Atmo Biosciences is pleased to announce that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted the patent for Atmo’s ingestible gas sensor capsule.

The Atmo Gas Capsule is the world’s first ingestible gas-sensing capsule for monitoring gastrointestinal health and microbiome function.

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.

Malcolm Hebblewhite, Atmo CEO and Managing Director commented: “The grant of this patent is an exciting milestone for Atmo Biosciences. The patent is an important cornerstone of Atmo’s IP strategy for protection of the Atmo Gas Capsule System and the Atmo future product pipeline.

“Grant of the patent in the USA is particularly satisfying, as it supports our commercial plans, which prioritise this large and important market,” he said.

Atmo is fulfilling an unmet clinical need by developing tools to diagnose and manage functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) using its unique gas-sensing capsule platform, which provides insight into microbiome function.

FGIDs affect 40 per cent of the world’s population¹, and over 75% of these patients have seen a doctor in the last year. These disorders are associated with poor quality of life and increased health economic costs, with 40 per cent of these patients taking regular medication².

Atmo’s unique platform technology allows clinicians and researchers to detect clinically important gaseous biomarkers directly, at the source of production by the gut microbiome. This provides insight into gut health or dysfunction, with the aim of offering a more personalised approach to therapy and improving outcomes for patients with FGIDs.

Professor Calum Drummond, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation at RMIT University, said, “Grant of this patent is an important step in the process of commercialisation of the Atmo gas-sensing capsule technology.

“It is gratifying to see IP originating at RMIT being successfully licensed and translated into a healthcare product designed to address the needs of a large, underserved clinical need in patients with functional gut disorders,” he said.

References:

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.
2. Fikree A and Byrne P. Management of functional gastrointestinal disorders. Clin Med (Lond). 2021 Jan 21 (1): 44-52. DOI: 7861/clinmed.2020-0980. PMID: 33479067.