Prescription payment plans; cellular space shuttles; embryo morphogenesis – Morning Medical Update

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Drug prices and your patients

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued final guidance on the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan. Starting next year, patients with Medicare prescription drug coverage, known as Medicare Part D, will have the option to pay for medicines with monthly payments spread out over a year instead of paying in full at the pharmacy counter when they fill prescriptions.

Space shuttles for cells

Lipid nanoparticles deliver mRNA to cells for medical treatment. It turns out they work best when they have branched tails in a design inspired by the American space shuttles, and researchers have found a way to engineer the tiny components quickly and more cost-efficiently than current production methods. The experimental method could be promising for obesity treatment.

How do cells become organisms?

A single fertilized cell grows into a complex living being in relatively short time – less than three weeks from one cell to more than 500 million in mice. A new study on embryo morphogenesis lays out prenatal development from embryonic day eight to birth. One researcher compared it to reconstructing a movie by gluing together individual frames, said an accompanying news release.