Doctors, engineers develop new wireless system to detect esophag...( the system makes it easier to follow n...),Health

the system makes it easier to follow normal eating, drinking and activity patterns that may play a part in the acid reflux. Researchers say patients shouldnt feel anything in their throat when the device is inserted thanks to a special plastic material used.

The RFID system is the next step in a growing effort to develop less invasive wireless technologies for gastrointestinal diseases. Those include the PillCam, a small pill-sized wireless camera that takes photos as it goes through the digestive tract, and Bravo capsule, another wireless system that detects esophageal acids. Both technologies are currently used by UT Southwestern gastroenterologists.

Researchers have already successfully tested the new RFID device to see that it properly identifies simulated stomach acids in a test tube and that the transmitter can send the results through human tissue. The sensor is designed to detect stomach acid, gas and water so doctors can determine whether the presence of those substances coincides with feelings of heartburn, the start of eating or other activities. The next step will involve testing in animal models before the system eventually is tested in humans.

UT Southwesterns Dr. Tang and Dr. Fred Tibbals, director of the Bioinstrumentation Resources Center, have been working with Dr. Jung-chih Chiao, associate professor of electrical engineering at UTA, for two years to develop the wireless system. Engineers had to develop the specialized radio frequency implant, which detects and sends the data, as well as the receiver. The receiver will include a button the patient can push when they begin eating. Eventually, engineers hope to design a devise similar to a personal digital assistant to store the results. That PDA-like device could then be taken into a doctors office and downloaded into a computer to analyze the results.

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Contact: Russell Rian
russell.rian@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
29-May-2007


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