FGR Journal 3-26 is now available on the Falk Foundation’s website and in print. As usual, it features around 70 publications from international medical journals. We asked the scientific editors, Prof. Dr. Peter Hasselblatt and Prof. Dr. Tobias Böttler (both University Medical Center Freiburg) a few questions about their curated recommendations for this issue.

In the editorial, you focus on contributions related to pancreatic cancer. Why did you choose this specific field?

Prof. Hasselblatt: 
Given the limited treatment options for pancreatic cancer—a disease that continues to have a high mortality rate—it is particularly encouraging that several important studies on this topic have been published in recent months. These include the molecular pathogenesis and new therapeutic approaches, early detection (screening of specific high-risk populations such as patients with newly diagnosed diabetes, improved radiological diagnostics using AI), and treatment. At the FGR Journal, we aim to summarize the most important studies from the past few months. In each issue, the editorial will now highlight a specific topic to place the included studies in a broader context and, we hope, further enhance readers’ understanding.

Are there additional topics that have been selected as Editors’ Choice?

Prof. Hasselblatt: The current issue includes several important contributions to the field. My personal highlights include a publication on the amylin receptor agonist eloralintide, a novel approach to treat obesity. In the field of IBD, real world evidence on advanced combination therapies for IBD and the COSTA trial are particularly compelling. This trial compared the efficacy of appendicectomy with JAK inhibitor therapy in patients with active ulcerative colitis. 

What about the chapter “Liver and Bile”? Which articles stand out in your selection?

Prof. Böttler: We prepared expert opinions on studies about the hepatitis B surface antigen as a therapeutic target in chronic hepatitis D, on risk stratification in patients with MASLD, on the use of small TIPS, and on a therapeutic peptide vaccine for fibrolamellar HCC. The Editors’ Choice includes papers on elafibranor in PSC, genetically engineered pig-to-human liver xenotransplantation, and upregulation of mesolimbic reward activity enhancing the immune response to hepatitis B vaccination. As with the gastroenterology section, these are merely a few examples of 69 noteworthy scientific abstracts chosen for the new FGR Journal. We trust our readers will discover valuable insights in this curated selection to support their clinical practice.