Active Capsule System for Multiple Therapeutic Patch Delivery: Preclinical Evaluation

Recently, active research has been conducted on the therapeutic functions of capsule endoscopes. Here, we propose an active capsule system that captures images of the interior of the gastrointestinal tract (GI) and actively delivers therapeutic patches. The active capsule system mainly comprises therapeutic patches, an active capsule equipped with a camera, and a robot-assisted magnetic actuator. The active capsule moves inside the GI tract via a magnetic actuator using a robot, captures pictures of the GI tract in actual time, and performs hemostatic treatment by delivering therapeutic patches to the target lesions. First, the fundamental performance of the active capsule system was verified via a hemostatic performance test of the therapeutic patch, patch contamination prevention test of the active capsule, and basic actuation test of the capsule. Second, multiple therapeutic patches were delivered to the gastric surface in an ex vivo test using an active capsule system. Finally, as a preclinical test, it was confirmed that the GI tract examination and the therapeutic patches delivery were possible using the active capsule system through an animal test using a porcine. Consequently, the proposed active capsule system represents a new paradigm for capsule endoscopy with multiple therapeutic patch delivery capabilities.