PolicyMarch 14, 2018
Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes Charged with Fraud
The SEC complaint alleges that the company misled investors
Stories by STAT
STAT delivers fast, deep, and tough-minded journalism. We take you inside science labs and hospitals, biotech boardrooms, and political backrooms. We dissect crucial discoveries. We examine controversies and puncture hype. We hold individuals and institutions accountable. We introduce you to the power brokers and personalities who are driving a revolution in human health. These are the stories that matter to us all.
PolicyMarch 13, 2018
Columbia’s Dismissal of Prominent Neuroscientist Prompts Demand for Answers
An online petition calls for transparency about the removal of neuroscientist Thomas Jessell
MedicineMarch 7, 2018
FDA Approves First Direct-to-Consumer Test for Breast Cancer Risk
The 23andMe genetic offering “has a lot of caveats”
FitnessMarch 2, 2018
Young-Blood Transfusions Are on the Menu at Society Gala
“There’s no evidence in my mind that it’s going to work”
EvolutionFebruary 27, 2018
Scientists Have Reconstructed the Genome of a Bird Extinct for 700 Years
The work hinged on DNA from a museum specimen
FitnessFebruary 21, 2018
Matching DNA to a Diet Does Not Work
The results come from a rigorous, $8 million study
MedicineFebruary 20, 2018
A Trip to “the Poopy Lab” In the Interest of Drug Development
In one small, Canadian city there is now a model of a mechanical human colon
MedicineFebruary 8, 2018
A Drug Widely Used to Treat PTSD Symptoms Has Failed a Rigorous Trial
The medication is currently prescribed for many veterans
PolicyFebruary 5, 2018
Senators Traded in Tobacco Stocks While Sitting on Health Committee
Lawmakers, unlike executive branch employees, are allowed to engage in such activity
PolicyFebruary 1, 2018
CDC Director’s Investment in Tobacco, Drug Companies Baffles Ethics Experts
The purchases occurred after she took over the agency
Public HealthJanuary 31, 2018
Trump Endorses “Right to Try” for Terminally Ill Patients
More than 30 states already have laws that allow access to experimental treatments
Public HealthJanuary 15, 2018
Researchers Race to Devise a Roadside Test for Driving While High
Could a sensor-studded brain cap pick up signs of impairment?
Public HealthJanuary 11, 2018
Trump Administration Halts Program That Evaluates Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Therapies
The initiative was terminated without any replacement offerings set up in its place
Public HealthJanuary 9, 2018
“The Problem Child of Seasonal Flu”: Beware This Winter’s Virus
H3N2 is deadlier than many other influenza strains
Public HealthJanuary 5, 2018
CDC Plans Session on the Medical Response to a Nuclear Detonation
The public health workshop will include education on “preparing for the unthinkable”
MedicineJanuary 3, 2018
The Most Expensive U.S. Medicine Now Has an Official Sticker Price
This gene therapy for vision loss will initially cost $850,000
BiotechJanuary 2, 2018
Genetically Modified T Cells Might Help Fight HIV
Preliminary work in monkeys suggests stem cells can be engineered to help combat the virus
Mental HealthDecember 21, 2017
A Semester-Long Program Aims to Help College Students with Mental Health Conditions
The Boston University offering teaches students crucial coping skills
BiotechDecember 19, 2017
FDA Approves First Gene Therapy Targeting Rare Form of Inherited Blindness
The historic treatment’s costs could top $1 million
PolicyDecember 19, 2017
U.S. Lifts Moratorium on Funding Controversial, High-Risk Virus Research
The three-year-old policy had “paused” 21 publicly-funded projects
BehaviorDecember 5, 2017
This Video Game May Help Kids with ADHD
It hasn’t been compared with traditional drugs or therapy
BiotechDecember 1, 2017
Brain Organoids Get Cancer, Too, Opening a New Frontier in Personalized Medicine
Scientists hope to test experimental therapies on these “micro-brains”
NeurologyNovember 29, 2017
Scientist Concedes His Controversial MS Therapy is “Largely Ineffective”
A gold standard trial found the approach does not help patients
Public HealthNovember 28, 2017
Scarlet Fever, a Disease of Yore, Is Making a Comeback
The reason for the sudden surge remains a mystery