Houston-based Rice University synthetic biologists developed ingestible gut bacteria capable of sensing colitis in mice.
Here's what you should know.
1. Researchers administer the biosensor as an oral liquid. Researchers tested it on two groups of mice: one healthy, one with colitis.
2. The sensor detects thiosulfate and activates a fluorescent green protein visible with a flow cytometer.
3. Jeffrey Tabor, PhD, assistant professor of bioengineering and biosciences at Rice University, said the study proves the modifiable nature of gut bacteria to detect specific metabolites.
4. Researchers could potentially reengineer the biosensor to detect colitis in humans, although that would take several years of development. Researchers do not know if thiosulfate is a biomarker of human colitis.
5. Dr. Tabor envisions creating a home inflammation test, where a person with colitis could eat a yogurt and see a pigment in their toilet if they were sick.
He said in a release, "a test could reduce unneeded and costly trips to the doctor and unneeded colonoscopy procedures."
6. Dr. Tabor is collaborating with Waco, Texas-based Baylor University gastroenterologists to continue development.