Researchers at Denmark-based Bactolife are designing targeted protein molecules called Binding Proteins to target toxins from harmful pathogens that have infiltrated the gastrointestinal tract while leaving the beneficial gut microbiome alone. In a bid to advance its platform, the company has just raised €30m ($33m). Bactolife raised the funds in a Series A round led by ATHOS with participation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Novo Holdings. The company previously raised €7m in seed financing in April 2021.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Barrett’s esophagus is the premalignant condition for esophageal adenocarcinoma, characterized by transformation of the normal squamous lining of the esophagus to columnar epithelium. Risk factors for BE include older age, male sex, white race, long-standing gastroesophageal reflux disease, positive family history, and tobacco smoking. Given the risk for malignant transformation, early identification of BE-related neoplasia is essential because these lesions can harbor cancer, which may be curable if identified early. With advances in endoscopic visualization and interventions, detection and characterization of both BE and BERN have improved significantly.
New York City-based gastroenterologist Zhi Alan Cheng, MD, has been charged with 50 new counts in criminal court for drugging and sexually assaulting several women, including a patient, The New York Times reported Aug. 7. Dr. Cheng, who was employed by New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian Queens from July 2020 to December 2022, was arrested in December after his girlfriend discovered videos of him allegedly drugging and assaulting her, according to the report. The police then found devices with other recordings at his home.
EXTON, Pa., Aug. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — US Digestive Health (USDH), one of the largest gastroenterology practices in the United States, managed by US Digestive Health Management (USDHM), a management services organization created to expand access to high-quality, low-cost gastroenterology care, today announced the addition of Blair Gastroenterology Associates, further expanding its comprehensive gastroenterology care services in Pennsylvania.
ATLANTA, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — United Digestive now offers patients receiving a colonoscopy an enhanced screening by GI Genius™ intelligent endoscopy module. The GI Genius™ module uses advanced AI software to highlight suspicious polyps with a visual marker in real-time—serving as the gastroenterologist’s ever-vigilant second observer. It is a powerful new ally in the fight against colorectal cancer.
An aging U.S. population with a preference for growing older at home — and a fiscally challenging health care financing outlook — are setting the demographic and financial table for the shift of medical care to peoples’ homes discussed in The State of Health at Home Models: Key Considerations and Opportunities, published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Endoscopists with varying experience had high levels of procedural success and reported high levels of satisfaction performing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography using a single-use duodenoscope, including in a significant number of high-complexity cases, according to a multicenter, global prospective case series presented at Digestive Disease Week 2023. Although a disposable duodenoscope virtually eliminates the problem of scope contamination, other questions about these devices remained. Would endoscopists be comfortable with the disposable designs, and would they find that they performed the same?
Abstract: The presentation of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is heterogeneous with varied clinical, endoscopic, and histologic features impacting the severity of the condition. Until recently, however, and in contrast with many other conditions, there has been no standardized way to measure disease severity in EoE. A clinically applicable method for assessing severity in routine practice has been recognized as necessary to standardize assessment and management of EoE. Therefore, the American Gastroenterological Association has sponsored a consensus conference to determine elements of severity in EoE and develop the first tool to measure severity. This article presents details of this severity metric, which…
Launching your first clinical trial is the type of announcement most biotech executives eagerly anticipate, hoping to celebrate with employees. But for Celsius Therapeutics CEO Tariq Kassum, it’s proving to be more difficult than he anticipated. That’s because in recent days, Celsius, based in Cambridge, Mass., has been forced to conduct a round of layoffs, sources told STAT. Kassum confirmed around 75% of Celsius’ 40-person team had been laid off, and disclosed that the biotech has also been quietly paring back its pipeline this year. It shut down almost all early-stage research projects, including pausing all of its cancer drug…
Three primary stakeholders may play a role in protecting patients from the infection risk associated with reusable gastroscopes: healthcare providers, endoscope manufacturers and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Lawrence Muscarella, a national authority on the causes and prevention of healthcare-associated infections, offered advice to those stakeholders on the Transmission Control podcast in the third episode of a three-part series on gastroscope safety signals.