What Does a Reliable Microbiome Test Really Measure?
Jona’s perspective on the NIST study, what its findings mean for microbiome testing, and why reliability requires looking beyond individual bacteria to the bigger picture.
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Jona Team
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New study published in Gastroenterology finds 1 in 6 adults under 40 carry an adenomatous polyp-associated microbiome signature
Jona, the AI-powered gut microbiome company, announces the publication of new research demonstrating that AI-enhanced gut microbiome analysis can detect early colorectal cancer risk signals in adults who fall outside current screening guidelines. The study, published in Gastroenterology, analyzed fecal microbiome data from 3,545 healthy adults using shotgun metagenomic sequencing and Jona's AI engine, benchmarking findings against polyp prevalence data from 182,295 colonoscopies — the first study to directly compare a microbiome-associated adenomatous polyp signature at this scale.
The research found that 16.7% of adults under 40 carried a polyp-associated microbiome signature — closely matching the 13% polyp prevalence identified by colonoscopy in the same age group. Colorectal cancer in adults under 50 now accounts for 14% of all new CRC cases, with incidence rising fastest in adults under 40, yet current guidelines recommend screening starting at age 45.
"Colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers we have — but only if we find it in time," said Leo Grady, PhD, Founder and CEO at Jona. "This research shows that the gut microbiome carries risk signals years before a patient would ever qualify for a colonoscopy. That's exactly the kind of early clinical intelligence Jona was built to surface."
Jona's microbiome analysis is designed to inform clinicians during decision-making — a positive signature may lead a practitioner to consider earlier colonoscopy referral for patients who don't yet meet standard screening thresholds. Powered by deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing and Jona AI, the analysis surfaces clinically relevant microbiome patterns and translates them into personalized Action Plans — giving clinicians a new layer of insight that conventional screening tools can't provide.
"As a gastroenterologist, the most frustrating cases are the ones you catch too late because the guidelines didn't flag them sooner," said Lawrence Kosinski, MD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer at Jona and co-author of the study. "More than one in six adults under 40 carry a microbiome signature associated with polyps. That's a clinically meaningful signal, and now we have a tool to act on it."
The full published abstract is available in Gastroenterology, Vol. 170(6), S-267–S-268. DOI: 10.1016/S0016-5085(26)00973-X, or by searching Su1383.
To learn more about the study and Jona's practitioner offerings for early colon cancer detection, visit: https://jona.health/pages/colon-cancer-early-detection
About Jona
Jona is an AI-powered microbiome platform designed to help practitioners and individuals understand relationships between the gut microbiome and health. Using shotgun metagenomic sequencing and AI trained on more than 220,000 scientific studies, Jona analyzes microbiome data and connects findings with relevant scientific literature. Its Digital Twin technology models how dietary, probiotic and lifestyle interventions may shift the microbiome, helping inform a personalized action plan.
Learn more at jona.health.
