Medical Regs & Ethics
Can the placebo effect serve as actual medical treatment?
Currently, studies have shown that our genes can be modified by epigenetic factors such as; diet, life experiences, beliefs, perceptions, ...
We’re entering a new generation of precision medicine
For decades, doctors treated nearly all patients with the same disease in the same way, aware that drugs that worked ...
With antibiotic resistance on the rise, what does the future look like?
Over the past 85 years, antibiotics have been miracle drugs. They’ve kept infections at bay and opened up a world ...
Can Parkinson’s disease be cured by an injection of fetal cells into the brain?
A new stem cell treatment for Parkinson's diseased highlight the delicate balance of risks vs. rewards. It entail using fetal ...
Scientists inject electronic device into brains, create cyborgs
No need to wait for the cyborg future—it’s already here. Adding to a growing list of electronics that can be ...
“Pink & Blue” documentary challenges female only myths about breast cancer and BRCA mutations
BRCA mutations have taken a toll on film producer Alan Blassberg and his loved ones, prompting what promises to be ...
BBC debate: Is GMO opposition grounded in science?
Should we embrace technology that could help feed the world, or are concerns about the impact of global agribusiness and ...
Head transplants? Have scientists lost their minds?
Here’s something that will make your head spin: A Chinese doctor has been surgically transplanting the heads of mice—and he ...
Glowing bacteria detect diabetes, cancer in patients’ urine
A Stanford-designed project has built a startling new tool for diagnostic medicine: living biosensors made of bacteria that glow a ...
DNA, the ‘devious defecator’ and the right to genetic privacy
A poop paternity test may set legal precedents on privacy in the workplace ...
Is FDA-backed ‘Viagra’ for women a step towards gender equality in medicine?
After an intense lobbying campaign, a federal advisory panel recommended approval of what would become the first drug to treat ...
National academies move to design regulations on germline editing
The National Academies of Science (NAS) and National Academies of Medicine (NAM) have their work cut out for them as ...
Are concerns over danger of CRISPR eclipsing potential benefits?
CRISPR is causing a major upheaval in biomedical research. Unlike other gene-editing methods, it is cheap, quick and easy to ...
Anti-GMO bungle: Claim GM genes pass from food into blood collapses
In 2013, when PLoS One published a research paper, Complete Genes May Pass from Food to Human Blood, anti-GMO activists ...
‘Quack science’ NaturalNews website blames glyphosate for Beau Biden’s cancer death
Yes, glioblastomas (and other forms of brain cancer) are nasty tumors. They’re one of the kinds of tumors that, admittedly, ...
White House tackles antibiotic resistance at first ever summit
Representatives of more than 150 health care organizations, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies federal health agencies and food-production interests met at ...
‘My genes made me do it: An excuse for infidelity that your spouse shouldn’t believe
Media have a tendency to hype studies that link individual genes to behavioral effects. Recent news surrounding connections between the ...
Pharmaceutical companies join forces to advance precision medicine in cancer treatment
The National Cancer Institute is launching a major trial in which it will play matchmaker between 1,000 advanced cancer patients ...
Assisted reproduction technologies can’t delay adulthood
All too frequently, I am faced with breaking bad news to disappointed couples in their early 40s who expected IVF ...
Vermont medical centers ditch GMOs over alleged safety concerns
University of Vermont Medical Center serves two million meals a year, and is a national leader in purchasing, preparing and ...
Public discussion on germline editing vital, but what should be discussed?
Human germline genetic modification, which involves making genetic changes that will be passed on to future generations, is once again ...
The Case for GMOs and Sustainability
From conventional breeding to mutagenesis, none of our foods that we eat today is the product of Nature’s way. But ...
Microbes engineered to sniff out tumors and diabetes
Two groups of synthetic biologists seeking to repurpose living microbes for human benefit have reported genetically modifying bacteria to detect ...
Verdict on ‘devious defecator’ case: Employees protected from genetic discrimination
The case that experts believe is the first to go to trial under the law involves something completely different: an ...
Epigenetics might explain relapse in patients of substance addiction
One of the major challenges of cocaine addiction is the high rate of relapse after periods of withdrawal and abstinence ...
National Academies gear up to discuss human gene editing implications
The National Academies of Science (NAS) and National Academies of Medicine (NAM) have their work cut out for them as ...
Researchers genetically engineer E.coli bacteria to detect cancer and diabetes
In two articles published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers reported they had equipped E. coli bacteria with ...