Novel Technologies
Leading the way in innovative bioengineering approaches.
In the not-too-distant future, you might be able to wear a bracelet that measures the inflammatory status of your intestines or have an intestinal fistula repaired with the help of a medical-grade putty. These are just some of the ways the Foundation is leading the way in innovative bioengineering approaches that could change how IBD is monitored and treated and change patients’ lives.
We are currently supporting many research projects that use cutting-edge bioengineering technology, several of which are highlighted here.
Monitoring Symptoms with Non-invasive Biosensors
At the University of Texas, Dallas, researchers are developing a wearable patch that measures inflammatory biomarkers in sweat. Researchers have already figured out how to detect a variety of substances that are secreted in sweat. The goal is to capture sweat in real time—you wouldn’t have to exercise or be sweating profusely—and measure inflammatory biomarkers in it. The patch currently under development could also alert a patient about any changes, enabling them (in collaboration with their doctor) to make informed decisions about their treatment.
The team has already developed and validated the sensor technology and embedded the sensors into a working wearable prototype. They also conducted a study in which they were able to accurately and continuously measure multiple inflammatory markers in the sweat of healthy individuals continuously for over 24 hours. They then improved the technology to be able to monitor these signals for up to one week and initiated several clinical studies to evaluate the ability of the device to detect and monitor inflammation in ulcerative colitis patients
Growing “Mini Guts” for Lab and Drug Research
Through our Fibrosis Initiative, we’re funding work that uses stem cell technology to grow three-dimensional “mini guts” in micro-engineered chips. This unique project is enabling scientists to learn more about the role that genes play in the development of fibrosis (strictures), a buildup of scar tissues in the intestines that often leads to surgery.
Mini-gut models are grown from blood cells from IBD patients. Thanks to funding by the Foundation, researchers at Cedars-Sinai have been refining this technology and recently published a proof-of-concept study in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases® (IBD Journal) proving that they can create personalized mini-guts from any patient using “induced pluripotent stem cells.” This is the first publication backed by our Fibrosis Initiative.
Pluripotent stem cells have the potential to turn into any type of cell in the body. Until recently, many scientists believed that only embryonic stem cells had this capability. Robert Barrett, PhD, and Stephan Targan, MD, used a grant from the Foundation to develop an unprecedented methodology: They can now take blood samples from an adult patient, extract stem cells from their blood, induce those stem cells to convert to a pluripotent (embryonic) state, and use them to create mini-guts that match the genetics of that same patient.
Barrett and Targan have also been able to induce fibrosis in the mini-gut model by exposing the cells to an inflammatory cytokine (protein) called TGF-beta.
This research will enable scientists to learn more about the mechanisms that cause fibrosis and ideally one day help them explain why certain patients are prone to it. It also opens the door for precision medicine: After growing a mini-gut of a particular patient, doctors could test different anti-fibrotic therapies on it to see which one would likely produce the best response in the patient.
Revolutionizing Fistula Treatment
A number of Crohn’s disease patients will eventually develop fistulas, which are abnormal channels that can extend through the bowel wall into other organs or tissue and cause swelling, pain, and potentially life-threatening infections that require surgery. A new putty-like gel might change that.
Through IBD Ventures, the Foundation is currently investing in Tissium, a private company that manufactures a medical-grade putty that sticks within the body in damp conditions and, when activated by light or other stimuli, hardens to form a tight seal. The hope is that this compound will lend itself to plugging fistulas via a minimally invasive procedure that might one day reduce the need for major surgery, enabling fistulas to be rapidly sealed, preventing leakage, while also allowing the body tissue to heal more quickly.
The putty draws on some of the principles of slug and snail secretions that stick to wet surfaces. It was invented by a professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital who was motivated to apply this treatment to IBD by his desire to help his daughter, who has ulcerative colitis. Tissium has since been refining the product; the putty is already approved in Europe for use in cardiovascular procedures.
Tissium is working to demonstrate that the gel can accelerate healing of fistulas in a preclinical animal model of perianal fistula. The goal is that it will not only seal a fistula track but also serve as a frame on which new, healthy cells can grow.
Click here for more information on Tissium and other innovative projects we’re supporting.
Getting Medication Where Patients Need It Most
Most currently available IBD medications need to reach the intestine to be effective, but to get there they first must make their way through the bloodstream, which can impact other organs and lead to unwanted side effects. A new “smart pill” aims to deliver medicine directly to the colon, which would increase efficacy while minimizing absorption into the bloodstream and related side effects.
This smart pill is being developed by Biora Therapeutics, a biotechnology company. Using funding from our venture philanthropy program, IBD Ventures, Biora Therapeutics will test whether this smart pill can be used to deliver medication directly to the colon of ulcerative colitis patients.
This pill, which contains a tiny computer chip, can be loaded with medication and programmed to travel to the cecum (first part of the large intestine or colon). Biora Therapeutics has already demonstrated that a version of this smart pill works in healthy people. Thanks to the Foundation’s IBD Ventures program investment, they are now testing a smaller, upgraded version in healthy people and will soon test it in ulcerative colitis patients.
