IIT Delhi, AIIMS’ new device can collect microbial samples from gut

Researchers at IIT Delhi on Tuesday announced the development of an ingestible device that can sample bacteria directly from the small intestine, opening a new window into the human gut microbiome.

While not all bacteria are harmful, nearly half of all cells in the human body are microbial. These organisms line our gut and help us digest food, regulate mood, and build immunity.

Yet studying them has remained difficult. Existing tools are invasive, such as endoscopy or ileostomy, or indirect, relying on stool samples that do not truly reflect conditions higher up in the digestive tract. The device, a tiny pill, once swallowed, stays shut in the stomach.

It opens only in the intestine to collect bacteria, then seals itself again to keep the sample safe while moving through the gut, revealed the study, conducted in collaboration with the AIIMS, Delhi and funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

“The prototype microdevice, once swallowed, can autonomously collect microbes from specific regions of the upper GI tract, allowing species-level identification of the residing microbes, among other biomarkers,” Srivastava added.