the small intestine, a region crucial for digestion, immunity, and overall health.

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The researchers have filed a patent for this technology and have successfully tested and validated it in animal models using a prototype device no larger than a grain of rice.

This study, titled "A Small Pill-like Ingestible Microdevice for Site-specific Microbiome Sampling in the Upper GI Tract," has been published in the international journal 'Small'.

The project has been funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).