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Current and future applications of the capsule camera

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 3, pages 447–450 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Scientific advances in areas such as nanotechnology and gene therapy promise to revolutionize the way we discover and develop drugs, as well as how we diagnose and treat disease. The 'camera in a pill' is one recent development that is generating considerable interest. Until recently, only the proximal (oesophagus, stomach and duodenum) and the distal (colon) portions of the gastrointestinal tract were easily visible using available technology. The twenty feet or so of small intestine in between these two portions was essentially unreachable. This hurdle might soon be overcome.

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Figure 1: The M2A capsule camera.
Figure 2: Physiological endoscopy.
Figure 3: Visualizing the gastrointestinal tract.
Figure 4: The terminal ileum.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Baylor College of Medicine/Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Mail Route 111D, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    Waqar A. Qureshi

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  1. Waqar A. Qureshi
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The author declares no competing financial interests.

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DATABASES

Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man

Coeliac disease

Crohn's disease

FURTHER INFORMATION

Given Imaging

M2A capsule camera

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Qureshi, W. Current and future applications of the capsule camera. Nat Rev Drug Discov 3, 447–450 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd1385

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