Listen: The quest for a Covid pill, a microbiome gut-check, & CRISPR on the big screen

How long do vaccines last? Is the microbiome overhyped? And who should play Jennifer Doudna in a movie?

We cover all that and more this week on “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. First, we discuss the CDC’s about-face on mask wearing, the debate over vaccine booster shots, and the slow but steady race to develop pills for Covid-19. Then, STAT’s Kate Sheridan joins us to discuss a setback in the field of microbiomics and the mounting skepticism over whether tinkering with gut bacteria can eventually treat a host of diseases. We also break down the latest fallout from the FDA’s approval of Aduhelm, the sorry state of biotech stocks, and an in-development feature film about CRISPR.

For more on what we cover, here’s the latest on the FDA and Aduhelm; here’s more on vaccine durability; here’s the news on the microbiome; here’s the story on the CRISPR movie; here’s where you can subscribe to the First Opinion Podcast; and here’s our complete coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Be sure to sign up on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts.

And if you have any feedback for us — topics to cover, guests to invite, vocal tics to cease — you can email [email protected].

Interested in sponsoring a future episode of “The Readout LOUD”? Email us at [email protected].