Matthew Herper

1.2K Followers
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99 Posts
I'm a journalist who writes about where medicines come from. Polk Award '21. This is biology's century; every data point has a face.

Ben Barres was a trailblazing transgender neurobiologist who promoted equity & diversity.

His pioneering research on glial cells changed science & he became the 1st #trans person admitted into the National Academies of Science.

Barres was a strong advocate for women, early career scientists & the #LGBTQ+ community at a time when few people openly discussed gender identity. https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2017/12/28/mourning-ben-barres-the-transgender-scientist-who-changed-neuroscience/ #history #science

Excerpt from his autobiography: https://stanmed.stanford.edu/ben-barres-autobiography-transgender-scientist/

Mourning Ben Barres, The Transgender Scientist Who Changed Neuroscience

“Ben was a remarkable person. He will be remembered as a brilliant scientist who transformed our understanding of glial cells and as a tireless advocate who promoted equity and diversity at every turn,” said Marc Tessier-Lavigne, PhD, president of Stanford University.

Forbes

Key questions (and answers) about the historic approval of a CRISPR-based medicine

https://www.statnews.com/2023/11/16/crispr-vertex-sickle-cell-beta-thalassemia-casgevy-approval/

Key questions (and answers) about the historic approval of a CRISPR-based medicine

Here are some key questions (and answers) about the historic approval of a CRISPR-based medicine.

STAT

Watch this. For real.

This is from last year’s STAT Summit. Next year’s is tomorrow. Psyched.

James Ian, a musician with SMA, sings his song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVCH02yKSAM

James Ian, singer and spinal muscular atrophy advocate, performs "Spaces"

Singer, advocate and person with spinal muscular atrophy James Ian took the stage to sing his song, "Spaces" at the 2022 STAT Summit in Boston.More from STAT...

YouTube

So I want to try to grab you before you head out for the weekend. Next week is our grand experiment: a three-afternoon virtual summit in 2023.

I've been sitting on prep calls. I'm getting really psyched, And if you're a STAT subscriber, it's free.

https://www.statnews.com/2023/summit/future-summit/

2023 STAT Future Summit

The Future Summit will bring together big name executives, global policymakers, and patient advocates for deep discussions on the state of healthcare, and the future of research and development. Join us virtually, this September.

STAT

So does @VivekGRamaswamy think it would have been good to sell an ineffective Alzheimer's drug to the public?

If not what's behind his public pronouncement that we should "gut" the FDA?

Read a discussion between Adam Feuerstein and me.

https://www.statnews.com/2023/07/31/vivek-ramaswamy-wants-to-gut-the-fda-his-claims-dont-hold-up-to-scrutiny/

Vivek Ramaswamy wants to 'gut' the FDA. His claims don't hold up to scrutiny

Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy recently posted a video trading on his biotech bona fides to talk about his plans to “gut” the FDA. We take a closer look.

STAT

You know Sinead O'Connor tore up a picture of the pope to protest sexual abuse in 1992. Maybe you know that she got booed off the stage at a Bob Dylan tribute conference two weeks later.

Did you know she was about to do this spellbinding thing?

Listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C7tAp5X6Zo

I Believe in You (Afternoon Rehearsal) (Rehearsal Performance at Madison Square Garden, New...

Provided to YouTube by Columbia/LegacyI Believe in You (Afternoon Rehearsal) (Rehearsal Performance at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY - October 1992) · ...

YouTube

This is a great piece on why fights over drug prices are so hard for patients.

I always think of it this way: Insurers lower drug prices much like rain wearing a way a boulder. And we're the raindrops.

https://www.statnews.com/2023/07/24/drug-pricing-impossible-trinity-insurers-zolgensma/

Drug pricing and the ‘impossible trinity’ for patients

New seven-figure gene therapies show that neither insurers nor patients can win on drug pricing.

STAT
In Doctorow's masterful takedown of Big-Techism he reserves a couple of choice lines to skewer the ridiculous bargaining-code model (see JCPA, CJPA and C18) and its existential threat to independent accountability journalism.
https://doctorow.medium.com/let-the-platforms-burn-6fb3e6c0d980

You may have heard a lot about how new weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro could change the way we understand addiction and cravings.

Read this story by Megan Molteni and you'll understand why.

https://www.statnews.com/2023/07/10/new-weight-loss-drugs-wegovy-food-cravings/

The new weight loss drugs are revolutionizing our understanding of desire. Food cravings could be just the beginning

Wegovy and similar drugs weren't originally designed to get into the brain. But scientists are learning that’s where they work to cause weight loss.

STAT

Fascinating piece arguing we’ve recently had the hottest days in 125,000 years.

Context: writing is 5,000 years old. Our species is perhaps 300,000 years old. So 125,000 years is a very long time.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/07/08/earth-hottest-years-thousands-climate/

Earth is at its hottest in thousands of years. Here’s how we know.

Observations are enough to make scientists confident that the current period of warming is exceptional.

The Washington Post