A new research project is zeroing in on natural therapies and the ways in which they work within the human body.

University of Nottingham experts are collaborating with Italian company Aboca on the new feasibility study, which will be conducted in collaboration with experts from the University’s Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Imaging Centre.

The study reportedly is the first of its kind to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to visualize the way in which a protective film—NeoBianiacid—forms on the mucosa of the oesophagus and stomach. NeoBianaicd is a medical device based entirely on natural and biodegradable substances. It is characterized by Poliprotect, a patented plant and mineral complex based on polysaccharides from aloe vera, Malva sylvestris, and Althaea officinalis; natural minerals (limestone and nahcolite); and a flavonoid fraction from Matricaria recutita and Glycyrrhiza glabra.

“Our team has developed advanced techniques to visualize the contents and lining of the digestive tract, but this will be the first attempt to visualize the protective mucosal layer formed by a natural product such as Neobianacid,” stated Dr. Caroline Hoad, from the School of Physics and Astronomy, and the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, and an expert in gastrointestinal MRI. “If successful, it will be a milestone for the non-invasive evaluation of natural products in real time.”

A recent clinical trial published in July 2023 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology showed the non-inferiority of NeoBianacid to a standard dose of omeprazole (20mg) in symptomatic patients with heartburn and epigastric burning without erosive esophagitis and gastroduodenal lesions (negative endoscopy).

The MRI study is designed to demonstrate the way in which Aboca’s substance-based medical device forms its protective barrier in vivo. 

The study aims to validate the use of MRI, a non-invasive technology to monitor the presence and persistence of the protective layer formed by NeoBianacid on the stomach and esophagus mucosa of healthy volunteers, paving the way for future applications in studying similar medical devices.

Ranked 97 in the world and 17th in the United Kingdom by the QS World University Rankings, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024—the third time it has nabbed the honor since 2018—and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024. The university is the birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen.