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good morning. There has been a lot of disconcerting news about AI in the journalism world lately. So this is a reminder that all of STAT’s journalism, including this newsletter, is reported and written by humans. (Contains my spelling mistakes, of course. Murakami, of course!)
New mystery surrounding Epstein’s involvement in Harvard genetics research
Sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein died in 2019. That’s why it’s so strange that on January 31, 2026, someone appears to have altered the Personal Genome Project public profile page attributed to Epstein. It comes nearly 13 years after Epstein first expressed interest in joining the project, six years since he was found dead in custody, and just one day after the latest portion of the investigative file was released by the department. of justice.
STAT’s Megan Molteni previously reported that the whereabouts of Epstein’s cells was unknown. Like a truly great detective, she matched the date and time stamps of Epstein’s published emails discussing their participation in the project with participant profiles complete with registration histories. (This project is an experiment in radical transparency in research, meaning everyone’s profiles are public, although most are anonymous.)
Read more from Megan about how the consent form may have been updated after Epstein’s death and what the program’s leader and personal genomics pioneer George Church had to say about it.
Chile reaches WHO milestone to eliminate leprosy
Chile has become the first country in the Americas and the second country in the world to be officially certified as leprosy-free by the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization. It has been more than 30 years since localized cases of the bacterial infection have been identified in this country, and the bacterial infection progresses slowly over up to 20 years, manifesting as painless lesions or lumps on the skin.
Approximately 200,000 new cases of leprosy are reported each year in more than 120 countries around the world. Cases of leprosy are rare here in the United States, but locally acquired cases are even rarer. However, the disease is increasing in Florida and there is evidence that it may become endemic. The state reported at least 36 cases in 2025, compared to 20 in 2024. (But rest assured, leprosy doesn’t spread easily and can be cured with antibiotics, and doctors say there’s no need to worry about Florida’s cases.)
TrumpRx will provide a limited number of drugs per month
When President Trump launched his signature drug discount platform, he hailed it as “one of the most transformative health initiatives in history.” But after a month, only a few dozen drugs are still available, it’s unclear how much the site is being used, and the private transactions underlying TrumpRx are still under review.
Michelle Long, KFF’s senior policy manager for patient and consumer protection programs, told STAT’s Daniel Payne about TrumpRx, “Some people will benefit, some people won’t.” “Is it the greatest thing in the world of medicine? Obviously no.” Read more from Daniel about the questions we still have about this platform.
Children’s nicotine exposure changes according to trends
JAMA network open
According to the National Toxic Substances Data System, between 2016 and 2023, more than 92,900 cases of nicotine exposure in children between the ages of 1 month and 5 years were reported. (Exposure is defined as ingesting something like a pouch or inhaling it from a cigarette or e-cigarette, but does not include accidental exposure to second-hand smoke.) An analysis of that data, published yesterday in JAMA Network Open, found that exposure routes have clearly changed over the years.
The study authors found that exposure to e-cigarettes increased by 243%, while exposure to traditional cigarettes decreased by 43%. This trend coincides with the market shift to disposable and cartridge-based e-cigarettes, they write. (Read STAT’s report on vaping here.)
Has the evidence caught up with the anecdotes about GLP-1 and addiction?
At least one expert seems to think so. In a new First Opinion essay, physician and researcher Ziyad Al Ali writes about the findings of a study by him and his colleagues published yesterday in the BMJ. They found that in more than 600,000 people, GLP-1 drugs reduced drug-related deaths by 50%, drug overdoses by 39%, and drug-related hospitalizations by 26%.
“Drug noise is a signal that these drugs appear to be sedating; not for a specific substance, but for all substances,” al-Aly wrote. But he acknowledges there is an important question: “Why do drugs designed for diabetes silence the drug noise?” Read more about his thoughts on potential mechanisms here.
what we are reading
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NIH announces it will no longer recognize the NOTUS research union
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A family planning organization told The Wall Street Journal that it wanted Botox done at its clinic.
- RFK Jr. has wide discretion to select evidence to support vaccine decisions, Justice Department claims STAT
- Will RFK Jr. come pick up Dunkin? boston globe
- First opinion: AI could revolutionize antibiotics, but the market is holding it back, STAT
- What it’s like to have a brain implant for five years, Wired
