22 June 2022 - - US-based Gemelli Biotech Corp, a provider of precision diagnostics for gastrointestinal diseases, has closed a USD 19m series A financing, the company said.

Blue Ox Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm providing growth capital to companies targeting precision health and value-based care, led the investment round, joined by founding investor Cedars-Sinai, along with Carolina Angel Network, CerraCap Ventures, and several family offices.

Gemelli will use the capital raised to accelerate the commercialization of its trio-smart and ibs-smart precision diagnostic tests, including expanding sales and marketing across the US and the scale-up of laboratory and manufacturing capacity, as well as its operational footprints in Raleigh and Los Angeles.

Gemelli has launched two products: trio-smart the only clinical breath test that measures levels of hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide to provide clinicians and patients with a more complete picture of gut health and ibs-smart a patented diagnostic blood test for post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome.

Both products were developed in partnership with the Medically Associated Science and Technology program at Cedars-Sinai.

IBS is estimated to affect approximately 800 m people, or around one in 10, globally.

More than 35m Americans suffer from IBS2 and, of those, up to 80% also experience SIBO.

Unlike current treatment protocols reliant on exclusion, ibs-smart can offer a clear positive diagnosis, preventing potentially unnecessary invasive procedures and opening a faster path to treatment.

The company's trio-smart product, which aids in the identification of SIBO, uses a proprietary sealed breath collection system and a highly precise gas measurement device, providing both reliable sample collection and significant reduction of the risk of false positives and false negatives.

Gemelli Biotech Corp. is focused on improving health by providing precision diagnostics for GI diseases.

Founded in 2018, Gemelli's mission is to leverage leading biological discoveries related to the microbiome to provide non-invasive precision diagnostics which enable clinicians to definitively detect scientifically validated biomarkers and optimally treat GI diseases including SIBO, IMO, excess hydrogen sulfide, and post-infectious IBS.

Its portfolio includes the ibs-smart blood test for the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome and the trio-smart breath test which provides a more complete picture of gut health.

Blue Ox Healthcare Partners, is a private equity investment firm focused on providing capital to growth stage healthcare companies targeting the industry's transformation to precision health and value-based care.