Horseshoe crab blood is vital for testing intravenous drugs, but new synthetic alternatives could mean pharma won't bleed this unique species dry

Horseshoe crabs play a unique role in medicine, but they’re also ecologically important in their home waters along the Atlantic coast. Can regulators balance the needs of humans and nature?

Jolie Crunelle, Master's Degree Student in Science, Technology, and Public Policy, Rochester Institute of Technology • conversation
Oct. 12, 2023 • ~10 min

Can at-home DNA tests predict how you'll respond to your medications? Pharmacists explain the risks and benefits of pharmacogenetic testing

Genetic testing can help take the guesswork out of finding the right treatment. For certain diseases. To an extent.

Philip Empey, Associate Professor of Pharmacogenomics, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
Sept. 15, 2023 • ~8 min

How drugs can warp your sense of time

MDMA and cocaine are known to speed up people’s perception of time, while LSD can induce a sense of timelessness.

Cathy Montgomery, Reader in Psychopharmacology, Liverpool John Moores University • conversation
Aug. 10, 2023 • ~7 min

Blame capitalism? Why hundreds of decades-old yet vital drugs are nearly impossible to find

The shortages, which have been going on for years, have typically affected only low-cost generics rather than profitable brand-name drugs.

Geoffrey Joyce, Director of Health Policy, USC Schaeffer Center, and Associate Professor, University of Southern California • conversation
July 20, 2023 • ~9 min

'From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma' – a college course explores nature's medicine cabinet and different ways of healing

An anthropology course explores how peoples and cultures around the world use nature-based medicines to heal.

Heather McIlvaine-Newsad, Professor of Anthropology, Western Illinois University • conversation
June 9, 2023 • ~6 min

Prescription drugs' fine print is important – a toxicologist explains how to decode package inserts to take medications safely and increase their effectiveness

Don’t be intimidated by the package insert that comes with your medication. Learning how to read it can help you better understand how drugs work.

Brad Reisfeld, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Public Health, Colorado State University • conversation
April 24, 2023 • ~10 min

Can eating poppy seeds affect drug test results? An addiction and pain medicine specialist explains

Poppy seeds can become contaminated with opiates during harvesting. For the US Defense Department, invoking a ‘poppy seed defense’ may not be enough to rule out a positive drug test result.

Gary Reisfield, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Florida • conversation
Feb. 27, 2023 • ~5 min

Timing matters for medications – your circadian rhythm influences how well treatments work and how much they might harm you

There is a best time to take your medications, but your doctor may not know when that is. Researchers are still figuring it out, one drug at a time.

Tobias Eckle, Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus • conversation
Dec. 13, 2022 • ~5 min

Drugs – 4 essential reads on how they're made, how they work and how context can make poison a medicine

Despite technological advancements, many challenges remain in getting a drug from lab to pharmacy shelf. Reframing what is a “medicine” could expand treatment options for researchers and patients.

Vivian Lam, Assistant Health and Biomedicine Editor • conversation
Oct. 26, 2022 • ~9 min

Why are drug names so long and complicated? A pharmacist explains the logic behind the nomenclature

Believe it or not, medication names are intended to be easy to remember and descriptive of the function they serve in the body.

Jasmine Cutler, Assistant Professor of Pharmacotherapeutics, University of South Florida • conversation
July 19, 2022 • ~9 min

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