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Thursday, October 12, 2017
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Happy Thursday, folks! Here's what you need to know about health and medicine this morning.
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Meet the MacArthur ‘genius’ grant winner tracking the evolution of our cells
A lymph node shown in a mouse model, with an antibody icon drawn in green.(GABRIEL VICTORA/ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY)
This year’s
crop of MacArthur “geniuses” included artists, writers, computer scientists, and one biomedical researcher: immunologist Gabriel Victora of Rockefeller University. I chatted with Victora about his work and his win. Here’s
a look at our conversation, which you can read in full
here.
Tell me about your research.
We study how it is that antibodies become such great binders, how they bind so strongly to the target antigens [or foreign substances]. They don’t start like that. They start really poorly the first time
they encounter a substance that triggers an antibody response... The B cells mutate their own genomes, and if that mutation makes them a little bit better at responding, that cell is selected to proliferate. It’s sort of a Darwinian evolution: When you make
random mutations and then select the best ones, you end up with a cellular population that’s better than when it started.
What was it like to find out you’d won?
It was very interesting. I got called by this funny number from Chicago in the middle of a seminar I was attending. I called them back, and they said, “Are you in a place where
you can speak without anybody hearing you?” When they told me, I said, “You’ve gotta be kidding.” I had to keep it to myself for a few agonizing weeks.
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Why the 2020 census matters for public health
The 2020 census is getting a checkup today. The House oversight committee will convene to talk about the Census Bureau’s efforts to redesign the next round of the survey, which is used to collect various
types of health data. But the bureau has seen turmoil in recent months: A permanent director still hasn’t been named after the former leader left in June, and both members of Congress and government accountability officials have raised concerns about the lack
of leadership. A flawed census, if it were to occur, would have a significant public health impact — if, for example, racial or ethnic minorities are undercounted as they have been in the past, that inaccurate data could impact how federal health dollars get
doled out.
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Health officials investigate deaths in Puerto Rico
Health officials in Puerto Rico are
investigating four deaths that could be cases of a bacterial disease that spreads through animal urine. Hurricane Maria knocked out much of the running water on the island, causing sanitation problems that could spur the
spread of bacterial diseases such as leptospirosis. There have been 10 suspected cases of the disease, including four deaths, according to government officials. Most of the island is still without power, which has left Puerto Rico’s health care system in dire
straits.
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Inside STAT: The biohacker taking on Big Pharma
(biz herman for stat)
Michael Laufer has become a fixture in the growing biohacker movement. Last year, he published plans for a make-your-own EpiPencil that costs just $35. It’s not clear whether anyone has actually used a
homemade EpiPencil in the event of anaphylaxis, but that’s not Laufer’s primary goal. He’s trying to build a DIY movement to empower consumers and circumvent high pharmaceutical prices. It’s an idea health professionals have strenuously warned against. But
now, he’s developing a desktop lab and a recipe book to give patients the tools to create their own medicines, including the pricey hepatitis C drug Sovaldi. STAT’s Charles Piller has the story — read
here.
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Democrats call on NIH to renew gun research funding
Two dozen Senate Democrats are calling on the NIH to
renew funding for research on gun violence after the mass shooting in Las Vegas. “It is critical that NIH dedicate a portion of its resources to the public health consequences of gun violence,” they write in a
letter to NIH Director Francis Collins. Meanwhile, the CDC has long avoided research on gun violence due to a 1996 provision that prevents the agency from advocating for or promoting gun control. After the Sandy Hook shooting
in 2012, President Obama urged HHS as a whole to pursue the topic, arguing that objective research isn’t advocacy. The NIH doled out $18 million to fund scientific studies on gun violence, but that funding expired in January and hasn’t been renewed.
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About that Congress and Alzheimer’s remark
The pharmacist who prepares prescriptions for Congress wants people to know he doesn't know any lawmakers with Alzheimer's — and even if he did, he wouldn't tell. Mike Kim told STAT's Erin Mershon in a
story published yesterday that he's "filling some drugs that are for some pretty serious health problems," listing
treatments for conditions like diabetes and Alzheimer’s. The comment raised eyebrows. Now, Kim has clarified that he was speaking hypothetically and doesn't know any member of Congress who actually has Alzheimer's, nor would he disclose that information
if he did know of it. More
here.
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Scientists create a bedside scanner for babies
Researchers have
created a portable bedside brain scanner that can be used to image an infant’s brain activity. It's a combination of a lightweight ultrasound probe and an EEG, which records patterns in brain waves. In six healthy newborns
taking a nap, the scanner allowed scientists to distinguish between quiet and active sleep. And in two infants with seizure disorders, the scientists were able to trace the seizures back to the brain regions where they originated. The creators of the new proof-of-concept
scanner say that being able to capture images of infant brain activity could inform new research into neurological disorders.
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Thanks for reading! More tomorrow,
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