No, CRISPR gene editing technology is not going to “cure” heart disease. But a New York Times story by Gina Kolata on an extremely early study in animals prominently plays up just this extremely unlikely claim. The Times story is based on a press release issued by Verve Therapeutics, a new biotechnology company founded by Sekar Kathiresan, an influential cardiologist and genomic…
No, $75 Million Won’t Cure Heart Disease Or Reinvent Science
October 7, 2016 by 6 Comments
–Silicon Valley hype and hubris come to cardiology. We may be close to peak hype and hubris in cardiology. This week some of the smartest people on the planet said that $75 million can help find new ways to prevent heart disease AND, as if that’s not enough, completely reinvent the way we do science….
Don’t Believe The Hype
September 9, 2015 by Leave a Comment
What is the most common flaw in health journalism? “Conveying certainty that doesn’t exist.” That’s Gary Schwitzer’s terrific response to this important question. At last week’s Presenting Overdiagnosis 2015 conference in Washington, DC Schwitzer, the publisher of HealthNewsReview.Org, listed the most common mistakes journalists make: Exaggerating effect size– relative not absolute data Using causal language to describe observational studies Idolatry…
News Flash! Company Issues Incredibly Boring Press Release
September 14, 2012 by 1 Comment
Last week Abiomed issued a press release (reprinted below) that was about as dull as a press release can get. The main news of the press release was that the PROTECT II study testing the company’s Impella 2.5 circulatory support device had been published online in Circulation. The press release provides no details or information about…
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