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Capsule more accurate than breath test for detecting hydrogen in gut
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A swallowable capsule more accurately detected gas in the gut than breath tests, the current standard used to diagnose several gastrointestinal disorders, according to research published in Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
The pill-sized sensor — developed by researchers RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, and marketed by Atmo Biosciences — could improve the diagnosis of gut disorders and help explain previously undiagnosed conditions, researchers said in a press release.
“The rate of false positive and false negative diagnosis that breath tests give is a real problem in gastroenterology,” Kyle J. Berean, PhD, of the School of Engineering at RMIT University and chief technology officer at Atmo Biosciences, said in the press release. “Importantly, this test is non-invasive and allows the patient to continue with their daily life as normal.”
As previously reported by Healio Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, the capsule works by using thermal conductivity and semiconducting sensors to measure different gases by adjusting their heating elements, and the data can be sent to a smart phone
Berean and colleagues simultaneously tested the capsule against breath tests in a single-blind trial in 12 health individuals. Investigators gave the patients either a single dose of 1.25–40g of inulin (n = 8), or of 20 g or 40 g of glucose (n = 4). They also assessed the safety and reliability of the capsule.
While minimal hydrogen production was detected after glucose ingestion, the capsule measurements correlated to breath hydrogen after ingestion of 40 g of inulin.
The capsule detected a dose-dependent increase in concentration of hydrogen after the ingestion of as little as 1.25 g of inulin. The breath test needed more than 10 g to detect this same level of hydrogen.
Investigators found no adverse events, and all the capsules were retrieved and operated without failure.
In the press release Kourish Kalantar-zadeh, PhD, of the RMIT School of Engineering and lead scientific advisor at Atmo, said the capsules were highly sensitive and had a high signal-to-noise ratio in measuring the concentration of hydrogen in the gut.
“This gives us confidence that our new technology could potentially solve many mysteries of the gut and help the large portion of the population who have not been able to find a useful diagnosis or treatment for their symptoms,” he said. – by Alex Young
Disclosures: Berean and Kalantar-zadeh are employed by Atmo Biosciences. Please see the full study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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