Listen: The mRNA gold rush, Delta’s alarming rise, & the next treatment for Alzheimer’s

Who’s going to win the mRNA bake-off? How worrisome is the Delta variant? And why do drug names sound like Raffi lyrics?

We cover all that and more this week on “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s biotech podcast. First, we dive into the potential of mRNA, a technology that proved itself with Covid-19 vaccines and is now seeding a pharmaceutical gold rush. Then, STAT’s Helen Branswell joins us to discuss the state of the pandemic, the implications of the Delta variant, and the debate around booster shots. We also dissect the week’s news in biotech, included Amgen’s tax problems, a meltdown in synthetic biology, and the latest on Aduhelm.

For more on what we cover, here’s the story on Sanofi buying into mRNA; here’s more on the booster issue; here’s the latest on the FDA and Aduhelm; 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].