Jewish PillCam 'Capsule': 'Tiny' colonoscopy camera, cheaper than regular colonoscopy

It was the mid-1990s and Gavriel Iddan was in the meeting room with a group of prospective investors. The idea outlined here is that a camera and radio transmitter are about the size of a vitamin supplement (capsule) that can "travel" in the intestines and provide images inside the digestive system. .

The idea was once laughed at and put aside for 10 years

Investors laughed and asked: Are you serious? Do you really think you can see anything with this camera? You should install a wiper for it too.

Until then, doctors still had to rely on an endoscope to view images of the colon and small intestine - a length of about 4.6 meters connecting the stomach and the large intestine.

The endoscope is a long, thin tube, with one end fitted with a high-resolution camera. But this device only provides an image of a small intestine, not the whole intestine. This limitation is often the cause of unnecessary surgeries.

In the United States alone, nearly 19 million people suffer from gastrointestinal disorders, but about one-third of the cases cannot be detected through normal endoscopy.

Idda knows that her ideas will help improve the diagnosis of this disease. As the tiny camera moves in the patient's gut, it will take thousands of pictures and thus give the doctor a more complete and complete view.

As the tiny camera moves in the patient's gut, it will take more pictures and give the doctor a more comprehensive view.

It all started with a conversation between Idda and his neighbor, a digestive doctor named Eitan Scapa. It was 1981 and Iddan was living in Boston, USA. His job is to develop X-ray tubes and ultrasound probes. On the aftermath of the tea, Scapa mentioned the limitations of fiber optic endoscope and Idda suggested that there must be a solution.

So Iddan started to learn about the history of endoscope. In addition to his experience in X-rays and ultrasound probes, Iddan also has a deep knowledge of camera technology in military missile systems.

He was involved in developing the "rocket eye" camera project for defense contractor Rafael in Israel. This project helps to increase the accuracy of the missile. And this helps him think of a sensor that works like a "rocket eye" but is small enough to fit into a person's body. The problem is that technology in the early 1980s was not enough to implement this idea. So he put aside 10 years.

In 1991, when I met Dr. Scapa again, Iddan discussed more about his ideas. Both know that there are still a lot of big hurdles, the most important of which is battery life. Conventional batteries of such a small size only work for ten minutes, while their devices need batteries for at least ten hours.

In 1993, thanks to his former relationship with military contractor Rafael, he was allowed to use their lab to conduct important tests. Incorporating advanced technology at the time, he installed a signal generator with a camera smaller than a dime. A year later, Iddan filed for a patent in Israel and the United States.

Image of PillCam simulation - (Photo TTO)

The bold test and new revolution

Camera pupil endoscopes cannot dominate the market without the cooperation of two people: Iddan - inventor and Meron - sales director. At the time, Meron was the CEO of the company that supplied the Applitec endoscope camera. It took Iddan a few months to persuade Meron to quit his current CEO job and co-founded a new company called Given Imaging.

But it took several years for Meron and Iddan's company to raise capital. In 1997, Given Imaging approached Rafael Development Corporation and received $ 600,000 in investment from this group in exchange for a 10% stake in the fledgling startup.

The two immediately went to a UK-based science group headed by C. Paul Swain, a person who had a thorough understanding of anatomy in general and small intestine in particular. In the fall of 1999, they conducted their first human experiment. Under the supervision of Dr. Scapa, Swain swallowed the capsule into his stomach.

After a few minutes of waiting, the screen began to appear blurry images. This confused the researchers. Iddan then held the antenna in his hand to capture the image from the tiny camera that was constantly moving. Although the screen was still fluttering, Pillcam went through the entire length of the small intestine.

This time, by repositioning the antenna, they were able to capture images of higher quality and finally see inside the small intestine. Experiments considered successful.

In 2001, after Given Imaging carried out many successful clinical experiments to prove the safety and effectiveness of the products, the European and American authorities approved to allow the device to be marketed. . Given Imaging Company listed on NASDAQ and raised more than 60 million USD at that time.

Since then, Iddan's PillCam invention has spread around the world and helps doctors see more detailed images. For patients, the cost is also cheaper, only about 500 USD compared to 800 USD if regular colonoscopy.

Today, PillCam still holds 90% of the market for endoscopic equipment. Since 1998, more than two million patients have used PillCam and more than 5,000 medical facilities in more than 70 countries are using the device.