Smart Pill Sensors for Non-Invasive Gastrointestinal Analyte Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for measuring analytes and assessing gut health in the gastrointestinal tract are invasive, expensive, or lack sensitivity, making it difficult to effectively diagnose conditions like H. pylori infection and inflammatory bowel disease.
Innovation Solution
A smart pill equipped with ingestible sensors, including pH, ammonium, and nitric oxide sensors, that can be orally administered to measure analyte concentrations and transmit data wirelessly to a base device, allowing for non-invasive, real-time assessment of gut health.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If invasive methods like endoscopy are used to measure analytes and assess gut health, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but ease of operation and patient comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a smart pill as an intermediary device that travels through the gastrointestinal tract to collect analyte measurements. This mediator enables precise measurements without requiring invasive procedures like endoscopy, as the pill independently navigates and samples the GI environment, transmitting data wirelessly to external receivers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical endoscopy system with a wireless sensor-based measurement system. Instead of using a mechanical scope that must be physically inserted and maneuvered, the invention uses electronic sensors within a swallowable pill that automatically measure analytes and transmit data, eliminating the need for complex mechanical insertion and visualization equipment.
2Measurement precision
If expensive equipment is used for measuring analytes in the gastrointestinal tract, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable smart pill that is swallowed once and discarded after completing its measurement mission. This single-use approach eliminates the need for expensive, complex reusable equipment while maintaining measurement precision. The pill contains integrated sensors, power source, and communication interface that work together to provide accurate analyte data without requiring external sophisticated instrumentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart pill is designed as a multi-functional integrated device that combines sampling, sensing, data processing, and wireless communication capabilities in a single unit. This universal design eliminates the need for multiple separate pieces of expensive equipment, as the pill performs all necessary functions internally, from analyte detection to data transmission and storage.
3Device complexity
If limited information methods like fecal analysis are used to assess gut health, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and diagnostic value deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces indirect mechanical analysis methods like fecal sampling with direct electronic sensing within the gastrointestinal tract. The smart pill uses electronic sensors to measure analyte concentrations, pH, and other parameters directly at the site of interest, providing real-time precise data that replaces the indirect and limited information obtained from fecal analysis while maintaining method simplicity through wireless transmission.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate, minimally invasive, and cost-effective monitoring of gut health, reducing the need for expensive equipment and invasive procedures, and providing real-time data for enhanced diagnosis and treatment strategies.
Implementation Method 1
one of the sensors is a pH sensor for measuring hydrogen ion concentrations
Data Source
AI summary
The current disclosure relates to methods and devices for measuring concentrations of analytes in the gastrointestinal tract of a subject by orally administering a smart pill to the subject, the smart pill comprising two or more sensors, a reference electrode, a power source, a communication interface and electronic circuits, each sensor being able to measure an analyte in the gastrointestinal tract of said subject, wherein the two or more sensors measure different analytes, measuring a concentration of two or more analytes using the two or more sensors, wherein one of the sensors is a pH sensor for measuring hydrogen ions, and wherein the pH sensor is able to locate the smart pill in the gastrointestinal tract by correlating the measured hydrogen ion concentration to a location in the gastrointestinal tract, and transmitting, using the communication interface, the measured concentrations from the two or more sensors to a base device located outside of the body of the subject.