In the Lab Archives

Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images

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The first clinical trial to use CRISPR genome-editing could face technical hurdles, as well as potential conflicts of interest.

They’re going to CRISPR people. What could possibly go wrong?

By Sharon Begley

Aram Boghosian for STAT Andre Fenton's research about memory formation elated the scientific community, which later…

Chantal Heijnen for STAT Todd Sacktor at his SUNY Downstate lab in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Chantal Heijnen for STAT Equipment used for the study of memory in mice.

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Andre Fenton and Todd Sacktor thought they had made a key discovery about how the brain forms long-term memories. The scientific community disagreed.

Memory researchers were rebuffed by science, and came roaring back

By Carl Zimmer

Lorenzo Galassi/AP

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A disgraced stem cell scientist is reportedly facing preliminary charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection with windpipe transplants.

Stem cell scientist suspected of involuntary manslaughter

By Associated Press

Joseph Kaczmarek/AP Penn's Dr. Carl June (right) met with Vice President Joe Biden this…

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A federal biosafety and ethics panel on Tuesday unanimously approved the first study in patients of the genome-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9.

Federal panel approves first use of CRISPR in humans

By Sharon Begley

APStock

PNAS Recruitment flyers for the two groups of study volunteers.

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A new study offers the best evidence yet that there's a serious flaw in much of the research that shows "brain-training" games make you smarter or ward off cognitive decline.

Mental boost of brain-training games may be just placebo effect

By Rebecca Robbins

Mario Tama/Getty Images Infants born with microcephaly are held by relatives in Recife, Brazil.

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The approval marks an early but significant step in the effort to combat a disease that has quickly emerged as a global health threat.

Experimental Zika vaccine is approved for clinical trials for first time in US

By Helen Branswell

APStock

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A federal panel will get its first look at a proposal to use the revolutionary gene-editing technology CRISPR in humans, in this case to treat cancer.

First bid to use CRISPR to edit human genes up for federal review

By Sharon Begley

Spencer Platt/Getty Images Stem cells are viewed on a computer screen.

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The new program could provide enough high-quality pancreatic cells producing insulin to treat patients in upcoming clinical trials.

Stem cell factory opens door for trials of personalized diabetes treatment

By Andrew Joseph

Wyss Institute at Harvard University A black cartridge, based on CRISPR technology, contains a paper-based diagnostic for…

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The gene-editing technique CRISPR has been used for the first time to create a diagnostic that can differentiate between two strains of the Zika virus.

Could CRISPR gene-cutting tool transform disease diagnostics?

By Andrew Joseph

Franklin Reyes/AP A 7-year-old student with autism receives help painting from his teacher at…

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Autism has effects not just on the brain but also on the nerves in the skin, and that has implications for how individuals sense the world.

Autism may affect not just brain but sensory nerves, mouse study suggests

By Anna Vlasits

Hans Hillewaert/Creative Commons Mice have been one of the animals proposed for use of gene…

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Research on the "gene drive" approach to modify organisms should continue in the laboratory and potentially in the field, scientists say.

‘Gene drive’ organisms should be tested in field trials, not widely released, experts say

By Ike Swetlitz

Shawn Rocco/Duke Medicine

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The bioreactor bags pulsate gently to the beat of an artificial heart. Inside, artificial blood vessels grow. Welcome to the world of tissue engineering.

Inside the sci-fi world of growing human tissue and organs in the lab

By Meghana Keshavan

Torin Halsey/Times Record News/AP A radiologist compares mammogram images.

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Older women who took drugs called aromatase inhibitors for 10 years rather than the usual five had a lower risk of their breast cancer returning.

Breast cancer study shows benefit to extended treatment with aromatase inhibitors

By Sharon Begley

Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe George Church, seen here in 2011.

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Scientists George Church and Drew Endy take opposing sides in the debate over whether to build human and other genomes from scratch.

A ‘family spat’ spills out in public, as scientists debate effort to build a human genome

By Andrew Joseph

Mario Tama/Getty Images Synthesizing genomes could yield new insights into human disease.

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Building genomes from scratch could yield new insights into human disease.

Forget the sci-fi horror stories. Here’s what we could learn from a synthetic genome

By Ike Swetlitz

Dom Smith/STAT, AP George Church is one of four researchers leading a new project to…

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The organizers expect the synthetic genome will drive down the cost of splicing together the strings of chemical “letters” that constitute DNA into whole genomes.

Audacious project plans to create human genomes from scratch

By Sharon Begley and Ike Swetlitz

Henrietta Howells/NatBrainLab/Wellcome Images Three neuroscientists whose research showed how the brain can change in response…

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Three neuroscientists whose research showed how the brain can change in response to experience have each won a $1 million Kavli Prize in Neuroscience.

Three neuroscientists win $1m award for discovering brain’s plasticity

By Sharon Begley

APStock A newly discovered genetic mutation gives people who carry it a 70…

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A newly discovered genetic mutation gives people who carry it a whopping 70 percent chance of developing multiple sclerosis, potentially opening the way toward new therapies.

Discovery of multiple sclerosis gene could inspire new therapies — if it’s right

By Sharon Begley

Seth Wenig/AP

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The new study of cancer risk from cellphones marks a big change in what researchers think they know about the dangers. Here's what you need to know about the research.

What you need to know about the new study on cellphones and cancer

By Sheila Kaplan

iBiology via Youtube Preprint servers allow researchers to publish and get feedback on their work…

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Scientists, journal editors, and funders of research are talking about a once-heretical idea: preprint publishing for biologists.

Should researchers publish their findings before peer review?

By Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus

Felipe Dana/AP Sophia, who is 2 weeks old and was born with microcephaly, sleeps…

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Because there are still so many unknowns when it comes to Zika, scientists still don't have a precise understanding of the risks.

Scientists zero in on microcephaly risk for babies born to Zika-infected mothers

By Helen Branswell

Andria Hautamaki for STAT A shrine to two lost children is part of the Marsh living…

Andria Hautamaki for STAT Prudence Marsh works at the family coffee roasting company. Most days, her…

Andria Hautamaki for STAT Sadie loves to play in the dirt in front of the family…

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Prudence and Jon Marsh lost two babies at birth. They'd just learned the culprit was a rare genetic mutation when Prudence found out she was pregnant again.

Two newborn deaths in the same family set off a race to solve a medical mystery

By Karen Weintraub

Justin Saglio for the Boston Globe "We're just basically cheap labor," says Tobias Otto, a postdoc at Dana-Farber…

Justin Saglio Members of the Boston Postdoctoral Association (from left), Mudit Chaand, Otto, Amy…

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Up to 40,000 junior scientists are set to get a pay raise, thanks to a new federal overtime ruling — though they say they're still vastly underpaid.

Postdocs getting a pay raise, but many say it’s not nearly enough

By Melissa Bailey

APStock Fathers who are genetically predisposed to psychiatric disorders might just also be…

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Fathers who are genetically predisposed to psychiatric disorders might just also be predisposed to having children later.

Why are kids of older dads at higher risk for mental illness?

By Eric Boodman

David Vincent/AP

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French authorities unveiled a plan to tighten the rules regarding human drug trials following an experimental test that killed a volunteer.

France to tighten drug trial rules after fatal incident

By Associated Press

STAT, APStock

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Five years ago, a new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs was drawing lots of praise, but the drugs have failed in various trials since then.

Why a drug that lowers cholesterol doesn’t save lives

By Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus

Anne Ryan for STAT Dr. Willis and Pamela Lonzer, with their daughter Camille, who has sickle…

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Sickle cell disease has been neglected by scientists and funders, but researchers say now is the time for a "moonshot" to find a cure.

We’ve known for 50 years what causes sickle cell disease. Where’s the cure?

By Sharon Begley

Mike Reddy for STAT

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A chemist at Yale found a new way to take on cancer: By hijacking tiny cellular garbage trucks to seek and destroy malignant cells.

A tinkerer takes on cancer by hijacking the tiny garbage trucks inside every cell

By Eric Boodman

STAT A new proposal would require researchers to obtain consent from patients to…

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The proposal would significantly change the federal requirements for human research in the United States for the first time in 25 years.

Scientists fight Obama plan to require patient consent to use blood, biopsies in research

By Dylan Scott

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