MALIBU, Calif., Oct. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Progenabiome, a physician-owned genetic sequencing laboratory, found cutting-edge data on Clostridium difficile (C.diff), a disease burdening 500,000+ Americans yearly. They will present a validated, verified, and reproduced C.diff Assay at The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019 in San Antonio.
“This data will change healthcare and make us more aware of our gut microbiome,” said Dr. Sabine Hazan-Steinberg, CEO and Founder of Progenabiome. “2500 years later, we’re proving Hippocrates right…everything starts in the gut.”
Dr. Hazan, a Malibu-based gastroenterologist, has 20+ years experience leading clinical trials, many for C.diff. When trials failed, she used fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), following advice from friend Dr. Neil Stollman, gastroenterologist at UCSF and East Bay Center for Digestive Health. She also followed great work by Dr. Thomas Borody, FMT pioneer and Centre for Digestive Diseases founder. Success post-FMT for recurrent C.diff suggested the microbiome holds many answers.
Knowing the C.diff microbe has existed for 10 million years, she questioned why it now takes 50,000 lives annually.
Dr. Sydney Finegold, infectious disease specialist who researched Autism/microbiome for 50 years, recommended she acquire a next-generation sequencer. When he passed in 2018, his books went to Hazan, hoping she could continue his legacy.
In January, she joined pathologist Dr. Brad Barrows and scientific director Dr. Andreas Papoutsis to launch Progenabiome. Their first run found non-toxigenic C.diff in every sample, including those not diagnosed with the disease. Preliminary data shows the C.diff microbe is not transmitted hand-to-mouth as previously believed. It is already in the gut and becomes toxic when something ingested triggers it.
Progenabiome will present this groundbreaking discovery at ACG 2019 (Poster 1027 / Booth 1931) and the 7th Annual International C.diff Conference November 6-7, 2019 in St. Louis.
Progenabiome is investigating the role of the gut flora in various diseases through 11 studies overlooked by New England IRB. Progenabiome’s Mission: to better understand, prevent, and treat diseases by analyzing specific genetic codes of 40 trillion gut microbes. Dr. Hazan believes the art of Medicine lies in our ability to see outside the box and recognize that all microbes and humans are unique.
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Contact: Stephanie Davis, [email protected]
