mailitics

Category: research

  • STAT+: Moderna’s reset hinges on oncology

    STAT+: Moderna’s reset hinges on oncology Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Seems as though investors are still rewarding sheer weight loss over tolerability in the obesity drug race. The FDA moved at a rapid clip with a new myeloma…

  • STAT+: FDA warns more telehealth firms about compounded GLP-1s

    STAT+: FDA warns more telehealth firms about compounded GLP-1s Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. Moderna is avoiding what would have been a high-profile trial, but will still have to pay up. That and more news below. Let’s…

  • STAT+: A Merck cancer drug to watch

    STAT+: A Merck cancer drug to watch Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning! The impact of President Trump’s “most-favored nation” drug-pricing push can be hard to decipher, but the policy is starting to look less like a slogan and…

  • Henrietta Lacks’ estate settles with Novartis over the ‘stolen cells’ that advanced science

    Henrietta Lacks’ estate settles with Novartis over the ‘stolen cells’ that advanced science Novartis has settled a lawsuit by the estate of Henrietta Lacks that alleged the pharmaceutical giant unjustly profited off her cells, which were taken from her tumor without her knowledge in 1951 and reproduced in labs to enable major medical advancements, including…

  • STAT+: Novo doubles down on oral peptides

    STAT+: Novo doubles down on oral peptides Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. By the time this newsletter sends, I’ll be on a plane headed towards vacation. See you next week! The need-to-know this morning Alkermes CEO Richard…

  • STAT+: Novo reports ‘triple G’ obesity drug study results

    STAT+: Novo reports ‘triple G’ obesity drug study results Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. I hope everyone on the East Coast is staying warm. Let’s get into the news today. How low can obesity drug prices go?…

  • STAT+: Novo’s next-gen obesity drug stumbles in Lilly comparison study

    STAT+: Novo’s next-gen obesity drug stumbles in Lilly comparison study Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. We’ve got some big acquisition news today, and also some politics — specifically a look at how pharma lobbyists, who have longed considered the…

  • STAT+: Nature Medicine to investigate study that found cancer treatment is better in morning

    STAT+: Nature Medicine to investigate study that found cancer treatment is better in morning The notion that oncologists could boost immunotherapy responses simply by giving infusions in the morning, rather than late afternoon, is an attractive one. So when a clinical trial published in Nature Medicine this month showed that lung cancer patients treated in…

  • STAT+: Element Biosciences launches table-top sequencer capable of $100 genome

    STAT+: Element Biosciences launches table-top sequencer capable of $100 genome Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Grail’s Galleri blood test just failed a make-or-break NHS trial, missing its primary endpoint and reviving the uncomfortable question: Does earlier detection actually change…

  • STAT+: NIH Director Bhattacharya to lead CDC after O’Neill’s exit

    STAT+: NIH Director Bhattacharya to lead CDC after O’Neill’s exit WASHINGTON — National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya will take on leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on an acting basis, an administration official not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to STAT. Bhattacharya is taking the role after the previous acting…

  • STAT+: Psilocybin data could be good enough for approval

    STAT+: Psilocybin data could be good enough for approval Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good day! Today: A look at growing GLP-1 competition in China, a drug reviewed as part of the FDA’s shiny new fast-track voucher hits a roadblock,…

  • STAT+: Pediatricians confront HHS in vaccine showdown

    STAT+: Pediatricians confront HHS in vaccine showdown Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. The FDA’s surprise refusal to even review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine is sending a chill through biotech: Companies are openly wondering whether the regulatory goalposts are shifting…

  • STAT+: A change at the top of Sanofi

    STAT+: A change at the top of Sanofi Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Vinay Prasad is tightening the screws at the FDA, overruling staff and signaling a tougher stance on vaccines and gene therapies — which, as Adam Feuerstein…

  • STAT+: NIH redefines ‘clinical trials,’ dividing researchers 

    STAT+: NIH redefines ‘clinical trials,’ dividing researchers  In a long-debated move, the National Institutes of Health will no longer characterize basic experimental studies involving humans as clinical trials, a step that was cheered by many researchers, but is also raising transparency concerns because the work will no longer have to be registered with — or…

  • Students, faculty mystified as NSF turns back applications for prestigious fellowship program

    Students, faculty mystified as NSF turns back applications for prestigious fellowship program When Kulindu Vithanachchi’s phone lit up with an update from the National Science Foundation about his application for a high-profile early-career fellowship, he couldn’t wait to open the message, hopeful for big news. But not this news. Vithanachchi, a University of Arizona undergraduate…

  • STAT+: Hims faces mounting regulatory pressure

    STAT+: Hims faces mounting regulatory pressure Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning! Hope you enjoyed yesterday’s Bad Bunny performance. My son’s take on the Super Bowl: “Why would anyone want to watch something so boring?”  Today, we get…

  • Scientists worry finalizing ‘Schedule F’ rule will further politicize NIH grant decisions

    Scientists worry finalizing ‘Schedule F’ rule will further politicize NIH grant decisions The Trump administration is moving forward with a personnel rule that critics say will subject a broader swath of the federal workforce to political pressure, raising concerns that the change could deter accomplished scientists from joining the federal workforce and give political appointees…

  • STAT+: ‘Moonshot’ agency ARPA-H lays off staff meant to commercialize breakthroughs

    STAT+: ‘Moonshot’ agency ARPA-H lays off staff meant to commercialize breakthroughs ARPA-H, the “moonshot” biomedical agency established under the Biden administration, laid off staff last week, according to two people familiar with the matter.   The cuts largely hit staff responsible for operations and for commercializing the technologies the agency supports, the people said, leaving scientific…

  • STAT+: Pfizer unveils data on Metsera drug

    STAT+: Pfizer unveils data on Metsera drug Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. Did Pfizer overpay for the obesity biotech Metsera? It’s probably still too early to tell, but we have some new data this morning. The need-to-know this…

  • STAT+: Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against academic publishers over unpaid peer review

    STAT+: Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against academic publishers over unpaid peer review A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by researchers alleging that major publishers of academic research conspired to create a set of illegal and anticompetitive business practices that exploit the scientific workforce. Scientists claimed that publishers had violated the Sherman Act, a…

  • Do mornings make cancer immunotherapy more effective? Study: Maybe

    Do mornings make cancer immunotherapy more effective? Study: Maybe Over the last few years, researchers have noticed that cancer patients who get immunotherapy infusions in the morning seem to do significantly better than those who get treated later. Many scientists, even some who had published such observations, were doubtful that time of day could truly…

  • Opinion: STAT readers on shared decision-making, prostate cancer screening, and more

    Opinion: STAT readers on shared decision-making, prostate cancer screening, and more First Opinion is STAT’s platform for interesting, illuminating, and provocative articles about the life sciences writ large, written by biotech insiders, health care workers, researchers, and others. To encourage robust, good-faith discussion about issues raised in First Opinion essays, STAT publishes selected Letters to…

  • STAT+: AstraZeneca looks to China for obesity drug candidates 

    STAT+: AstraZeneca looks to China for obesity drug candidates  Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Oh, hi. Today, we discuss delays in the launch of TrumpRx. Also, Sanofi is deprioritizing its mRNA flu vaccine.  The need-to-know this morning Regeneron Pharmaceuticals…

  • Genes influence human lifespan far more than thought, new study suggests

    Genes influence human lifespan far more than thought, new study suggests For researchers studying aging — and thinking about how to extend our lives — a key question has been how much our genes shape our lifespans. Past studies have arrived at a range of answers. Many researchers had coalesced around an estimate that roughly…

  • STAT+: Launch of Wegovy pill looks to be going strong so far

    STAT+: Launch of Wegovy pill looks to be going strong so far Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning! Today, we see a new synthetic biology startup, backed by Frances Arnold and Bob Langer. Plus, it’s still early, but Novo…

  • STAT+: Insurers blame drugmakers, hospitals for high prices

    STAT+: Insurers blame drugmakers, hospitals for high prices Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning. Today, we see insurers telling Congress that hospital and drugmakers are to blame for health care pricing issues, and read about ways in which some drug…

  • Trump administration halts use of human fetal tissue in NIH-funded research

    Trump administration halts use of human fetal tissue in NIH-funded research The Trump administration announced Thursday that human fetal tissue derived from abortions can no longer be used in research funded by the National Institutes of Health. The policy, long urged by anti-abortion groups, expands restrictions issued during President Donald Trump’s first term. Read the rest… Associated…

  • STAT+: Unfilled vacancies have depleted NIH advisory councils, key players in grant approvals

    STAT+: Unfilled vacancies have depleted NIH advisory councils, key players in grant approvals Since President Trump took office last January, only one new member has been added to the NIH advisory councils, key panels that make final recommendations on what research to fund at universities and medical centers, depleting their ranks as current members’ terms…

  • STAT+: Novo strikes deal for diabetes cell therapies

    STAT+: Novo strikes deal for diabetes cell therapies Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. We’re breaking down some of the key parts of a sweeping new health care bill today. The need-to-know this morning Johnson & Johnson kicked…

  • STAT+: House and Senate appropriators endorse NIH budget increase, reject Trump’s proposed cuts

    STAT+: House and Senate appropriators endorse NIH budget increase, reject Trump’s proposed cuts Congressional appropriations committees offered a near-total rebuke of President Trump’s proposed downsizing and reshaping of the National Institutes of Health in their spending bill for the 2026 fiscal year.  In a compromise bill released Tuesday, Congress set NIH’s budget at $48.7 billion,…

  • STAT+: What’s in Congress’ sweeping health care deal: PBM reform, telehealth, science funding

    STAT+: What’s in Congress’ sweeping health care deal: PBM reform, telehealth, science funding WASHINGTON — Congress has reached a deal on several health care policies, including a crackdown on drug-industry middlemen, transparency measures for hospital billing, pediatric cancer research measures, and Medicare coverage of multi-cancer screening tests. Those measures are part of a bill to…

  • STAT+: Limit on multiyear funding of NIH grants is a sticking point in Senate budget talks

    STAT+: Limit on multiyear funding of NIH grants is a sticking point in Senate budget talks Last year, the country’s biomedical researchers watched with apprehension as the National Institutes of Health’s grant awards lagged billions of dollars behind the pace of previous years. Fears grew that the Trump administration would impound funds appropriated by Congress…

  • STAT+: FDA delays reviews for two drugs in new voucher program

    STAT+: FDA delays reviews for two drugs in new voucher program Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Hello hello! Hope you survived JPM week and are now recuperating with some electrolytes and a sleep mask. (But don’t forget our virtual…

  • Trump administration cuts up to $1.9 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programs

    Trump administration cuts up to $1.9 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programs The federal agency that oversees mental health and addiction treatment on Tuesday made major cuts to programs across the behavioral health field, according to eight sources with knowledge of the decisions.  While the exact funding cuts enacted by the Substance Abuse…

  • STAT+: Former NIH genomics director Eric Green to join Illumina as CMO

    STAT+: Former NIH genomics director Eric Green to join Illumina as CMO Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. The Readout heads to the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference next week, which means it will hit your inboxes in the afternoon instead…

  • STAT+: China expected to soon surpass U.S. in bio innovation

    STAT+: China expected to soon surpass U.S. in bio innovation Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. It’s an exciting week not only for biotech M&A, but also for my city (Chicago) as we gear up for our big game…

  • STAT+: HHS slashes vaccine recommendations

    STAT+: HHS slashes vaccine recommendations You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We’re almost healthy again, according to RFK Jr., though I’m certainly not in top form after my holiday break.…

  • STAT+: Insilico inks cancer drug deal with Servier after IPO

    STAT+: Insilico inks cancer drug deal with Servier after IPO Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Welcome back and happy new year! We have plenty of fresh coverage to start the week. We can also report that our upcoming STAT@JPM…

  • NIH director says DEI-related grants that were restored under a court order won’t be renewed

    NIH director says DEI-related grants that were restored under a court order won’t be renewed Throughout the year, researchers have been heartened by legal decisions pushing back on directives from the National Institutes of Health to halt and deprioritize work it deems related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.  In June, two suits filed against the…

  • Opinion: Why I’m skipping Dry January

    Opinion: Why I’m skipping Dry January Like many of my friends, I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or a beer with friends. But a recent U.S. surgeon general report warning that any alcohol consumption is unsafe made me pause. Should I embrace “Dry January,” or even quit altogether? Recently, at least eight respected medical societies…

  • Genetic variant appears to protect some people against certain blood cancers

    Genetic variant appears to protect some people against certain blood cancers Over time, hematopoietic or blood stem cells can quietly acquire mutations that push them to divide just a little more aggressively, creating a larger group of clones in the bone marrow. In a fraction of people with this phenomenon, called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate…

  • NIH begins review of thousands of delayed research proposals, funding 135 on first day

    NIH begins review of thousands of delayed research proposals, funding 135 on first day A deal between the federal government and groups that sued the Trump administration over National Institutes of Health research grant proposals consigned to bureaucratic limbo because of anti-DEI policies is already bearing fruit.  The agreement, which was reached Monday, came with…

  • Opinion: Patients are consulting AI. Doctors should, too

    Opinion: Patients are consulting AI. Doctors should, too Ask most physicians today, and they’ll describe some version of this scene: In the middle of an appointment, a patient says, “I asked ChatGPT about the treatment you recommended.”  A few years ago, doctors might have bristled. Today, this is the new reality. And yet, it’s exactly…

  • We wish we’d written that: STAT staffers share their favorite stories of 2025

    We wish we’d written that: STAT staffers share their favorite stories of 2025 This year saw upheaval in all corners of health, science, and biotech. While our staff was covering all of the twists and turns, they were also looking with admiration at stellar work from other journalists. Below is our annual list of stories…

  • Opinion: PubMed has competition from Germany. That’s a very good thing

    Opinion: PubMed has competition from Germany. That’s a very good thing In May the German National Library of Medicine announced its plan to develop an open, sustainable, and sovereign alternative to PubMed, the free online biomedical database housed in the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health.   The announcement of this…

  • Best of STAT 2025

    Best of STAT 2025 What a year! Yes, it was our 10th anniversary, but it also brought an unprecedented blizzard of news, and while we weren’t added to a Signal chat on war plans, we did have a giant health insurer email us internal strategy documents by mistake. Our coverage featured everything from a piece…

  • 3 drug policy questions to watch in 2026

    3 drug policy questions to watch in 2026 Drug policy was largely a backburner issue in 2025.  Despite the ambitions of some moderate or right-leaning activists, and an apparent passion for the issue from health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., substance use and addiction issues have made few headlines in the past year. Read the…

  • STAT+: NIH funding rates for early-career researchers plunged in 2025, new data show

    STAT+: NIH funding rates for early-career researchers plunged in 2025, new data show A Trump administration change to how the National Institutes of Health awards grants has reduced early-stage investigators’ odds of securing funding, new data from the agency show.  During the 2025 fiscal year, 18.5% of early-stage researchers who applied for grants equivalent to…

  • Dana-Farber to pay $15 million to settle Justice Department lawsuit over manipulated data

    Dana-Farber to pay $15 million to settle Justice Department lawsuit over manipulated data Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the nation’s premier cancer research and treatment centers, is paying $15 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that some of its top researchers authored papers containing manipulated data.  In its settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice,…

  • STAT+: House juggles options for extending ACA subsidies

    STAT+: House juggles options for extending ACA subsidies You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since the election, Cheryl Hines hasn’t spoken to Larry David, her on-screen husband of 24 years…

  • STAT+: FDA initiates priority voucher for J&J’s ‘Tec-Dara’ combo

    STAT+: FDA initiates priority voucher for J&J’s ‘Tec-Dara’ combo Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. Apparently the drunk raccoon I mentioned a few weeks ago is a repeat offender.  Onto the biotech news today. Continue to STAT+ to read the…

  • STAT+: NIH specifies how grant reviewers should ensure alignment with Trump priorities

    STAT+: NIH specifies how grant reviewers should ensure alignment with Trump priorities Signaling a move toward the next phase of change, leaders at the National Institutes of Health have sent new guidance to its staff on how to further move its $39 billion portfolio in alignment with the Trump administration’s priorities.  The seven-page guidance, sent…

  • STAT+: Sobi bets big on next-gen gout drug

    STAT+: Sobi bets big on next-gen gout drug Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning. Today, we discuss the implications of a child’s tragic death after receiving a brain-focused gene therapy, hear Siddhartha Mukherjee opine on why the next frontier in…

  • Myocarditis is a rare but real Covid vaccine side effect. A new study sheds light on what might cause it

    Myocarditis is a rare but real Covid vaccine side effect. A new study sheds light on what might cause it While extensive studies have found Covid-19 vaccines to be safe, effective, and to have saved millions of lives during the pandemic, these shots come with a rare but real risk of inflamed heart muscle, or…

  • STAT+: Terns leukemia drug could succeed Novartis blockbuster

    STAT+: Terns leukemia drug could succeed Novartis blockbuster Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Today we discuss why comparing U.S. vaccine policy to Europe’s is a red herring, why the revolving door at the FDA between government and industry needs modernized…

  • STAT+: Early update shows Wave’s RNA drug cut visceral fat

    STAT+: Early update shows Wave’s RNA drug cut visceral fat Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning! With STAT reporting from ASH this year, we have some stories in the blood space. Also, a potential Dupixent competitor is in the…

  • STAT+: Fulcrum study suggests improved efficacy for higher dose sickle cell pill

    STAT+: Fulcrum study suggests improved efficacy for higher dose sickle cell pill Fulcrum Therapeutics said Sunday that a higher dose of its experimental pill for sickle cell disease was more effective at inducing an alternative form of the oxygen-carrying molecule hemoglobin — boosting hopes it could one day provide a simple and effective treatment for…

  • STAT+: Incyte study results suggest a new approach to treating myelofibrosis

    STAT+: Incyte study results suggest a new approach to treating myelofibrosis ORLANDO, Fla  — An experimental drug from Incyte achieved meaningful spleen response rates and improvements in disease symptoms in patients with advanced myelofibrosis, according to study results reported Sunday.  The data, while preliminary, should bolster the company’s efforts to develop a new type of…

  • Reading Research Papers in the Age of LLMs

    Reading Research Papers in the Age of LLMs How I keep up with papers with a mix of manual and AI-assisted reading The post Reading Research Papers in the Age of LLMs appeared first on Towards Data Science. Parul Pandey Go to original source

  • A single shot of HPV vaccine may be enough to fight cervical cancer, study finds

    A single shot of HPV vaccine may be enough to fight cervical cancer, study finds WASHINGTON — A single HPV vaccination appears just as effective as two doses at preventing the viral infection that causes cervical cancer, researchers reported Wednesday. HPV, or human papillomavirus, is very common and spread through sex. Most HPV infections clear…

  • STAT+: A drug that was ‘engineered with AI’ enters Phase 3 testing

    STAT+: A drug that was ‘engineered with AI’ enters Phase 3 testing Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. My colleagues will be in Orlando later this week for the American Society of Hematology meeting. Sign up for their newsletter…

  • STAT+: Top contributors to leading psychiatry journals fail to disclose industry payments, analysis finds

    STAT+: Top contributors to leading psychiatry journals fail to disclose industry payments, analysis finds Amid ongoing concern over conflicts of interest that may affect medical practice, a new study found that 14% of the $4.5 million paid to authors in two leading psychiatry journals was undisclosed and nearly all of the payments were made to…

  • STAT+: Sarepta cleared to test new safety regimen for Duchenne drug

    STAT+: Sarepta cleared to test new safety regimen for Duchenne drug Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. We discuss some big news that the Trump administration dropped last night. And we’ll be taking a break this Thursday and Friday. We’ll…

  • STAT+: Lilly hits trillion-dollar valuation as GLP-1 era peaks

    STAT+: Lilly hits trillion-dollar valuation as GLP-1 era peaks Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning! We’re closing in on CMS’s deadline for 2027 Medicare-negotiated drug prices. Plus, we see a break from precedent in how the FDA selects priority review…

  • STAT+: Kidney cancer cases spiked in this town. Will residents find out why?

    STAT+: Kidney cancer cases spiked in this town. Will residents find out why? After the largest ground water contamination in New Hampshire history, a state-commissioned study released this fall found significantly elevated rates of kidney cancer in the town of Merrimack. Residents fear that toxic “forever chemicals” are to blame. But to pin down a…

  • STAT+: Recursion seeks to deliver results, and a VC sees a wave of M&A coming

    STAT+: Recursion seeks to deliver results, and a VC sees a wave of M&A coming Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. We’ve got some spicy comments from Mark Cuban, and a pair of biotech Q&As. Let’s get to…

  • NIH funding cuts have affected over 74,000 people enrolled in experiments, a new report says

    NIH funding cuts have affected over 74,000 people enrolled in experiments, a new report says NEW YORK — Over 74,000 people enrolled in experiments have been affected by the National Institutes of Health’s funding cuts, according to a new report. Between the end of February and mid-August, funding ceased for 383 studies that were testing treatments for conditions…

  • STAT+: Pfizer closes $10 billion Metsera deal

    STAT+: Pfizer closes $10 billion Metsera deal Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning! If you’re still wondering “What the heck happened with Moderna?” the latest episode of the video series STATus Report spells it out quite nicely. Also, a KFF…

  • Opinion: Celebrating a new, faster path to gene-editing medicines on demand

    Opinion: Celebrating a new, faster path to gene-editing medicines on demand In May, news broke of a biomedical first: the on-demand design and clinical use of a personalized gene editor for a baby boy born with a rare, severe genetic condition. At the STAT Summit in October, the child’s treating physician from the Children’s Hospital…

  • STAT+: Makary, Prasad outline pathway for bespoke gene therapy

    STAT+: Makary, Prasad outline pathway for bespoke gene therapy Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning. Today, we learn AbbVie has ended its partnership with Calico, the FDA outlines how bespoke gene-editing treatments can make it through the regulatory pipeline,…

  • STAT+: Why is Eli Lilly worth nearly $1 trillion?

    STAT+: Why is Eli Lilly worth nearly $1 trillion? Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. We’ve got big FDA news to get into today — let’s get straight into it. FDA names Richard Pazdur as top drug regulator   The…

  • STAT+: AbbVie cuts ties with Google-backed longevity company, lays off scientists

    STAT+: AbbVie cuts ties with Google-backed longevity company, lays off scientists AbbVie is ending a decade-long partnership with Calico Life Sciences, an Alphabet-funded biotech company focused on aging research, and laying off chemists working on discovering new drugs. The moves, detailed in internal emails sent Tuesday and viewed by STAT, come as the pharmaceutical giant…

  • STAT+: FDA chiefs offer roadmap to expand custom gene-editing treatments like Baby KJ’s

    STAT+: FDA chiefs offer roadmap to expand custom gene-editing treatments like Baby KJ’s Top Food and Drug Administration officials on Wednesday detailed a roadmap for approving the world’s first personalized gene-editing treatments.  The perspective, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, comes six months after researchers announced they had crafted a custom gene-editing treatment…

  • STAT+: Chinese government’s support for biotech fuels huge rally

    STAT+: Chinese government’s support for biotech fuels huge rally Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning, we just had our first snow of the season in Chicago, I just ordered a pie for Thanksgiving, and I’m still in denial that…

  • STAT+: Francis Collins issues call to action at Liver Meeting

    STAT+: Francis Collins issues call to action at Liver Meeting Francis Collins, the former NIH director, tells liver researcher that the partisanship that has pervaded science “is really a dangerous sign for the future of our society.” Isabella Cueto and Katherine MacPhail Go to statnews

  • Appeals court judges seem skeptical of Trump administration’s defense of capping NIH overhead payments

    Appeals court judges seem skeptical of Trump administration’s defense of capping NIH overhead payments Federal appeals court judges’ questions and comments during a hearing Wednesday suggested they may be skeptical of some of the Trump administration’s central arguments in a lawsuit challenging its proposed changes to research overhead payments. The case revolves around a multibillion…

  • STAT+: Pfizer’s view on the Metsera bidding war

    STAT+: Pfizer’s view on the Metsera bidding war Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. We’re hosting a virtual event tomorrow about the rise and unraveling of Moderna. My colleagues Jason Mast and Damian Garde will be there to talk about…

  • STAT+: Scandal and controversy take toll on FDA credibility

    STAT+: Scandal and controversy take toll on FDA credibility Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. We’ve got another busy week of earnings — Pfizer reported this morning and Novo Nordisk will be reporting tomorrow. We’ll be watching for any…

  • STAT+: Arena BioWorks, an ambitious biomedical institute backed by billionaires, abruptly shuts down

    STAT+: Arena BioWorks, an ambitious biomedical institute backed by billionaires, abruptly shuts down Arena BioWorks, the buzzy research institute that launched nearly two years ago with $500 million to support a decade of scientific R&D, is abruptly shutting down, the institute confirmed to STAT.  Approximately 50 staff members, including co-founder Stuart Schreiber and CEO Harvey…

  • STAT+: UnitedHealth pays its own physician groups 17% more than outside ones, study shows

    STAT+: UnitedHealth pays its own physician groups 17% more than outside ones, study shows UnitedHealth Group pays its own physician practices much more than it pays competing practices, a new study finds, reinforcing STAT’s own analysis on the subject and presenting fresh evidence that the conglomerate may be skirting a rule designed to curb health…

  • Amid attacks on such work, NIH-led research links structural racism to increased heart disease

    Amid attacks on such work, NIH-led research links structural racism to increased heart disease The long-drawn-out process of science can mean that work is published in a very different world than when it was conceived. That helps explain how research on the health impact of structural racism that was led by the National Institutes of…

  • STAT+: Alnylam raises guidance as sales of heart drug match expectations

    STAT+: Alnylam raises guidance as sales of heart drug match expectations Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning! Today, we have a deep probe into Moderna’s travails from STAT’s tireless Jason Mast. Also, a pharma bidding war, thoughts on psychedelic regulation,…

  • STAT+: Natera, known for spotting cancer recurrence, wades into early detection

    STAT+: Natera, known for spotting cancer recurrence, wades into early detection Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. It seems everyone I know has been getting sick lately — hope you are all taking care of yourselves! Onto the news…

  • STAT+: For heart health, physical activity favors women

    STAT+: For heart health, physical activity favors women When it comes to reaping heart health benefits from physical activity, women saw bigger drops than men in their risk of developing coronary heart disease when they followed or exceeded weekly exercise recommendations. And as a new study published Monday in Nature Cardiovascular Research reports, they needed…

  • Opinion: How much should healthy medical research volunteers get paid?

    Opinion: How much should healthy medical research volunteers get paid? Below is a lightly edited, AI-generated transcript of the “First Opinion Podcast” interview with Jake Eberts and Jill Fisher. Be sure to sign up for the weekly “First Opinion Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get alerts about each new episode by…

  • STAT+: Ro wants to measure ‘food noise’ in obesity care

    STAT+: Ro wants to measure ‘food noise’ in obesity care Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning, you’ve made it Friday! We’ve got some more news to get through before heading into the weekend. FDA delivers split decision on…

  • STAT+: mRNA Covid shots may boost the effects of certain cancer treatments, study suggests

    STAT+: mRNA Covid shots may boost the effects of certain cancer treatments, study suggests mRNA-based Covid vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna may have an unexpected benefit for cancer patients who undergo immunotherapy.  A new study suggests that these vaccines might boost the effects of immunotherapy drugs, perhaps by alerting the immune system and helping direct…

  • Former NIH leaders lament ‘constant chaos’ at the agency, and caution it’s not over

    Former NIH leaders lament ‘constant chaos’ at the agency, and caution it’s not over BOSTON — Jeremy Berg walked on stage sporting a curious look: a red tie patterned with a word cloud drawn from the applications of 197 researchers who vied to be part of a National Institutes of Health initiative aimed at accelerating…

  • STAT+: J&J reportedly in talks to buy Protagonist

    STAT+: J&J reportedly in talks to buy Protagonist Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. My colleagues were hard at work throughout the weekend reporting on major firings across the CDC. We’ve also got a ton of biopharma news…

  • STAT+: Billionaire-backed VC firm launches, led by former Flagship associate

    STAT+: Billionaire-backed VC firm launches, led by former Flagship associate Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. At the start of this week, my editor said the news flow was looking slow. He’s jinxed us yet again. Let’s get…

  • STAT+: Orca submits T cell therapy for FDA approval

    STAT+: Orca submits T cell therapy for FDA approval Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. We’ve got some exciting news of our own this morning: the return of Damian Garde, who once authored this very newsletter and who is coming…

  • STAT+: TCGX closes $1.3 billion fund amid investor surge

    STAT+: TCGX closes $1.3 billion fund amid investor surge Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. Today, we talk about the big regulatory changes afoot in Europe, how telehealth upended the drug market, and more. The need-to-know this morning …

  • STAT+: A second generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone approved by FDA

    STAT+: A second generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone approved by FDA Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Hullo! Today, we talk about Amgen’s positive new PCSK9 data, learn more about the new NIH office meant to reduce reliance…

  • STAT+: Which biotechs are affected by the government shutdown?

    STAT+: Which biotechs are affected by the government shutdown? Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. I can’t believe it either, but we’re in the fourth quarter of the year. We’ve got a guide for you on the key…

  • Autoimmune responses found in ALS, pointing to a new way to view the deadly disease

    Autoimmune responses found in ALS, pointing to a new way to view the deadly disease Researchers have found that patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis have autoimmune responses, a finding with the potential to reshape how scientists think of the devastating and complex neurologic disorder. A team led by scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology…

  • STAT+: How the government establishes research grant overhead rates: ‘It’s not like buying a widget’

    STAT+: How the government establishes research grant overhead rates: ‘It’s not like buying a widget’ For decades, the federal government has supported the infrastructure that makes biomedical breakthroughs possible at universities, academic hospitals, and other research institutions. But recent moves by the Trump administration and Congress reinforce that this system seems headed for a major…

  • STAT+: Veru update shows FDA still values weight loss over body composition

    STAT+: Veru update shows FDA still values weight loss over body composition Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. We’ve got big news on a gene therapy for Huntington’s disease, so let’s get straight to it. Uniqure hails ‘groundbreaking’…

  • STAT+: Anthony Letai of Dana-Farber is front-runner to lead National Cancer Institute

    STAT+: Anthony Letai of Dana-Farber is front-runner to lead National Cancer Institute Anthony Letai, a cancer researcher and oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard University, has emerged as a leading candidate to be the next director of the National Cancer Institute, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation. The NCI…

  • STAT+: Doctors are more tied to pharma as trust erodes

    STAT+: Doctors are more tied to pharma as trust erodes Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning. Today, we read about a big acquisition fueled by obesity, doctors shifting their views on biopharma marketing, see a rare disease drug win approval after…

  • Winner of mRNA Nobel Prize says ACIP member’s claim that Covid vaccines persist is “absolutely impossible”

    Winner of mRNA Nobel Prize says ACIP member’s claim that Covid vaccines persist is “absolutely impossible” On Thursday and Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention held a meeting of its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a key panel that gives the CDC’s director guidance about what vaccines to recommend to the public. The…