Biologist Sabatini interfered with investigation into alleged misconduct, leaked report says

Investigators hired to probe allegations of misconduct lodged against a professor at MIT’s Whitehead Institute say that despite instructions not to do so, he discussed the case with his lab members in a threatening manner, a leaked report says. David Sabatini, a biologist known for discovering a protein called mTOR that controls cell growth in animals, resigned in April after university officials recommended revoking his tenure.

MIT was looking into allegations that Sabatini violated university policies by having a relationship with a research fellow and fostering an inappropriate working environment. “We do find that Sabatini conveyed a clear warning to those in the lab that there would be negative consequences to those who took issue with or discussed his conduct,” the report said. Officials at MIT and the Whitehead Institute did not immediately respond to inquiries about the leak; Sabatini did not respond to a request for comment. He is suing MIT, claiming he is the victim of false claims made to “exact revenge against a former lover.” STAT’s Allison DeAngelis has more.

Life expectancy drops for a second year in a row

Leading causes of death in the U.S., 2020 and 2021 (Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.)

Deaths from two scourges — Covid-19 and drug overdoses — shortened life expectancy for Americans last year to the lowest rate seen since 1996, the CDC reports. The second consecutive decline means that life expectancy at birth for the U.S. population fell from 77 years in 2020 to 76.4 years in 2021. At age 65, it was 18.4 years, down 0.1 from 2020. For men, their 17 more years of life was unchanged, but it fell for women from 19.8 to 19.7 years.

Heart disease is still the leading cause of death, followed by cancer and Covid-19. (Overdose deaths have risen fivefold over the past two decades, CDC says.) Age-adjusted death rates fell for Hispanic men and non-Hispanic Black men, stayed statistically the same for non-Hispanic Asian men and women, and increased for all other groups for both men and women.

Gene therapy trial shows promise for 'bubble boy' syndrome. It may not be enough

Severe combined immunodeficiency got its nickname “bubble boy” syndrome in the 1970s, borrowed from a boy who died at age 12 even after being confined to a sterile environment to avoid infection. Children born without an immune system can be helped by gene therapy designed for their specific disorder, and yesterday’s NEJM has a report of success in a clinical trial treating one particularly rare form, in a 4-year-old now happily roaming his family’s ranch on their Navajo reservation in Arizona.

Here’s the problem: Several companies have already bailed on gene therapies for more prevalent forms of SCID, leaving patients without a pathway for treatment. As gene therapies for rare diseases start pushing boundaries of what was previously possible, more cracks are appearing in the current regulatory and commercialization models, STAT’s Brittany Trang tells us, and it’s not clear what it will take to get much-needed treatments to more patients.

Closer look: Methadone clinics can now offer more take-home doses, but will they?

(CAITLIN O'HARA FOR STAT)

Methadone was life-changing for Danielle Russell (above). She’s been taking the medication — one of the most effective treatments for opioid addiction — for 10 years, moving so far past the heroin she used to use that she finished a series of degrees and is now a Ph.D. student in justice studies at Arizona State University. It has meant reporting to a special clinic nearly every day to get her dose of the tightly regulated medication.

That changed when Covid-19 hit — or could have. Federal health officials said providers could give up to 14 days of take-home doses to patients, and up to 28 days to “stable” patients like her. That didn’t happen, and with those pandemic-era flexibilities close to becoming permanent, how widely clinics will start providing their patients with more doses of methadone is a big unknown. STAT’s Andrew Joseph unpacks arguments on both sides.

In a first, mother-to-child mitochondrial transplant helps kids with rare genetic disorders

To set the scene, STAT’s Megan Molteni explains just how important mitochondria are. Yes, they’re the powerhouses of the cell, but so much more. “Without them, we’d still be sliming around a primordial mudpot somewhere,” she writes in her story on the first mitochondrial transplants, from mothers to children with a rare genetic disease that can mean hearing and vision loss, muscle weakness, gastrointestinal and cardiac issues, dementia, and early death.

An Israeli team reported yesterday in Science Translational Medicine their success in augmenting patients’ hematopoietic stem cells with healthy mitochondria donated by their mothers. In six children, it was safe and they showed small but significant signs of improvement. If the results hold up in a clinical trial expected to start next year, mitochondrial augmentation therapy could conceivably treat other conditions and injuries arising from mitochondrial damage. Read more about what’s involved.

A new startup turns to community to help people with serious mental illness

The pandemic has fostered a flurry of startups focused on mental health, from smartphone guides to meditation to sites speeding delivery of medications. But there’s been a notable lack of attention to the most vulnerable patients: people with serious mental illness. This month, a for-profit startup co-founded by former National Institute of Mental Health leader Thomas Insel (more recently involved in several other mental-health startups) quietly launched with $29 million in funding to focus on patients with conditions such as schizophrenia.

Vanna Health, which has partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and of Arizona as well as Jefferson Insurance Group, wants to link patients with serious mental illness to existing local resources or create them where they’re rare. Vanna would connect patients with community-based providers and work through clubhouses, community centers specifically organized to support people with mental health diagnoses. STAT’s Theresa Gaffney has more.

What we're reading

Scientists tie third clinical trial death to experimental Alzheimer’s drug, Science
Medicare’s home hospital program may soon get a lifeline from Congress. Can it prove its worth? STAT
Federal judge rules against HHS program allowing teens confidential birth control, The Hill
Pandemic response gets a permanent new home at the White House, STAT
Twitter changed science — what happens now it’s in turmoil? Nature
Infectious disease board recommends hospitals stop screening asymptomatic patients for Covid-19, STAT