Along with the application of genetic polymorphism techniques to individualized treatment of clinical disorders

the screening of polymorphisms markers of serotonin(5-HT)transporter(SERT)is a hot-spot of researches on irritable bowel syndrome(IBS).In the present paper

the authors introduce 1)optimized schemes of diagnosis and treatment of IBS on the basis of syndrome-differentiation for acupuncture in combination with Chinese herbal medicines

and application of 5-HT transporter polymorphism

2)application of genetic polymorphism to researches on IBS

and 3)feasibility of genetic polymorphism techniques for guiding individualized treatment of IBS.Up to now

serotonin transporter length polymorphic region(5-HTTLPR)

serotonin transporter intron 2variable number of tandem repeat(Stin 2VNTR)and single nucleotide polymorphism rs 25531in the long allele of the 5-HTTLPR have been identified.On the basis of the treatment of IBS

we need establishing a set of guide lines for the individualized acupuncture treatment.The genotyping methods for genetic polymorphism should be widely used in this research field.5-HT TLPR/Stin 2VNTR/rs 25531polymorphisms would have a bright future in the field of IBS research and treatment.