Ingestible ‘bacteria on a chip’

Ultra-low-power sensors carrying genetically engineered bacteria can diagnose GI disorders
| 1 min read
Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.—Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently built an ingestible sensor—a “bacteria-on-a-chip” approach that combines sensors made from living, genetically engineered cells with ultra-low-power electronics—that they say can diagnose bleeding in the stomach or other gastrointestinal problems. Once ingested, the sensor converts the bacterial response into a wireless signal that can be read by a smart phone.
 
“By combining engineered biological sensors together with low-power wireless electronics, we can detect biological signals in the body and in near real-time, enabling new diagnostic capabilities for human health applications,” says Timothy Lu, an MIT associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science and of biological engineering.
 
The study highlighting the new technology appeared in the May 24 online edition of Science.
 
For this study, the researchers created sensors that respond to heme, a component of blood, and showed that they work in pigs. They also designed sensors that can respond to a molecule that is a marker of inflammation.
 
For their initial demonstration, the researchers focused on bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, engineering a probiotic strain of E. coli to express a genetic circuit that causes the bacteria to emit light when they encounter heme.
 
The sensor, which is a cylinder about 1.5 inches long, requires about 13 microwatts of power. The researchers equipped the sensor with a 2.7-volt battery, which they estimate could power the device for about 1.5 months of continuous use. They say it could also be powered by a voltaic cell sustained by acidic fluids in the stomach, using technology that certain members of the team had previously developed.

Related Topics

Published In

Volume 14 - Issue 7 | July 2018

July 2018

July 2018 Issue

Loading Next Article...
Loading Next Article...
Subscribe to Newsletter

Subscribe to our eNewsletters

Stay connected with all of the latest from Drug Discovery News.

Subscribe

Sponsored

Close-up illustration of clustered, irregularly shaped 3D cell structures resembling organoids, displayed in a blue-toned background.
Machine learning-powered image analysis makes it possible to automatically and reliably quantify complex 3D cell structures.
Illustration of a glowing human brain with interconnected neural networks and bright data points, set against a dark, digital background.
Take a closer look at modern techniques that reveal when, where, and how neurons communicate in real time.
Gloved hand holding a petri dish containing red liquid culture medium against a light blue background.
As global regulations shift toward animal-free testing, how can researchers develop more biologically relevant in vitro models to advance drug discovery?
Drug Discovery News June 2025 Issue
Latest IssueVolume 21 • Issue 2 • June 2025

June 2025

June 2025 Issue

Explore this issue