Glia, perhaps the most underappreciated of cell types, are finally getting some attention. A new report in Science Translational Medicine from Kevin Eggan’s…
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post ALS Target: MicrogliaRead more
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genedx Gene Test Predicts Blindness After LASIKRead more
Millions of people have put aside their eyeglasses or contact lenses thanks to a procedure called LASIK. But for carriers of a…
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post Vaccine Memories: From Polio to AutismRead more
“April 15 – Polio Vaccine Perfected!!!!” So wrote my mother in 1955, on the “Baby’s Health Record” page of my baby book…
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post The Menopause Toolkit and Summer Sci-FiRead more
One of the worst feelings a woman of a certain age can experience is when someone stupidly asks, “When is your baby…
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post Wilson Disease – A Genetic Success StoryRead more
A woman I never met, Ingrid, has taught thousands of students about Wilson disease, an inborn error of copper metabolism. But she…
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post Getting to the Bottom of Fecal TransplantsRead more
Imagine that you are a bacterium, comfortably living inside a human bowel movement. Suddenly, a chemical attack kills most of your neighbors…
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post Catching Up With 3 Rare Disease FamiliesRead more
Four-year-old Eliza O’Neill’s viral videos, the subject of my last two blog posts, continue to dominate the news media with another…
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post Eliza’s Journey: Part 2Read more
Gene therapy is, finally, about to take off! The feeling was palpable at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy annual meeting…
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post Eliza’s Journey: Part 1Read more
If ten science writers were asked to write a book about gene therapy, a biotechnology with roots going back to the 1950s…
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post A Checklist for Gene Therapy From the UK Cystic Fibrosis TrialRead more
Washington, D.C. I’m at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy annual meeting, one of my favorite conferences. The very first talk provided…
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post Of Tissue-Engineered Vaginas and Default OptionsRead more
I’m old enough to remember textbooks and biology classes that defined being female as a “default option” in human development. If the…
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post Great News For The Progeria CommunityRead more
A repurposed drug that reverses some of the rapid-aging symptoms of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome also extends life, according to a new…