News Feature in 2013

Co-working spaces in which many entrepreneurs share a common environment have been a hallmark of the computer startup industry for decades. Now, the life sciences sector is beginning to do the same. Elie Dolgin talks with the pioneers helping to bring affordable wet-lab space—plus the infrastructure and support needed to launch a successful commercial enterprise—to the next generation of biotech innovators.

Each year, tens of thousands of young people worldwide die suddenly after their hearts stop beating for no apparent reason. Genetic testing for inherited heart rhythm disorders can potentially offer grief-stricken family members an explanation for the loss of their loved ones and provide actionable diagnostic information to help them avoid the same fate. And yet, such 'molecular autopsies' are rarely performed by the forensic experts who investigate unexplained deaths. Jeanne Erdmann meets the medical professionals who are trying to change that.

Discovering the right compound that can treat an infection such as HIV is only the first piece of the drug development puzzle. The next challenge is to make the manufacturing process more efficient—and thereby cheaper. Killugudi Jayaraman meets with the 'process chemistry' experts honing these reactions to bring down the cost of antiretrovirals.

It begins as a slowly expanding spot of light or similar visual disturbance, often accompanied by phantom noises and other sensory distortions. People who experience such 'auras' know all too well that these early warning signs will culminate in a head-splitting migraine, yet scientists have little idea what causes the debilitating deluge of symptoms. Elie Dolgin talks to neurologists hoping to change that—by triggering auras in the laboratory in order to study them.

An experimental approach promises to change the future for boys diagnosed today with cancer, allowing them to genetically father children of their own instead of facing a life of infertility. But will the science be ready when the children grow up, or are researchers subjecting families to another stressful decision for a hope that might not pan out? Alison McCook reports on the cutting-edge science—and controversy—surrounding the freezing of prepubescent tissue.

The resource-poor countries of Africa have traditionally relied on Western nations for their drug supply, but a new drug development center with a promising antimalarial agent could pave the way for a homegrown pharmaceutical pipeline. Linda Nordling investigates how this one facility at the southern tip of the continent promises to embolden an entire African drug industry.

A new regulatory pathway established last year allows drugs with dramatic early clinical promise to be expedited to the market quicker than ever before. To date, most of these 'breakthrough' designations have gone to cancer agents, raising the prospect of faster access to the latest lifesaving therapies for the estimated 4,500 people newly diagnosed with cancer each day in the US. Elie Dolgin looks at what sets these breakthrough medicines apart.

Health insurance covers drugs approved by regulatory agencies, but it often doesn't pay for the products known as 'medical foods' needed to keep individuals alive and well. This lack of reimbursement means that many who cannot afford these life-saving diets suffer brain deterioration and disability—or worse. Roxanne Khamsi reports on the battle for medical foods and how it could affect the treatment of diseases as diverse as osteoporosis and Alzheimer's.

Natural compounds produced by the world's microbes were once the go-to source of molecules for the drug industry before the chemistry dried up and big pharma went packing. Now, researchers hope that advances in genomics will bring companies back into the fold. Daniel Grushkin visits one startup hoping to accelerate the process.

The massive rise of patient advocacy in the US has led to an aggressive, if inadvertent, contest between disease-specific lobbyists. Advocacy groups say they're just trying to get taxpayer-backed research dollars distributed equitably according to public health need and they deny any outright competition with one another. But with research budgets shrinking, advocacy becomes a zero-sum game. Some scientists worry that pitting one disease against another threatens the leadership of government funding bodies—not to mention the basic research enterprise. Virginia Hughes reports.

Stitches offer a suitable means of sealing up simple wounds. But when it comes to suturing tissues inside the body, the existing methods for closing wounds fall short. Elie Dolgin meets scientists taking inspiration from nature to develop the next generation of surgical adhesives.

Recent headlines have promised that a 'universal flu vaccine' may be within reach, pointing to antibodies that offer broad protection in animal studies. But the scientists behind this effort had to first overcome great skepticism from their peers—as well as an imperfect laboratory test. Hannah Hoag reports on one virologist's 20-year effort to challenge the tenets of the field.