STAT
Viewpoint: Why the West should worry about losing the gene-editing race
I fear that the West is losing today’s version of the “space race” — this one to use and control gene ...
Small patient pool in Alzheimer’s drug trial casts shadow on positive results
Facing pressing questions about its latest clinical trial in Alzheimer’s disease, Biogen may have sowed further doubt on the future ...
Which contraceptive is best for you? Precision medicine could provide the answer
Approximately 900 million women around the world use contraceptives. It’s a shame that, even with the best available evidence and resources, an ...
Drugs for mental disorders: Why better access to services ‘will likely make things worse’
To reduce the rising burden of mental disorders around the world, the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health and Sustainable ...
Seeking answers for sick babies through whole genome sequencing
When babies become intensely ill, it can be difficult to know what has gone wrong. But the answer, quite often, ...
Cartoons offer ‘simple’ whimsical look at cancer immunotherapy through the eyes of scientists
Four years ago, I was hired for a new and terrific job: to help my colleagues at Solebury Trout and ...
Why we should worry about the rapid spread of ketamine clinics
As ketamine clinics pop up across the U.S. to offer experimental infusions for depression, anxiety, and a slew of other conditions, training ...
Therapy dogs spread joy—and possibly superbugs—to kids in hospitals
Therapy dogs can bring more than joy and comfort to hospitalized kids. They can also bring stubborn germs. Doctors at ...
Viewpoint: Do male doctors tend to be paternalistic when treating ‘female’ diseases?
When my silent assassin emerged last autumn, I pressed my surgeon about the prognosis for a form of peritoneal cancer ...
In order to thrive, precision medicine requires ‘novel business solutions’
Oncology currently leads the way in precision medicine advancements, but its forward progress is slowed by inefficiencies such as clinical ...
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 ...
