Gastro Broadcast

For Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Naresh Gunaratnam speaks with Dr. Srinadh Komanduri, associate chief of gastroenterology and hepatology and director of endoscopy at Northwestern Medicine, about efforts to educate the public about esophageal cancer and cutting-edge tools that are helping gastroenterologists determine which of their patients are at greatest risk of developing esophageal cancer.

Esophageal cancer is preventable if high-risk patients, such as those with Barrett's Esophagus, are treated with endoscopic eradication therapy to eliminate the Barrett’s tissue.

Endoscopic eradication therapy is highly effective, but the challenge is identifying the high-risk patients to treat and the low-risk patients for whom long-interval surveillance may be appropriate.

The Barrett's Esophagus surveillance program at Northwestern includes the TissueCypher test, which provides Dr. Komanduri and his colleagues with a personalized prediction of cancer progression risk based on molecular biomarkers that cannot be measured by traditional pathology.

Join Dr. Gunaratnam and Dr. Komanduri to hear how gastroenterologists and pathologists can better identify patients who are most at-risk and provide the appropriate care to help prevent them from developing esophageal cancer.

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Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Mixed and mastered by Hayden Margolis

Gastro Broadcast, Episode 56

Kevin Harlen interviews Robert Raleigh, chief operating officer and general counsel for Sebela Pharmaceuticals, which has been innovating in the area of colonoscopy prep since the 1980’s.

Achieving adequate bowel preparation is challenging but critical to achieve a good-quality colonoscopy. But many studies have shown that a majority of patients have reported the preparation is the most difficult part of screening.

Join Kevin and Rob as they discuss how Sebela is working on improving access to low-volume preparations and advocating for policies to remove barriers to effective colorectal cancer screening.

Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Mixed and mastered by Hayden Margolis

Gastro Broadcast, Episode 55

Dr. Michael Weinstein interviews Dr. Prashant Krishnan and Dr. Neil Sharma of Peak Gastroenterology Associates in Colorado about building an interventional gastroenterology practice.

Peak Gastroenterology is working to deliver interventional endoscopy and endoscopic oncology care to its community, which has historically only been available in larger health systems and academic settings.

Join Dr. Weinstein, Dr. Krishnan, and Dr. Sharma as they explore some of the barriers to highly specialized medical care in private practice and the potential opportunities to overcome those barriers.

Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Mixed and mastered by Hayden Margolis

Gastro Broadcast, Episode 54

Host Kevin Harlen interviews Sap Sinha, chief operating officer of Allied Digestive Health where he leads its management service organization.

Allied Digestive Health has multiple locations in New Jersey and New York, with 160 gastroenterologists and more than 200 clinicians. The organization recently partnered with Provation, so that physicians and nurses across its various offices will be able to document patient visits and procedures across any internet-enabled device.

Another recent partnership with Lynx.MD, a medical data intelligence platform enables the integrated practices to develop, test and validate GI-related treatments and therapies.

Join Kevin and Sap to hear about how these technology platforms are enabling Allied Digestive Health to enhance operations in its practices and how innovations in technology and data can help improve patient care.

Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Mixed and mastered by Hayden Margolis

Gastro Broadcast, Episode 53

Dr. Lisa Mathew interviews Dr. Russ Arjal, who is the co-founder, chief medical officer, and president of Telebelly, a virtual GI clinic offering remote care to patients.

Telebelly provides nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and medical assistants to support GI practices and their patients.

Join Dr. Mathews and Dr. Arjal as they explore the future of independent GI and the innovations that will help practices compete and thrive in the future.

Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Mixed and mastered by Hayden Margolis

Gastro Broadcast, Episode 52

Dr. Michael Weinstein interviews Dr. Andreas Muehler, chief medical officer of Immunic Therapeutics, which is developing a clinical pipeline of orally administered, small molecule therapies for chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

At United European Gastroenterology Week, Immunic presented data from the company’s phase 1b clinical trial of IMU-856, an orally available and systemically acting small molecule modulator used to treat celiac disease. Immunic’s new approach to treatment entails restoring a healthy gut wall by modulating SIRT6, a stress responsive protein that helps repair our cells.

Join Dr. Weinstein and Dr. Muehler as they explore the challenges faced by patients with celiac disease and new innovations that will impact the way physicians treat their patients.

Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Original score by Hayden Margolis

Gastro Broadcast, Episode 51

Patients with Barrett’s Esophagus are at a higher risk to develop esophageal cancer, but it has always been challenging for physicians to determine which of their patients are at greatest risk.

Dr. Michael Weinstein interviews Dr. Mathew Goldberg, who is medical director of Castle Biosciences about TissueCypher, a test to help gastroenterologists stratify risk for cancer in patients with Barrett's Esophagus.

Join Dr. Weinstein and Dr. Goldberg to hear about how this innovative test can help gastroenterologists and pathologists better identify those patients who are most at risk and provide the appropriate care to help prevent them from developing esophageal cancer.

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Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Original score by Hayden Margolis

Dr. Lisa Mathews interviews Dr. Min Dong and Dr. Meenakshi Rao of the Boston Children’s Hospital regarding new research published in Nature that shows two FDA-approved drugs can alter our body’s own immune response to treat Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) more effectively.

C. diff is the leading cause of gastrointestinal infections in the United States, and existing medications don’t always work because of antibiotic resistance, the presence of more lethal strains, and a drugs’ potential to harm good gut bacteria that prevent infection.

The study conducted by Dr. Dong and Dr. Rao found that two already approved medications reduced inflammation associated with C. diff infection in mice, allowing for their immune systems to mount a more productive response to the infection.

Listen to Dr. Mathew, Dr. Dong, and Dr. Rao as they explore what the next steps are for this research and what it might mean for the future of treating patients with C. diff.

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Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Original score by Hayden Margolis

Gastro Broadcast, Episode 49

This summer, four new biosimilar drugs became available to U.S. patients and several more are expected to hit the market soon.

Dr. Michael Weinstein interviews Laura D. Wingate, executive vice president, education, support, & advocacy for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation about the positive and negative implications of this development for patients.

While increased competition in the market is likely to expand the range of options available, potentially leading to reduced costs for medications, a recent survey conducted by the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation found that almost 50% of IBD patients feel concerned about switching to biosimilars. Additionally, the insurance industry may limit consumer choices to these medications.

Join Dr. Weinstein and Laura as they discuss the importance of educating patients about the availability of biosimilars and how physicians can advocate for access to these safe and effective options.

Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Original score by Hayden Margolis

Gastro Broadcast, Episode 48

Dr. Lisa Mathew interviews Dr. Veena Shankaran, co-director of Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research, about a new study that found most patients with metastatic colorectal cancer face financial hardship after diagnosis.

While has been a lot of research on the economic burden of cancer treatment, this is the first study that looks at newly diagnosed patients. The study found that more than 70 percent of patients with metastic colorectal cancer faced financial hardship within a year of diagnosis, even with most having health insurance.

Join Dr. Mathew and Dr. Shankaran to hear how financial complications affect treatment and outcomes for many patients, and what can be to address the cost burden and provide resources for people who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Produced by Andrew Sousa and Hayden Margolis for Steadfast Collaborative, LLC

Original score by Hayden Margolis

Gastro Broadcast, Episode 47