Medical Bulletin 30/Jun/2025 - Video

Here are the top medical news for the day:

Caltech Engineers Develop Smart Ingestible Capsule for Real-Time Gut Health Monitoring

In a new advancement that could improve gastrointestinal diagnostics, a team of engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has developed a smart ingestible capsule capable of detecting a variety of biomarkers inside the gut. Described in a new paper published in Nature Electronics, the capsule dubbed PillTrek offers a non-invasive and real-time method for analyzing metabolic and molecular information from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.

Scientists have long sought reliable tools to monitor the wide range of biomarkers present in the complex GI environment. Traditional methods like fecal analysis or biopsy are invasive, costly, and limited in their ability to provide continuous, real-time data.

Developed by Professor Wei Gao and his team, PillTrek integrates a wireless electrochemical workstation within a capsule measuring just 7 millimeters in diameter and 25 millimeters in length smaller than current capsule endoscopy devices. “We designed this pill to be a very versatile platform,” said Gao, who is also a Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator. “From an electrochemical-sensing point of view, it is very powerful. It has the ability to measure metabolites, ions, hormones such as serotonin and dopamine, possibly even proteins as well. And all within the gut, which is a complex environment.”

The proof-of-concept study demonstrated the capsule’s ability to measure pH, temperature, glucose, and serotonin levels in animal models. The capsule’s modular design allows for easy integration of various electrochemical sensors, which can be mass-produced using a previously developed 3D printing technique.

With its advanced sensing capabilities and small form factor, PillTrek represents a significant leap forward in real-time, in vivo diagnostics—potentially paving the way for personalized treatment and improved management of chronic gastrointestinal and metabolic conditions.

Reference: Min, J., Ahn, H., Lukas, H. et al. Continuous biochemical profiling of the gastrointestinal tract using an integrated smart capsule. Nat Electron (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41928-025-01407-0

Blood Test Could Replace Bone Marrow Biopsy for Leukemia Detection: Study Finds

A study published in Nature Medicine reveals that a simple blood test could soon replace invasive bone marrow procedures for diagnosing and predicting leukemia. The research at the Weizmann Institute of Science, offers a new method to detect early signs of blood cancer and monitor aging-related disease risk through the analysis of rare stem cells in the bloodstream.

Researchers have long been investigating how changes in blood-forming stem cells contribute to aging and disease. About one-third of individuals over age 40 exhibit genetic changes in these cells, which have been linked to leukemia, heart disease, diabetes, and other age-related conditions.

The new study focused on myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disorder in which stem cells in the bone marrow fail to mature properly, potentially leading to severe anemia and acute myeloid leukemia. Traditionally, MDS is diagnosed through bone marrow sampling, a procedure involving local anesthesia that many patients find uncomfortable.

Researchers discovered that rare blood stem cells circulating in the bloodstream carry vital diagnostic information. By applying advanced single-cell genetic sequencing to a simple blood sample, researchers were able to detect early indicators of MDS and assess a person’s risk for blood cancer.

The team also found that these circulating stem cells can serve as a “biological clock,” providing insights into the aging process. Notably, they observed that in men, these cells change earlier than in women, potentially explaining the higher incidence of blood cancers among males.

The test is currently undergoing validation in a global clinical trial and could one day be expanded to detect a variety of blood-related disorders.

Reference: Furer, N., Rappoport, N., Milman, O. et al. A reference model of circulating hematopoietic stem cells across the lifespan with applications to diagnostics. Nat Med (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03716-5

AI Model Can Diagnose Fatty Liver Disease Using Chest X-Ray: Study

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University have created an AI-based model capable of identifying the condition using routine chest X-rays. The study, published in the journal Radiology Cardiothoracic Imaging, demonstrates that the new method offers a cost-effective and widely accessible alternative to current diagnostic tools that rely on specialized imaging equipment.

Fatty liver disease affects about one in four people worldwide and can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer if untreated. While standard diagnostic tools like ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRIs are costly and require specialized equipment, chest X-rays are cheaper, widely used, and expose patients to minimal radiation. Though chest X-rays capture part of the liver, their potential for detecting fatty liver disease has been largely unexplored.

Recognizing this gap, Associate Professor Sawako Uchida-Kobayashi and Associate Professor Daiju Ueda from the Graduate School of Medicine at Osaka Metropolitan University led a study to develop an artificial intelligence model capable of detecting fatty liver disease from chest X-ray images. Using a retrospective dataset of 6,599 chest X-rays from 4,414 patients, the team trained the AI model with controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) scores, a recognized metric for liver fat content.

The AI model demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) ranging from 0.82 to 0.83, indicating strong predictive performance.

“The development of diagnostic methods using easily obtainable and inexpensive chest X-rays has the potential to improve fatty liver detection. We hope it can be put into practical use in the future,” said Professor Uchida-Kobayashi.

This AI-driven approach could significantly enhance early diagnosis and intervention for fatty liver disease, particularly in low-resource settings where advanced imaging tools are not readily available. By leveraging common medical imaging and artificial intelligence, the study paves the way for more accessible liver health assessments worldwide.

Reference: Ueda, D., Uchida-Kobayashi, S., Yamamoto, A., Walston, S. L., Motoyama, H., Fujii, H., ... & Kawada, N. (2025). Performance of a Chest Radiograph–based Deep Learning Model for Detecting Hepatic Steatosis. Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging, 7(3), e240402.

Study Unveils How Caffeine May Help Slow Ageing at the Cellular Level

A new study from the Cellular Ageing and Senescence Laboratory at Queen Mary University of London’s Centre for Molecular Cell Biology reveals that caffeine the world’s most widely consumed neuroactive compound may do more than keep us alert. Published in the journal Microbial Cell, the research uncovers how caffeine could help slow down the ageing process by acting on key cellular energy and stress response systems.

In this latest study, researchers used fission yeast, a single-celled organism with cellular processes strikingly similar to those of humans, to explore how caffeine affects ageing.

The new findings show that caffeine activates AMPK, a conserved system that functions as a cellular “fuel gauge.” “When your cells are low on energy, AMPK kicks in to help them cope,” explains Dr Charalampos (Babis) Rallis, Reader in Genetics, Genomics and Fundamental Cell Biology at Queen Mary University and senior author of the study. “And our results show that caffeine helps flip that switch.”

AMPK is also the target of metformin, a diabetes medication currently under investigation for its potential to extend human lifespan, much like rapamycin.

The researchers demonstrated that caffeine’s activation of AMPK influences how cells grow, repair DNA, and handle stress—key factors in ageing and age-related diseases. “These findings help explain why caffeine might be beneficial for health and longevity,” said Dr John-Patrick Alao, the study’s lead author. “And they open up exciting possibilities for future research into how we might trigger these effects more directly — with diet, lifestyle, or new medicines.”

So, your morning coffee may not just sharpen your mind—it might also be giving your cells a subtle boost in the fight against ageing.

Reference: John-Patrick Alao, Juhi Kumar, Despina Stamataki, Charalampos Rallis. Dissecting the cell cycle regulation, DNA damage sensitivity and lifespan effects of caffeine in fission yeast. Microbial Cell, 12: 141-156 DOI: 10.15698/mic2025.06.852