Open AccessIngestible Osmotic Pill for In Vivo Sampling of Gut Microbiomes
Author(s) -
Rezaei Nejad Hojatollah,
Oliveira Bruno C. M.,
Sadeqi Aydin,
Dehkharghani Amin,
Kondova Ivanela,
Langermans Jan A. M.,
Guasto Jeffrey S.,
Tzipori Saul,
Widmer Giovanni,
Sonkusale Sameer R.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
advanced intelligent systems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2640-4567
DOI - 10.1002/aisy.201900053
Subject(s) - microbiome , in vivo , pill , gut microbiome , sampling (signal processing) , population , biology , medicine , bioinformatics , pharmacology , microbiology and biotechnology , computer science , environmental health , filter (signal processing) , computer vision
Technologies capable of noninvasively sampling different locations in the gut upstream of the colon enable new insights into the role of organ‐specific microbiota in human health. Herein, an ingestible, biocompatible, battery‐less, 3D‐printed microengineered pill with an integrated osmotic sampler and microfluidic channels for in vivo sampling of the gut lumen and its microbiome upstream of the colon is discussed. The pill's sampling performance is characterized using realistic in vitro models and validated in vivo in pigs and primates. Herein, the results show that the bacterial populations recovered from the pill's microfluidic channels closely resemble the bacterial population demographics of the microenvironment to which the pill is exposed. Herein, it is believed that such lab‐on‐a‐pill devices revolutionize the understanding of the spatial diversity of the gut microbiome and its response to medical conditions and treatments.