New Zealand (Commonwealth Union) – Non-invasive bioelectrical activity sensors have the potential to revolutionize the screening process for patients with compromised gut health, reducing the necessity for costly and invasive medical procedures.
Stefan Calder, a recent PhD graduate from the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI) at the University of Auckland, takes the lead and shares joint-first authorship on two articles published this month in esteemed scientific journals focused on the topic of gut health. Stefan emphasizes the rising incidence of gastric disorders in the human population and highlights the critical need for dependable non-invasive methods to accurately evaluate gastric functionality.
He says, “Many people suffering with chronic gut issues are on a constant diagnostic treadmill of antibiotics or proton pump inhibitors until they are sent for an endoscopy. A reliable surface-based recording could bridge the gap between symptom-based diagnostics and the more invasive minor surgery tests.”
Much like the rhythmic pulsations of the heart, the movement of the gut relies on bioelectrical activity. However, reliably detecting this electrical activity within the gut has posed significant challenges. Researchers from the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI) and the Department of Surgery at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences have introduced an innovative device comprising adhesive sensor patches and a recording apparatus, along with associated methodologies. This breakthrough has given birth to a dependable non-invasive tool capable of mapping electrical waves emanating from the stomach.
Termed “Body Surface Gastric Mapping” (BSGM), this approach has demonstrated its prowess in accurately discerning gastric slow wave activity. Remarkably, it has yielded an unexpected revelation by identifying two distinct subgroups within chronic nausea and vomiting syndromes.
The initial paper, featured in The American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, showcases the utility of this mapping tool in a pre-clinical study involving pigs, serving as a validation step before progressing to clinical trials involving human patients. BSGM has proven its capability to faithfully record bioelectrical activity on the surface of the gut, capturing nuanced alterations in both the frequency and direction of electromagnetic waves.
In a subsequent publication in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers set out to investigate disparities in bioelectrical activity between healthy individuals and patients afflicted with chronic nausea and vomiting syndromes, as defined by the innovative gastric mapping device. Surprising findings emerged. Stefan indicated that roughly two-thirds of the symptomatic patient cohort exhibited entirely normal bioelectrical activity, while the remainder displayed abnormal activity. It was recognized that the existence of two distinct subtypes within what was formerly considered a single disease. This discovery may pave the way for a more nuanced understanding or classification of this ailment into two distinct diseases, each rooted in different underlying mechanisms. For instance, abnormal bioelectrical activity likely signals intrinsic issues within the stomach itself, whereas those patients with entirely normal slow wave propagation likely suffer from problems originating elsewhere.
According to the research, “This idea of recording electrical activity on the body’s surface has been around for a long time. ECG machines, recording electrical activity have gained diagnostic acceptance for the last 100 years, but in the gut that is not the case. Through these studies we have validated a device and process that can reliably and accurately evidence bioelectrical activity in the stomach. We also show that bioactivity in the stomach can be a useful biological marker for disease.” It adds, “With this bio-electrical information on hand to inform clinical guidance or treatment, people experiencing chronic vomiting or nausea may be directed to different pathways and may receive diagnosis and more appropriate treatment options sooner.”
Peng Du, the Associate Director of the Bioengineering Institute, expresses that these groundbreaking discoveries and prestigious publications are indeed a remarkable achievement. They symbolize the culmination of decades of dedicated research conducted at ABI and the Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences.
