Columbia University researchers published a targeted fecal exfoliated RNA method, Foli‑seq, that profiles host messenger RNA from exfoliated gut cells to monitor intestinal and immune activity in near real time. In mouse colitis models and human IBD samples, the approach detected transcripts not seen in bulk fecal RNA‑seq and stratified disease severity and treatment response. Foli‑seq uses multiplexed amplicon sequencing of feRNA (fecal exfoliated RNA) to capture epithelial and immune gene expression signals despite RNA degradation in stool. The team validated quantitative readouts using spike‑in controls and demonstrated correlations with microbiome features and known IBD signatures. Authors and commentators said Foli‑seq could enable noninvasive longitudinal monitoring for inflammatory bowel disease, drug response, and mechanistic studies, potentially reducing reliance on invasive endoscopy. Implementation will require assay standardization, normalization strategies, and clinical validation in larger patient cohorts.