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Friday, May 30, 2014

N.I.H. Tells Researchers to End Sex Bias in Early Studies

By Roni Caryn Rabin
The New York Times
Originally published May 14, 2014

Amid growing evidence that many drugs are not as effective in women as in men, the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday warned scientists that they must take steps to alter longstanding basic research methods.

The N.I.H. has already taken researchers to task for their failure to include adequate numbers of women in clinical trials. The new announcement is an acknowledgment that this gender disparity begins much earlier in the research process.

Even in the most preliminary stages of investigation, many scientists for decades have tested their theories only in male lab rats or only in male tissues and cells. Now the N.I.H. wants scientists that it funds to include female lab animals and female cell lines.

The entire article is here.