Sometimes a medical condition can be cured with a single surgery or a course of medications. But many illnesses — like diabetes, asthma, and chronic pain — require long-term treatment and management. Recognizing the assistive potential of smart phones and other personal computing devices, some doctors have begun recommending apps to help patients track their […]

Alcohol use is common in the United States. The vast majority of adults (84.0%) have drunk alcohol at some point in their lifetime, with most of them (79.5%) reporting having a drink in the last year. Many social events rely on the presence of alcohol, and most attend these events without alcohol disrupting their lives. […]

Genetic diseases, like cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease, can be devastating to the people afflicted by them, but they often affect few people. The exact cutoffs vary from nation to nation, but in the United States, a rare disease is defined as one that afflicts fewer than 200,000 Americans. Most of these diseases are […]

Imagine you are driving to a friend’s house. You have been there a few times and have formed some general impressions of the route. In the old days, you would only have your imperfect memory to guide you. Now you can use GPS not only to navigate the route, but also to see live traffic […]

A look at fecal microbiota transplants in universities and biotech companies Trillions of bacteria, along with some fungi, viruses, and archaea, make up our gut microbiome. These bacteria greatly outnumber our own cells and play a crucial role in our bodies. Researchers are exploring gut microbiome interventions to improve human health. In the last several […]

With both industry and the academic community working together, innovative ideas generated at universities could potentially lead to more successful startups and a better workforce.

The world is running out of weapons to fight against the threat of superbugs. A collective effort from healthcare, government, and industry is needed.  

While our society has grown accustomed to microbe-produced medicines like penicillin and insulin, biotechnology startups today, especially those in the San Francisco Bay Area, are increasingly looking to use these microscopic chemists in industries beyond pharmaceuticals.