While the microbiota-gut-brain axis is a rapidly expanding field, current understanding still has significant knowledge gaps.

The trillions of microorganisms that make up the gut microbiome contribute to numerous biological processes, including gut-brain signaling, immune regulation, digestion and metabolism. Individual variation in microbiome composition, influenced by factors such as diet, mode of birth, and antibiotic use, further complicates efforts to establish causal relationships. Consequently, the gut microbiome is increasingly being investigated in the context of complex disorders, including type 2 diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome-related gastrointestinal symptoms, and Parkinson’s disease with constipation.

The Atmo capsule, designed by Atmo Biosciences, has the potential to advance research into both gut microbiome function and gastrointestinal motility. By continuously measuring real-time gas production, including H2, CO2, and O2, throughout its transit through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, the capsule enables investigators to link microbial fermentation dynamics directly to gut function, shedding light on functional disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroparesis and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

Dr. Eamonn Martin Quigley, David M. Underwood Chair of Medicine in Digestive Health at Houston Methodist, investigates how various GI diseases and conditions affect gut function.

In the following Q&A, Dr. Quigley discusses the potential applications of the Atmo capsule in advancing research on the gut microbiome and GI motility disorders.

Q: The thinking on SIBO is shifting. Many experts are considering SIBO to involve impaired motility and altered microbial ecology. Can you comment on the potential of the Atmo capsule to refine the diagnosis of SIBO?

A: One of the big controversies at the moment in gastroenterology is about SIBO. The most common way we assess SIBO currently is by measuring the excretion of gases like hydrogen in the breath. This is an indirect way of assessing bacterial metabolism in the small and large intestines. The Atmo capsule has the capability to measure the gas content directly in the intestine. Ongoing research is evaluating how the measurement of gases in the intestine by the Atmo capsule may help refine the diagnosis of SIBO.

Q: How can the Atmo capsule contribute to research on the gut microbiome?

The main way the Atmo capsule can contribute would be by measuring intraluminal gases generated by microbial fermentation. The fermentation process generates gases such as hydrogen, methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, which can influence motility among other functions. The Atmo capsule may be valuable in characterizing metabolic processes in real time in specific regions of the gut. However, the Atmo capsule cannot sample microbial contents of the gut. The Atmo capsule also has potential applications in differentiating between several gastrointestinal and microbiome-related disorders, based on its ability to measure gas profiles. For example, the Atmo capsule may help distinguish between irritable bowel syndrome sub-types.

Q: Increasingly, gastrointestinal motility disorders are viewed as conditions involving both motor dysfunction and microbial ecosystem disruption. How can the Atmo capsule help researchers investigate the interaction between microbial fermentation patterns and gastrointestinal transit abnormalities?

A: Gastrointestinal disorders are complex conditions involving bidirectional interactions between gut transit, microbial metabolism, immune signaling and the gut-brain axis. Gut microbiome imbalance is related to the development of gastrointestinal motility disorders and metabolic disorders. Examples include irritable bowel syndrome and diabetes. However, it is not known if gut microbiome dysbiosis is a cause or a consequence of the GI motility disorder. By providing information on regional gas profiles in real time, the Atmo capsule can elevate our understanding of these inter-relationships. The Atmo capsule may also be used in longitudinal studies to study dynamic changes in microbial fermentation and gastrointestinal symptoms in response to diet, sleep patterns, medications, stress or infection.

For further information on gut health and Dr. Quigley’s work on this topic, please see the following papers: