The microRNA scientist who didn't win the Nobel Prize, and her husband, who did

A married scientific duo played pivotal roles in discovering microRNA, a Nobel Prize-winning achievement. Victor Ambros and Rosalind "Candy" Lee both worked separately on identifying the groundbreaking molecules essential to gene regulation — though only Ambros and collaborator Gary Ruvkun won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2024.

Their story is more than just a reminder of the longstanding barriers faced by women in science and how recent the gains in representation really are, STAT's Megan Molteni writes. It's a call to reimagine what the scientific enterprise might look like if it had been designed for anyone to succeed, not just men with wives at home.

The couple sees each other as equals, even if the prize committee did not.

podcast

A bird flu update & talent scarcity in radiopharma

How worried should we be about bird flu? Why is the nascent radiopharmaceuticals field struggling to find qualified workers? And which obesity drug is the best?

We talk about all that and more on this week's episode of the "The Readout LOUD," STAT's biotech podcast.

STAT's infectious disease reporter, Helen Branswell, joins us for an update on bird flu. And STAT's Allison DeAngelis will share her recent reporting on a talent shortage that is posing new challenges to the fast-growing radiopharmaceutical industry.

Listen here.

REGULATION

The thorny path ahead on lab-developed tests

A few months ago the FDA finally made plans to regulate lab-developed tests, or LDTs, in order to improve test safety and reliability. But that's sparked controversy, and labs have launched lawsuits to challenge the agency's authority. Meanwhile, patient groups and traditional diagnostics companies support regulatory oversight in order to prevent harm from unvetted tests.

But the FDA's plans to shift policy could very easily be derailed — particularly with Donald Trump reentering the White House next month, STAT's Lizzy Lawrence writes.

"I would say there's a lot more caution in the community to wait and see what happens with litigation, the new administration, and the final rule," one diagnostics CMO told STAT.

glp-1 drugs

Lilly's $3 billion investment in Wisconsin

To meet the incredible demand for drugs like Zepbound and Mounjaro, Eli Lilly will be infusing $3 billion into a Wisconsin manufacturing facility that it acquired earlier this year — its "single largest U.S. manufacturing investment" outside of its home base in Indiana, the company said.

The plan is to help support the need for injectables — particularly in the diabetes and obesity space. Lilly's dedicated more than $23 billion since 2020 to expand its manufacturing footprint worldwide.

The company said it'll use advanced automation like guided vehicles, robotics, and production equipment to speed medicine production. It'll add about 750 skilled jobs to the 100-ish who already work there.

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