Smart capsule for monitoring inflammation profile throughout the gastrointestinal tract

Sarath Gopalakrishnan; Rithu Thomas; Sotoudeh Sedaghat; Akshay Krishnakumar; Sadid Khan; Trevor Meyer; Hans Ajieren; Sina Nejati; Jiangshan Wang; Mohit S. Verma; Pedro Irazoqui; Rahim Rahimi

Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X (Sep 2023)

Smart capsule for monitoring inflammation profile throughout the gastrointestinal tract

Sarath Gopalakrishnan,
Rithu Thomas,
Sotoudeh Sedaghat,
Akshay Krishnakumar,
Sadid Khan,
Trevor Meyer,
Hans Ajieren,
Sina Nejati,
Jiangshan Wang,
Mohit S. Verma,
Pedro Irazoqui,
Rahim Rahimi

Affiliations

Sarath Gopalakrishnan: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
Rithu Thomas: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
Sotoudeh Sedaghat: Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
Akshay Krishnakumar: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
Sadid Khan: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
Trevor Meyer: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
Hans Ajieren: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
Sina Nejati: Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
Jiangshan Wang: Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
Mohit S. Verma: Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
Pedro Irazoqui: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
Rahim Rahimi: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Corresponding author. School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14
p. 100380

Abstract

Read online

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become alarmingly prevalent in the last two decades affecting 6.8 million people worldwide with a starkly high relapse rate of 40% within 1 year of remission. Existing visual endoscopy techniques rely on subjective assessment of images that are error-prone and insufficient indicators of early-stage IBD, rendering them unsuitable for frequent and quantitative monitoring of gastrointestinal health necessary for detecting regular relapses in IBD patients. To address these limitations, we have implemented a miniaturized smart capsule (2.2 cm × 11 mm) that allows monitoring reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels as a biomarker of inflammation for quantitative and frequent profiling of inflammatory lesions throughout the gastrointestinal tract. The capsule is composed of a pH and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) sensor to track the capsule's location and ROS levels throughout the gastrointestinal tract, respectively, and an optimized electronic interface for wireless sensing and data communication. The designed sensors provided a linear and stable performance within the physiologically relevant range of the GI tract (pH: 1–8 and ORP: −500 to +500 mV). Additionally, systematic design optimization of the wireless interface electronics offered an efficient sampling rate of 10 ms for long-running measurements up to 48 h for a complete evaluation of the entire gastrointestinal tract. As a proof-of-concept, the capsule the capsule's performance in detecting inflammation risks was validated by conducting tests on in vitro cell culture conditions, simulating healthy and inflamed gut-like environments. The capsule presented here achieves a new milestone in addressing the emerging need for smart ingestible electronics for better diagnosis and treatment of digestive diseases.

Published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics: X

ISSN: 2590-1370 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Technology: Chemical technology: Biotechnology
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/biosensors-and-bioelectronics-x

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords