November 13, 2023.

Atmo Biosciences is pleased to announce that the Japan Patent Office has granted a patent related to key intellectual property for Atmo’s ingestible gas-sensing capsule.

The Atmo Gas Capsule is the world’s first ingestible gas-sensing capsule that provides insights into gastrointestinal health and microbiome function. This can help clinicians and researchers to diagnose and manage functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). FGIDs affect 40 per cent of the world’s population¹, and are associated with poor quality of life and increased health economic costs.

The granted patent protects the ingestible capsule’s unique gas-sensing functionality and the ability to wirelessly transmit the data it collects. Atmo has an exclusive, worldwide license for the patent from RMIT University – where the original technology was invented.

The Japanese patent follows the granting of the equivalent patent in the USA in September 2022 and Europe and Australia in November 2022.

Atmo CEO Malcolm Hebblewhite said: “This patent further solidifies Atmo’s global intellectual property position. Japan is an important future market for Atmo, with rates of FGIDs in line with the global average¹. The patent covers important components of the Atmo system, as well as future applications of the technology.”

Professor Calum Drummond, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation at RMIT University, said: “We are delighted to have another patent granted for the capsule technology originally invented at RMIT. We love seeing our research having an impact in the real world, and it is very exciting to see how Atmo is developing this IP into a product that could improve the lives of patients suffering from gastrointestinal disorders.”

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

1. Sperber AD, Bangdiwala SI, Drossman DA, Ghoshal US, Simren M, Tack J, et al. Worldwide prevalence and burden of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, results of Rome Foundation global study. Gastroenterology. 2020 April 12; 160:99-114. DOI:1053/j.gastro.2020.04.014