The Science of Gut Health
Gut health is the foundation of overall health.
Your gut controls 70% of your immune function as well as your metabolic and cardiovascular health. Biomarkers linked to risk factors for chronic diseases such as cancer and Crohn's are also present in your gut. At Coprata, our breakthrough solutions give you easy, actionable insights into the health of your gut so you can make evidence-based diet and lifestyle decisions to improve your health.
Your gut controls 70% of your immune function as well as your metabolic and cardiovascular health. Biomarkers linked to risk factors for chronic diseases such as cancer and Crohn's are also present in your gut. At Coprata, our breakthrough solutions give you easy, actionable insights into the health of your gut so you can make evidence-based diet and lifestyle decisions to improve your health.
Monitor your gut with the push of a button.
- Measure your body's changes: Continuous biomarker monitoring in real time.
- Automatic hands-free stool sampling: Gather insights easily in the comfort and privacy of your home.
- Actionable intelligence: Make data-driven diet and lifestyle decisions and then measure to learn if the changes you make are having the desired effect.
The gut's connection to health and disease.
Read more in our Updates
Biomarkers of health
The microbiome consists of microbes that are both beneficial and potentially harmful. The beneficial bacteria stimulate the immune system, synthesize certain useful vitamins, help with digestion of fiber and resistant starch, help controlling insulin, protect against overgrowth of local and external harmful bacteria, support mental health and energy.
Diet plays a large role in determining what kind of microbiomes live in the colon, but also exercise and medication, particularly antibiotics, so lifestyle is key.
Many people are wondering if their lifestyle is good for the wellness and longevity: one cannot improve something that is not measured.
Coprata is working with leading microbiome researchers to provide ready access to microbiome health indicators.
Diet plays a large role in determining what kind of microbiomes live in the colon, but also exercise and medication, particularly antibiotics, so lifestyle is key.
Many people are wondering if their lifestyle is good for the wellness and longevity: one cannot improve something that is not measured.
Coprata is working with leading microbiome researchers to provide ready access to microbiome health indicators.
Biomarkers of disease
Detecting Health Issues Before Symptoms Appear
Long before symptoms of disease show up, certain gut biomarkers can signal that something is wrong—giving people the chance to take action early.
One example is occult blood, a well-established screening marker for colorectal cancer and other digestive conditions. Occult blood refers to tiny traces of blood in the stool that aren't visible to the eye. Coprata’s smart toilet technology has demonstrated the ability to detect occult blood in stool samples with 96% sensitivity.
For people with chronic conditions like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, flare-ups are often preceded by a rise in an inflammatory protein called calprotectin—sometimes as early as three months in advance. Coprata has shown that its technology can accurately measure calprotectin levels in the lab using smart toilet samples.
Beyond these conditions, researchers are discovering new biomarkers linked to the gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria that live in our digestive system. These markers may help detect or predict diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and even how someone might respond to cancer treatment. Coprata’s smart toilet system has successfully measured microbiome diversity (alpha and beta diversity), showing promise for ongoing research.
By enabling regular, non-invasive sample collection at home, Coprata’s technology could support long-term studies that accelerate the discovery of new treatments and personalized care.
One example is occult blood, a well-established screening marker for colorectal cancer and other digestive conditions. Occult blood refers to tiny traces of blood in the stool that aren't visible to the eye. Coprata’s smart toilet technology has demonstrated the ability to detect occult blood in stool samples with 96% sensitivity.
For people with chronic conditions like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, flare-ups are often preceded by a rise in an inflammatory protein called calprotectin—sometimes as early as three months in advance. Coprata has shown that its technology can accurately measure calprotectin levels in the lab using smart toilet samples.
Beyond these conditions, researchers are discovering new biomarkers linked to the gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria that live in our digestive system. These markers may help detect or predict diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and even how someone might respond to cancer treatment. Coprata’s smart toilet system has successfully measured microbiome diversity (alpha and beta diversity), showing promise for ongoing research.
By enabling regular, non-invasive sample collection at home, Coprata’s technology could support long-term studies that accelerate the discovery of new treatments and personalized care.
Contribute to issue identification when symptoms are present
When symptoms arise, the frequency and appearance of bowel movements are key indicators for digestive clinical evalution. However, it's difficult for individuals to assess these changes accurately on their own—and even harder for healthcare providers to rely on self-reports.
Coprata’s smart toilet uses built-in sensors—completely invisible to the user—to automatically monitor bowel habits. In a long-term study involving healthy volunteers over six months, the system successfully detected abnormal stool appearance without any effort from the user. This objective monitoring can support more reliable health assessments and help catch early signs of digestive disorders.
Coprata’s smart toilet uses built-in sensors—completely invisible to the user—to automatically monitor bowel habits. In a long-term study involving healthy volunteers over six months, the system successfully detected abnormal stool appearance without any effort from the user. This objective monitoring can support more reliable health assessments and help catch early signs of digestive disorders.
Our Evidence: Publications and Presentations
Jin Zhou, Yuying Luo, Julia W. Darcy, Kyle J. Lafata, Jose R. Ruiz, and Sonia Grego. 2025 "Long-term, automated stool monitoring using a novel smart toilet: A feasibility study." Neurogastroenterology & Motility 37: e14954. See video summary.
Sonia Grego, Walker G. Resney, Brian Stoner, Sameer K. Berry, William D. Chey, and Borko Nojkov. 2024 "Sa2011 Novel Automated Smart Toilet Allows Objective Longitudinal Assessment Of Bowel Movements-Preliminary, Home-Based, Experience", Gastroenterology, 166: S-601-S-02.
Sonia Grego, Jin Zhou, Jose R. Ruiz, Kyle Lafata, Brian Hawkins, and Yuying Luo. 2023. "S663 Long-Term, Non-Invasive, Objective Stool Monitoring Using a Novel Smart Toilet: A Feasibility Study", Official journal of the American College of Gastroenterology | ACG, 118: S484-S85.
Claire Welling, Brian T Hawkins, Amy Barto, Hans Herfarth, and Sonia Grego. 2023. "Smart Sampling Toilet-A Potential New Automated System For Collecting Fecal Calprotectin Samples", Gastroenterology, 164: S-54-S-55.
Sonia Grego, Claire M. Welling, Graham H. Miller, Peter F. Coggan, Katelyn L. Sellgren, Brian T. Hawkins, Geoffrey S. Ginsburg, Jose R. Ruiz, Deborah A. Fisher, and Brian R. Stoner. "A hands-free stool sampling system for monitoring intestinal health and disease." Scientific Reports 12, no. 1 (2022).
Claire Welling, David R. Singleton, Steven B. Haase, Christian H. Browning, Brian R. Stoner, Claudia K. Gunsch, and Sonia Grego. "Predictive values of time-dense SARS-CoV-2 wastewater analysis in university campus buildings." Science of The Total Environment (2022): 155401.
Sonia Grego, Jin Zhou, Krishnendu Chakrabarty, Brian R. Stoner, Jose R. Ruiz, Deborah A. Fisher. "Automated Stool Image Analysis for Artificial Intelligence in a Smart Toilet." Gastroenterology 160 (May 2021).
Jin Zhou, Nick DeCapite, Jackson McNabb, Jose R. Ruiz, Deborah A. Fisher, Sonia Grego, Krishnendu Chakrabarty. "Stool Image Analysis for Precision Health Monitoring by Smart Toilet." Proceedings of Machine Learning Research 149 (2021).
Learn more about the research https://smarttoilet.pratt.duke.edu/
Grants and Backing
Built in collaboration with expert advisors.
Laurie Keefer, PhD
GI Health Psychologist and Professor of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, Rome Foundation Board Member
William Chey, MD
Chief, Division of Gastroenterology, Michigan Medicine and Senior Director at GI on Demand
Jose Ruiz, MD, MPH
Advanced & Therapeutic Endoscopy Gastro Health at Baptist Hospital, Miami