Non-invasive Telemetric Assessment of Gut Microbiota Activity in Situ

Physical, mental, and environmental stress, as well as diet and hydration have an impact on overall health, performance, and well-being of humans. These factors all affect the composition and metabolism of the microbiota in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The mix of microorganisms in the gut, and their metabolic transformation of food, can alter the overall health and physiology of the host. Measurement of the interactions between the gut microbiome, dietary intake, and human activities can provide insight that may lead to increases in overall human performance and health. Single-point measurements of microbiome metabolites are insufficient to provide detailed information of physiological status, because there can be large variations in an individual`s GI transport speed, absorption, and hydration. In-situ measurements of chemical environment and microbiome metabolites, along the GI tract, have the promise to provide sufficient details to assess overall individual health, and may indicate changes in diet and/or environment that would have beneficial or detrimental effects on health and performance results. Nanohmics, Inc., teamed with the Texas AandM University Health Science Center, will develop an ingestible capsule to measure a number of in-situ microbiome metabolites during transit through the GI tract. The capsule will provide measurements via RF data link.