'Nanojuice' helps to shed light on gastrointestinal ailments

Developed by University at Buffalo researchers, the new techniques involves nanoparticles suspended in liquid to form a so-called nanojuice that patients would drink.

Upon reaching the small intestine, doctors would strike the nanoparticles with laser light, thereby providing an unparalleled, non-invasive, real-time view of the organ.

Described in Nature Nanotechnology, the advancement could help doctors better identify, understand and treat gastrointestinal ailments.

‘Conventional imaging methods show the organ and blockages, but this method allows you to see how the small intestine operates in real time,’ said corresponding author Jonathan Lovell, PhD, UB assistant professor of biomedical engineering. ‘Better imaging will improve our understanding of these diseases and allow doctors to more effectively care for people suffering from them.’

The average human small intestine is roughly 23 feet long and 1 inch thick. Sandwiched between the stomach and large intestine, it is where much of the digestion and absorption of food takes place. It is also where symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and other gastrointestinal illnesses occur.