CRISPR scientists win Nobel Prize in chemistry

In a bombshell announcement, the Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded this morning to French scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Max Planck Institute in Germany and American Jennifer Doudna of the University of California. They won for their 2012 discovery that a bacterial immune system called CRISPR can be repurposed to edit DNA, the molecule of heredity. They are the first two women to share the award and there will be controversy about who was not added to the prize, including Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute.

CRISPR allows scientists to edit genes in order to probe their role in health and disease and to develop genetic therapies that, proponents (and investors in CRISPR companies) hope, will prove safer and more effective than the first generation of gene therapies.

Tapping on the Warp Speed brakes

Operation Warp Speed’s race to develop and deploy a Covid-19 vaccine is slowing, just a touch. The FDA has released a set of more stringent rules to dictate how emergency use of a Covid-19 vaccine might be authorized. And OWS co-chair Moncef Slaoui has emphasized that manufacturers shouldn’t apply for an EUA until they’ve got a critical mass of vaccines to disseminate.

This could push back a vaccine authorization into mid- to late November, STAT’s Matthew Herper and Helen Branswell write. The rationale for this, Slaoui said, is that if a vaccine were approved but not widely available it’d be a “major disappointment” to the public.

AstraZeneca vaccine trial participants in limbo

An AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine clinical trial remains suspended in motion — with some volunteers still awaiting a booster shot that was meant to be given four weeks after their first inoculation. The trial was halted Sept. 6 due to safety concerns after a U.K. participant became ill.

“Now, we’re waiting as the lab rats in the corner,” one trial participant told STAT’s Rebecca Robbins.

Although it’s unclear how many volunteers have been given the first dose of the vaccine and not the second, preliminary data suggest that a second shot may not be necessary for an immune response. A spokesperson for AstraZeneca said: “We currently expect minimal impact based on the trial plans for 2nd dose timing.”

That’s some expensive water

A new RAND Corp. report shows that insulin prices in the U.S. were often five to 10 times higher two years ago than all of the other OECD countries. For example, in 2018 the cost of insulin in the U.S. was $98.70 per standard unit. In comparison, STAT’s Ed Silverman writes, it was $6.94 in Australia, $12 in Canada, and $7.52 in the U.K.

“Prices in the U.S. are always much higher than other nations, even if you assume steep discounts to manufacturer prices in the United States,” the study’s author told STAT.

During the presidential debate last week, President Trump said his policies had brought down the price of insulin so low it’s “like water.” But recent administration actions are actually expected to help only a small subset of seniors.

23andMe exec hops to microbiome startup

After 10 years at 23andMe, the genomics company’s former VP of business development is now helming a company of her own. Emily Drabant Conley is now CEO of Federation Bio, a microbiome startup aimed at genetically modifying bacteria to treat hyperoxaluria — a condition that leads to recurrent kidney stones. The company launches with $50 million in venture funding.

“I had a great run at 23andMe, such a phenomenal experience there,” she told FierceBiotech. “When I learned about Federation, I wasn’t just compelled by the science and the team, but also I saw this real parallel to genomics. The microbiome field reminded me of where genomics was maybe five to 10 years ago.”