IQuity, a leading life science technology company in the field of RNA-based diagnosis, announced the release of IsolateIBS-IBD, a pioneering blood test that helps clinicians identify with great accuracy irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), allowing patients to receive treatment much faster.
The test analyzes a person’s RNA (the intermediate molecule between DNA and protein) retrieved from a small blood sample and identifies with 90% accuracy if someone carries a genetic signature for either IBD or IBS.
Because both of these diseases share many symptoms but require unique treatments, a correct diagnosis can be challenging, with patients undergoing a battery of tests including X-rays, stool analyses, and invasive endoscopies. However, even with these tests, it can still take physicians several months to reach a diagnosis. As such, IsolateIBS-IBD represents a key breakthrough for the clinical management of both diseases.
Among IBD patients, the test also can distinguish between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
“The process of diagnosing IBS and IBD can be time-consuming and physically and emotionally draining for patients,” Chase Spurlock, chief executive officer of IQuity, said in a press release.
“With IsolateIBS-IBD, we’re providing a potent new tool to aid physicians as they work with patients to achieve an accurate, early diagnosis. We want to help eliminate uncertainty and give physicians and patients information that they can trust, leading to an early and effective treatment,” he added.
Last August, IQuity released its first RNA-based test, called IsolateMS, to help neurologists identify from early on if a person has multiple sclerosis (MS) at the first sign of symptoms.
The company is preparing to launch, before the end of this year, its third test — IsolateFibromyalgia — to aid the diagnosis of fibromyalgia, a condition characterized by widespread pain alongside other symptoms.
All tests use the company’s proprietary IQIsolate technology in which several algorithms compare RNA extracted from a blood sample against IQuity’s robust database of information from healthy and sick patients collected via IQuity’s research.
“RNA testing has the potential to transform the process of medical diagnostics,” Spurlock said. “We’re excited to continue pursuing innovations in this field.”