Vital Science

Over the past 12 months, we have shared some remarkable stories from the scientific community, but three of the most impactful have come from “Disruptors” in their respective fields. Relive these stories with our hosts on the year-end edition of Vital Science. Show Notes   The Disruptors: Conversations in Science  Meet

When Maria Picone’s daughter was diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), she turned to the internet for answers.     What she found was an online community of caregivers sharing their experiences with PWS, giving her comfort and direction with what to do about her daughter’s rare disease. It also spurred her and he

Imagine a world where your child has a rare disease that’s so rare, it doesn’t have a name and only a handful of people around the world have a similar condition. It can leave you feeling helpless and alone knowing the odds are stacked against you.    This is the situation Bo Bigelow experienced with his daughter, Tess

18-year-old Emily Whitehead aspires to be a writer, but nothing could have prepared her for the plot twist that struck her as a child.     In the space of just 24 hours, five-year-old Emily suffered from various symptoms that culminated in a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). After almost two years of fai

For decades, researchers have utilized animal models to help predict the effects of a drug compound in humans.     With recent advances in technology and the passage of the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, researchers are increasingly looking at new methods to refine, reduce, and replace in vivo testing to advance drug candi

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a neuromuscular disease affecting just 50,000 people in the United States, including three generations of the Klassen family.     Greg Klassen, his father, and his son have all been diagnosed with this rare condition that impacts the central nervous system, affecting balance, coo