As researchers unlock the brain’s mysteries, let’s not overlook the real questions
Covering the American Academy of Neurology’s (AAN) 67th annual meeting in Washington – a gathering of nearly 13,000 clinicians, researchers, students, industry reps and even a few patients – was an exercise in exhaustion and a labor of love. I…
Talk to your doctor: How even annoying DTC ads can contribute to patient communication
A few years ago I went to the nearby immediate care with a minor but irritating cough that wouldn’t go away. Three visits later – after two utterly ineffectual rounds of antibiotics and a prescription for a cough medicine that…
Sharing deeply of ourselves: Still messy
In the capital of digital sharing and over-sharing, Silicon Valley, contributing one’s whole genome to science in the name of fun and self-knowledge has never felt that controversial. Engineers share software code liberally every day on sites like GitHub and…
Patient engagement as important as the data
The thought of having unfettered access to all the medical and genomic data of a million Americans had researchers gathered at the National Institutes of Health’s first workshop on precision medicine licking their lips. Almost giddy with excitement, they contemplated…
Listening to the voice that matters
Since being diagnosed with cancer a few months ago, I have been in an unwanted crash course on the patient perspective of everything I’ve been writing about biopharma for the past several years. It’s an eye-opener. Genetic testing, lack of…
States move forward as SEC lags on crowdfunding rules
With a new year, old impatience is growing among small companies and investors eager to see the potential of federally sanctioned crowdfunding take off. In January, biotech hotbed Massachusetts, as well as Oregon and Maine, joined a growing list of…
Old dogs and new tricks: The real-world consequences of excluding older adults from drug trials
How much time do you spend with old people? That’s a loaded question, of course. Age is a relative term, since we age every day and so does the world’s population. Even though the global median age was estimated at…
Shoppers, start your engines: BioWorld’s 8th Annual Gift Guide
Google Glass? Fitbit? DNA necktie? Again this year, BioWorld Today polled our staffers, biotech execs, PR folks, tweeps and others in the science world to bring our readers top finds for the holidays. Enjoy! Books and entertainment In February,…
Death and taxes: Is the corporate tax rate killing the U.S. economy?
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin “The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.” Will Rogers The IRS and the U.S….
A shot in the dark? ‘Flu’ Manchu-type fears of evil pharma, plus frets over strains and safety, keep too many away from vaccine
By now I’ve learned to keep my flu shot habit a secret. Every year about this time, since I was 18 years old, I get vaccinated. But long ago I stopped telling people about it, so I don’t have to…
