Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

A WHO report shows that luminal gastrointestinal (GI) cancer caused 1.82M deaths worldwide in 2012. Furthermore, 60% of small bowel cancers are detected in advanced stages; if diagnosed early, the survival rate goes up from 43% to 83%. Thus, early detection of malignancies at a curable stage is critical for improving prognosis and reducing mortality.GI abnormalities are currently diagnosed with a tool called Wireless Capsule Endoscopy (WCE), where a patient swallows a camera capsule that travels through small bowel, captures and sends color images that are used for diagnosis. While WCE works well for small bowel abnormalities (like, obscure GI bleeding, inflammatory bowel disease, neoplastic lesions and Crohn's disease), common limitations are suboptimal image quality, poor visibility of GI features, low capsule life, and inability to localize lesions, that lead to inefficient and incomplete diagnosis. It also suffers heavily in detecting precancerous cells and malignant GI tumors.The DG program aims to overcome these limitations by developing the next generation WCE tool that integrates new on-chip fluorescence and analog ingestible sensors. In fluorescence imaging, light waves penetrate deep into tissue, causing normal and cancerous cells to exhibit distinguishable optical characteristics; as a result, new mucosal features become visible, enabling early detection of malignancies.In addition, GI bleeding is currently diagnosed by image analysis, which is error-prone, resulting in suboptimal treatment. We propose to use on-chip color sensors that capture spectral details of GI fluid and wall, making it possible to accurately detect various bleeding conditions (active, chronic or clot) in real time. It will eliminate the need for continuous camera use, saving power and extending capsule's battery life. We propose to use pH, pressure and motion sensors to help localize the capsule.The research outcomes will improve the effectiveness and accuracy of GI diagnosis by enabling early detection of malignancies and real time detection of bleeding. With only four commercial WCE pills in use, and the growing global market (~US$455M in 2014 and increasing by 8.7% in 2020), the research is well positioned to make an impact in areas of biomedical engineering and medical technologies.Like humans, GI disorders are common in large animals, like horses. Direct examination of the small bowel in horses is only possible during surgery. Thus, an equine-only WCE tool has applications in both clinical diagnostic (GI bleeding, post-surgical exam of anastomosis) and research use (study GI imaging). Can we design the first-ever capsule pill for equine endoscopy? In this proposal, we will conduct animal trial (using human pill), analyze the data, and use it to generate equine-specific design requirements. With the lack of similar devices in vet market, the research will open up new opportunities in vet diagnosis.