INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Genes Are Still Patentable, Federal Appeals Court Rules
An appellate court reinstated Myriad Genetics exclusive rights to research two cancer-linked genes, leaving others researching these genes out in the cold.
NEUROSCIENCE
A Light Revolution in Neuroscience
Optogenetics opens the door to understanding how specific types of neurons contribute to brain function, but the ethics of using it in humans needs serious consideration.
PODCAST
Interview With Youth Stem Cell Research Advocate Cody Unser
Jonathan Moreno interviews Cody Unser, a youth advocate for science-based healthcare policy with an inspiring story.
LIFE SCIENCES
Thrown Back to the 90’s
The misguided human embryonic stem cell research ruling by a U.S. court would discontinue amazing gains made over the past 12 years in regenerative medicine.
LIFE SCIENCES
Drug Regulation in all the Wrong Places
The FDA’s myopic focus on early-stage testing and lack of emphasis on phase four human clinical trials has led to many safety-related drug recalls in recent years, meriting a reexamination of our regulatory system.
LIFE SCIENCES
One Small Step for Embryonic Stem Cells
The Food and Drug Administration approves the first clinical trial for embryonic stem cell treatment in patients with recent spinal cord injuries—creating a much needed regulatory pathway.
LIFE SCIENCES
The Promise and Dangers of Synthetic Biology
Public policy makers need to manage the risks and rewards of this promising new life sciences industry, particularly with an eye on the global context.
HEALTH CARE
Better Science, Better Health Care
Programs in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will speed development of new cures and boost comparative effectiveness research.
BIOETHICS
Letter from Oxford: Health Care is Not Tyranny
The ultimate approach to health care must be cultural and moral as well as technical: What do we owe each other?
HEALTH CARE
Paving the Way for Personalized Medicine
There are promising developments heralding the arrival of personalized medicine, a new medical field where the results of genetic tests or other biomarker assessments are used to tailor drugs and treatments to individual patients.
BIOETHICS
Supporting Health Care Reform Is the Right Thing to Do
In supporting health care reform, we can be good citizens and morally responsible neighbors, and still do right by those we love.
Web Tools Afford Patients Active Role in Research
Sarah Arnquist, reporting for The New York Times, tells a moving personal story that captures the hope permeating some of the projects now breaking down barriers between patients, research participants, and scientists. Her hook is the quest of Amy Farber, [...]
HEALTH IT
Connected Health, Connected Reform
Experience at the Center for Connected Health presents policymakers with clear evidence that comprehensive health care reform can deliver better quality care at a lower cost.
AP Tells the Story of a Health IT Success
Some discussions of the benefits of electronic health records can sound abstract and stats-based. Only 13 percent of physicians currently use even a basic EHR; 1.5 percent of hospitals responding to a recent survey published in the New England of [...]
Health Care Costs from Smoking Are a Drag
Cutting back on smoking could reduce U.S. health care spending by nearly $100 billion a year, thanks to the reduction in costly tobacco-related maladies, reports the Associated Press. The Congressional Budget Office expects the Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act [...]
HEALTH CARE
What Works and What Doesn’t
It’s the very simple health care concept with the very fancy name. Comparative effectiveness research examines the benefits of different procedures used to treat the same illness, allowing health care providers to make the best decisions about options for patients.
NIH to Help Bridge the “Valley of Death” for Rare and Neglected Diseases
Yesterday, the National Institutes of Health announced the creation of its new Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases Program. TRND’s goal is to bolster drug development for rare diseases that affect less than 200,000 Americans as well as neglected diseases [...]
Data Bank: Health Information Technology
Implementing meaningful, effective health information technology throughout the nation’s health care system is not a technical problem. Rather, the lack of current health IT infrastructure results from the absence of a business case for such improvements, according to Todd Park [...]
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Say More Research on Warfarin Tests Necessary
Warfarin is a widely-used drug that prevents blood clots during surgery. Two million patients a year take it, but doctors must calibrate dosing carefully to prevent bleeding complications from the blood thinner. Fortunately, the Food and Drug Administration last year [...]
HEALTH CARE
What My 91-Year-Old Mother Wants for Mother’s Day
Smart government can and must deliver a reasoned, evidence-based health plan for all. Compassion demands it. Is that so much to ask for this holiday?
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Science, Innovation, and Competitiveness
Science Progress and American Progress's Doing What Works project teamed up to produce a set of policy proposals that the Obama administration and Congress can adopt to reinvest in the building blocks of American science, innovation, and economic competitiveness. Read the overview of the five reports.
What We Believe
Science Progress proceeds from the propositions that scientific inquiry is among the finest expressions of human excellence, that it is a crucial source of human flourishing, a critical engine of economic growth, and must be dedicated to the common good. Scientific inquiry entails global responsibilities. It should lead to a more equitable, safer, and healthier future for all of humankind.