Pimentel Lab

Mark Pimentel, MD, is the executive director of the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai and in collaboration with Ruchi Mathur, MD, whose work focuses on links between metabolic disease and gut microbiome, and Ali Rezaie, MD, whose innovative work in GI motility improves the wellbeing of patients, as part of the MAST team they focus on the development of drugs, diagnostic tests and devices related to conditions of the microbiome.

Pimentel’s team researches irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal (GI) conditions effecting about 10% of the population worldwide and about 10%-15% of people in the U.S. In the past, there was no definitive test to diagnose IBS. For a time, IBS was thought to be a psychological disease; however, the Pimentel Lab discovered a blood test to provide a definitive diagnosis showing that IBS is an organic disease. Having a definitive diagnosis for IBS paved the way for additional research in the Pimentel Lab to treat the condition.

The areas of greatest interest and work in the MAST Program include motility disorders of the GI tract, SIBO, IBS, metabolic diseases (such as obesity and diabetes) and many others, as they relate to the microbiome. The MAST Program’s mission is to find better treatments for the conditions related to the microbiome.