A decade after the first human genome sequence was completed, it would probably be fair to say that whole genome sequencing is not yet ready for prime time. The problem is not the technology ‑ it’s the resulting vast quantity…
Category Archives: Cancer
Want Better Data? Align Professional Incentives
April 2, 2012 – 1:57 pm
This week, researchers are presenting their latest and greatest at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research. The excitement of all those novel findings, though, received something of an advance puncturing last week by a commentary in…
Sinners, Repent? No. Scientists, Relent!
March 12, 2012 – 2:43 pm
Reading last weekend’s Wall Street Journal review of “The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It” I was struck by an anecdote. It’s about an interview the reviewer did with a scientist who works in the field…
What Would Albus Do? And What Should We?
February 13, 2012 – 11:27 am
There’s a story, sometimes used to illustrate the difference between counseling and research psychology, about a man who pulls out one, then a second, then a third drowning person out of a river. When he sees a fourth, he starts…
He Said What?!?! Best Biotech Quotes of 2011
December 29, 2011 – 3:26 pm
As BioWorld Insight readers know, our “Word on the Street” column provides a sample of the most entertaining and thought-provoking quotes our staff stumbles upon each week. Some are gathered during interviews, some gleaned from analyst reports, and some overheard…
Evidence and its Limits
December 20, 2011 – 4:57 pm
The evidence on evidence-based medicine speaks for itself. The approach is a vast improvement over everything that came before, and over current rival approaches. It’s often enough to give its practitioners a bit of hubris –which is why it’s so…
Burzynski Institute: Patient Exploitation in the Name of Research
December 5, 2011 – 4:43 pm
A cursory glance at the website of the Burzynski Research Institute Inc. turns up nothing unusual. The website showcases smiling patients and its shiny, mirror-windowed building. There’s a contact number for patients to call and a prominent “Donate” button, implying…
Michele Bachmann Endangered Women’s Lives
September 14, 2011 – 2:43 pm
Teary-eyed mother to Michele Bachmann: Michele, my daughter took the HPV vaccine and spontaneously became mentally retarded.
Will Dendreon’s Slide Force Cancer Vaccines Out of Style?
September 13, 2011 – 9:20 am
Back in 2008, biotech companies working on cancer vaccines were not exactly shouting it from the rooftops. In fact, most companies working in the space quietly began branding their drug candidates “immunotherapies” when they met with investors in an attempt…
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