Capsule assesses microbiome

Increasingly, the role of the microbiome is found to be implicated in many biological processes outside of the gut.  In this piece, Tufts University scientists have designed a 3D printed pill that can sample the microbiome as it moves through the GI tract.  “It incorporates two interior chambers that are separated by a semi-permeable membrane. One of these chambers contains helical (helix-shaped) microfluidic channels, in which bacteria gathered from different stages of the GI tract are stored. The other contains calcium salt which produces an osmotic flow across the membrane, pulling bacteria from outside of the capsule into the channels in the first chamber.”  By this means, it’s possible to distinguish the level of harmful bacteria from the necessary ones.     MORE

Image Credit:  Tufts University