New Video Pill Detects Gastrointestinal Tract Tumors With Ease!

A tiny sensing system camera in the form of a capsule can be swallowed to detect tumors in the gut than the conventional endoscopes.Video technology is a emerging technology wherein a camera on the end of a flexible, steerable rod is inserted into the patient’s throat or rectum to image the upper or lower gastrointestinal duct.

In this study, researchers have combined video endoscopy with a technique called fluorescence imaging, which exploits a phenomenon where certain molecules emit light when they are illuminated by specific wavelengths outside the visible spectrum.

A single-photon avalanche detector (SPAD), generates a pulse of current every time it is hit by a photon of the fluorescent light, which is generated using a simple LED to illuminate the suspected tumor.

‘The system we’ve developed is small enough and power efficient enough to image the entire human gastrointestinal tract for up to 14 hours,’ said Dr. Mohammed Al-Rawhani, University of Glasgow.

“We’ve confirmed in the lab the ability of the system to image fluorescence ‘phantoms’ – mixtures of flavins and hemoglobin which mimic closely how cancers are affected by fluorescence in parts of the body like the intestines, the bowel and the esophagus. The system could also be used to help track antibodies used to label cancer in the human body, creating a new way to detect of cancer,” said Al-Rawhani.

Source-Medindia