SciShow
The First CRISPR Gene Therapy Is Here
CRISPR is a powerful gene editing tool, but its uses have been purely scientific until now. In 2023, US and UK drug regulators including the FDA approved Casgevy, a CRISPR/Cas9-based therapy for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia....
SciShow
Why Do Some Doctors Still Use Bloodletting?
Has a doctor ever told you that you just have too much blood? Probably not, but there are a handful of conditions where being a little low might be good for you.
SciShow
Changing DNA in a Cell With No DNA: Gene Therapy for Blood Disorders
Lots of genetic diseases come down to a small change in a single gene, but how do you treat those diseases when the cells involved don’t have any DNA?
Healthcare Triage
Some Unpleasant Facts about Research Priorities
Sickle Cell Disease affects 100,00 Americans, and has been pretty well understood for a long time. So, why are there only two drugs available for the condition? Why are so few research dollars allocated to the problem? Well, the answers...
Science360
NSF's 2014 Alan T. Waterman Awardee Feng Zhang discusses his research on the brain
NSF's 2014 Alan T. Waterman Awardee Feng Zhang discusses the work of his research team on the brain. Zhang is an investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and a core member of the Broad Institute of MIT and...
Curated Video
FDA Advisers Reviewed a Sickle Cell Treatment
The Food and Drug Administration says there’s an unmet need for help for patients suffering from severe sickle cell anemia. A new drug that uses gene editing could solve that.
Curated Video
Breakthrough Sickle Cell Treatments Come with Health Risks
The Food and Drug Administration has approved two gene-editing treatments for patients 12 and older suffering from severe sickle cell disease, but they come with health risks doctors want patients to know about.
Bloomberg
How Will We Pay For Miracle Cures?
Gene therapies are considered miracle cures, but their exorbitant costs, which could exceed $12 billion, might hinder access for those in need. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Lisa Jarvis highlights how two gene therapies awaiting FDA...
Curated Video
CRISPR Cure For Sickle Cell May Be Slowed By Black Patients' Mistrust
CRISPR may be a cure, but clinical trials may lack volunteers because of black patients' mistrust of biased and unethical medical practices.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans
Sickle cell disease only occurs when both parents contribute the trait, and mostly in those of African descent. Where did it come from? How did it evolve? Tony Allison, a molecular biologist, noticed a connection between sickle cell and...