Evidence suggests that patients with inflammatory bowel disease may be more susceptible to psychiatric disorders, such as major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. The correlation between IBD and psychiatric disorders is still unclear. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet conducted a nationwide cohort study of patients in Sweden who were diagnosed with IBD between 2007 and 2023.

Identifying cancer-related mutations can be challenging, particularly when they occur at low levels or in complex regions of the genome. While short-read sequencing is commonly used for analyzing DNA, it has limitations when examining complex or repetitive regions of a genome. Long-read sequencing can help, but there is still a higher error rate compared to short-read sequencing. Researchers at The University of Hong Kong addressed this gap with ClairS, a tool designed to identify small cancer-related genetic mutations.

Early dementia with Lewy bodies and early Parkinson’s disease share several symptoms and are often misdiagnosed in early stages. It is critical to accurately distinguish the two diseases because of their contrasting disease paths. Reliable early diagnostic markers that can help track disease progression are key to preventing misdiagnosis and ensuring patients receive the correct treatment. Fortunately, walking behaviors may be early diagnostic markers for neurodegeneration.

During the 2025 Integrative Healthcare Symposium, GLP-1s were one of the main topics, especially regarding their impact on weight loss and obesity treatment. But for Monique Class, co-founder of The Center for Functional Medicine and The Institute for Functional Nursing, GLP-1s are more than just weight loss drugs. During her presentation, she proposed that GLP-1s can be used as metabolic, neurobehavioral, and anti-inflammatory tools that can catalyze sustainable changes when used strategically—specifically, through microdosing.

At the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, 10x Genomics announced a strong ending to 2025, generating $166 million in Q4 and totaling more than $520 million at the end of the year. With great anticipation for 2026, 10x Genomics remains centered on their mission on accelerating understanding of biology to advance human health, particularly in the single-cell and spatial biology areas. The key challenge, however, is biology being “very, very complex,” according to Serge Saxonov, CEO and cofounder. “The key to understanding biology is to understand what is going on at the cell level,” explains Saxonov, calling the cell “the fundamental unit of biology.”

AI foundation models are machine learning systems that are trained on broad data and adaptable to a wide range of downstream tasks. These foundation models are used to perform various medical tasks with minimal amounts of data and require robust training. These models are usually trained on datasets that are not standardized on a global level, resulting in limitations of the models’ effectiveness. And so, researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore founded the Global RETFound Consortium to tackle this problem.

Patient recruitment remains a “never-ending challenge,” as described by Laszlo Vasko, senior director of R&D Therapeutic Enabling Innovation Technologies at Johnson & Johnson. Despite efforts to leverage real-world data to alleviate the difficulties, there has not been a surefire solution. During April’s Bio-IT World Conference & Expo, panelists gathered to discuss the roots of the problem and share ideas that could potentially solve this issue.

As artificial intelligence continues to rapidly develop, it is tempting for organizations to rush into using AI—or at least an AI buzzword. In the latest episode of the Trends from the Trenches podcast, host Stan Gloss channels Simon Sinek and challenges Bryn Roberts to start with why. As Global Head of Data & Analytics, Roche Information Solutions, Roberts highlights the huge unmet needs in healthcare.