Jason Mast
STAT
Contact Jason
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Jason:
What the dogs of Chernobyl can teach us about life at the edge
Thriving for decades under extreme radiation, the dogs of Chernobyl have become a singular experiment in life on the edge — what it means to live and reproduce in one of the most hostile environments imaginable. → Read More
CRISPR patent fight redux? A new battle is brewing among biotechs over next-gen gene-editing tools
The next CRISPR gene-editing patent war might look quite different; it's shaping up to be a free-for-all among a multitude of companies and labs. → Read More
Ginkgo chief Jason Kelly is chairing a federal biotech advisory group. Is that a conflict of interest?
Jason Kelly will chair the commission while heading Ginkgo, with a roughly 6% stake in the company currently valued at over $100 million. → Read More
Gene therapy pioneer Kathy High leaves AskBio
Kathy High, a scientist and executive who led the development of the first gene therapy approved in the U.S., has left Bayer subsidiary AskBio two years after joining. → Read More
No more ‘playing God’: How the longevity field is trying to recast its work as serious science
A small but growing community of CEOs and scientists are trying to recast the story of longevity so it's digestible to the drug-making mainstream: less cover of Time magazine, more portfolio of Pfizer. → Read More
Legend says its CAR-T outperformed conventional therapy for multiple myeloma
Legend Biotech said Friday that its CAR-T therapy Carvykti kept multiple myeloma patients’ cancer in check for longer than conventional therapy in a Phase 3 trial. → Read More
Vir CEO George Scangos to retire, after pandemic success
George Scangos will be succeeded in April by Marianne De Backer, a longtime Big Pharma executive who currently heads pharmaceutical strategy at Bayer. → Read More
Calico looking for new chief scientist after celebrated biologist David Botstein quietly retires
As Calico's chief scientist, David Botstein advocated a slow, methodical exploration of aging, with help from a large collection of naked mole rats. Now the company's looking for a new leader. → Read More
Pliant claims early success in hard-to-treat progressive lung disease
Pliant says an experimental pill significantly improved lung function in patients with IPF, a deadly disease with few approved treatments. → Read More
After four years of big talk, mega startup Sana prepares to deliver some data
“I had this kind of naive view that if you start with the same cell every time, and you run the same process, every time, then you're going to end up with the same product every time," Sana CEO Steve Harr said. → Read More
As Ginkgo stock sinks, CEO Jason Kelly tries to win over drugmakers in San Francisco
Ginkgo, a company that said its engineered cells could help make almost anything, is trying to drum up business. → Read More
Regeneron's George Yancopoulos admits some regret, but ‘I don’t apologize’
In some of his first public remarks since getting booed on stage last month over Alzheimer’s drug remarks, Regeneron's George Yancopoulos acknowledged in an interview he could’ve handled things differently. → Read More
Still hoping for looser FDA rules, Regeneron says it will test durable antibody for Covid
The company will test what it hopes is a variant-proof treatment, even as it looks to the FDA to revise requirements. → Read More
Regeneron’s Eylea sales dip, as competition looms
The “meaningful Eylea miss could potentially foreshadow biosimilar challenges,” an analyst said about Regeneron’s drug. → Read More
Day One says drug shrinks tumors in common pediatric brain cancer, setting up potential approval
Most drug companies view pediatric cancers as too rare to be profitable. Day One is trying to prove an investment can pay off. → Read More
As FDA considers new Alzheimer’s drug, a case study details safety concerns
“This will be used as a battle flag,” an expert says about a case study of a patient who was taking an experimental Alzheimer’s drug. → Read More
Geron, biotech that once sparked talk of immortality, finally gets a (more modest) success
In the 90s and 2000s, Geron was home to some of the most ambitious ideas in biology. Now it has good results on a more modest project. → Read More
Pfizer says hemophilia B gene therapy significantly reduces bleeds
Pfizer's trial results come a month after UniQure's treatment was approved as the first gene therapy for hemophilia B. → Read More
Study could pave way for new antiviral, as China grapples with Covid wave
A trial of a Chinese-developed derivative of remdesevir showed comparable efficacy to Paxlovid in a study published in NEJM. → Read More
Infectious disease board recommends hospitals stop screening asymptomatic patients for Covid-19
An influential board of infectious disease experts recommends that hospitals stop routine Covid-19 screenings, which can lead to ER delays. → Read More