(1/3) Some personal news: After nearly four years at @endpts.com, I’m returning to freelance journalism. It's been a meaningful time. I've been lucky to be a part of Endpoints as the newsroom grew, picked up numerous awards and gained readers.
Jared Whitlock
@jaredwhitlock.bsky.social
features editor @endpts.com / fall 2021 fellow @ksjatmit.bsky.social Writing (and editing) stories on rare disease medicine, diagnostics and China Reach out privately on Signal: jaredwhitlock.73
"Russian flu," the pandemic that hit in 1977, bears an evolutionary signature of having emerged from a lab, perhaps as part of a failed vaccine effort. Covid, mpox, Ebola, and other influenza pandemics don't. Here's my story on a new way to trace the origins of pandemics. Gift link: nyti.ms/46N0W33
nyti.ms
Multimillion-dollar gene therapies weren’t supposed to face competition. China has other plans Latest feature + data analysis endpoints.news/china-is-tak...
Multimillion-dollar gene therapies weren’t supposed to face competition. China has other plans
Chinese firm Belief BioMed launches $350K hemophilia B gene therapy, challenging $3.5M Hemgenix by CSL Behring/uniQure, as China leads global race for cheaper gene therapies.
endpoints.news
EveryOne Medicines, a startup making individualized therapies for genetically unique diseases, is shutting down a week after the FDA announced a streamlined pathway for those types of bespoke medicines. @jaredwhitlock.bsky.social and I have the scoop for @endpts.com: endpoints.news/everyone-med...
Exclusive: EveryOne Medicines shuts down, ending custom cure venture that banked on new FDA pathway
EveryOne Medicines, a biotech developing individualized genetic therapies, to close after FDA's new guidance falls short of expectations for streamlined drug approvals.
endpoints.news
Exclusive: EveryOne Medicines shuts down, ending custom cure venture that banked on new FDA pathway From @scienceboss.bsky.social and me: endpoints.news/everyone-med...
Exclusive: EveryOne Medicines shuts down, ending custom cure venture that banked on new FDA pathway
EveryOne Medicines, a biotech developing individualized genetic therapies, to close after FDA's new guidance falls short of expectations for streamlined drug approvals.
endpoints.news
China's MGI sells US subsidiary after Biosecure Act stalled ambitions endpoints.news/swiss-rocket...
China's MGI sells US subsidiary Complete Genomics after Biosecure Act stalled ambitions
Swiss-based life sciences company Swiss Rockets will buy MGI subsidiary Complete Genomics, the companies said Monday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
endpoints.news
After rallying, Grail's cancer test faces new uncertainty due to UK study My latest via @endpts.com endpoints.news/grails-cance...
After rallying, Grail's cancer test faces new uncertainty due to UK study
After mounting a comeback with fresh capital and a flashy partnership, cancer testing firm Grail once again faces major questions over the future of its blood test that screens for dozens of cancers.
endpoints.news
A Chinese biotech says its gene therapy slowed aggressive brain cancer in an early human test, but the debated approach is already drawing skepticism from some researchers. endpoints.news/neuexcell-th...
Chinese biotech claims promising brain cancer results using debated approach
NeuExcell Therapeutics says it slowed an aggressive form of cancer in the first human test of a gene therapy technique that aims to coax the brain into healing itself.
endpoints.news
Can a Chinese drugmaker become Big Pharma? Hengrui is testing that idea, laying plans to move beyond dealmaking and sell its own drugs in the US and Europe as it grows into a global force.
Can a Chinese drugmaker become a big pharma company? Hengrui is testing the waters
With a valuation of about $61.2 billion, Hengrui is now larger than Takeda and Bayer. But there’s still one big item on its bucket list: selling its own treatments outside of China.
endpoints.news
I'm late, but don't miss this piece from @scienceboss.bsky.social: Gene editing's search for a 'holy grail' has led to an explosion of tools, but few cures Via @endpts.com endpoints.news/as-gene-edit...
Gene editing's search for a 'holy grail' has led to an explosion of tools, but few cures
Former Intellia scientist John Finn reflects on gene editing's evolution and the closure of Tome Biosciences, highlighting the industry's focus on tools over medicines.
endpoints.news
RFK Jr. adds conditions to newborn screening list, but future path unclear endpoints.news/rfk-jr-adds-...
RFK Jr. adds conditions to newborn screening list, but future path unclear
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added metachromatic leukodystrophy and Duchenne to a federal newborn screening list, reviving efforts that had been stalled under the Trump administration — though ...
endpoints.news
China has a cheap, quick and quiet way to test novel therapies. Western genetic medicine makers want in endpoints.news/western-gene... Via @leileiwu.bsky.social and @scienceboss.bsky.social
China has a cheap, quick and quiet way to test novel therapies. Western genetic medicine makers want in
IITs have grown increasingly popular among China researchers over the past decade, and have helped China’s fast-growing biotech sector catch up with rivals in the US and Europe. The very leniency that...
endpoints.news
Alumni Notes: From unchecked garbage fires to academic freedom, our alumni are telling the stories that link science to policy, and the everyday impacts on communities. ksj.mit.edu/news/2025/12...
Alumni Notes: A Bounty of Books and Breaking News - Knight Science Journalism @MIT
A recurring roundup of news about former KSJ Fellows, including a compendium of what the fellows have been writing.
ksj.mit.edu
Nationwide Children’s gene therapy shows early promise after Taysha pullback endpoints.news/nationwide-c...
Nationwide Children’s gene therapy shows early promise after Taysha pullback
Nationwide Children's Hospital delivers first gene therapy for SLC6A1 disorder to 8-year-old Maxwell Freed, showing early promise in treating seizures and developmental delays.
endpoints.news
Kansas County Agrees to Pay $3 Million Over Police Raid of Newspaper #Journalism #Kansas www.nytimes.com/2025/11/11/u...
Kansas County Agrees to Pay $3 Million Over Police Raid of Newspaper
nytimes.com
We've been here before but let's see how FDA responds this time w/ Prasad wielding his influence. (I'm sure WSJ ed board + Loomer are already drafting their 2 cents...) "Sarepta's Duchenne confirmatory trial fails, but biotech will ask FDA for full approval anyways" endpoints.news/duchenne-con...
Good piece from @leileiwu.bsky.social: Post-Hoc: As China moves beyond ‘me-too,’ do Western regulators need to reconsider? endpoints.news/as-china-mov...
Post-Hoc: As China moves beyond ‘me-too,’ do Western regulators need to reconsider?
Analysis: Chinese biotech dominates ESMO cancer conference with 3 major studies, including Kelun's Sac-TMT ADC showing 40% reduced death risk, sparking debate on FDA's stance on China-only data.
endpoints.news
Grail’s blood test got better at telling when a positive result actually means cancer based on study findings, potentially strengthening the company’s case for a wider rollout, though questions remain. endpoints.news/grails-cance...
Grail reports fewer false alarms for blood cancer test ahead of FDA filing
Grail’s blood test got better at telling when a positive result actually means cancer based on study findings, potentially strengthening the company’s case for a wider rollout, though questions remain...
endpoints.news
Thank you everyone for making yesterday such an amazing, dream-come-true pub day for Lab Dog! The fun continues today with a live in-studio interview on @wamu.org.web.brid.gy 1A. Tune in or catch it later on the podcast! www.npr.org/podcasts/510...
1A
Listening to the news can feel like a journey. But 1A guides you beyond the headlines – and cuts through the noise. Let's get to the heart of the story, together – on 1A.Support NPR and get your news ...
npr.org
This one truly hurts. 💔 D'Angelo was a singular, once in a generation talent. It feels cruel to lose him at a time when great artistry is sorely needed. apnews.com/article/dang...
D’Angelo, Grammy-winning R&B singer who became an icon with ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel),’ dies
D’Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video, has died.
apnews.com
ICYMI: In China, biotech startups are racing to make low-cost gene therapies, challenging multi-million dollar price tags and aiming to bolster global reach. endpoints.news/chinese-biot...
In China, a low-cost push to rival a life-saving, $2M medicine
Indian veterinarian Nirnay Murthy sought Lantu Biopharma's experimental gene therapy for his son's spinal muscular atrophy after being unable to afford Novartis's $2.1M Zolgensma treatment.
endpoints.news
“We will show the world that there is a better, more responsible, and economically more sensible way of drug development,” -- Chinese biotech offering a low-cost version of a gene therapy that saves the lives of small children but at a cost of $2m endpoints.news/chinese-biot...
In China, a low-cost push to rival a life-saving, $2M medicine
Indian veterinarian Nirnay Murthy sought Lantu Biopharma's experimental gene therapy for his son's spinal muscular atrophy after being unable to afford Novartis's $2.1M Zolgensma treatment.
endpoints.news
For families, a $2.1M medicine can feel like both a miracle and an out-of-reach reality. Now, biotechs in China are racing to develop lower-cost alternatives: endpoints.news/chinese-biot...
In China, a low-cost push to rival a life-saving, $2M medicine
Indian veterinarian Nirnay Murthy sought Lantu Biopharma's experimental gene therapy for his son's spinal muscular atrophy after being unable to afford Novartis's $2.1M Zolgensma treatment.
endpoints.news
HHS says ‘the science speaks for itself’ on mRNA cuts. Scientists it cites disagree Good piece from @maxbayer.bsky.social endpoints.news/researchers-...
HHS says ‘the science speaks for itself’ on mRNA cuts. Some of the scientists it cites disagree
Some of the studies that underpin the Trump administration’s decision to veer away from mRNA vaccine research are being misapplied, co-authors of the work say, muddling the move by HHS and Secretary R...
endpoints.news
The session at #AAIC25 on Roche's next-gen #Alzheimers drug #trontinemab was jam packed and despite one patient's death, the excitement for this drug was palpable. Read more about the dramatic amyloid reduction and surprisingly low ARIA in @endpts.com - endpoints.news/roche-double...
Roche doubles down on its Alzheimer's ambitions as next-gen amyloid-lowering drug excites scientists
Roche revealed the latest cut of data from its closely-watched Phase 1/2 study of trontinemab, an amyloid-targeting antibody designed to latch onto receptors that yank it across the protective blood-b...
endpoints.news
We are closely reporting on this story. If you have any tips, please contact me on Signal at jaredwhitlock.73 endpoints.news/fda-asks-sar...
Breaking: FDA will ask Sarepta to stop selling Duchenne treatment, following patient deaths
FDA to request Sarepta halt shipments of DMD drug Elevidys after two patient deaths, HHS official says. Trading of $SRPT shares paused after decline.
endpoints.news
Sarepta Therapeutics said that a patient died in a clinical trial testing one of its gene therapies for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, the latest death for a company that’s already under heightened scrutiny for safety concerns. endpoints.news/sarepta-pati...
Sarepta patient dies in limb-girdle study, latest death after earlier patient safety concerns
Patient dies from liver failure in Sarepta Therapeutics' gene therapy trial for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, following two deaths in company's Elevidys DMD program.
endpoints.news
Fascinating story today from @levfacher.bsky.social about a rehab center where patients are currently being treated for substance use disorder with GLP-1 drugs — even as clinical trials measuring their effectiveness as anti-addiction medications remain years from reading out data.
Lev Facher@levfacher.bsky.social · last yr.New: Inside the elite Pennsylvania rehab facility aggressively prescribing GLP-1s, normally used for weight loss, as medications to treat addiction “I truly think these medications work because obesity is an addiction to food.” www.statnews.com/2025/07/14/g...
In Focus: The Trump administration disbanded a federal newborn screening panel, and patients now face a hard and unpredictable path to diagnosis and treatment.
The Trump administration disbanded a newborn screening panel. Advocates now face a harder path
atient groups face a harder and unpredictable path going state-by-state to boost screening for rare but treatable conditions after the Trump administration disbanded a federal advisory committee on ne...
endpoints.news
The Trump administration disbanded a newborn screening panel. Advocates now face a harder path. “It’s not acceptance. It’s next-level rage," one parent told me. endpoints.news/the-trump-ad...
The Trump administration disbanded a newborn screening panel. Advocates now face a harder path
atient groups face a harder and unpredictable path going state-by-state to boost screening for rare but treatable conditions after the Trump administration disbanded a federal advisory committee on ne...
endpoints.news