Medical Treatments

When scientists revved up the production of an enzyme called GPLD1 in older mice, it stimulated nerve growth in their brains and the animals navigated a maze better.

Structures inside healthy brain cells nimbly move from one state to the next to perform different functions. But in certain degenerative brain diseases, scientists now think, that process gets stuck.

The federal government on Tuesday announced grants for the development and manufacture of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19 totaling over $2 billion.

Dentists spend their careers eye to eye with infectious patients, their hands inside gaping mouths, and have a vested interest in making sure everyone stays safe. Here's how they do it.

J. Paul Taylor has found that some brain diseases, like Alzheimer's and ALS, are linked to a basic process inside brain cells. Scientists hope drugs that tweak the process can treat illnesses.

People with COVID-19 symptoms in March and April were often billed for expensive scans and bloodwork because they didn't qualify back then for a confirmatory coronavirus test. Some are crying foul.

Instead of running a coronavirus test on every specimen, a lab combines multiple samples. If the batch is negative, then everyone is in the clear. A positive leads to a second round of testing.

Governments and drug companies agree there is an urgency to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. But their motives for developing it are different — and it might hugely affect the vaccine's price.

A new NPR/Harvard analysis finds most states' testing efforts still fall far short of what's needed to beat back the pandemic. Find out how your state is doing.

Dr. Danielle Ofri says medical errors are more common than most people realize: "If we don't talk about the emotions that keep doctors and nurses from speaking up, we'll never solve this problem."

An experimental COVID-19 medicine that has been shown to shorten the time people with severe illness have to stay in the hospital finally has a price tag that's lower than some analysts expected.

Dr. Elias Zerhouni was head of the National Institutes of Health under President George W. Bush. He says the Trump administration's response to the pandemic has not protected the American people.