Two Robotics Institute faculty, Eric Diller and Yu Sun, have each received $50,000 in research funding from the Connaught Innovation Awards. The Connaught Innovation Awards recognize and support innovations that have strong socio-economic or commercial potential. A total of 10 research teams from across U of T will share up to $500,000 in funding in this year’s cohort.
Eric Diller is researching the “gut microbiome”, a factor in a range of human health conditions, but thinks the current techniques could use some improvement. “Gut microbes in humans are typically studied using stool samples, which inform about microbes in the colon,” he says. “While colonoscopy could allow for access deeper within the intestines, it is of course highly invasive. This means there is no simple, non-invasive method to sample within the small intestine, which is the most important area of the microbiome to study and observe.”
Diller and his team developed a tiny magnetic capsule about the size of a vitamin pill. When swallowed by a patient, the capsule slowly works its way through the digestive system. When it gets to the desired point, it can be activated by holding a large magnet over the abdomen. “The magnet opens a trap-door on the capsule, which then closes to tightly seal the sample inside,” says Diller. “The capsule can then be recovered from the stool and sent to a lab for analysis.”
“Tracking will be done using a vest of magnetic field sensors worn by the patient, as well as with ultrasound,” he says. “Along with project co-investigator John Parkinson at SickKids, we have already developed a prototype which we tested in animals, and we found that we could indeed collect samples with our non-invasive method. If successful, the tool could be invaluable to researchers as they continue to study the role of gut microbiota in all kinds of health conditions.
Professor Eric Diller (MIE) holds up a magnetic capsule that can be used to non-invasively sample the gut microbiome, thereby advancing research into a host of human health conditions. (Photo: Eric Diller)
Yu Sun, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Micro and Nano Engineering Systems, has received the award for his work on a minimally invasive, automated system for blastocyst biopsy. During in vitro fertilization treatment, cells often need to be removed for genetic testing when the embryo has reached the blastocyst stage – a biopsy that helps mitigate the risk of genetic diseases and determine a viable embryo for implantation.
Sun’s automated system is expected to improve the blastocyst survival rate as well as the accuracy of genetic testing, compared to manual operation by skilled embryologists – and holds the potential to standardize the rapidly growing practice of blastocyst biopsy in more than 3,500 IVF clinics/hospitals worldwide. Sun explains that “the new technology will reduce the invasiveness to biopsied blastocysts and ensure the integrity of the collected cells.”
Congratulations to Diller and Sun.