Scientists have created an at-home test that can catch bacteria that causes cancer or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by analysing the contents of the gut.
The Gut ID test, developed by Intus Biosciences, could help patients predict their risk of disease years in advance by identifying bacteria strongly linked to IBS or other intestinal disorders.
Patients take a faecal sample and post this to a laboratory, which analyses the strains of bacteria before giving patients a “score” of their microbiome.
The test can flag up harmful strains of bacteria in the gut that a patient may not have been aware of. Results can then be shared with a doctor or nutritionist to help make decisions on diet or lifestyle that could improve gut bacteria.
IBS is usually a lifelong problem and causes symptoms like stomach cramps, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation.
Around 1 in 5 adults in the UK are thought to have IBS, according to BUPA.
Mark Driscoll, chief scientific officer at Intus Biosciences, told the Standard: “People with IBS are often told that it is psychosomatic. But we can take a look at a faeces sample and say ‘that’s not right, your gut is not meant to be 50 per cent e.coli’. They can take this information back to their doctor and help make lifestyle changes.
“Our consultant Elena said one of her clients cried when she showed her the report. It was the first time a doctor could actually show her something was wrong.”
Mr Driscoll said that the test would also help fuel research into a worldwide surge in bowel cancer cases among young people that has sparked alarm among international health experts.
Research suggests that this risk is increasing with each new generation and is likely linked to exposures in early life and throughout an individual’s lifetime that are specific to their birth cohort.
“People are used to thinking of cancer as a genetic change in human cells. That is true, but there hasn’t been a wholesale genetic change in the population that would predispose people to cancer,” he said.
“It could be due to something in the environment. Our test could pick up harmful bacteria in the gut that appears years before cancer. We need to understand how this bacteria is getting there.”
Intus is also currently undergoing a trial with Cheshire-based addiction clinic Delamere on the link between addiction recovery and gut health.
