Jul 31, 2023
New joint project "Active Intelligent Capsule Endoscopy" in the BMBF Future Cluster Semeco
As part of the future cluster initiative “Clusters4Future”, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has been funding the new future cluster Semeco (Secure Medical Microsystems and Communications) since May 1, 2023, with the aim of breaking the innovation logjam in the medical technology sector, accelerating innovation cycles and revolutionizing conventional approval processes with the support of artificial intelligence. The Chair of Microsystems is the coordinator of the joint project "Active Intelligent Capsule Endoscopy" included in Semeco.
In Germany alone, approximately 6 million endoscopies are performed annually. They play a central role in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Capsule endoscopes are an attractive alternative to traditional diagnostic procedures, as they allow inspection of the entire gastrointestinal tract without inconvenience to the patient or sedation. In addition, the risk of injury is significantly reduced and time-consuming sterilization can be dispensed with due to the single use. However, the range of functions is still significantly behind that of established endoscopes.
The current endoscopy capsule "HemoPill® acute" from Ovesco for the detection of bleeding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. © Ovesco Endoscopy AG
Our vision is to develop an active, intelligent capsule endoscope with adaptive anchoring mechanisms and tissue and liquid biopsy harvesting capability, as well as in vivo microbiome analysis using gas sensing. In addition, secure communication through the body at high data rates must be ensured. Such a capsule has a wide range of applications and can replace or even surpass the use of conventional endoscopes in many areas.
The joint project "Active Intelligent Capsule Endoscopy" is being carried out by a consortium of chairs from the TU Dresden and industrial partners from Germany. The partners broadly cover the fields of biomedical engineering, microelectronics, microsystems engineering, microfluidics, packaging and medicine.
The aim of the research and development work in this project is to contribute to patient welfare and also to relieve the burden on gastroenterologists.