Commonwealth Laboratories and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have entered into an exclusive license agreement for three patents covering the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome and other disorders caused by small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
Cedars-Sinai's patents are related to technology developed by Cedars-Sinai director of Gastrointestinal Motility Program and Laboratory Mark Pimentel and Henry Lin.
The patents describe the use of hydrogen and methane breath testing in the diagnosis of the disease.
SIBO, in which large amounts of bacteria such as 100,000 bacteria per ml of fluid or more are present in the small intestine, is claimed to be the lead cause of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
As of now, about 60 million Americans and between 10-20% of the world population suffer from IBS.
According to Cedars-Sinai, hydrogen and methane breath testing is recognized by the American College of Gastroenterology as a non-invasive, patient-friendly method of diagnosing SIBO.
By measuring levels of hydrogen and methane in exhaled air bacterial overgrowth can be identified quickly and efficiently, the company said.
