STAT
Treating genetic disorders before birth? CRISPR cures mouse disease in the womb
Nearly 40 years after surgeons first operated on fetuses to cure devastating abnormalities, researchers have taken the first step toward curing genetic ...
Genetic tests are used to determine antidepressant efficacy – but science might not back up claims
It can be notoriously difficult for psychiatrists and patients to determine which antidepressant might be most effective, or which might cause side ...
Were ‘crucial contributors’ snubbed in awarding Nobel prize for cancer immunotherapy?
[I]t’s rare that Nobel announcements don’t produce grumblings about who was left out, and this year was no exception. At ...
Understanding ‘destiny and identity’: China embraces genetic testing revolution
[T]ech-savvy and college-educated young professionals are driving growing demand for genetic testing in China, 23Mofang’s CEO, Zhou Kun, told STAT ...
Hope and hype: What ketamine can and can’t do for depression
Starting with just one office 19 months ago, [Kalypso Wellness Center] has expanded rapidly to meet surging patient demand for ...
This natural defense strategy could help some genes fend off CRISPR edits
Sowbugs, armadillos, hedgehogs… and DNA? The same strategy that some animals use to avoid being attacked — roll into a ...
‘Blitzkrieg of biology’ reveals secrets of BRCA1 breast cancer mutation
For 22 years Myriad Genetics, one of the oldest genetic testing companies, has refused to make public its proprietary database of BRCA1 ...
Promising flu drug could be hampered by rapid viral resistance
A new, fast-acting flu drug showed strong potential but also some surprising and even concerning results in two newly published ...
Viewpoint: What was right and what was wrong with the CRISPR patent decision
The CRISPR patent dispute between the University of California, Berkeley, and the Broad Institute is finally over. … In plain English: Broad researcher ...
Viewpoint: Study participants should have the right to their own results
Study participants nearly always want their own results. But few get them. … The ethical concern with giving an individual ...
Cancer advocacy: How one man and his family have coped with glioblastoma
[Adam and Whitney Hayden] waited to find out if today was the day they would learn that the cancer had ...
Microdosing claims put to the test: Researchers looking at psilocybin mushrooms for depression
Microdosing involves taking roughly one-tenth the “trip” dose of a psychedelic drug, an amount too little to trigger hallucinations but ...
Viewpoint: Drug developers are abandoning current Alzheimer’s patients. Why is no one complaining?
Although the latest analysis of experimental Alzheimer’s drugs finds that literally zero are being tested in late-stage clinical trials to treat moderate ...
Mapping worm neurons to learn more about human memory
Although memories seem ethereal, scientists believe that they may be stored in the connections between neurons called synapses. In theory, ...
A more modest goal for CRISPR: Making chemotherapy ‘a bit less terrible’ for patients
Ambitious efforts to prevent or beat cancer are important, but we can’t overlook or undervalue the incremental breakthroughs that could ...
Why microbiome tests may be promising more than they can deliver
Microbiome testing companies have become a thing, offering consumers a chance to see a snapshot of the billions of microbes ...
Searching for ALS genes in Appalachian Mountain family trees
With patient visits along the way, [Dr. Edward Kasarskis and Debby Taylor would] be tracing, in reverse, the path of ...
Does popular antipsychotic drug Abilify cause ‘uncontrollable urges’ to gamble, eat and have sex?
By the time she stopped taking aripiprazole — an antipsychotic sold under the brand name Abilify — [Denise Miley had] ...
Video: How does the brain act on what it sees?
What we see often determines how we act: We hit the brakes if a car is stopped ahead of us ...
Study sparks fresh debate over an old theory on the cause of Alzheimer’s
In the long-running debate over just what causes Alzheimer’s disease, one side looks to have scored a victory with new ...
Investigational Alzheimer’s drug shows promise
An investigational Alzheimer’s drug significantly slowed patients’ cognitive decline in a large clinical trial, unexpected and unprecedented results that could ...
Examining the legacy of W. French Anderson—’father of gene therapy’ and convicted child molester
[Dr. W. French] Anderson has been hailed as the father of gene therapy and was honored at George H.W. Bush’s ...
Reproductive medicine could become entangled in the ’embryos are people’ debate
The announcement that Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy will retire at the end of [July] and President Trump’s nomination of ...
Inside the battle to convince insurers that chronic fatigue syndrome is a legitimate illness
[Reporter Brian Vastag’s career] came to an end in July 2012, when he found himself afflicted by a mysterious and ...
Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy trial put on hold
Sarepta Therapeutics’ clinical trial for a gene therapy to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy has been paused by the Food and ...
Video: Inside the quest to truly understand the living cell
“I would be happy to have a rudimentary understanding of a single cell.” That doesn’t sound like a shocking statement, ...
How do we know if probiotics are safe if studies don’t report risks?
As consumer interest grows in probiotics and other supplements that claim to regulate gut microbes, experts are posing a critical ...
Drugmakers accused of stalling biosimilars: FDA’s Gottlieb calls tactics ‘a toxin’
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Wednesday [July 18] accused drug makers who manufacture pricey biologic medicines of ...
