Diagnostic breath tests in personalized medicine

Can you please provide the readers of Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics with an overview of your work?

We are currently working on diagnostic breath tests using suitably labeled stable isotope ¹³ C substrates for evaluating polymorphic enzyme activities like CYP2D6, CYP2C19 and DPD.

What led you to this area of research?

At Cambridge Isotope Laboratories (CIL) I have been responsible for developing diagnostic breath tests with ¹³ C-labeled compounds for the last 7 years. CIL is the largest manufacturer of stable isotopes in the world, including ¹³ C, ¹⁵ N, H₂ and ¹⁸ O, deuterium products. Otsuka Pharmaceutical, our parent company, has developed a cheaper infrared spectrophotometer. Our two spectrophotometers (UBiT^® IR 300 and POCone(TM)) were approved by the US FDA in 2002 and 2004, respectively. My job was to identify unmet medical diagnostic needs and design ¹³ C substrates that would be able to identify patients with enzyme deficiencies.

What specific area of molecular diagnostics is evolving most rapidly & has the greatest demand?

Personalizing medication metabolized by polymorphic enzymes, such as CYP 2D6, 2C19,...