Gas-sensing capsule for better gut health

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Gas-sensing capsule for better gut health

Researchers developed an ingestible gas-sensing capsule that provides real-time insights into gut health, opening new possibilities for diagnosis, treatment and health analysis.

RMIT’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation and Vice-President, Distinguished Professor Calum Drummond AO with Atmo Biosciences CEO Mal Hebblewhite.

Key points

Innovative gas-sensing capsule developed to help diagnose gut disorders.
The ingestible capsule provides real-time insights into gut health and can send data directly to a mobile phone.
The journey to commercialisation has progressed with medical device company Atmo Biosciences.

Research summary

Functional gut and motility disorders such as gastroparesis and slow transit constipation affect 40% of the population.

The innovative technology measures gaseous biomarkers directly at the source of production throughout the gut.

These biomarkers are used to measure gut transit time to aid diagnosis of common motility disorders.

Research progress

Originally developed through ground-breaking research at RMIT, the technology was licensed by medical device company Atmo Biosciences in 2018.

Since then, the company has advanced the technology from concept to clinical reality – developing, manufacturing and trialling the device to create a market-ready solution for diagnosing gastrointestinal disorders.

In 2025, it was announced that the technology was a step closer to commercialisation, with RMIT transferring IP ownership to ATMO, in exchange for an equity stake in the company.

Current journey towards commercialisation

Atmo has now received regulatory clearance with the U.S Food and drug Administration (FDA), marking another step towards commercialisation.

This follows the successful completion of a pivotal clinical study in 2024, demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the device on more than 200 subjects from 12 trial sites in the US and Australia.

Earlier, the Atmo gas-sensing capsule was also used in a range of trials, such as one by Florida State University researchers to assess the impact of a restricted eating diet on gut gases and time taken for food to pass through the system.

Collaboration driving innovation

Distinguished Professor Calum Drummond AO, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation and Vice-President at RMIT University, said the recent agreement with ATMO exemplified the university’s mission to translate academic research for social benefit.

“The equity component of this agreement strengthens our long-term collaboration, aligning our interests as Atmo continues to expand its platform technology."

“We are particularly proud that several of our students and early career researchers played instrumental roles in developing this technology at RMIT and have continued to contribute as co-founders at Atmo Biosciences,” Drummond said.

Research benefits, outcomes and impact

Lead investigator, Professor Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh (now at the University of Sydney), said current non-invasive methods of measuring intestinal gas – such as breath testing – were unreliable.

“Being able to accurately measure intestinal gases could accelerate our knowledge about how specific gut microorganisms contribute to gastrointestinal disorders and food intake efficiency, enabling the development of new diagnostic techniques and treatments,” he said.

Atmo Biosciences’ Head of Clinical Affairs Kyle Berean said that the Florida State trial to assess the impact of a restricted eating diet also demonstrated the Atmo Gas Capsule’s potential beyond diagnostic applications.

“The equity component of this agreement strengthens our long-term collaboration, aligning our interests as Atmo continues to expand its platform technology."

“This information is useful not only to clinicians to aid diagnosis of gastrointestinal disorders, such as dysmotility, but can also be used by researchers to determine the impact and efficacy of dietary and pharmacological interventions,” said Berean, who helped invent the device at RMIT and joined Atmo to bring it to market.

For further information visit Atmo Biosciences.

SDGs

gastrointestinal health gas-sensing technology medical diagnostics

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