EurekAlert! In the Spotlight - Infectious Diseases

This month, we’re focusing on infectious diseases, a topic that affects lives and communities around the world. Here, you’ll find the latest research news, insights, and discoveries shaping how infectious diseases are being studied, prevented, and treated globally.

Colorectal cancer risk linked to gut microbiome alterations

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

More than a decade after removal of an adenoma—a precancerous mass—from the colon, alterations to the gut microbiome and metabolites remain and may drive heightened risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study also found that diet and physical activity were more closely tied to the abundance of these CRC-associated gut microbes in people with a history of adenoma than in adenoma-free individuals, suggesting lifestyle may play a particularly important role in shaping these microbes in this high-risk group.

Journal: Cell Host & Microbe
Funder: team OPTIMISTICC, Prescient Metabiomics, Cancer Research UK, Cancer Research UK, American Cancer Society

27-May-2026

Updated colorectal cancer guidelines endorse new stool tests, recommend limited use of blood tests

University of Virginia Health System
Peer-Reviewed Publication

With colorectal cancer a growing concern among younger people, the American Cancer Society has endorsed two new types of stool tests to encourage people to get screened while also recommending a limited role for new blood tests many patients find appealing.

27-May-2026

American Cancer Society updates colorectal cancer screening guideline: Major changes emphasize blood-based and at-home stool testing

American Cancer Society
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The American Cancer Society (ACS) today released updated guidelines for colorectal cancer screening. The new recommendations reaffirm that average-risk adults should begin colorectal cancer screening at age 45 and continue through age 75 for those with a life expectancy greater than 10 years. However, ACS is now adding guidelines for a blood-based screening test taken in a doctor’s office, as well as one updated and one new at-home screening option that looks for hidden blood and molecular markers in stool samples. The move reflects advances in disease detection and a critical shift in public health strategy to expand screening options and lower barriers to access. The update is published in a report in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, the flagship journal of ACS.

26-May-2026

Study finds colorectal cancer screening intervention had similar effects across race/ethnicity at federally qualified health centers

American Academy of Family Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Racially and ethnically minoritized patients are underscreened for colorectal cancer, resulting in racial/ethnic disparities. This study examined an intervention consisting of a mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) to patients due for screening, plus patient navigation for positive tests, at two federally qualified health centers (FQHC) systems in North Carolina.

Journal: The Annals of Family Medicine

26-May-2026

Transfer learning-assisted discovery of novel gp130 inhibitors for colorectal cancer therapy

HEP Data Cooperation Journals
Peer-Reviewed Publication

An artificial intelligence–driven transfer learning strategy enabled the discovery of a novel indolopyridine-based small molecule (Compound 8a) that directly targets gp130, potently suppresses the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, and effectively inhibits colorectal cancer growth in vitro and in vivo, offering a promising lead and a feasible computational paradigm for developing gp130‑targeted anticancer agents.

24-May-2026

New insights into the STING pathway reveal complex role in colitis and colon cancer

Compuscript Ltd
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new review brings attention to the STING pathway as a critical regulator in both colitis and colon cancer, highlighting its complex and often opposing roles in inflammation and tumor development. The findings underscore how this key component of the innate immune system can act as both a driver of disease and a protective mechanism, depending on biological context.

21-May-2026

Mass General Brigham researchers present key findings at ASCO

Mass General Brigham
Meeting Announcement

Researchers from Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute will present research discoveries and outcomes from clinical trials in cancer at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, held May 29 – June 2, in Chicago

ASCO brings together leading experts in clinical oncology to share the latest breakthroughs in cancer research, science and medicine. Presentations from Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute investigators include a study evaluating the outcomes of patients admitted to a dedicated oncology service within a multisite home hospital program; the results of a late-breaking plenary session on prostate cancer; efficacy and safety of a lung cancer drug; the efficacy of an app to support the psychosocial needs of patients with multiple myeloma; the creation of an electronic frailty index to inform risk ahead of CAR-T cell therapy treatments, and more.

Below are a few highlights from this year’s presentations. All times are Central Time (CT).

Meeting: ASCO Annual Meeting 2026

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

Latest News Releases