The gut microbiome and epigenetics—molecular switches that turn genes on or off—are intertwined, and both contribute to neurodevelopment, finds a study publishing April 10 in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue. The researchers showed that epigenetic changes present at birth can impact how an infant’s gut microbiome develops during their first year. They also identified specific epigenetic changes and gut microbes that were associated with signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when the children were three years old.

Researchers from the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) and collaborators show that some lung cancers can change identity as they evolve, forming hybrid cell states and immune-protected regions that may help tumors evade treatment. The findings point to new opportunities for earlier detection and more precise therapies.

The next major advance in medical AI may lie not in analyzing more data, but in understanding how health data change over time. A recent editorial in Intelligent Medicine argues that dynamics-driven approaches, designed to detect change rather than merely classify state, can identify the critical moment when a patient's biological system is approaching a disease tipping point — with single-sample analysis reaching AUC > 0.9 and hybrid deep learning cutting blood-glucose prediction error by more than 55%, enabling earlier and more individualized intervention.