Here CAR stands for Chimeric Antigen Receptor and refers to CAR killer T-cells which are cells genetically engineered to kill other cells which display something detectable (and antigen) typical of a type of cancer. The crazy refers to my dream of improving CARs using the knowlsege from my long ago BA in biology. The amazing […]
“The Trump administration on Wednesday rescinded a memo from the Office of Management and Budget pausing federal assistance grants, according to reports from NBC News and The Washington Post. “The memo caused a political uproar and confusion among recipients of federal grants, and it had seemingly set the stage for a constitutional showdown.” I don’t […]
The Trump OMB announced yesterday a pause on government spending. “The memo required agencies to pause all spending, with a footnote exempting “assistance received directly by individuals.” HHS suspended states from drawing down Medicaid funds and tribal facilities from drawing down Indian Health Service Funds. Also suspended were grants that provide funds for Head Start, […]
From ink-stained wretches to eye candy and not much else. From Mr. Dooley’s, “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” to tell them what they want to hear as long as it doesn’t afflict the comfortable. Was it the camera? Hey, media, threatening to annex Greenland isn’t a negotiating tactic; it is straight out of […]
Let’s do some pessimism. Trump has already made it clear that he does not recognize any legal limits on his behavior – no constitutional limits, and no statutory limits. This is reflected in his effort to halt broad swaths of federal spending for 90 days (which violates both the constitution and the Impoundment Control Act […]
The US has been an international leader in biomedical research for decades. Now, the Trump administration wants to blow that up. “The directive also brings the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) lengthy scientific grant review process to a standstill. “All NIH study sections canceled indefinitely. This will halt science and devastate research budgets in universities,” […]
As I’ve said here before, together with water purification and sanitary sewers, vaccines are a triumph of public health. Hundreds of millions of lived (at least) have been saved by vaccination, not just as a direct result of immunization but indirectly by slowing the rate of pathogen evolution. It is both shocking and frankly dangerous […]
It’s not an easy day, but I’m remembering better times, such as when Mandy Patinkin translated Paul Simon’s “American Tune” into its native language: And then I remember that this was a sad song, that even though Simon wrote that last verse of “Loves Me Like a Rock,” he wasn’t always so obeisant to the […]
The effort to evaluate NGOs and aid policies scientifically seems very important to me. I think there has been (long ago) a reluctance to perform experiments with people even if the experiment consists of helping some people and comparing them to a control group. The experimental approach has become very fashionable with a Nobel memorial […]
“California is advising healthcare providers not to write down patients’ immigration status on bills and medical records and telling them they don’t have to assist federal agents in arrests. Some Massachusetts hospitals and clinics are posting privacy rights in emergency and waiting rooms in Spanish and other languages. “Meanwhile, Florida and Texas are requiring healthcare […]