Mark Pimentel, MD, FRCPC is Director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Program and Laboratory at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Pimentel also serves as Associate Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Pimentel has been awarded various investigator-driven grants related to gastrointestinal motility. His primary research interests involve irritable bowel syndrome and its relationship to small intestinal motility and bacterial overgrowth. Other interests include gastric motility in diabetes.

Dr. Pimentel is a member of several professional organizations, including the Medical Council of Canada, American Gastroenterological Association and American College of Gastroenterology. He has written articles for such peer-reviewed publications as the Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Gastroenterology, Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Digestive Diseases and Sciences.

Dr. Pimentel received his bachelor's and medical degrees from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Manitoba Health Science Center. His fellowship in gastroenterology is from the UCLA Integrated Training Program in Los Angeles.

Since its founding in 1902, Cedars-Sinai has focused on providing the highest quality healthcare available. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is composed of:

1. More than 2,000 physicians in almost every clinical specialty
2. 10,000 employees
3. 2,000 volunteers
4. 15,000 fundraising support group members

These individuals form a unique partnership in helping deliver world-class medicine to the community, and to patients from across the United States and around the world.

Cedars-Sinai physicians and scientists are leaders in basic and clinical research, bringing advancements in medicine directly from the laboratory to the bedside.

With an eye to the future, Cedars-Sinai trains the next generation of physicians, researchers and allied health professionals. More than 350 residents and fellows participate in more than 60 graduate medical education programs to learn the latest diagnostics and treatments.

Cedars-Sinai is committed to providing the highest quality patient care. Quality is measured in high patient satisfaction scores, continuous clinical performance initiatives, excellent medical outcomes, ongoing research and academic programs, and national designations and awards.

 Double-blind, Placebo Controlled Trial Comparing Neomycin to Rifaximin Plus Neomycin in the Treatment of Methane Positive Subjects With Constipation-predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome

In this study the investigators aim to compare the efficacy of neomycin to a combination of rifaximin and neomycin in the treatment of C-IBS subjects with methane on their breath test. This study will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. John DiBaise at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ.

Estimated Enrollment: 89
Study Start Date: August 2009
Estimated Study Completion Date: May 2011
Estimated Primary Completion Date: May 2011 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

Ages Eligible for Study: 18 Years to 75 Years
Genders Eligible for Study: Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

 Genetics and Serum Database of Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Principal Investigator

To be able to identify individuals who are at a genetically high risk for developing IBS and to devise methods to prevent the development of this disease in such individuals

Estimated Sample Size: 500 subjects per year (IBS and Controls)

 The evaluation of intestinal methane production and weight loss after bariatric surgery

Co-Investigator

To investigate the prevalence of intestinal methane production in obese subjects who have undergone bariatric surgery

 Methane production and glycemic regulation in pre-diabetic subjects: role of methane in glycemic control

Co-Investigator

To determine the effect of enteric methane production on glucose excursions, gut transit and energy utilization in obese, prediabetic, adult subjects.

Estimated Sample Size: 15

 Pilot of AbStats /AEGIS System for Detecting Motility Abnormalities

When compared to existing analyses: manometry, Smart Pill and lactulose breath testing, external Acoustic Esophago-Gastro-Intestinal Surveillance (AEGIS) may identify unique audible patterns characteristic of features of gastroinestinal (GI) motility, gastric and small bowel contractions and emptying and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). This research study is designed to test the capabilities of AbStats/AEGIS to identify and associate symptoms and traditional diagnostics with sound readings and correlate this data with treatment outcomes and successes in standard of care.

Estimated Enrollment: 30
Study Start Date: July 2013
Estimated Study Completion Date: May 2015
Estimated Primary Completion Date: May 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)

 Use of SBI in IBS Subjects Following a Successful Treatment of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

The primary objective of this study is to determine whether giving SBI as a medical food starting with maintenance of health in the management of chronic loose and frequent stools in IBS-D subjects with SIBO after successful treatment with rifaximin can lead to more prolonged duration of benefit and delay symptom recurrence. SBI is the main ingredient in EnteraGam™, an orally administered prescription medical food for the dietary management of patients with enteropathy or chronic loose or frequent stools, including patients with IBS-D.

Estimated Enrollment: 60
Study Start Date: September 2014
Estimated Study Completion Date: September 2015
Estimated Primary Completion Date: September 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)