EDISENS · An Edible Microelectrofluidic Biosensor for Gastric Enzyme Quantification

An Edible Microelectrofluidic Biosensor for Gastric Enzyme Quantification

EDISENS aims at delivering edible biosesnors measuring specific biomarkers in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for early detection of GI disorders. This is achieved by integrating microfluidics, electronics, and bioreagents into an edible device that can be digested by the human body after completing its task. Nowadays, commercial ingestible devices for GI tract monitoring are well-established and represent an exponentially growing business, expected to reach $1495 billion by 2027. However, these minimally invasive systems typically use non-degradable materials encapsulated into a biocompatible matrix and require hospitalisation to be administrated. Due to their non-degradable nature, they suffer from retention risk within the GI tract. Damage to the encapsulant can also cause the release of potentially toxic material within the human body causing further complications. Furthermore, the disposal of these non-degradable devices poses issues as they are potentially biohazard waste and contribute to the accumulation of electronic waste (e-waste) in wastewater and the environment. These concerns about invasivity, toxicity, possible complications, and environmental impact of ingestible devices call for an immediate shift of paradigm toward the use of novel materials. Edible devices represent the next generation of ingestible technology as they use safe-to-eat bioresorbable materials, overcoming any concern about toxicity. Edible devices are designed to be digested by the human body; as such, there is no associated retention risk, and they eliminate costs and issues associated with their disposal. EDISENS aims at integrating microfluidics, electronics, and biomolecules into an edible biosensor, an unprecedented device in the scientific literature, and employ the novel device as a tool for non-invasive access to gastric fluid testing. The ultimate aim of this action is to deliver and demonstrate an edible biosensor for gastric biomarkers and quantify its key performance metrics - including limit of detection, sensitivity and specificity - in-vitro with simulated gastric fluid.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union