Researchers are looking forward to an electronic sensor inside a pill, which could help diagnose diseases by examining gas in the intestines. According to Cell Press, gases are produced by gut microbes, which are thought to play a role in gastrointestinal diseases in some cases. The new gas sensor could help know more regarding the effect of these intestinal gases. This could lead to new treatments and diagnostic techniques.

As per Cell Press, the innovative pill contains a protective shell that encapsulates a gas sensor, which is a microprocessor and wireless transmitter; it helps in processing and transferring of the data. The pill also comprises a miniature battery.

According to senior author Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh, professor of electrical and computer engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, effect of the human gut on gastrointestinal diseases consumes a major share of health care expenditure every year throughout the world.

“Innovative point-of-care methodologies for assessing gut state and diagnosing relevant diseases, as described in this article, will bring unprecedented benefits to the general public by providing medical and diagnostic devices that significantly reduce medical costs and improve the efficiency of the health care system", he added.

Different byproducts are produced by different types of gut, which help identify different types of gas. These gases could probably tell about risk of diseases in an individual, like colon cancer and irritable bowel syndrome.

Another method of gas detection is in vitro fermentation, in which fecal samples are cultured in absence of oxygen. Kalantar-zadeh said both the techniques can considerably affect relevant medical industries and public health sectors as both of them are noninvasive and they could lead to the formulation of other methodologies.