Virgo Surgical Video Solutions’s collaboration with the Rajpurkar Lab marks a significant shift in how AI will be built for gastroenterology—not as isolated algorithms, but as foundation models trained on massive, multimodal datasets. At the core of this effort is scale: Virgo is contributing over one million endoscopy videos (within a dataset of millions of procedures), enabling the development of models that go beyond narrow tasks like polyp detection. The goal is to create systems capable of disease detection, risk scoring, treatment prediction, and outcome forecasting—all from routine endoscopic procedures. What’s particularly important is the move from frame-based AI to…
Author: Abhay Panchal
A large population-based study shows a stark reality: colorectal cancer (CRC) risk isn’t just about screening—it’s about completion of the screening pathway. Among individuals with a positive stool test (FOBT), those who did not undergo follow-up colonoscopy had ~4x higher CRC incidence, while those who completed colonoscopy—especially with negative findings—had lower-than-average cancer risk. This flips the usual narrative: the initial test is only as valuable as the system that ensures follow-through. What’s particularly notable is the role of quality and system design. In this Swedish program, high colonoscopy completion rates (~87%) and strict quality standards for endoscopists contributed to better…
mbiomics’s €30M Series A marks a key transition point for the microbiome space—from promising biology to clinical and manufacturing execution. The company is building Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBPs)—oral therapies made from defined combinations of live bacteria—designed to restore microbiome function in a controlled, pharmaceutical-grade format. This directly addresses one of the field’s biggest bottlenecks: while approaches like fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) have shown efficacy, they remain variable, non-standardized, and difficult to scale.What differentiates mbiomics is its full-stack platform approach—combining AI-driven design of microbial consortia, proprietary analytics, co-cultivation, and manufacturing capabilities. This allows them to move beyond trial-and-error biology toward engineered,…
One GI®, the leading network of independent gastroenterology practices, today announced a strategic partnership with Oshi Health, the nation’s only nationwide virtual multidisciplinary GI clinic, through Oshi’s Access+ program. With Oshi, One GI practices can quickly and easily expand clinical offerings and reduce administrative burden, improving their overall financial health and achieving better patient outcomes. As part of the agreement, One GI practices can access GI-trained Oshi Health Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) as dedicated, full-time virtual staff to extend clinical capacity. Practices’ front desk teams can manage these APPs’ schedules, with physicians maintaining oversight of every patient interaction. With Oshi,…
At the Cleveland Clinic, the newly formed Endorobotics Collaborative signals a shift in how innovation in gastroenterology is being built—not as isolated device development, but as a fully integrated ecosystem spanning clinicians, engineers, and industry partners. The core problem is clear: as endoscopic procedures become more complex—approaching surgical-level interventions—current endoscopes lack stability, triangulation, and ergonomics, making advanced procedures technically demanding, time-intensive, and limited to a small group of highly skilled operators. This creates a bottleneck in access, despite clear clinical benefits of minimally invasive approaches. The Collaborative is designed to solve that gap by acting as a “bench-to-bedside” development engine—supporting…
Researchers led by Animesh Acharjee at the University of Birmingham have identified overlapping microbial and metabolite patterns in stool samples that can predict multiple gastrointestinal diseases—not just one. Across large datasets, signals linked to gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were not isolated. Instead, patterns from one condition often helped predict another. The strongest crossover was seen from gastric cancer signals pointing toward IBD, while colorectal cancer signals more often mapped back to gastric cancer—suggesting non-random biological connections across GI diseases. What makes this meaningful is not just detection—but shared biology. The predictive power didn’t come from…
The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has awarded $2.9 million to 84 researchers, reinforcing its long-standing role in shaping the future of digestive health through early-stage funding and talent development. On the surface, this looks like a routine grant cycle. But the structure tells a deeper story: the funding spans basic science, translational research, cancer, IBD, celiac disease, and early-career investigator programs, signaling a deliberate effort to build a diversified innovation pipeline across the GI ecosystem. Importantly, a significant portion of these awards targets career transitions (fellow-to-faculty), pilot studies, and student-level research, which is where many high-impact ideas are first de-risked.…
Gastroenterologists in the US are facing mounting pressures to see and scope more patients. The clinical demands of an aging population, together with increased endoscopic volumes driven by the surge in early-onset colon cancer, continue to outpace the available workforce. In response, many health care systems are turning to the GI hospitalist (GIH) model: gastroenterologists hired to work exclusively in the hospital to manage inpatient consultations, perform urgent and emergent endoscopies, coordinate multidisciplinary care, and streamline hospital operations. What began as a pragmatic staffing solution has evolved into a distinct and rewarding career track — one that enriches fellowship training, alleviates key pain points for…
A prospective study on virtual multidisciplinary GI care is challenging the assumption that complex gastrointestinal conditions require fragmented, in-person management. In a cohort of 234 patients with IBS and related disorders, a fully virtual care model—combining gastroenterologists, dietitians, psychologists, and health coaches—delivered significant improvements in symptom control, quality of life, and patient satisfaction, while also driving meaningful operational efficiency. Engagement was high (80%), with patients accessing care quickly (average wait: 6 days) and interacting across multiple specialties. The clinical impact was substantial: symptom control rates rose from ~20% to 86%, alongside marked reductions in symptom severity and improvements in productivity.…
A new validation study of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) complexity grading system confirms something clinicians intuitively know: not all endoscopic procedures are created equal. For procedures like EGD, colonoscopy, and EUS, the grading system shows strong correlation with both physician effort (wRVUs) and medicolegal risk (mRVUs)—suggesting it is a reliable framework for measuring procedural difficulty.