Microba Life Sciences Limited has completed a $14.5 million capital raise through a placement and share purchase plan. The funds will fuel the company’s ongoing work in microbiome research and development, aiming to strengthen its role in diagnostics, therapeutics, and gut health innovation.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Dr. Robin Mendelsohn, Co-Director of MSK’s Center for Young Onset Colorectal and GI Cancers, weighs in on the FDA-approved Shield blood test — the first of its kind for average-risk adults 45 and older. While it’s less invasive than colonoscopy, she notes that Shield misses over a third of stage 1 colorectal cancers and detects just 13% of precancerous polyps, falling short of the prevention goal.
In this GI Alliance perspective, Dr. Neil D. Parikh warns that early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is rapidly rising — with millennials facing double the lifetime risk compared to prior generations. Many patients present late, often with aggressive histologic types like mucinous and signet-ring carcinomas, in part due to misdiagnoses such as IBS or hemorrhoids. He urges GI physicians to lead in prevention — by educating patients, pushing for policy change, and supporting microbiome-focused research — framing EOCRC as a “largely preventable” crisis that demands immediate action.
In GI and Hepatology News, Dr. Allon Kahn shares five principles that can elevate a gastroenterologist’s role as a consultant — going far beyond clinical expertise. He emphasizes how approach, communication style, and professional integrity shape both patient outcomes and colleague relationships. From fostering trust to making your recommendations stand out, his insights challenge GIs to rethink what makes a consultation truly effective — and what behaviors might unintentionally undermine it.
The American Gastroenterological Association reports that CMS’s 2026 payment proposal could deliver a windfall to GI practices performing endoscopy in-office — an estimated $37 million more for office-based endoscopy. Physicians could see an average 16% payment increase for top GI endoscopy procedures and an 8% boost for office/outpatient E/M visits. The shift aims to incentivize procedures in lower-cost office settings over ASCs and HOPDs. Practices with high in-office volumes stand to benefit significantly if the proposals are finalized.
Jennifer Byrne reports — with fact-checking by Heather Biele — that a study led by Jared A. Sninsky, MD, MSCR found vitamin D to be a safe, low-cost adjunct in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management. Drawing on data from over 5,000 veterans with ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, or indeterminate colitis, the team observed significant reductions in IBD-related emergency visits, hospitalizations, and corticosteroid prescriptions among patients who received vitamin D supplements after testing.
In a multicentre observational study across four Polish endoscopy centres participating in the ACCEPT trial, Krzysztof Budzyń, Marcin Romańczyk, Diana Kitala, Paweł Kołodziej, Marek Bugajski, and Hans O. Adami examined whether continuous exposure to AI-assisted colonoscopy affects endoscopist performance when AI is not in use. The team analyzed 1,443 non-AI-assisted diagnostic colonoscopies—795 performed before and 648 after AI introduction. Results showed a drop in adenoma detection rate (ADR) from 28.4% pre-AI to 22.4% post-AI exposure (absolute difference –6.0%, p=0.0089). Multivariable analysis identified AI exposure (OR 0.69), male patient sex, and age ≥60 years as independent factors influencing ADR. The authors…
What happens when you combine a decade of science, a powerful entrepreneurial story, and two exponential waves—AI and digital biology? You get Geneoscopy. On the latest episode of The Scope Forward Show, I caught up with Dr. Erica Barnell—Co-founder and Chief Medical and Science Officer of Geneoscopy. If you don’t know Erica yet, you should. She and her team just raised $112 million in a tough VC environment. Their lead assay, ColoSense, is now the first FDA-approved, RNA-based, non-invasive diagnostic test for colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas. But this conversation went far beyond funding and FDA milestones. We talked about: This wasn’t just…
Jonathan Smith, PhD spotlights five private companies pushing the boundaries of microbiome-based therapeutics — from tackling C. difficile to boosting cancer treatments. As sequencing costs drop and science uncovers deeper gut-health links, these startups are developing precise, standardized alternatives to fecal microbiota transplants and exploring applications in immunology, oncology, and chronic disease.
AMN Healthcare’s 2025 recruiting incentives report shows specialist starting salaries continuing to rise, fueled by an aging population and physician shortages. Otolaryngology led with a 36% jump to $487K, while orthopedic surgery remained highest overall at $576K despite a decline. Gastroenterology ranked second at $552K, followed closely by urology and radiology.President Jeff Decker noted that specialists now account for 78% of search engagements, with hematology/oncology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, cardiology, and radiology most in demand.