Editorials

The US Supreme Court’s majority decision to overturn the constitutional protection of the right to seek an abortion threatens the health of all Americans.

We are raising the standards on reporting on sex and gender in research. Starting this June, authors will be prompted to provide details on how sex and gender were considered in study design.

With the increase in genomic data available and the advent of new technology for mining it, balancing the needs for data sharing and data protection becomes more challenging. Different disciplines must come together to find new solutions.

New treatments and technologies offer exciting prospects for cancer research and care, but their global impact rests on widespread implementation and accessibility.

The use of transgenic pigs as a source of organs and tissues for patients in need could revolutionize medicine — but to achieve that goal, data from clinical trials and forthright assessment of the ethics of animal-to-human transplants will be critical.

It is time to close a loophole that allows certain types of diagnostic lab tests to be exempt from regulatory oversight, putting people at risk of making consequential medical decisions on the basis of unreliable results.

The Glasgow Climate Pact reaffirms countries’ commitments to limiting global heating to 1.5 °C, but without prioritizing health, equity and multisectoral engagement within climate action, the health of the planet and the future of humanity remain at grave risk.

Lessons from the rapid development, manufacture and distribution of vaccines against COVID-19 must be broadly applied to expedite vaccine development for other infectious diseases.

We are launching a series on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in medical research and are redoubling our commitment to representation in our pages.

With the end of the COVID-19 pandemic nowhere in sight, a return to safe, in-person schooling must be prioritized now to avoid lifelong setbacks

Scientific and medical research conducted in space can bring benefits for all humankind, but this will require commercial space flight companies to embrace open data principles.

Are healthcare systems prepared to deal with cost and accessibility of gene therapies on a global scale?

Telehealth has emerged as an unexpected silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic, improving access to care and facilitating a transition toward digital medicine. Cementing these gains now could help make healthcare more equitable once the pandemic has ended.

The surge in COVID-19 cases in India and Brazil highlights the need to improve vaccine manufacturing capacity and investment in public health at the local level.

Enhancing population diversity in genetic databases and evaluating genetic scores in conjunction with other disease factors will be needed to ensure a more equitable impact of precision medicine.

Gene-therapy trials are on the rise, but more needs to be done to understand the long-term risks associated with this type of treatment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened a window of opportunity for rethinking the way countries prepare for public-health crises. This window must not be wasted.

Diverging from tested vaccination regimens without scientific evidence could undermine public confidence in vaccines against COVID-19 and the success of a global vaccination strategy to curtail the pandemic.

The United Nations Assembly has named 2021 the International Year of Peace and Trust. In that spirit, the world can look forward with hope to the international collaborations spearheaded by the World Health Organization and consider the challenges the agency has yet to face.

In formulating the response of the healthcare system to the COVID-19 pandemic, the true toll of the chronic consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection must be uncovered and strategies must be devised for providing integrated care to those with long-term illness.