Wrocław startup creates Europe’s first DIY endoscopy capsule tests
A Wrocław startup has become the first company in Europe to create a swallowable capsule with a built in intelligent image analysis system to speed up diagnostics of colonic cancer.
Weighing just 4 grams, and measuring 23 millimeters long and 11 mm in diameter, the capsule from BioCam, which resembles a vitamin pill, takes photos as it passes through the patients’ digestive system.
Bluetooth technology then helps send the images to an external system for analysis.
Currently, endoscopic examination involves inserting a special probe with a camera into the gastrointestinal tract, after which the doctor can observe and assess the examined organs.
President and co-founder of BioCam Maciej Wysocki said: “Our significant advantage over traditional endoscopy is the patient's comfort and overcoming the mental barrier.
The BioCam capsule is intended to replace the endoscope by enabling patients to carry out the tests themselves at home.
President and co-founder of BioCam Maciej Wysocki said: “Our significant advantage over traditional endoscopy is the patient's comfort and overcoming the mental barrier.
“Patients who, despite the doctor's recommendations, did not dare to undergo an invasive examination, are much more likely to swallow a capsule that does not differ in size from a vitamin / dietary supplement.
“The patient will also feel differently, being able to carry out a full digestive system examination without having to appear physically in a medical facility, and the capsule endoscopy itself at home.
The BioCam capsule is intended to replace the endoscope by enabling patients to carry out the tests themselves at home.
“And this comes down to a greater willingness to test, more endoscopies and faster detection of pathologies in the digestive system.”
He added that although capsule endoscopy was first introduced 21 years ago, it was not popularized and the number of all producers on the market is still less than 10, with none of them coming from Europe.
He said: "We are going a step further and aim at imaging the entire gastrointestinal tract, which is currently only carried out by the competition in the form of pilot studies of the stomach and large intestine"
Founded in 2019, BioCam say that according to forecasts, the market for endoscopic devices are expected to grow annually by an average of 5.8 percent.
