LONDON: A drink will soon unravel secrets of the human gut and help diagnose irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, Crohn's disease and other gastrointestinal illnesses Researchers from the University of Buffalo in the US are developing a new imaging technique involving nanoparticles suspended in liquid to form a "Nano-juice" that patients would drink.
On reaching the small intestine, doctors would strike the nanoparticles with a harmless laser light, providing an unparalleled, non-invasive, real-time view of the organ.
"Conventional imaging methods show the organ and blockages, but this method allows you to see how the small intestine operates in real time," said Jonathan Lovell, UB assistant professor ofbiomedical engineering. "Better imaging will improve our understanding of these diseases and allow doctors to more effectively care for people suffering from them."
In laboratory experiments performed with mice, the researchers administered the nano-juice orally. They then used photoacoustic tomography, pulsed laser lights that generate pressure waves which when measured provide a real-time and more nuanced view of the small intestine.
The researchers plan to continue to refine the technique for human trials and move into other areas of the gastrointestinal tract.
The average human small intestine is roughly 23 feet long and 1 inch thick. Sandwiched between the stomach and large intestine, it is where much of the digestion and absorption of food takes place. It is also where symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, Crohn's disease and other gastrointestinal illnesses occur.
To assess the organ, doctors typically require patients to drink a thick, chalky liquid containing barium. Doctors then use X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasounds to assess the organ but these techniques are limited with respect to safety, accessibility and lack of adequate contrast.
None are highly effective at providing real-time imaging of movement such as peristalsis which is the contraction of muscles that propels food through the small intestine. Dysfunction of these movements may also be side effects of thyroid disorders, diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
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