Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is ranked #1 for gastroenterology in the Middle East1
A highly promising commercial roll-out that provides access to one of the world’s highest-prevalence Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) markets (~27% regional average2 vs. 9.2% globally3)
CellTolerance empowers physicians to identify food reactions in 70% of IBS patients with negative standard allergy tests4, enabling targeted diets without unnecessary restrictions.
Paris and Boston, November 4th, 2026 – 5:45 p.m. CET – Mauna Kea Technologies (Euronext Growth: ALMKT), inventor of Cellvizio®, the multidisciplinary probe and needle-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (p/nCLE) platform, today announces the clinical launch of CellTolerance at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, part of the M42 network and ranked the Middle East’s top gastroenterology hospital by Newsweek (see Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s announcement). Following UAE market authorization by the Emirates Drug Establishment in May 2026 and approval by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the hospital’s Digestive Disease Institute becomes the first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to offer the CellTolerance program to patients with suspected food-related Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) symptoms.
The Middle East has some of the highest IBS rates in the world. A 2024 systematic review of 52 studies (51,683 participants across seven Arab countries) found that IBS affects approximately 27% of people on average2, compared with a 2020 global meta-analysis estimating worldwide IBS prevalence at 9.2% using Rome III criteria3. In a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, 84% of IBS patients reported symptoms triggered by at least one food5. Yet the standard work-up often fails to find the cause: conventional blood and skin-prick tests detect only classical, IgE-mediated food allergy, so many reactions go undetected. In a prospective study published in Gastroenterology, 70% of IBS patients with negative IgE blood and skin-prick tests showed an immediate reaction to at least one common food component under confocal laser endomicroscopy4. Without a way to see these reactions, patients are often left with months or years of trial-and-error elimination diets.
The CellTolerance test is designed to replace that guesswork with evidence. The test is performed under sedation during a standard upper gastrointestinal endoscopy that typically takes less than half an hour. During the examination, the physician applies carefully selected liquid food extracts to the lining of the duodenum and uses Cellvizio® confocal laser endomicroscopy to watch the mucosa respond in real time. Changes to the gut barrier can appear within minutes, such as breaks in the epithelium and fluid leaking between cells. These observations give physicians visual, patient-specific evidence to complement conventional testing, guiding a targeted diet that avoids unnecessary dietary restrictions and preserves nutritional balance.
Dr. Sacha Sidani, Staff Physician, Gastroenterology, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, commented: “Many of our patients have spent years being told their symptoms are ‘just IBS’, moving from one diet to the next without a clear answer. CellTolerance allows us to see directly how an individual patient’s gut responds to specific foods, in real time. Patients travel to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi from across the region, and we expect strong interest from those who have lived with these symptoms for years. Patients have been genuinely excited about this test, and those we have treated so far have been extremely satisfied. Launching CellTolerance here, as the first Center of Excellence in the Middle East, reflects our commitment to bringing the most advanced digestive care closer to home”.
Sacha Loiseau, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Mauna Kea Technologies, added: “Launching CellTolerance in the Middle East and North Africa with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, one of the most respected names in medicine, is a landmark moment for the program. It also further validates our strategy of partnering with world-class institutions to drive adoption. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi joins leading reference centers including Stanford University and Hoag Memorial Hospital in the United States, and the University of Mainz and Klinikum Bamberg in Germany, where the CellTolerance approach was pioneered. IBS rates in this region are among the highest reported anywhere, and more than eight in ten patients link their symptoms to food. The need is significant, and patients across the Gulf and wider MENA region now have access to a test that replaces guesswork with evidence.”
1 https://www.clevelandclinicabudhabi.ae/en/media-center/news/ccad-ranks-first-in-the-uae-across-five-specialties
2 Almansour O. Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in the Arab World: A Systematic Review. Cureus. 2024 Jul 26;16(7):e65421. doi:10.7759/cureus.65421
3 Oka P, et al. Global prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome according to Rome III or IV criteria: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020;5:908–17
4 Fritscher-Ravens A, Pflaum T, Mösinger M, et al. Many patients with irritable bowel syndrome have atypical food allergies not associated with immunoglobulin E. Gastroenterology. 2019;157(1):109–118.e5. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2019.03.046
5 Böhn L, Störsrud S, Törnblom H, Bengtsson U, Simrén M. Self-reported food-related gastrointestinal symptoms in IBS are common and associated with more severe symptoms and reduced quality of life. Am J Gastroenterol. 2013;108(5):634–41. doi:10.1038/ajg.2013.105
