Researchers have successfully created a pill with a sensor that detects the location of the disease, and the data is transmitted to a computer for artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze.

The research was conducted by Khan Lab at the Viterbi School of Engineering – University of Southern California (USC), led by Associate Professor Yasser Khan, and published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science. In which, the smart pill is considered a breakthrough thanks to its ability to find the right location and detect the disease early.

Khan’s team, along with the Institute for Innovation in Medical Systems and Technology (ITEMS) at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Biosciences, placed a wearable coil that generates a magnetic field on a T-shirt. At the same time, a capsule containing a sensor would go inside the body. The coil’s job would be to locate the pill.

The capsule would be packed with tiny biosensors that could track each of the diseases identified earlier. The outside would be covered with a “gas-selective optical sensing membrane” – a membrane made of a material whose electrons change behavior when ammonia gas is present.

Inside the body, ammonia gas is a component produced by the gut bacteria H pylori. Elevated levels of the gas could signal stomach ulcers, stomach cancer or irritable bowel syndrome. “This gas is considered a ‘surrogate’ of the gut and could be used as an early detection mechanism,” Khan explains.

With the sensor material, the team tested its ability to be corroded in the intestinal environment, initially simulating liquid and cow intestines. Thanks to the coil, doctors can accurately determine the location of the disease. The collected data will be transferred to the computer, AI will analyze before making a final diagnosis.

“It’s like a GPS system in the human body,” said Khan. “The biosensor can be ingested, combined with the coil, which is compact, providing a clear direction for diagnosis and treatment.”

However, the pill has not been tested on the human body. In addition to early detection of ulcers, inflammation and stomach cancer, the team said the device is also aimed at monitoring brain health. “This will be a non-invasive method for detecting neurotransmitters related to Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease,” Khan added.