Federal Award Supports Commercialization of IBS Test
Federal Award Supports Commercialization of IBS Test
July 28, 2025
A collaborative team of Rowan researchers, led by Sangita Phadtare, has received support from the NSF I-Corps™ program to develop a test for diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome.
It takes years of research to develop a new medical test. But making that invention available to the patients who need it requires more than scientific prowess. It also takes business acumen.
Sangita Phadtare, Ph.D., a professor of biomedical sciences at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU), and her colleagues, Lark Perez, Ph.D., professor of chemistry and biochemistry in Rowan’s College of Science & Mathematics, and Joshua DeSipio, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at CMSRU, have received federal support as they navigate a crucial step in commercializing a test they are developing for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Currently, doctors cannot directly diagnose most cases of IBS. Instead, to determine if a patient has IBS, they must first eliminate other possible causes for the miserable symptoms. Although IBS has no cure, “a rapid, definitive test would lessen the stress that comes with waiting for a diagnosis and help patients begin managing their symptoms more quickly,” Phadtare said.
Phadtare, DeSipio and Perez developed the technology behind the new test. They have applied for patents and co-founded a company, GUTSCI LLC (GUTSCI).
GUTSCI team was recently selected to participate in the U.S. National Science Foundation’s I-Corps™ program, which aims to train entrepreneurs and accelerate the societal benefits of research. The program will assist them as they develop an essential aspect of their business strategy—researching their potential customers, which could include primary care physicians, gastroenterologists, and perhaps patients.
Symptoms of IBS, most notably abdominal discomfort and changes in bowel movements, overlap with those of other conditions including celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and even infections. To determine the true cause of a patient’s symptoms, doctors conduct a physical examination and may request tests that include blood work, a stool test, and, in some cases, procedures called endoscopies/colonoscopies in which a camera on a tube is inserted down the throat or into the colon.
Working with Perez and DeSipio, Phadtare discovered biomarkers for IBS and developed a method for analyzing stool samples for these biomarkers. The goal is to register the biomarkers’ presence through a color change, like that indicating results in a pregnancy test or COVID test. An easily visible result could make the IBS test useful in doctors’ offices or even at home. While the team is aiming to develop a color-changing test, it’s possible the finished product will use fluorescence to indicate a result. However, a test that fluoresces would require analysis in a lab.
Last year, the team participated in the four-week regional I-Corps™ program. Through the most recent award, which gives them access to the program at the national level, they have received a $50,000 grant and completed a seven-week program focused on customer discovery.
The GUTSCI team acknowledges the support of Neal Lemon, Ph.D., assistant vice president of innovation and technology at Rowan University and director of the Cooper Innovation Center, and Joseph Boland, intellectual property and technology transfer specialist at the Cooper Innovation Center, in commercializing their invention.
“As a scientist, this makes me very happy,” says Phadtare, a microbiologist. “If what we are doing is successful, it will really help people. And that is what I always wanted to do.”