The Trump administration’s broadsides against scientific research have caused unprecedented upheaval at the National Cancer Institute, the storied federal government research hub that has spearheaded advances against the disease for decades. NCI, which has long benefited from enthusiastic bipartisan support, now faces an exodus of clinicians, scientists, and other staffers — some fired, others leaving…
In response to the high price of prescription drugs, “An Arm and a Leg” asked listeners to share their strategies for getting the medicine they need at prices they can manage. Host Dan Weissmann and producers Emily Pisacreta and Claire Davenport share tips from a retired hospital manager who now helps seniors find the right…
We are entering an age of at home testing and the team at Reperio just raised $14m to make weight, blood pressure and cholesterol/blood sugar testing available at home. But this is a relatively complex series of tests, intended to get people who haven’t been to a primary care doctor back into the system. How…
By MIKE MAGEE In the wake of last week’s human tragedy in Texas, it would be easy (and appropriate) to focus on the role played by Trump’s reckless recent dismantling of FEMA and related federal agencies. But to do so would be to accept that the event was an anomaly, or as Trump labeled it on…
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out. John Wooden
By TREVOR VAN MIERLO Most of us know the story of the Model T – but what’s often overlooked is how it applies to other industries, especially digital health. Let’s revisit: In the early 1900s cars were custom built. You’d meet with a consultant, design the car, place your order, and wait for months for…
LOS ANGELES — Inside a bright new building in the heart of Skid Row, homeless people hung out in a canopy-covered courtyard — some waiting to take a shower, do laundry, or get medication for addiction treatment. Others relaxed on shaded grass and charged their phones as an intake line for housing grew more crowded….
In Connecticut, construction workers in the Local 478 union who complete addiction treatment are connected with a recovery coach who checks in daily, attends recovery meetings with them, and helps them navigate the return to work for a year. In Pennsylvania, doctors applying for credentials at Geisinger hospitals are not required to answer intrusive questions…
Conventional wisdom holds that orphan drugs treat rare (by definition) and more severe diseases. Because they treat diseases with significant unmet needs, their health benefits per person are large. But are they really? Does conventional wisdom align with the evidence? To answer the question myself and colleagues at FTI Consulting, including co-author Marie Steele-Adjognon, conducted…
By KIM BELLARD As a DNA-based creature myself, I’m always fascinated by DNA’s remarkable capabilities. Not just all the ways that life has found to use it, but our ability to find new ways to take advantage of them. I’ve written about DNA as a storage medium, as a neural network, as a computer, in…