Today, we're joined by Dr. Mark Pimentel, executive director of the MAST( Medically Associated Science and Technology) program at Cedars-Sinai. And, by Matt Mitcho, CEO of Gemelli Biotech. Dr. Pimentel is also a co-founder and a member of the scientific advisory board at Gemelli.

They have been working together since 2018, as founders of Gemelli Biotech, bringing trio-smart, which is a SIBO breath test that identifies gasses that are associated with SIBO, hydrogen methane, and hydrogen sulfide to market. Also, IBS Smart, a blood test that measures two antibodies elevated in people that had a previous event of food poisoning or identifying post-infectious IBS, IBSD specifically.

In addition to the clinical, research, and technology assessment, we talked about incorporating the patient voice in seeking proper treatment for IBS patients, which Dr. Pimentel highlights that as a clinician scientist, you are obligated to think around the patient and outside the box.

He gives some tips to clinicians:

Have the ability to compassionately listen to the patient population and then develop innovative tools that help them get to the resolution more quickly. This aids with patient motivation and resilience
With the volumes increasing in treatment clinicians see patterns and upon seeing those patterns, there comes a need to have as many clinical trials as you need to up until the science stacks up, which most times is a long and dedicated process
Dr. Pimentel gave us tips for tackling systemic challenges like difficulty in getting an appointment with the doctor or not having enough time with the doctor.

Have quality time for example an hour for the new patients
Educating their patients empowers them with the information out there and this gives them confidence when they visit the doctor.
Matt insists on being patient-centric. In making sure that the culture that is created within the organization focuses on the patient, and getting the patient an answer,

In conclusion, we spoke about what's on the horizon that we should be watching out for? In regards to technology and new science.

Precision medicine: Having more knowledge about the microbiome in IBS,.
They already have one product that looks very promising for the diarrhea side on the basis of exactly what this breath test shows.
They plan to spend a lot of resources educating patients and providers to the three gas breath test
Exploring telehealth platforms that will give patients that don't have a provider, greater access to tools that they may find benefit from and continuously exploring partnerships for scale.
It really comes down to accessing more physicians and making them aware of what they are doing. Alongside making patients aware that they have access to these tools and can go ask their providers about them. And then making sure that they are prepared for the demand on the back end. Having better tools to give folks patients a positive diagnosis, which will allow them to find resolution more quickly.

In summary, we narrow it down to the education and empowerment of both patients and clinicians.

If you’d like to read more about patient empowerment – along with the 83bar patient recruitment platform – go to 83bar.com

• The Patients Speak - Ep. 05 - Dr. Mark Pimentel, Cedars-Sinai ( Download)
• The Patients Speak - Ep. 05 - Dr. Mark Pimentel, Cedars-Sinai ( Download)
• The Patients Speak - Ep. 05 - Matt Mitcho, CEO of Gemelli Biotech ( Download)
• IBS Awareness Month Q&A w/ Dr. Mark Pimentel | Cedars-Sinai ( Download)
• 5 Things Patients Should Know About Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) ( Download)
• Dr Mark Pimentel, Executive Director, Cedars-Sinai MAST Program ( Download)
• CBS News San Francisco | Dr. Mark Pimentel on All Things SIBO, IBS, Gut Health & The Microbiome ( Download)
• What You Need to Know About Urinary Tract Infections | Cedars-Sinai ( Download)
• I DON'T Recommend the Cedars Sinai SIBO Diet ( Download)
• The Future of Vascular Surgery Techniques with Dr. Ali Azizzadeh | Pioneers in Medicine ( Download)
• IBS: no longer the default diagnosis for something doctors don’t understand ( Download)
• Dr. Mark Pimentel on SIBO/IMO and my potpourri of GI questions! | H2S SIBO, MCAS, & Breaking News! ( Download)
• What Can Your Stool Say About Your Health ( Download)
• New! Hydrogen Sulphide SIBO with Dr Mark Pimentel and Rebecca Coomes | Ep 64 ( Download)
• Signs & Symptoms of SIBO | The Doctors with Dr. Mark Pimentel ( Download)