American Cancer Society, Inc.

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2026 — Colon cancer, long considered a disease of the elderly, is increasingly striking younger Americans, according to a startling new report . Nearly half of new colon cancer diagnoses — about 45% — now occur in people under 65, according to the report from the American Cancer Society (ACS). This is a massive jump from 1995, when those folks accounted for only 27% of cases. The trend is especially striking for cancer of the rectum, which accounts for up nearly one-third of all these cancer diagnoses. For the report, which is done every three years, the ACS analyzed population-based cancer registries and death data from the National Center for Health Statistics . While overall rates of colon and rectal cancer declined by 0.9% annually from 2013 to 2022, the drop was driven by 2.5% annual decreases among seniors. Younger groups, however, saw their rates spike (3% annually in 20- to 49-year-olds and 0.4% annually in those between 50 and 64). Cancers of the colon and rectum are now the leading cause of cancer death for adults under 50. Experts project that this year alone, 158,850 Americans will be diagnosed and 55,230 will die from the cancer of the colon or rectum. “After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said study author Rebecca Siegel , senior scientific director at the ACS. In a news release, she emphasized the need for earlier detection, noting that "the five-year survival for early disease is more than 90%." Where these cancers occur also seems to be undergoing a shift toward the lower colon, near the rectum and the rectum itself. Rectal cancer now makes up nearly one‑third (32%) of these diagnoses (up from 27% in the mid‐2000s). Between 2019 and 2022, rates rose 1% a year among all age groups. Alaska Native people face the highest burden in the country, with 80.9 cases per 100,000 — more than double the rate of these cancers seen in white populations. American Indians have the second-highest rates. These figures have prompted calls for specialized research and better health care access for these groups. Though lifestyle factors like diet, smoking and physical inactivity play a role, late diagnosis is a contributor to the high rates among working-age Americans. In all, 3 of 4 adults under 50 are diagnosed only after their cancer has reached an advanced stage, according to the report. While guidelines now recommend screening start at age 45, the report found that only 37% of people between 45 and 49 are actually getting tested. “These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said Dr. William Dahut , chief scientific officer at the ACS. The findings were published March 2 in CA: A Cancer Journal For Clinicians . Sources American Cancer Society, news release, March 2, 2026 CA: A Cancer Journal For Clinicians, March 2, 2026

MONDAY, March 2, 2026 -- Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence is increasing among adults aged younger than 65 years, according to a study published in the March issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians . Rebecca L. Siegel, M.P.H., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues reported on CRC occurrence based on incidence from population-based cancer registries and mortality from the National Center for Health Statistics. The researchers found that during 2013 to 2022, CRC incidence declined by 0.9 percent annually overall, driven by decreases of 2.5 percent annually among adults aged 65 years and older. In adults aged 20 to 49 years, incidence rates increased by 3 percent annually, while rates increased by 0.4 percent annually among adults aged 50 to 64 years, dominated by tumors in the distal colon and rectum. After decades of decline, overall rectal cancer incidence increased by 1 percent annually from 2018 to 2022, now accounting for 32 percent of all CRC. In adults aged 50 to 64 years, increasing CRC incidence was confined to regional and distant-stage diagnosis (1.1 to 1.3 percent annually during 2013 to 2022), likely contributing to an increase in mortality of 1 percent annually since 2019 (2.3 percent annually in Whites). In adults aged younger than 50 years, mortality increased by 1 percent annually since 2004, while the rate declined by 2.3 percent annually since 2012 for adults aged 65 years and older. "These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45," William Dahut, M.D., chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society, said in a statement. Abstract/Full Text

在生成式AI、多模态基础模型与实验室自动化加速融合的当下，药物研发正从“AI单点应用”迈向“系统级整合”。长期以来，制药研发流程普遍存在断点：计算端模型与工具链分散，生物学与化学问题之间交接繁复，从虚拟分子生成到湿实验验证的等待成本高。随着多模态模型逐步打通文本、结构、组学、成像与实验读数等信息，以及实验室设备加速API化、变得可被软件调度，“AI设计 + 自动化执行”的闭环药物发现正成为行业关注的下一代研发新范式。 近期，英矽智能与礼来的研究人员在ACS旗下的开源期刊ACS Central Science（IF=13）联合发表观点文章，提出一套面向“完全自主、由AI统一编排”的药物发现综合框架。论文以"从提示词到药物：迈向制药超级智能”为题，阐述先进推理系统如何将AI驱动的靶点发现、生成式化学、自动化合成、湿实验验证与临床规划整合为单一工作流程。 在该框架下，科学家只需提出需求——例如“为特发性肺纤维化设计一种药物”——中央AI控制器便可自主拆解任务并进行调度与协同，包括识别潜在靶点、提出并优化分子结构、组织体外（in vitro）与计算（in silico）验证，以及生成具有临床约束与证据支撑的开发策略，并交由具备自主行动能力（agentic）的AI程序执行。论文同时回顾了AI在生物技术领域的演进，从传统机器学习、深度学习到基于Transformer的生成模型，并强调这些技术如何逐步扩展AI在靶点识别、分子设计、临床预测与自动化实验方面的能力边界。 在体系结构层面，论文提出下一代模块化架构：由按顺序调用的多个子系统构成，整体遵循药物发现的标准实践，但各环节由AI算法自主驱动并由中央推理系统统一控制与编排。其中，生物学模块负责数据挖掘、假设生成与疾病相关靶点验证；化学模块结合生成式化学、分子对接、自由能计算与微流控合成，迭代式设计与优化候选化合物；临床开发模块则可对试验结果、患者人群与试验设计策略进行预测与建议。 论文还通过多个示例，展示了先进推理控制器如何通过API连接并协调多样化系统与传统实验室设备。文章强调，随着新一代推理模型具备多步骤规划能力，系统可协调专用AI智能体并依据实验读数（readouts）动态修订策略。但文章也指出，能力提升伴随新的系统性风险：幻觉（hallucinations）、错误传播与数据偏差可能在闭环流程中被放大。因此建议强化可审计性，在高风险决策中引入人工监督，并在临床试验中使用“AI实验组”对预测工具进行真实世界验证。 围绕论文所描绘的方向，英矽智能也在推进相关能力建设，开发多种AI工具以覆盖生物与化学发现的不同任务环节。例如，DORA 与 PandaOmics 可对科学文献与多源数据进行梳理分析并提出新的生物学假设；Chemistry42 可结合三维结构信息，根据用户提示生成并优化候选分子；Chemistry42 的 Retrosynthesis（逆合成）模块则用于规划新化合物的合成路线。论文作者认为，将这些分散能力在统一框架下贯通联动，形成可持续迭代的端到端闭环，将是进一步提升药物发现速度与效率的关键方向。 英矽智能联合创始人兼首席执行官 Alex Zhavoronkov 博士表示：“实现这一愿景的基础组件已经可以运行。然而，要让这一愿景完全落地，学术界、生物技术公司与监管机构之间的协作至关重要。真正实现端到端、自主的药物开发，需要整个行业的认可与投入，每一方都要贡献拼图中不可或缺的一块。” 这篇发表于ACS Central Science的观点文章进一步补充了英矽智能在靶点发现、生成式化学与临床阶段AI应用方面的同行评议研究体系，也为“制药超级智能”与闭环药物发现生态的讨论提供了更系统的路线图与框架参考。 参考资料： [1] From Prompt to Drug: Toward Pharmaceutical Superintelligence.  DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.5c01473 关于英矽智能 英矽智能是一家全球先锋生物科技公司，致力于整合人工智能和自动化技术，加速药物发现并推动生命科学领域的创新，赋能人类更长久更健康的生活。2025年12月30日，公司于香港联交所主板挂牌上市，股票代码：03696.HK。  利用自主研发的Pharma.AI 平台和先进的自动化生物学实验室，英矽智能正在为纤维化、肿瘤学、免疫学、疼痛、肥胖和代谢紊乱等未满足的疾病领域提供创新药物解决方案。此外，英矽智能持续将Pharma.AI应用拓展到多元化领域，如先进材料、农业、营养产品及兽医药物。更多信息，请访问网站www.insilico.com