STAT
Blaming overdiagnosis of cancer on ‘irrational exuberance’: Are we too concerned about early detection?
Even though overall mortality from cancer is falling, the overall incidence is rising. The declines in lung, stomach, cervical, and ...
Mental health apps are reading your texts—some of them are selling your data, raising privacy concerns
An app for monitoring people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia is so precise it can track when a patient steps ...
23andMe venturing into business of recruiting patients for clinical trials
Consumer genetics giant 23andMe announced [September 26] that it would move deeper into the business of clinical trial recruitment, partnering with a ...
California man invites scientists to experiment with CRISPR on his rare disorder
On one level, Malakkar Vohryzek always knew what was wrong with him. For as long as he can remember — ...
This winter’s flu vaccine may not be ‘optimally protective’. We could be in for a rough season.
Twice a year influenza experts meet at the World Health Organization to pore over surveillance data provided by countries around ...
Viewpoint: The key to ethical human germline editing is ‘slow science’
The hubris of some scientists knows no bounds. Less than a year after He Jiankui, a Chinese biophysicist, drew scorn ...
Switching to a new polio vaccine was supposed to be a step forward. Now some experts suggest going back
Three years ago, the leaders of the international campaign to eradicate polio pulled off a landmark feat, phasing out a problematic ...
AI and digital health devices: FDA’s new guidelines seek to ‘strike a delicate balance’ between safety and innovation
The Food and Drug Administration has issued new guidelines on how it will regulate mobile health software and products that ...
Researcher backtracks on study suggesting He Jiankui’s controversial CRISPR babies will have shorter lifespans
A scientific study published this past spring came with damning implications for Chinese scientist He Jiankui, who created the world’s first ...
Worried about genetic privacy? This start-up is offering anonymous DNA sequencing
The upstart direct-to-consumer DNA-testing company Nebula Genomics announced on [September 19] that it will offer anonymous genome sequencing, becoming the first to do ...
CRISPR could save the lives of sick children by tweaking the embryos of their siblings
[Tweaking an embryo’s DNA can] help save someone who is already alive. Take the case of Jessica and Keith, a ...
HPV vaccines are not just for women: Throat, mouth cancer rates rising for men
Earlier this year, the biotech community mourned the loss of Michael Becker, a former pharmaceutical industry executive. … Becker’s cancer was ...
Viewpoint: Study’s inability to find a ‘gay gene’ provides affirmation for LGBTQ community
As a scientist, I am fascinated by the new international study that found thousands of genetic variants associated with same-sex sexual behavior, ...
In the age of DNA, sperm donors can no longer expect promises of anonymity to stand up
For generations, it was a basic tenet of donating sperm: Clinics could forever protect their clients’ identities. But, increasingly, donor ...
FDA investigation: Traces of possible carcinogens found in common heartburn meds, including Zantac, raising pharmaceutical supply chain safety concerns
Regulators in the U.S. and Europe are investigating why traces of a possible carcinogen were found in certain heartburn drugs, ...
Meet biohacker Anastasia Synn, magician with 26 self-implanted microchips and magnets under her skin
[Anastasia] Synn has 26 microchips and magnets implanted throughout her body. Unlike many biohackers who experiment purely out of personal ...
Overreaction? Newly proposed definition of pain could withhold opioids from those who need them most
A new definition of pain is out for comment from the International Association for the Study of Pain, an influential ...
Viewpoint: Animal rights activists ‘reckless’ and ‘inhumane’ for pushing back against animal testing to find an AIDS vaccine
In July, researchers eliminated HIV from the genome of a mouse using antiviral therapy and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. It was the first ...
Gates Foundation awards $12 million to teams hunting for universal flu vaccine
Scientific teams from inside and outside the world of influenza research have been awarded funding to try to unlock mysteries ...
Pregnant women, teenagers warned to stay away from marijuana by surgeon general
The federal government on [August 29] issued an advisory warning against marijuana use in teenagers and pregnant women, cautioning that ...
Menopausal hormone therapy linked to breast cancer risk—even after patients stop taking drugs
A sweeping new analysis adds to the evidence that many women who take hormone therapy during menopause are more likely ...
‘All of Us’: NIH precision medicine study will share genetic data with participants, offer counseling
The nearly 200,000 Americans who have trusted federal scientists with their DNA, their medical records, and detailed behavioral surveys will ...
We can cure Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, glioblastoma in mice. Why not humans?
Lab mice endure a lot for science, but there’s often one (temporary) compensation: near-miraculous recovery from diseases that kill people ...
A third of cancer drug clinical trials don’t report on race. Here’s why that matters
One-third of the clinical trials that led to new cancer drugs approved between 2008 and 2018 didn’t report on the ...
DNA sequencing clinics catering to curious wealthy clients
Seizing on the surging popularity of at-home DNA testing kits, top academic medical institutions are opening clinics that promise to ...
Viewpoint: Our efforts to learn more about cannabis benefits, risks are hampered by federal research barriers
As cannabis researchers, we work in a field whose unknowns could positively or negatively affect the health of millions of ...
Viewpoint: FDA should expand drug safety test program to include new technologies, including ‘organs on a chip’
Every March, thousands of toxicologists from around the world gather for the Society of Toxicology’s annual meeting. Animal-based approaches once ...
