Good morning. On this first day of December, there are fresh allegations of research misconduct by Stanford's president, new details about another failed Alzheimer's drug, and renewed concern about polio.

Altered image found in a 1999 paper raises potential peril for Stanford president, experts say

(ADAM FAGEN)

New findings of altered images in research co-authored by Stanford University president Marc Tessier-Lavigne (above) add to the weight of allegations against him, experts on research misconduct told STAT’s Olivia Goldhill and Megan Molteni yesterday. Stanford announced an investigation into its president on Tuesday, following allegations of altered images in four papers he co-authored earlier in his research career. But a subsequent analysis by scientific integrity expert Elisabeth Bik found an additional image that raises concern in a paper published in the journal Cell in 1999, two years before the papers originally flagged to Stanford.

The newly identified apparent manipulation in Cell seems to alter the results and appears to be intentional, said Bik. “I would testify in court that’s been digitally altered,” she said. “This actually changes everything. … It’s a more severe level of digital altering.” In a statement released by Stanford about its investigation, Tessier-Lavigne said, "I support this process and will fully cooperate with it." Read more.

Roche’s Alzheimer’s drug didn’t do its job, but its failure could still help

One day after a presentation from Eisai and Biogen about its Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab and its dramatic effects on amyloid levels combined with a modest but statistically significant delay in Alzheimer’s progression, Roche explained its drug’s previously announced failure. Called gantenerumab, Roche’s treatment had a disappointing effect on the toxic protein called amyloid, whose accumulation in the brain is thought to drive Alzheimer’s, so the drug showed no significant benefit to patients’ cognitive and functional decline compared to placebo.

All is not lost, even though Roche has scrapped further work on the drug. The details of its negative studies, which Roche rushed to analyze in time for this week’s Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease Conference, could light the way for other amyloid-targeting medicines. STAT’s Damian Garde and Jonathan Wosen tell us why.

Elon Musk: Neuralink's tech nears human studies

Elon Musk announced late Wednesday that his brain-machine interface company Neuralink aims to put its first implant in a human subject in the next six months. Musk said the company — which has so far only tested its technology in animals — has submitted most of the required paperwork to the Food and Drug Administration to launch a human trial. The company also announced it will first focus on two uses: treating vision loss, and making it possible for people with limited or no movement control devices and ultimately, to restore muscle function. But even if the company's trial is given a greenlight, there would still be a long and uncertain path to achieve that promise. STAT's Mohana Ravindranath and Katie Palmer have more.

Closer look: Wastewater surveillance of polioviruses isn't so simple

Concern over this summer’s discovery of vaccine-derived polioviruses circulating in counties in and around New York City has prompted the CDC to work with select communities across the country to conduct wastewater surveillance, starting with Oakland County, Mich., and an as-yet-unnamed county in the Philadelphia area, the agency said yesterday. An unvaccinated man in his 20s was partially paralyzed by polioviruses in July, after which at least 82 genetically linked viruses were recovered in sewage samples from five counties in and around New York.

Wastewater testing has become familiar as a tool to track SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid, but finding vaccine-derived polioviruses isn’t so simple. It would trigger a series of decisions about risk analyses, vaccination drives, and polio containment protocols in hospitals. STAT’s Helen Branswell explains what’s involved, and why polio hasn’t yet been snuffed out, decades after vaccines were developed and deployed.

Measles outbreak hits central Ohio

Columbus and surrounding areas of central Ohio are in the grips of a measles outbreak, with 46 cases reported to date, STAT’s Helen Branswell tells us. All the cases are in children 15 and younger, with most infections among kids between the ages of 1 and 2. All of the children were unvaccinated. Nineteen were sick enough to be hospitalized, though there have been no deaths to date.

Mysheika Roberts, public health commissioner for Columbus, said one of the first cases in this outbreak had traveled to a country where the measles virus is endemic. The working theory is that that child got infected while abroad and brought the virus back to the U.S., she said. In a press conference yestrerday, Roberts said anyone over the age of 1 who is not vaccinated against measles should get vaccinated against the highly contagious virus as quickly as possible. “I do expect our numbers to continue to grow,” she warned. “In talking to the CDC and our colleagues across the country who’ve experienced measles outbreaks, this can last several months.”

When 'negative' is good and 'positive' is bad: untangling medical jargon

Do you know what it means when your doctor says “your chest X-ray was unremarkable”? Or “neuro exam is grossly intact”? Think you can do better than 215 volunteers recruited at the 2021 Minnesota State Fair for a later survey? A new study in JAMA Network Open tackled what its authors call “jargon oblivion,” when health care professionals try but fail to avoid confusing terms when speaking to patients.

Most respondents knew a "negative" result on a cancer test was good news, but not as many realized “your tumor is progressing” was bad news. Fewer than half thought “neuro exam is grossly intact” was good news or correctly understood that a clinician saying their radiography was impressive was generally bad. The Latin acronym NPO was less often understood than “nothing by mouth,” but even that was confusing to 1 out of 4 people. Try, “You should not have anything to eat or drink,” the authors suggest.

What we're reading

Covid evolution wipes out another antibody treatment, threatening the country’s medicine cabinet, STAT
FDA to allow more gay, bisexual men to donate blood, Wall Street Journal
Poison pill: How fentanyl killed a 17-year-old, Washington Post
FDA approves first microbiome drug from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, STAT
Naturopath who sold fake vaccine cards gets nearly 3 years, Associated Press
Afraid of pharma pushback, a health data broker puts up a barrier to drug pricing information, STAT