A huge loss for science, journalism, and STAT

Sarah Gonzalez for STAT

Helen Branswell — STAT’s renowned infectious diseases reporter, our best baker, and the biggest hater of the email function “reply-all” — died yesterday due to complications from cancer. Please read Andrew Joseph’s beautiful obituary all the way to the end.

If you read this newsletter with any regularity, you know Helen’s work. Her reporting has been pivotal to the world’s understanding of Covid-19, H5N1 bird flu, Ebola virus, measles, and even hantavirus. Since Helen’s obituary was published, we’ve heard from scores of readers — from local public health officials to internationally recognized names — mourning her passing. But Helen was never too big for the small stuff. She constantly offered to write quick news items for this newsletter. Nothing felt better than earning her praise or support. Nothing tasted better than her banana bread, which came with a signature maple glaze. (Twice she won STAT’s internal pie contest.)

“She had a big heart and she looked out for people and she did kind things for people, but she did them quietly,” Helen’s sister Brenda told Drew. “She loved science and medical writing. She thought her job was a gift.” Thank you, Helen, for your gifts.

policy

The groups jostling to shape clinical AI regulations

Executives from the American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, artificial intelligence giant Anthropic, and insurer Elevance Health are part of a 22-member AI working group convened to develop guidelines for how to regulate artificial intelligence in the practice of medicine, STAT’s Mario Aguilar reports.

The group, convened by the Federation of State Medical Boards, isn't the only one hoping to influence regulation. The conservative policy advocacy group Cicero Institute, funded by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, has drafted model legislation that would create a pathway to licensure for AI products. State lawmakers have already begun to pass a patchwork of laws that either expand or rein in how AI can be used in health care. Read more from Mario on the competing visions.

we're watching

GLP-1s for recidivism?

A wave of clinical trials have begun to test the ability of GLP-1 weight loss drugs to quell various substance use disorders, with some promising results. A new trial announced yesterday will go further, testing the real-world impacts of weekly semaglutide injections, focusing on factors like a person’s involvement with the criminal justice system, employment, housing stability, and health care utilization. This is a large, major study, and as I continue covering addiction for Lev, it’s definitely something I’ll be keeping an eye on. If a strong connection is found, the results could be used to advocate for more public investment in the medication.

The trial is a collaboration between the Center for Addiction Science, Policy and Research (a nonprofit focused on GLP-1s for addiction treatment) and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services in Pennsylvania. Set to begin in early 2027, the study will enroll up to 1,200 participants with alcohol use disorder, opioid use disorder, or both. Researchers will use the county’s linked administrative data to track participant outcomes.

biology

What’s in a baby’s gut microbiome?

Adobe

The window between conception and a baby’s second birthday is critical for brain development. And there are all sorts of factors that contribute: genetics, sleep, interactions with parents, and more. A new First Opinion essay posits one more, suggesting that the gut microbiome may play a key role in brain developmental plasticity.

That’s important because autism, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s disease are all impacted by plasticity. What’s happening in a baby’s brain at a few months old could, as the essay authors put it, “influence whether she can still recognize a face across a room at 80.”

Scientists at Wellcome Leap’s FORM (where one author, Holly Baines, leads research) are investigating if accumulating pressures on the developing gut microbiome — variables like c-sections, antibiotics use, and formula feeding — may contribute to rising neurodevelopmental differences. Read more on where the science is now and what’s ahead.

More around STAT

What we're reading

People say these peptides hurt them. Their stories are muffled in MAHA’s push for medical freedom, KFF
How states can resist the potential Trump vaccine shortages, STAT
He helped discover Ebola 50 years ago. He’s still worried, New York Times
Ongoing lawsuits allege GLP-1s can cause serious harm. But we don't know how often, NPR

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