Posted: 11 July 2023
Atmo Biosciences, a company commercializing the world’s first ingestible gas-sensing capsule that provides insights into gut health and microbiome function, today announced results from a clinical study have found that its gas-sensing capsule can be used to provide insights into localization of colonic fermentation.
The Monash University study, published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, investigated the impact of dietary fiber interventions and a low FODMAP diet on regional colonic fermentation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The Atmo Gas Capsule was one of several methods used to assess the effect of the dietary interventions, along with the SmartPill capsule that measures pH, and fecal microbiota assessment.
The study found the Atmo gas-sensing capsule was the only tool that could detect the shift in the distribution of fermentation in the colon due to dietary manipulations. This is important because, while fermentation plays a pivotal role in maintaining colonic health, the location of the fermentation is an important consideration, and the capsule could help clinicians characterize and measure the distribution of fermentation in the colon.
Monash researcher and article author Daniel So said: “Carbohydrate fermentation plays a pivotal role in maintaining colonic health with excessive proximal and deficient distal fermentation being detrimental.
“The application of the Atmo gas-sensing capsule provided insights into how dietary manipulation can affect regional colonic fermentation beyond the capabilities of conventional stool measurements. Not only does this work provide novel perspectives of how different types of fiber are utilized in the colon, but it may also change how colonic fermentation is assessed moving forward.”
The Atmo Gas Capsule is currently an investigational device exclusively for use in clinical investigations and is not available for sale.
