— The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it is putting $10 billion toward vaccine development and delivery over the next 10 years, up from $4.5 billion in the previous decade. Apple’s Steve Jobs may be touting the iPad, but Gates is heavily padding the funds for global health. (Reuters)

— Pregnancy is up for debate—and delay—in the UK: A prescription-only morning-after pill, ulipristal, may work up to five mornings after, according to a Scottish study (BBC). Also, the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has approved a list of more than 100 inherited diseases for which fertility clinics can destroy embryos without special permission. Causing controversy, however, is the inclusion of non-life-threatening diseases, including Marfan syndrome, which is thought to have afflicted Abraham Lincoln. (London Times)

— The genetic testing of Gattaca is getting closer, and cheaper. Silicon Valley-based Counsyl has a test for more than 100 disease markers available for $698 per couple. The screening reportedly can help them evaluate the risk of children inheriting Pompe, sickle cell and other diseases. (NYTimes)

— Minnesota’s RX Connect—the first and last state-run drug importation program—will shut down this March after six years. In its time, the Web site filled 25,000 prescriptions through Canadian suppliers, but sales have dropped from over 1,000 in January 2005 to an average of just 57 per month; organizers say the drop is due to more competitive pricing in the US (AMNews). Last month, the US Senate struck down bills that would have allowed drug importation and reversed the federal ban, which Minnesota and other states have ignored in recent years.

Image by Stuck in Customs via Flickr Creative Commons

— After two and a half years of hearings, the UK General Medical Council ruled today that Andrew Wakefield, the lead author on a study alleging a link between MMR vaccination and autism, “failed in his duties as a responsible consultant.” Wakefield faces removal from the medical register, as well as other punishment, which will be determined at a later date. (The Guardian)

— Researchers have turned mouse skin cells directly into functional neurons, skipping the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) intermediate step. The work holds promise for treating nervous disorders like Alzheimer’s, as well as for converting skin cells into other helpful cell types. (Reuters)

— Forget Avatar and its record gross at the box office. According to research by Barron’s, the blockbusters of tomorrow could be these five drugs: Novo Norodisk’s Victoza for diabetes, Vivus’ Qnexa for obesity, Amgen’s Prolia for osteoporosis, Dendreon’s Provenge for prostate cancer, and Xarelto, a blood thinner by Johnson & Johnson and Bayer.

— The prognosis for prostate cancer is looking better with new research: One study found that magnetic resonance spectroscopy could be used to locate the cancer based on chemical markers, rather than through biopsy (Reuters; for more on PSA testing, another detection method, check out our December feature). Another study recommends analyzing cancer samples for three specific gene mutations to determine how aggressive treatment should be (Reuters). And lastly, in a small trial an experimental therapeutic vaccine extended the lives of men with prostate cancer by about eight and a half months compared to a placebo. (The Guardian)

Image by 류동협 via Flickr Creative Commons

— The World Health Organization is continuing to come under fire for its handling of the swine flu pandemic last year and its links to drug companies. Facing a panel of the Council of Europe’s health committee, WHO flu expert Keiji Fukuda said: “Let me state clearly for the record — the influenza pandemic policies and responses recommended and taken by WHO were not improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.” (BBC)

— Researchers have developed an extraordinary gene therapy treatment for the Extraordinary Measures disease. A University of Florida team targeted the gene therapy to the diaphragm of mice with Pompe disease and found significant improvements in breathing. A clinical trial involving six infants is planned for this summer. (LA Times)

— The Burnham Institute for Medical Research is getting a makeover. Flush with a $50 million dollar gift from South Dakota billionaire T. Denny Sanford, the La Jolla, California–based center is changing its name to the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute. (San Diego Union Tribune)

— Leading cancer epidemiologist Lawrence Garfinkel, who first linked cigarette smoking to lung cancer, died last week at the age of 88. In the 1950s, Garfinkel led a study that tracked nearly 200,000 men for more than three and a half years to provide the first concrete evidence that smokers had increased risks of cancer. (NY Times)

Image by TheTruthAbout… via Flickr Creative Commons

<img alt=“binoculars.jpg” src=“https://blogs.nature.com/nm/spoonful/binoculars.jpg” width=“250” height=“187” align=“right” border=0 hspace=“10px”/>

— Things have looked a bit shaky for stem cell research in New Jersey over the past year, but the state got a boost yesterday with the announcement of a $27 million contract from US National Institutes of Health for the Coriell Institute for Medical Research. The five-year contract is designed, among other things, to help the institute introduce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) into a national biobank. (Philadelphia Business Journal)

— The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which runs free clinics around the world, has announced that it will no longer allow sales representatives from Merck to visit its sites because of what it views as unreasonable drug pricing by the pharmaceutical giant. The dispute focuses specifically around the drug Isentress, which costs about $13,000 a year for each patient. (Pharmalot)

— Following moves by politicians in other states, New York governor David Patterson has proposed to ban drug companies for giving gifts such as flowers and sporting event tickets to doctors. However, under Patterson’s plan there is still such a thing as ‘free lunch’: docs can still share sandwiches with sales reps. (WSJ)

— Genome Wide Association studies (GWAS) often point to small changes in the DNA thought to be associated with disease. But experts have voiced increasing concern that such changes, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), are red herrings. Now, a new study in PLoS Biology suggests that researchers should consider looking up to two million units of DNA beyond these SNPs to find the real genetic culprits behind disease. Far out! (NYTimes)

Image by CPStrom via Flickr Creative Commons

<img alt=“Exit.jpg” src=“https://blogs.nature.com/nm/spoonful/Exit.jpg” width=“200” align=“right” border=0 hspace=“10px”/>

— New numbers suggest that only a fraction of the 300,000 conflict-related deaths in Darfur dating back to 2003 were directly caused by violence. An analysis of these deaths published in the Lancet suggests that 80% were due to diseases such as diarrhea, driving home the devastation caused by lost health infrastructure. (WaPo)

— Tightening purse strings in Canada might translate into a shoestring budget for a proposed Alzheimer’s initiative. As a result of the government’s financial woes, the initiative, championed by Canadian Institutes of Health Research president Alain Beaudet, may get far less money than some had envisaged. (ScienceInsider)

— Bill Gates is letting off some steam about funding going toward climate aid. Spending for the climate cause could detract from money put forth to fight disease, and subsequently lead to many thousands of deaths, he wrote in his annual Gates Foundation letter. (The Great Beyond)

— According to the Boston Globe, the Brigham and Women’s Hospital has said that allergy and asthma specialist Lawrence M. DuBuske will step down from his post at the end of the month. DuBuske reportedly earned nearly $100,000 from GlaxoSmithKline for giving talks last spring. Brigham and Women’s Hospital recently set forth strict rules regarding such outside pay, which some say go too far (and others not far enough). (Boston Globe via Pharmalot)

Image by Lachlan via Flickr Creative Commons