Kitchen cupboard staples used in sensors for detecting digestive disorders
Love it or hate it, Marmite might have a place in medicine. Scientists in Australia have used this British favourite, along with Vegemite and jelly, in electrodes for hydrogel-based devices that assess digestive problems in patients.
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Toxicity shouldn’t be an issue for medical devices made from Vegemite or Marmite
Stomach-related health problems are increasing: stomach cancer is the second deadliest cancer and 76.6% of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are undiagnosed. Traditional methods of detecting these illnesses, such as endoscopy, colonoscopy and surgery, are often invasive and unpleasant. One alternative is to use small devices, known as electronic capsules, that pass easily through the digestive system. However, researchers must make them using materials that will not damage the human body.
To read the full article visit Chemistry World.
Conducting hydrogels for edible electrodes
Alex Keller, Jonathan Pham, Holly Warren and Marc in het Panhuis
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2017, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C7TB01247K, Paper
