Powerful pill can reveal what's going on in your gut — thanks to miniature sensors
It's no secret that gut health is being treated like the ultimate biohack these days, as ongoing research shows your digestive system impacts your skin, immune system, energy levels and even your mood.
Studies have even found links between the gut and Parkinson's, colon cancer and other conditions, with doctors routinely recommending people get more fiber in their diets.
Researchers at Caltech have developed a capsule that can measure your gut health.
T Mdlungu/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com
So it might be no surprise that the geniuses over at Caltech have invented a tiny pill called PillTrek that's lined with electrochemical sensors that measure pH, temperature, metabolites, ions — even serotonin and dopamine — right in your gut.
The pill is itty-bitty — measuring 7 millimeters in diameter and 25 millimeters in length — but it packs a powerful punch.
'We designed this pill to be a very versatile platform,' Wei Gao, a professor of medical engineering at Caltech and a Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator, said in a press release.
'From an electrochemical-sensing point of view, it is very powerful. It has the ability to measure metabolites, ions, hormones such as serotonin and dopamine, possibly even proteins as well. And all within the gut, which is a complex environment.'
The PillTrek smart capsule measures just 7 millimeters in diameter and 25 millimeters in length.
Jihong Min and Wei Gao
Current gut tests rely on messy stool samples or pricey, invasive biopsies — and offer only snapshot insights.
Conversely, this smart capsule offers a window into a future where assessing your gut health — which is also a marker of overall health and a good way of detecting diseases early — can be relatively easy.
'Ingestible capsules have significant potential in diagnosis, monitoring and management of chronic conditions, but previous devices were very limited in terms of their sensing capabilities, lifetime, and size,' said Azita Emami, who is working with Gao to make the pill even smaller and more energy-efficient.
'This work is an important translational step toward devices that can provide meaningful medical information for patients and physicians.'
Researchers outlined the pill in a paper published in the journal Nature.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Not just a garnish! The herb that can help shed water weight and relieve bloating
Parsley is often served as a garnish, alongside a roast chicken or on a steaming plate of spaghetti. But, with its rough texture and slightly bitter taste, many may not consider the herb to be a crucial part of their diet. Still, parsley is more than meets the eye, and experts say it can help to regulate your digestive health. 'It can help aid in digestion and help reduce bloating,' Amanda Capriglione, a registered dietitian, told The Healthy. 'It contains compounds that enable the expulsion of gas from the body.' Cultivated for thousands of years, the ancient Mediterranean plant is what is known as a natural diuretic. Diuretics are substances that help us to shed excess water weight and salt. Some others include dandelions, caffeine, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. A sprinkle of parsley in a tabouleh salad, green smoothie, or vegetable soup can be enough to make a difference. Just make sure it won't conflict with any medication you're on, and talk to your doctor if you're pregnant, as it could lead to abortion, according to past research. 'Incorporate herbs into your diet via a meal, not in a pill or liquid concentrated form,' Julia Zumpano, a registered dietitian, told the Cleveland Clinic. Parsley is also rich in flavones, which are a type of plant-based compounds that have anti-inflammatory benefits. Inflammation can result in autoimmune, neurodegenerative, gastrointestinal, and heart diseases, as well as certain cancers. Together, inflammatory diseases account for more than half of all deaths globally, according to the Clinic. Furthermore, the plant is high in antioxidants, which are substances — including vitamins — that can help to prevent or slow damage to our body's cells. Parsley contains vitamins C, A, and E, which can help reduce inflammation that could result in chronic disease. Eating parsley 'can help reduce the risk of arthritis, an inflammation of the joints,' Dr. Brunilda Nazario, the lead medical director for WebMD, told The Healthy. 'It is also an excellent source of flavonoids, antioxidants that help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease.' If you're looking to fortify you bone health, parsley is also good source of vitamin K. Including vitamin K in your diet can do just that. Adult women need 90 micrograms of the vitamin a day, and men need 120, according to the National Institutes of Health. 'Ten sprigs of parsley is enough to reach your daily dose of vitamin K,' Capriglione said.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Breakthrough study finds deficiency of this common nutrient could contribute to Alzheimer's
A deficiency of the metal lithium in the body could be a key factor contributing to the development of dementia in Alzherimer's patients, a groundbreaking new study reveals. The decade-long research, published in the journal Nature, shows for the first time that lithium occurs naturally in the brain and maintains the normal function of all its major cell types, preventing nerves from degradation. Scientists from Harvard Medical School found that lithium loss in the human brain is one of the earliest changes leading to Alzheimer's, while in mice, a similar lithium depletion accelerated memory decline. A reduced lithium level was found in some cases due to the metal's impaired uptake and its binding to amyloid plaques, which are known to be smoking gun signs of Alzheimer's. Researchers also showed that a new type of lithium compound – lithium orotate – can avoid capture by amyloid plaques and restore memory in mice. In the study, scientists used an advanced type of mass spectroscopy chemical analysis method to measure trace levels of about 30 different metals in the brain and blood samples from a range of people, including cognitively healthy people, those in an early stage of dementia, and those with advanced Alzheimer's. The analysis revealed that lithium was the only metal with markedly different levels across groups, which also seemed to change at the earliest stages of memory loss. 'Lithium turns out to be like other nutrients we get from the environment, such as iron and vitamin C,' study senior author Bruce Yankner said. 'It's the first time anyone's shown that lithium exists at a natural level that's biologically meaningful without giving it as a drug,' Dr Yankner said. Although lithium compounds have been historically in use to treat a range of mental conditions like bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, in these cases, they are given at much higher concentrations that could even be toxic to older people. Scientists have now found that lithium orotate is effective at one-thousandth this dose – enough to mimic the natural level of lithium in the brain. The latest findings with lithium orotate, however, needs to be confirmed in humans via clinical trials. Yet, researchers suspect that measuring lithium levels could help screen people for early Alzheimer's. The findings revise the theory of Alzheimer's disease, which affects nearly 400 million people worldwide, offering a new strategy for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Decades of studies have shown that Alzheimer's disease involves an array of brain abnormalities, including clumps of the protein amyloid beta, tangles of the protein tau, and a loss of the brain's protective protein REST. However, these abnormalities have never fully explained the condition. For instance, it remains unclear why some people with Alzheimer's-like changes in the brain never go on to develop dementia or cognitive decline. Recent treatments developed to target amyloid beta plaques also don't seem to reverse memory loss, only modestly reducing the rate of cognitive decline. Now, scientists say lithium could be the critical missing link. 'The idea that lithium deficiency could be a cause of Alzheimer's disease is new and suggests a different therapeutic approach,' Dr Yankner said. 'You have to be careful about extrapolating from mouse models, and you never know until you try it in a controlled human clinical trial... But so far the results are very encouraging,' he added.
10 hours ago
Italy's Ventina glacier has melted so much geologists now can only monitor it remotely
ROME -- Italy's Ventina glacier, one of the biggest in northern Lombardy, has melted so much due to climate change that geologists can no longer measure it the way they have for the past 130 years. After this year's hot summer, geologists discovered that the simple stakes used as benchmarks to measure the glacier's retraction each year are now buried under rockslides and debris that have made the terrain too unsteady for future in-person visits. The Lombardy Glaciological Service said Monday that it will now use drone imagery and remote sensing to keep track of the ongoing shrinkage. Geologists say that the Ventina glacier has already lost 1.7 kilometers (1 mile) in length since the first measuring benchmarks were positioned at the front of the glacier in 1895. The melting has accelerated in recent years, with the glacier losing 431 meters (471 yards) in the last 10 years, nearly half of that since 2021, the service said. It's another example of how accelerating global warming is melting and shrinking Europe's glaciers, causing a host of environmental and other impacts. 'While we could still hope until the 1980s that there would be normal cycles (of retraction) or at least a contained retraction, in the last 40 years something truly striking has occurred,' said Andrea Toffaletti, a member of the Lombardy Glaciological Service. Italy's mountain glaciers, which are found throughout the Alps and Dolomites in the north and along the central Apennines, have been receding for years, thanks to inadequate snowfall in the winter and record-setting hot summers. Glaciers always melt some in summer, with the runoff fueling mountain streams and rivers. But the hot summers are 'no longer able to guarantee the survival of the winter snowpack,' that keeps the glacier intact, Toffaletti said. 'In order to regenerate and remain in balance, a certain amount of residual snow from the winter must remain on the glacier's surface at the end of the summer. And this is happening less and less frequently,' said Toffaletti. According to the Lombardy service, the Alps represent a climate hotspot, recording double the global average of temperature increases since pre-industrial times, resulting in the loss of over 64% of the volume of Alpine glaciers. In February, the journal Nature reported on a study showing the world's glaciers lost ice at the rate of about 255 billion tons (231 billion metric tons) annually from 2000 to 2011, but that quickened to about 346 billion tons (314 billion metric tons) annually over about the next decade.
