High Costs For Drugs Used By A Few Are Starting To Add Up
A cystic fibrosis drug that is expected to be taken by only a few hundred people may drain almost $36 million from California's general fund over two fiscal years.
biotechnology
Engineers Make Narcotics With Yeast. Is Home-Brewed Heroin Next?
The yeast produce only tiny amounts of the drug. But eventually, the technology could lead to better painkillers and other medicines. Drug officials worry the microbes could fall into the wrong hands.
White House: We Have A Beef With GMO Regulations
The White House has ordered a review of the government's system for regulating products of biotechnology, including genetically modified crops. That system has been controversial from the start.
In Massachusetts Lab, Scientists Grow An Artificial Rat Limb
The regenerated forelimb, made from living rat cells, may be the first step toward creating functional, bioartificial limbs. The scientists were thrilled to see the muscle fibers twitch.
Home-Brewed Morphine Is Around The Corner
What if microbes could ferment sugar into narcotics, like the way yeasts make beer? That day is quickly approaching. This week scientists report all the steps needed to make morphine in yeast.
Why Is Insulin So Expensive In The U.S.?
The hormone that controls blood sugar among diabetics is one of the oldest medicines used today. But more than 90 years after its discovery, a low-cost version is no longer available in the U.S.
Scientists Urge Temporary Moratorium On Human Genome Edits
Researchers who helped develop powerful techniques warn that tweaking the genome is now easy. More public debate's needed, they say, before making changes in genes passed from parent to child.
Monsanto Hired This Guy To Help It Win Over Millennials
Vance Crowe, 32, has a tough assignment: reach out to millennials, many of whom are skeptical of GMOs. Crowe says the company can do a better job of listening to their concerns.
Custom Chromo: First Yeast Chromosome Built From Scratch
It's not about making designer beer. Johns Hopkins scientists and undergrads stitched together strands of yeast DNA as a step in exploring the essential genetics of various species: What makes us us?