Project description
Fully edible smart pill to monitor gastrointestinal physiology
Gastro-intestinal (GI), metabolic and nutritional disorders present a major problem worldwide mainly due to their high incidence rates and related healthcare expenditure. In this context, the ERC-funded EAT project aims to offer a proof of concept of a fully ingestible pill capable of monitoring GI physiology autonomously and without risk to the patient. The pill is composed of completely harmless and ingestible components, such as edible batteries and sensors, and dissolves naturally within the GI tract, thus posing no risk of retention or e-waste generation. Its initial application will target gastric emptying time, a key factor for GI motility disorders, metabolic health, and drug absorption. Overall, the project paves the way to continuous, non-invasive, and sustainable monitoring solutions.
Objective
"EAT will demonstrate the first Proof-of-Concept (PoC) of a fully edible smart pill for safe, accessible, and autonomous monitoring of gastrointestinal (GI) physiology.
GI, metabolic, and nutritional disorders represent a growing global challenge, with high prevalence, rising healthcare costs, and major impact on quality of life. Breakthroughs in their prevention and timely treatment require continuous monitoring of GI physiology, but suitable tools are still missing. Available ingestible technologies, such as capsule endoscopies and smart pills, are powerful, but are costly, present health hazards that limit the population who can adopt them, typically require medical supervision, and may contribute to electronic waste if not recollected after excretion. These features make current ingestible devices completely unsuitable for continuous monitoring of the GI physiology, as part of daily routines and point-of-care settings.
EAT will validate an edible smart pill PoC with in-vitro experimental tests in simulated GI fluids. Built entirely from materials proven safe for ingestion, including edible batteries, sensors, and circuits, the pill naturally decomposes in the digestive tract, avoiding retention risks and electronic waste. Its initial application will target gastric emptying time, a key parameter for GI motility disorders, metabolic health, and drug absorption. The pill transmits signals via intrabody communication to an external patch, which manages processing and wireless transfer. This shift reduces the pill complexity and power needs, enabling viable edible electronics for safe and accessible monitoring.
EAT builds directly on the ERC Consolidator Grant ""Electronic Food"" (ELFO) and will deliver the first proof of feasibility of edible electronics in real-world healthcare, opening the way to continuous, non-invasive, and sustainable monitoring solutions.
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Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
16163 Genova
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.