MetaPanel: Bringing hope for sufferers of IBD
By 2030, nearly 300,000 Australians are expected to suffer from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
In The Courier Mail, Microba’s Chief Scientific Officer, Lutz Krause , shared his perspective on this rising health crisis — and how innovations like MetaPanel are helping reshape the future of chronic health.
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Imagine living with relentless gut pain, fatigue, and uncertainty - seeing doctor after doctor with no clear answers. For patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), every flare-up brings fear: Will it pass, or spiral out of control? Will it mean stronger medications or surgery? The unpredictability is exhausting, leaving patients feeling powerless.
The latest State of the Nation Report highlights a stark reality: by 2030, almost 300,000 Australians will face this challenge. Beyond the physical toll, the financial burden is staggering - lost wages and medical costs will reach $7.8 billion by 2025.
To change the trajectory of IBD care, we need earlier detection, more personalised treatment, and new treatment options. New research is uncovering a potential connection between the microbiome, infections and IBD flares, suggesting that pathogens or microbial imbalances may contribute to disease progression and symptom severity.
This is where MetaPanel changes the equation. Unlike traditional pathogen tests, which are limited to predefined targets, MetaPanel detects a broad range of organisms which can cause infection - bacteria, viruses, fungi, microsporidia, parasites - which may give a clearer picture of what's driving symptoms.
With this level of precision, clinicians now have a new tool to evaluate gastrointestinal infection as a factor and refine treatment plans, prevent unnecessary interventions, and deliver faster, more effective care when managing patients with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms of unknown cause.
IBD treatment today mainly focuses on suppressing acute inflammatory responses, but not all patients respond, long-term use carries risks, and many patients fail to achieve long-term remission. That's why we're developing next-generation therapeutics that harness health-associated bacterial strains from the human gut that may restore immune balance.
Transforming IBD care isn't just about breakthroughs, it's about ensuring they reach clinicians and patients. We collaborate with gastroenterologists, GPs, infectious disease specialists and researchers to bring innovation into practice. With smarter diagnostics and emerging treatments, IBD care is becoming more precise and patient-centred.
The future of Gastrointestinal diagnostics is evolving. MetaPanel is available now and already helping patients.