New Cells for ALS Patients
Surgeons have transplanted a second dose of neural cells into a patient's spinal cord in a pioneering trial.
Contributors
Susan Young
Follow @twitterapiBiomedicine Editor
I’m the biomedicine editor for MIT Technology Review. I look for stories where technology stands to improve human health or advance our understanding of the human condition.
I joined MIT Technology Review in March 2012 after a brief stint in the Washington, D.C., news bureau of the scientific journal Nature. Before I ventured to the East Coast, I spent several years in the San Francisco Bay Area as a doctoral student in molecular biology and one whirlwind year in science-writing boot camp in Santa Cruz.
In California, I wrote for the Stanford University press offices, the Multiple Sclerosis Discovery Forum, and the Salinas Californian newspaper. I grew up in a small town in eastern Texas, surrounded by bird song, rolling cattle fields, and lanky pine trees. When I’m not exploring health tech, you will probably find me cooking or giggling over an exceptional LOLcat.
Susan Young's Stories
Type
Few Options in the West Nile Fight
The seasonal and unpredictable nature of the infection makes it difficult to test any potential treatment or vaccine.
An Entire Book Written in DNA
Researchers at Harvard encode information in DNA at a density on par with any other experimental storage method.
Gene Control, Delivered Directly to the Brain
The technique could help patients with currently untreatable diseases such as Huntington's.
The Hunt Is On for Biological Signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Nationwide team will work to find biomarkers that could improve diagnosis and treatment.
Brain Stimulation Controls Seizures in Rats
A new device could help epilepsy patients control unpredictable seizures when medications don't work.
A New Setback for Alzheimer's Drugs
A compound that attacks amyloid plaques fails to help patients, raising questions about similar therapeutics.
Personal Genetics Company Seeks Regulatory Approval
The FDA is unlikely to rule out personal genetics tests, but it may require that physicians get more involved.
Evidence Grows for Existence of Cancer Stem Cells
They could be the cause of cancer relapse—but may also offer new approaches to treatment.
Cancer Genomes Let Drugmakers Get Personal
One startup, H3 Biomedicines, uses genome data to design drugs aimed at small groups of patients.
