Researchers pursuing novel treatments for herpes infections and diabetes win STAT Madness
From curing herpes to treating diabetes in a new way, their innovations might one day treat some of the world’s most prevalent health problems. This year’s two finalists in STAT Madness, a bracket-style competition that showcases cutting-edge research across the biomedical sciences, harnessed new approaches to devise possible therapies that could help millions of people with all-too-common maladies.
One team, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, developed a gene-editing technique with the potential to effectively treat and even cure herpes. The other finalist, a group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, devised a liquid solution that coats the small intestine with a temporary adhesive, a noninvasive technique with wide applications from efficient drug delivery to treating diabetes.
