IP Requirement: Emory IP
Experience Requirement:
– Rapid prototyping
– Mechanical design
Problem Description
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) requires frequent and accurate assessment of disease activity to guide treatment decisions, monitor response to therapy, and avoid unnecessary interventions. Fecal calprotectin is a widely accepted non-invasive biomarker used to detect intestinal inflammation. However, despite its diagnostic value, the current method of obtaining fecal calprotectin levels—via stool samples—poses significant practical limitations in the outpatient setting.
Stool collection is often unpleasant for patients, subject to delays in return and processing, and contributes to reduced adherence and missed opportunities for timely clinical decision-making. Even when samples are successfully collected, standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based methods or immunoturbidimetric analyzers typically require laboratory infrastructure and have turnaround times that do not support real-time clinical action. While newer point-of-care diagnostic platforms (e.g., ProciseDx) offer faster testing, they remain limited to stool-based samples and are not compatible with alternative sample types (rectal swabs).
This raises a critical and currently unmet clinical need: Is there a faster, more patient-friendly alternative to stool samples that can be used for accurate point-of-care fecal calprotectin testing in IBD care?
Rectal swabs represent a potentially valuable alternative. They are less invasive, easier to obtain during a clinic visit, and already used in other diagnostic contexts, such as infectious disease screening. However, current evidence suggests they are incompatible with existing point-of-care calprotectin analyzers and may disrupt laboratory-based testing protocols due to their physical properties. This project aims to explore the technical and clinical feasibility of alternative sampling methods, such as redesigned rectal swabs or new sample collection devices specifically engineered for point-of-care calprotectin testing. Addressing this gap could improve test accessibility, enhance patient experience, and enable real-time inflammatory monitoring during routine clinic visits. Ultimately, solving this problem could support more efficient and responsive care for patients with IBD, aligning with modern treat-to-target strategies and reducing healthcare costs.
