¹³C breath tests in personalized medicine: fiction or reality?

Abstract

The concept of personalized medicine is gathering momentum as various biomarkers are being discovered and developed to lead to genotype and phenotype diagnostic tests, which will enable physicians to individualize therapy. Noninvasive, rapid ¹³C breath tests have the potential to serve as clinically significant diagnostic tools, especially for evaluating the enzyme activity of polymorphic enzymes. This would enable physicians to rapidly identify responders/nonresponders to various drugs primarily metabolized by these enzymes prior to initiation of therapy. With the information on enzyme activity, the physician can prescribe the right drug, at the right dose, at the right time, to the right individual, for the right clinical outcome. However, the promise of the era of personalized medicine, including the novel ¹³C breath tests, will have to overcome several regulatory, business and financial hurdles for diagnostic tests to become part of routine mainstream clinical practice over the next decade.

Keywords::

• ¹³C breath test
• personalized medicine
• pharmacogenomics

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.