A beam of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound, beating like a tiny invisible drum, may become a new ally in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. This is the promise emerging from the work of a multicenter Italian research team – involving institutions such as Humanitas, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Università Cattolica, and the company BAC Technology – which explored the effects of SIRIO Bac Technology Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) on inflamed mucosal tissue in an experimental model of colitis.
This research, titled “Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound as a Biophysical Modality to Assess and Modulate Mucosal Activity in Experimental Colitis”, will be presented at the 21st ECCO Congress (European Crohn’s & Colitis Organisation) in Stockholm, Sweden, from February 21 to 26, 2026 (authors: B. Ricchi, S.E. Pineda Chavez, M. Wozny, G. Mori, T. Pratellesi, D. Lucchetti, A. Sgambato, A. Cafarelli, L. Ricotti, S. Vetrano).
The SIRIO Bac Technology LIPUS device is known for its regenerative and anti-inflammatory capabilities across various tissues, yet no one had seriously investigated what it might do in the context of a diseased intestine. The question was simple and ambitious: can a micrometric “mechanical push” interact with the mucosa and dampen inflammation? The researchers’ findings point surprisingly close to a “yes.”
The beneficial wave of ultrasound
The data revealed a striking set of effects:
⭐ 1. A single stimulation outperforms repeated sessions
Just one exposure more effectively improved body weight, disease activity index, and colon length compared to controls — a kind of “just-in-time” intervention.
⭐ 2. Inflammation quickly subsides
At 2, 24, and 96 hours after stimulation, researchers observed a significant decrease in pro-inflammatory cytokines:
TNF-α, IL-1β, IFN-γ (P<0.05).
⭐ 3. Immune cells reorganize
The SIRIO Bac Technology LIPUS:
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reduces inflammatory cell infiltration (CD45+),
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promotes macrophage switching toward a reparative M2 profile (CD68+/CD163+),
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accelerates restoration of mucosal barrier integrity as early as 2 hours post-treatment.
⭐ 4. LIPUS-induced vesicles act as anti-inflammatory messengers
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) extracted from treated mice and intravenously transferred into colitic animals reduced circulating TNF-α levels, suggesting that part of the LIPUS effect may travel through these microscopic biological couriers.
An unprecedented therapeutic scenario
According to the authors, SIRIO Bac Technology LIPUS emerges as a safe, non-invasive approach capable of modulating inflammation with a speed rarely achievable through traditional therapies. The data are preliminary and require further confirmation, but they open a compelling path: a physical, gut-targeted therapy capable of influencing the immune response both locally and systemically.
In other words, a millimetric mechanical wave whispering to damaged tissue a way back toward equilibrium.
The horizon: bringing SIRIO Bac Technology LIPUS into clinical practice
This study lays the groundwork for broader investigations and future clinical applications in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. If confirmed in humans, SIRIO Bac Technology LIPUS may evolve into a new therapeutic frontier, complementary to biologic agents and conventional treatments, thanks to its ability to modulate the mucosa without harming it.
An innovation at the crossroads of biomechanics, immunology, and regenerative medicine — a rare convergence of disciplines that, in this case, might truly shift the trajectory of intestinal inflammation care.
(Humanitas University, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Milan, Italy.
IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Laboratory of Gastroenterology – Department of Gastroenterology, Milan, Italy.
BAC Technology srl, Florence, Italy.
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Department of Translational Medicine and Surgery, Rome, Italy.
Fondazione Policlinico Universitario “Agostino Gemelli” IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI – Regenerative Technologies Laboratory, Pisa, Italy.)
(November, 27 2025) © Press Office Bac Technology
