
Dynamic monitoring of systemic biomarkers with gastric sensors
Continuous monitoring in the intensive care setting has transformed our capacity to rapidly respond with interventions for patients in extremis. Non-invasive monitoring has generally been limited to transdermal or intravascular systems coupled to transducers including oxygen saturation or pressure. We hypothesized that gastric fluid (GF) and gases, accessible through nasogastric (NG) tubes, commonly found in intensive care settings, could provide continuous access to a broad range of biomarkers. We conducted a broad characterization of swine GF coupled to time-matched serum and observed a broad range of biomarkers in GF. We established the relationship and kinetics of GF-derived analyte level dynamics by correlating these to serum levels in an acute renal failure and an inducible stress model performed in swine. Non-invasive access to the dynamic profile of a broad range of biomarkers introduces the possibility to observe changes in real time facilitating rapid responses in evolving clinical settings.


Co-incidence of markers in
serum and gastric fluid (GF). The plot shows a comparison of a set of analytes in serum- and GF. All but 8 out of 125 serum analytes (inner circle) are detectable in porcine GF (outer
circle). For simplification the pie chart only shows detectable serum analytes. All markers are shown in the bubble chart (n = 5 for each group, 154 detectable markers in total).
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H.-W. Huang, D. de Gruijl, P. Fritz, I. Ballinger, G. Selsing, P. R. Chai, G. Traverso, “Encapsulation of Gas Sensors to Operate in the Gastrointestinal Tract for Continuous Monitoring,” IEEE Sensors, Dallas, USA, 2022
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C. Steiger, N. V. Phan, H.-W. Huang, H. Sun, D. Reiker, D. Gwynne, J. Collins, S. Tamang, R. McManus, A. Lopes, A. Hayward, R. M. Baron, E. Y. Kim, G. Traverso, “Dynamic monitoring of systemic biomarkers with gastric sensors,” Advanced Science, 2102861, 2021
In Situ Detection of Gastrointestinal Inflammatory Biomarkers Using Electrochemical Gas Sensors
More than two decades ago it was discovered that nitric oxide (NO) concentrations in gas aspirated during colonoscopy were more than 100 times higher in patients diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) than controls. While this provides a diagnostic opportunity, it has not been possible to perform in situ detection of NO via a non-invasive manner. This work presents the feasibility of in situ detection of NO by means of a capsule-like electrochemical gas sensor. Our in vivo results in a large animal model of intestinal inflammation show that NO can be directly detected at the site of inflammation and that it quickly dissipates to surrounding tissues, demonstrating the importance of in situ detection.

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H.-W. Huang, C. Ehmke, C. Steiger, I. Ballinger, M. Jimenez, N. Phan, H. Sun, K. Ishida, J. Kuosmanen, J. Jenkins, J. Kozennik, A. Hayward, G. Traverso, “In Situ Detection of Gastrointestinal Inflammatory Biomarkers Using Electrochemical Gas Sensors,” The 44th International Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference, Glasgow, UK(EMBC 2022)