DDW 2026 highlighted a broader shift in GI therapeutics—from symptom control toward disease modification and long-term durability. New data presented across EoE, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and IBS pointed to therapies that may alter underlying disease biology rather than simply manage flares or symptoms. Among the notable updates, dupilumab showed potential to improve esophageal remodeling in eosinophilic esophagitis, while early IBS data suggested varenicline may open a new mechanistic pathway for symptom management. Long-term studies of IL-23 inhibitors including risankizumab, guselkumab, and mirikizumab also reinforced the growing role of pathway-specific biologics in sustaining remission and treating more difficult disease phenotypes…
Author: Abhay Panchal
A growing disconnect is emerging between microbiome science and the booming consumer wellness market. A recent commentary in The New England Journal of Medicine argues that direct-to-consumer microbiome tests often produce inconsistent and conflicting results, with identical stool samples generating different microbial profiles, health scores, and supplement recommendations across companies. While the microbiome remains one of the most promising frontiers in medicine, experts caution that current commercial testing lacks standardization, clinical validation, and consensus around what defines a “healthy” microbiome. The article also highlights concerns that many companies monetize uncertainty by pairing expensive testing with recurring supplement and probiotic sales,…
From supply chain management to billing practices, running a financially healthy gastroenterology ASC requires vigilance on multiple fronts, leaders told Becker’s. One source of lost revenue is avoidable procedure cancellations, particularly for colonoscopies. Benjamin Levy III, MD, a gastroenterologist at University of Chicago Medicine, pointed to inadequate prep communication as a primary culprit.
GLP-1 drugs are increasingly moving into gastroenterology conversations—not just for obesity and diabetes, but for conditions like MASLD, GERD, and even inflammatory bowel disease, where some clinicians are observing symptom improvement in select patients. The article raises a broader question: should gastroenterologists begin prescribing GLP-1s themselves, or should these therapies remain primarily managed by primary care and endocrinology? While enthusiasm around the drugs continues to grow, experts also emphasize the need for GI physicians to understand their gastrointestinal side effects, safety considerations, and potential long-term role in GI disease prevention, including possible effects on GI cancer risk.
Dr. Sanket Chauhan, Founder & CEO of Surgical Automations, joined me and co-hosts Dr. Neil Parikh (CIO, Connecticut GI and Chair of Innovation, GI Alliance) and Matt Schwartz(Founder and CEO of Virgo) — and opened the conversation by showing us footage none of us were fully prepared for. Inside a pig’s intestine, a 15mm robot identifies the lumen, reads the walls, and advances — autonomously. No hands on the scope. No physician guiding the tip. Just hardware and software in a closed loop, doing what takes most fellows years to develop feel for. This is ex vivo work. A pig model in a lab. But the engineering underneath…
MASH cirrhosis has traditionally been considered irreversible. However, new data from investigators at Cleveland Clinic, presented at Digestive Disease Week 2026, demonstrate that cirrhosis regression can occur following metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS). In a retrospective cohort of patients with biopsy-proven compensated MASH cirrhosis undergoing MBS, investigators evaluated long-term outcomes using paired liver biopsies obtained at the time of surgery and at follow-up. Among 30 patients with a median follow-up of more than six years, cirrhosis regression, defined as improvement to a less advanced stage of fibrosis, was observed in one-third of patients. “These findings challenge the long-held view that…
A growing paradox is emerging in medical AI: some of the strongest evidence exists for imaging-based AI tools—across colonoscopy, mammography, retinal imaging, CT scans, and pathology—yet many remain poorly integrated into routine clinical care. Eric Topol argues that AI-assisted colonoscopy alone now has evidence from 44 randomized trials showing improved adenoma detection, while retinal AI models can predict risks for cardiovascular, neurologic, and metabolic diseases from routine eye exams. Despite this, implementation has lagged due to reimbursement gaps, workflow challenges, and lack of coordinated deployment. At the same time, generative AI tools like ChatGPT are being rapidly adopted by both…
Gastroenterology hospitalists (GIH) have become an integral to academic inpatient gastroenterology services, however the competencies and skills that distinguish GIH from non-GIH gastroenterologists are not yet well defined. The aim of this study was to compare the comfort level in performing inpatient-focused endoscopy skills by GIH and non-GIH.
A new social media platform exclusively for doctors launched this week. The free platform, called Roon, was founded by Vikram Bhaskaran and Arun Ranganathan, two former Pinterest leaders who serve as CEO and chief technology officer, respectively, as well as neurosurgeon Dr. Rohan Ramakrishna, who serves as the startup’s president. The platform is designed to address a growing gap in the physician community — its lack of a suitable space online to connect, debate and share clinical knowledge, Dr. Ramakrishna said. While AI tools like Anothropic’s Claude or OpenAI’s ChatGPT can do a good job of summarizing published literature, they…
A detailed Commonwealth Fund analysis shows that physician experiences with private equity vary dramatically depending on how deals are structured and whether doctors are treated as partners or employees. Some physicians reported that PE backing helped practices scale, invest in ancillary services, improve payer contracting, expand research participation, and reduce administrative burden. Others described declining compensation, growing management overhead, loss of autonomy, restrictive noncompete clauses, and increasing pressure to meet financial targets after acquisitions. The report highlights that PE-backed consolidation is rapidly expanding across specialties including urology, orthopedics, OB/GYN, anesthesiology, and gastroenterology. While supporters argue these partnerships help independent practices…