Gene therapy is in crisis. For nine hours, the field's leading minds looked for a solution

After a half-century of fits-and-starts, the tools of molecular biology have advanced to the point that researchers can conceivably design life-altering treatments for thousands of genetic diseases. But the vast majority of these conditions are too rare to muster the kind of investments needed to bring drugs to market. Read more.

By Jason Mast

Constanzia Hevia for STAT

How Y Combinator's only health care partner decides which startups are worth a shot

It seems like every young tech company is vying for a coveted place in the Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator. And to score that spot, which is sort of a rite of passage for young ventures, entrepreneurs focused on health tech or science first have to spark the interest of Surbhi Sarna (above). Read more.

By Mohana Ravindranath

Marian Moratinos for STAT

Alarmed by popularity of Ozempic and Wegovy, insurers wage multi-front battle

Insurance companies' charge on all fronts is a window into the heightened conflict between access and cost that's dogging what's expected to become one of the biggest drug classes in history. Read more.

By Elaine Chen

More great reads from STAT this week

Measles was once seen as a childhood disease. Increasingly, adults are susceptible, too
'Ancient DNA' tools and 23andMe database uncover African American ancestries of thousands
For brain-computer interfaces, the commercial hurdles may be bigger than scientific ones
As wildfires burn, scientists race to understand the health dangers of prolonged exposure
Primary care physicians are learning how to fill the gaps in gender-affirming medicine
Affirmative action improved public health — and carried a high personal cost for Black physicians
Opinion: New attacks on the drug industry would have made my breakthrough sickle cell treatment impossible