GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News

If you believe that a safe adventure is no adventure at all, you’ll be disappointed in the October issue of GEN. Again and again, it shows that great heights may be achieved even while risks are minimized. For example, our cover story describes how psychedelic drugs are becoming respectable. No more “bad trips.” In their place, we will see well-calibrated interventions for helping patients deal with addictions, mood disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Already, psychedelic drugs are more Daedalus than Icarus. The same spirit of calculated (but still bold) adventure animates other subjects in the current issue. Take gene therapy. Until recently, it was practically grounded due to safety concerns. But now, it is soaring from clinical trial to clinical trial. Scheduled flights suggest progress against hereditary monogenic disorders, complex diseases, and even cancer. The October issue also highlights well considered (but still rapid) progress in the manufacture of cell-based therapies, the storage and processing of biopharma data, and the analysis of cells by flow cytometry.