The team modified harmless E. coli bacteria so that it could detect nitrates (which are produced by the gut during inflammation) and ‘glow’. The Bluetooth capsule then detects the light and sends this information along to a smart phone app. Next, researchers send signals to the capsule through the app to make it emit a LED light. The light then triggers the bacteria to release anti-inflammatory antibodies to the surrounding tissues, providing a real-time targeted treatment.
This concept was successfully tested on three pigs that were infected with colitis, a type of inflammatory gut disease that affects certain areas of the digestive tract, making them more swollen. The engineered E.coli was placed directly into the inflamed areas and the disease was treated with the aid of the capsule.
The treatment is still in its early proof-of-concept stage and has only been tested on animals. However, before this treatment can be applied to humans, there are many aspects such as safety, its effect on the human gut biome and its applicability that need to be evaluated by the researchers.
The potential for this treatment is immense as it is not just colitis but numerous systemic conditions influenced by gut health, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and chronic fatigue...
Despite this, the potential for this treatment is immense as it is not just colitis but numerous systemic conditions influenced by gut health, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and chronic fatigue that can be readily diagnosed and treated through this capsule.
Ultimately, the study hints at an exciting first step toward microbiome-based biotechnologies that could one day become a cornerstone of modern medicine and offer relief to a broad repertoire of patients.