Signal

If we told you that a century-old statistical test still rules scientific careers and costs (or makes) companies millions of dollars, wouldn't you wonder why? This Signal podcast was produced by Jocelyn Gonzales. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

How did every parent's worst nightmare — the death of their child — spur the creation of an incentive system to turn making drugs for childhood cancer from a high-risk, low-reward gamble to a bet a company might make? This Signal podcast was produced by Jocelyn Gonzales. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

The Signal podcast is now one year old. And in our first year, we've been able to cover so much truly fascinating science. It's also clear to us how much things have changed — and how much the understanding of science and medicine can evolve in single year. In this episode, we jump into our time machine to look back at human fecal matter transplants; drugs aimed at Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Alzheimer's; deaths in clinical trials; the cost of cures vs. drug prices; and the politics of medicine. This Signal podcast was produced by Jocelyn Gonzales. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

Today, as Americans head to the polls — and wait for the returns to start coming in — we’re going to take a look back to what history can tell us about the future of our drugs and how we pay for them. And we will also tackle this question: Will your vote today have any effect on what happens next in the drug pricing debate? This Signal podcast was produced by Jocelyn Gonzales. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

What if you could stop mosquito-borne diseases before you ever needed to make medicines to treat them? And what if the seeds of destruction for dengue, zika, and malaria could be carried in the genes of mosquitoes themselves? This future is not here ... but it may be nearer than you know. This Signal podcast was produced by Jocelyn Gonzales. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

We take a deep dive into some of the nefariously creative tricks drug companies use to maintain monopolies and handle competition. This Signal podcast was produced by Jocelyn Gonzales. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

In today's show, we take you on a Zika odyssey to meet some odd and unexpected characters, from helpful horses to genetically modified mosquitoes programmed to wipe out their own kind. They are helping to answer this question: Can science, government and business come together and work fast enough to keep pace with a global pandemic? This Signal podcast was produced by Jocelyn Gonzales. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

The Chinese hamster has led a secret life in science for decades. By one estimate, 11 biotech drugs that are made using Chinese hamster ovary cells generated an incredible $57 billion in sales in 2013. That's pretty incredible, given the hamster's humble beginnings as a pest in Chinese fields. Listen to learn how something so small got so big. This Signal podcast was produced by Jocelyn Gonzales. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

A deadly new superbug is just starting to surface worldwide. Who is to blame for its rise? Well, us, really. Public health officials are warning we could be headed toward a post-antibiotics world, unless we do something, and fast. So where does Signal start to tackle this story? Inside a cave, of course. This Signal podcast was produced by Katie Hiler. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

How confident are you that the drugs you take, whether they're over-the-counter or prescription, are totally understood by the companies who make them? Drug makers know what their products do when they enter your body, right? You shouldn't assume that. In this episode of Signal, we talk everything from Tylenol to fen-phen to Viagra and why you should probably think hard before you take any drug at all. This Signal podcast was produced by Katie Hiler. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

In this episode of Signal, we take on a subject that might make some of our listeners feel uncomfortable — but more importantly, it should make some of our listeners feel heard. This time we talk sexism in biotech. Most of us would like to work in places where equality is reality. But in the many conversations we had putting this show together with women across the industry, it seems biotech has a long road still to walk. The Signal podcast is produced by Katie Hiler. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

Cancer plays dirty. Like a gangster. That's how it wins. Over the past few years, scientists have been learning its tricks and tactics. They've learned that it’s a master of adaptation, of escape, of armor, and of stealth -- so maybe it's more of a disease ninja than disease gangster. Maybe you should listen and decide for yourself. The Signal podcast is produced by Katie Hiler. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

How do our perceptions of risk, and our outsized — or undersized — fears affect our health? In this episode of Signal we explore the killer snail (flu) and the shark (cancer screening) of medicine. (It's a metaphor, people.) The Signal podcast is produced by Katie Hiler. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

This episode, we bring you a parable of money and medicine at odds. It’s a story of how the vast uncertainties of drug development — and medical mysteries that take months, if not years to unravel — clash with the split-second decisions of investors. The Signal podcast is produced by Katie Hiler. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

Today, one of the big debates in medicine revolves around how much we’re willing to pay for cures. In this latest episode of the Signal podcast, we focus in on hepatitis C, a chronic viral infection of the liver that affects at least 130 million people worldwide. New drugs that cure hep C emerged in recent years, but they're pricey — as much as $94,500 for a course of treatment. Too high? What's a reasonable price to pay to cure one person? And what if there were millions to cure at that price? The Signal podcast is produced by Katie Hiler. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.