Stomach and small intestinal modeling
TIM Upper GI
TIM Upper GI combines advanced dynamic in vitro models to mimic the stomach and small intestine with exceptional physiological accuracy. These models are widely applied in drug release, dissolution, and digestion studies, and support gastrointestinal research & development in pharma and nutrition.
Why digestion & dissolution matter
Every day we ingest food, nutrition and drugs. Their impact depends on proper digestion, release of valuable nutrients, and dissolution of active ingredients. On its own complex, let alone the co-administration of foods and/or multiple drugs. Understanding what happens to a product inside the gut is key to developing effective, reliable products that truly improve treatment efficacy, nutrition, and overall well-being.
Applications
Understanding and ranking of ingredients and formulations
TIM Upper GI can be used to study digestion, release, solubility, and bioaccessibility of nutritional and drug formulations during transition through the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract.
This service has numerous applications. It ranges from accurately predicting ingredient bioavailability and (probiotic) survival, comparing (release from) different drug formulations, to elucidating food-drug and drug-drug interactions. It also supports nutritional assessments such as digestibility and kinetic profiling of proteins and carbohydrates, including Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Scores (DIAAS).
TIM Upper GI enables detailed understanding/insights in the fate of your product upon ingestion to understand, benchmark, rank and select formulations in early stage discovery, testing for bio-equivalence, or de-risking a clinical trial or product launch. Combine with TIM Cell and/or TIM PK for even deeper insights.
Unique features
- Dynamic, computer-controlled in vitro models simulating the stomach and small intestine
- Highly accurate controlled conditions (pH, temperature, motility, transit times)
- Continuous secretion of digestive fluids
- Continuous removal & sampling of bioaccessible fractions
- Luminal sampling
- Settings for various species (e.g. human, pig, dog) and conditions (e.g. age, prandial state, diseases)
- Co-administration of (standardized) meals
Get in contact
We are excited to hear what’s on your plate and how we can help you understand what happens to your product during digestion!
