The Atmo Gas Capsule is a world-first solution to accurately profile the gases within the gut, leading to better diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.

The gas-sensing capsule, when swallowed, can electronically report important data about the human gastrointestinal system by detecting gases in real-time from known locations within the gut and using these biomarkers for diagnosis, resulting in targeted treatment, earlier relief of symptoms and reduced healthcare costs.

The ingestible capsule offers a potential diagnostic tool for many disorders of the gut from motility disorders, IBS and IBD to liver disease.

The Atmo Gas Capsule is currently an investigational device exclusively for use in clinical investigations, and is not available for sale.

Gut disorders are common and debilitating

Gut disorders are one of the most common ailments in the world affecting tens of millions of people.
These disorders include motility abnormalities, SIBO, IBS and IBD. Gases are important biomarkers of disease, dysfunction and dysbiosis.

AFFECTED

20% of people suffer from gastrointestinal disorders in their lifetime.

UNDIAGNOSED

30% of patients remain undiagnosed and suffer from the recurrence of disorders.

SUFFERERS IN USA

IBS affects 25 to 45 million people in the USA and 2 to 5 million in Australia.

MARKET

GI disorders and disease treatment market (2013 USD).

Until now a method has not existed to measure GI gases in situ.

Current GI tools are limited

Unfortunately, current diagnostic methods for gastrointestinal disorders are often highly invasive or rely on subjective symptomatology and questionnaires.

Diagnostic methods such as aspiration, biopsy, endoscopy, motility pills, imaging pills and breath testing all have limitations.

Gas sensing in real-time from within the gut is an accurate, convenient method of diagnosing the common GI conditions affecting the millions of sufferers of food intolerances, motility disorders, SIBO and IBS.

“Any ability to monitor the production or consumption of chemicals in the environment of the gut is incredibly powerful.”

- Jack Gilbert, Microbiologist and Director of the Microbiome Center at the University of Chicago. Source: NPR

Introducing the Atmo Gas-Sensing Capsule

A safe and accurate way of measuring the concentration of various gases at the source of production in the gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) in real-time.

Atmo gas capsule in hand
A simple, non-invasive solution

The Atmo Gas Capsule allows tests to be performed at home, without impacting daily activities.

Step 1

Step 1

Patient attends physician’s office to discuss their condition.

Step2

Step 2

Patient swallows Gas Capsule with a standard meal.

Step 3

Step 3

Data is continuously transmitted from the Gas Capsule to the receiver. At capsule exit, data are sent to the Cloud for aggregation, analysis and patient reporting.

Step 4

Step 4

Patient goes about their daily activities.

Step 5

Step 5

Capsule exit is detected when Gas Capsule has been expelled. No retrieval is necessary.

Step 6

Step 6

Data is analysed and the physician discusses the results with the patient.

Technology

Within the Atmo Gas Capsule's 2cm-long polymer shell are gas sensors, a temperature sensor, a microcontroller, a radio-frequency transmitter, and button-sized silver-oxide batteries. The gas sensors are sealed within a special membrane that allows gas in but keeps out stomach acid and digestive juices.

The technology works by using sensors to measure different gases by adjusting their heating elements, and the data can then be transmitted to a mobile phone. Oxygen concentrations are used to track the capsule's progress throughout the GI tract.

Data is transmitted in real-time to a small receiver that can be carried in a pocket or left on the nightstand when someone is home. The receiver in turn transmits the data via Bluetooth to a cell phone, which can post the data online for easy monitoring by users and doctors.

Features

Tracks location and evaluates constituents (%) of H₂, CO₂ gas present as the capsule travels through the GI tract.

Uses O₂ to track location

Temperature sensor tells patient via receiver when capsule has exited

Data to receiver to mobile device to Cloud

Gas capsule trial at RMIT
Human clinical trials

Phase 1 human clinical trials have been successfully completed on 23 people.

 

Clinical trials of the Atmo Gas Capsule were conducted on 23 healthy participants adhering to either a low- or high-fibre diet. Results showed that the capsule is safe and reliable, and accurately shows the onset of food fermentation, highlighting their potential to clinically monitor digestion and normal gut health. The trials also demonstrated that the Atmo Gas Capsule could offer a much more effective way of measuring microbiome activities in the stomach, a critical way of determining gut health.

READ PUBLISHED ARTICLE
Gas concentrations in the gut are 5,000 to 10,000 times higher than those in the breath, which results in the Capsule’s superior signal to noise ratio when compared to breath testing.

The current method for measuring gas biomarkers is using breath tests. Breath tests, however, are an indirect measurement technique requiring the gases that are generated in the gut to be absorbed into the blood stream, circulated around the body, transferred into the lungs and finally exhaled out of the mouth. For this reason breath tests show low specificity and sensitivity when compared to the direct method used by the Atmo Gas Capsule.

Breath Test Comparison Chart TXH 04-01
Key benefits

The Atmo Biosciences Gas Capsule has a unique set of benefits that could revolutionise the way gut disorders and diseases are diagnosed and managed.

Direct sensing

At the source of gas production within the gut

Greater accuracy

Up to 10,000 times better than current standards

Data

Patient data can be aggregated for clinical analysis and predictive algorithms

Low cost

Cheaper than all current methods

Non-invasive

Patients go about their normal life

Small

The size of a common vitamin pill

Real-time data collection

Data transmitted wirelessly to receiver, phone app and cloud in real-time from known location in the gut

Future opportunities

Potential applications span malabsorption to IBD

News
Media coverage

THE AUSTRALIAN (Research Magazine 2023)
The businesses and universities which collaborate best
8 November 2022

MEDICAL REPUBLIC
Digital pills are watching you
18 November 2022

MED-TECH INNOVATION
Internet of Bodies: a data-led healthcare revolution
20 September 2022

AMERICAN COUNCIL ON SCIENCE AND HEALTH
A Swallowed Pill Could Monitor Your Gas
8 January 2018

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
Electronic Gas Pill Measures Your Farts Before They Happen
9 January 2018

Scientific publications

P. A. Thwaites, C. K. Yao, J. Maggo, J. John, A. F. Chrimes, R. E. Burgell, J. G. Muir, F. C. Parker, D. So, K. Kalantar-Zadeh, R. B. Gearry, K. J. Berean, P. R. Gibson, "Comparison of gastrointestinal landmarks using the gas-sensing capsule and wireless motility capsule," Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2022; 56: 1337–1348.

J. A. Busam, E. D. Shah, "Editorial: what is needed to achieve success in developing diagnostic technologies for patients with gastrointestinal motility disorders - past and present," Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2022; 56: 1615-1616.

P. A. Thwaites, K. J. Berean, P. R. Gibson, "Editorial: what is needed to achieve success in developing diagnostic technologies for patients with gastrointestinal motility disorders - past and present. Authors' reply," Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2022; 56: 1617-1618.

M. Pimentel, R.J. Saad, M.D. Long, S. S. C. Rao, "ACG Clinical Guideline: Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth," The American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2020; 115(2): 165-178.

E. M. M. Quigley, "The Spectrum of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)," Current Gastroenterology Reports. 2019;21(1):3.

S. S. C. Rao, J. Bhagatwala, "Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth: Clinical Features and Therapeutic Management," Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology. 2019;10(10):e00078.

K. J. Berean, N. Ha, J. Z. Ou, A. F. Chrimes, D. Grando, C. K. Yao, J. G. Muir, S. A. Ward, R. E. Burgell, P. R. Gibson, K. Kalantar-zadeh, "The safety and sensitivity of a telemetric capsule to monitor gastrointestinal hydrogen production in-vivo in healthy subjects: a pilot trial comparison to concurrent breath analysis," Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2018; 48: 646–654.

K. Kalantar-zadeh, K. J. Berean, N. Ha, A. F. Chrimes, K. Xu, D. Grando, J. Z. Ou, N. Pillai, J. L. Campbell, R. Brkljača, K. M. Taylor, R. E. Burgell, C. K. Yao, S. A. Ward, C. S. McSweeney, J. G. Muir, and P. R. Gibson, "A human pilot trial of ingestible electronic capsules capable of sensing different gases in the gut," Nature Electronics, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 79-87, 2018/01/01 2018.

K. Kalantar-zadeh, N. Ha, J. Z. Ou, and K. J. Berean, "Ingestible Sensors," ACS Sensors, Review vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 468-483, 2017.

J. Z. Ou, J. J. Cottrell, N. Ha, N. Pillai, C. K. Yao, K. J. Berean, S. A. Ward, D. Grando, J. G. Muir, C. J. Harrison, U. Wijesiriwardana, F. R. Dunshea, P. R. Gibson, and K. Kalantar-zadeh, "Potential of in vivo real-time gastric gas profiling: A pilot evaluation of heat-stress and modulating dietary cinnamon effect in an animal model," Scientific Reports, Article vol. 6, 2016, Art. no. 33387.

K. Kalantar-zadeh, C. K. Yao, K. J. Berean, N. Ha, J. Z. Ou, S. A. Ward, N. Pillai, J. Hill, J. J. Cottrell, F. R. Dunshea, C. McSweeney, J. G. Muir, and P. R. Gibson, "Intestinal Gas Capsules: A Proof-of-Concept Demonstration," Gastroenterology, Article vol. 150, no. 1, pp. 37-39, 2016.

J. Z. Ou, C. K. Yao, A. Rotbart, J. G. Muir, P. R. Gibson, and K. Kalantar-zadeh, "Human intestinal gas measurement systems: in vitro fermentation and gas capsules," Trends in Biotechnology, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 208-213, 2015/04/01/ 2015.

K. J. Berean, E. M. Adetutu, J. Z. Ou, M. Nour, E. P. Nguyen, D. Paull, J. McLeod, R. Ramanathan, V. Bansal, K. Latham, G. J. Bishop-Hurley, C. McSweeney, A. S. Ball, and K. Kalantar-zadeh, "A unique in vivo approach for investigating antimicrobial materials utilizing fistulated animals," Scientific Reports, Article vol. 5, 2015, Art. no. 11515.



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Team
Board
Malcolm Hebblewhite

Malcolm Hebblewhite

CEO and Co-Founder

Kate Hill

Kate Hill

Chair of the Board & Non-Executive Director

Chris Roberts

Dr. Chris Roberts AO

Non-Executive Director

Chris Bertrand

Chris Bertrand

Non-Executive Director

Operations
Dr Kyle Berean

Dr. Kyle Berean

VP Technology and Co-Founder

James John

Dr. James John

VP Operations and Co-Founder

Sue Dafnias

Sue Dafnias

Head of Commercial

Dr Carl Runde

Dr. Carl Runde

Chief Financial Officer

Adam Chrimes

Dr. Adam Chrimes

Principal Engineer and Co-Founder

Daniel Broadhurst

Quality and Regulatory Affairs Manager

Advisory
Prof Kourosh Kalantar zadeh

Professor Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh

Lead Scientific Advisor

Medical Advisory Board

Prof. Eamonn Quigley

Houston Methodist Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College

Professor Peter Gibson

Prof. Peter Gibson

Monash University, The Alfred

Prof William D. Chey

Prof William D. Chey

University of Michigan

Prof. Satish Rao

Prof. Satish Rao

Augusta University

Dr Braden Kuo

Dr. Braden Kuo

Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Prof. Anthony Lembo

Prof. Anthony Lembo

Cleveland Clinic

Prof. Lin Chang

Prof. Lin Chang

University of California

Group photo of the Atmo Biosciences team 2022
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