A research team led by Professor Fumihito Arai at the Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, developed a magnetically actuated capsule for collecting biological samples from the intestinal surface. The capsule incorporates a retractable flexible brush and internal permanent magnets. External permanent magnets are used to control the capsule and actuate the brush, enabling it to contact the intestinal surface, collect intestinal surface-associated samples. The sampling capability was demonstrated using ex vivo porcine small intestine. The collected samples were successfully used for 16S rRNA gene sequencing, confirming their suitability for subsequent biological analysis. This study demonstrates the feasibility of capsule-based intestinal surface sampling and provides a new approach for acquiring biological information associated with the local intestinal environment.
Figure. Magnetically actuated capsule for intestinal surface sampling.
Papers
Journal: Device
Title: Magnetically Actuated Brush-Structured Capsule for Intestinal Surface Sampling
Authors: Yuguo Dai, Shuzhang Liang, Hao Mo, Huaiyi Zhang, Kenta Yamamoto, Hiroki Kawashima, Fumihito Arai*
DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2026.101304