System and method for determining the presence of a substance in-vivo

• US 7,201,872 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2002
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Given Imaging Limited (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Meron, Gavriel
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Long V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Counts; Gary W.
• Application Number:
  US10/036,490
• Publication Number:
  US 20020146368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 435/4, 435/7.9, 435/1.92, 435/174, 435/176, 435/177, 435/180, 435/181, 435/287.1, 435/287.2, 435/287.7, 435/287.9, 435/288.7, 435/808, 436/63, 436/164, 436/169, 436/172, 436/518, 436/524, 436/527, 436/528, 436/532, 436/805, 436/811, 436/823, 424/9.1, 128/760, 128/769, 604/11, 604/19, 604/27, 604/891.1, 604/890.1, 604/67, 422/50, 422 55- 58, 422/62, 422/68.1, 422/82.05, 422/119, 422/939
• US Class Current: 422/404
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/07 Endoradiosondes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14546 for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for the in vivo determination of the presence and/or concentration of biological and/or chemical substances in body lumens. The system of the invention comprises a solid support, the support being inserted into a body lumen and having immobilized thereon at least one reactant capable of reacting with the substance resulting in an optical change; and a detecting unit, in communication with the support, capable of detecting a reaction resulting in an optical change between the reactant and the substance.

Claims

1. A system for determining in vivo the presence and/or concentration of a biological and/or chemical substance in a gastrointestinal tract comprising:

an autonomous swallowable capsule comprising;

a light source;

a viewing window through which the light source illuminates the gastrointestinal tract;

a camera system which detects an image of the gastrointestinal tract via the viewing window;

an optical system which focuses the image onto the camera system;

a reactant immobilized on the viewing window which when in the presence of the substance reacts with the substance resulting in an optical change in the image detected by the camera system; and

a battery within the autonomous swallowable capsule to provide power to the camera system and the light source.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the viewing window is a glass viewing window.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the viewing window is a plastic viewing window.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the reactant is immobilized onto the viewing window via a bridging group.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein the reactant is a chemical compound.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein the reactant is a biological compound.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein the reactant is an enzyme.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein the reactant is an antibody.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the camera system is to image the reaction between the reactant and the substance.

10. A system according to claim 1 wherein the reactant is transparent to illumination emitted from the light source.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein the the cameral system detects optical density.

12. A system according to claim 1 wherein the camera system detects color changes.

13. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a monitoring unit which locates the autonomous swallowable capsule within the gastrointestina1 tract.

14. A system according to claim 13 wherein the autonomous swallowable capsule further comprises a transmitting unit which transmits an output of the camera system.

15. A system according to claim 14 wherein the monitoring unit comprises a reception system which receives the transmitted output from the transmitting unit thereby locating the autonomous swallowable capsule along a pre-prepared map of the lumen.

16. A system according to claim 13 wherein the monitoring unit is included within the autonomous swallowable capsule.

17. A system according to claim 1 wherein the combination of the the viewing window and the reactant is transparent to the illumination emitted from the light source.