Microsoft leaves the Broad. Plus, Trump's ear wound, J.D. Vance's health care ties, biotech updates, covid's summer surge, and more.

Happy Friday, updaters! (That’s our new nickname for y’all) Ryan Fitzgerald and Alexander Bois-Spinelli here with a super-sized “Weekly Update.” STAT has been cranking out news this week; here are your need-to-know items.

Microsoft cuts ties with the the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

微软 is ending its partnership with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard , which has been bringing the Broad roughly $15 million a year. Given the news, top leaders at the institute have departed or were reassigned in recent weeks. Now employees are nervous about their future.?

We lead off here with a meaty exclusive from Megan Molteni .?

Trump’s ear wound

“It may appear like only a graze to Trump’s ear, but a ballistic injury that close to the head/brain isn’t trivial,” says Amy Faith Ho, an emergency physician at Baylor University Medical Center.

Here’s how experts said they would respond to injuries like Trump’s — and their thoughts on the lingering questions that have not been publicly addressed.

A global computer outage

More news involving Microsoft (we’re guessing you’ve already heard about this): A widespread outage of Microsoft systems took down computers in hospitals, medical offices, and other health systems around the globe Friday, leading to canceled medical appointments and delayed procedures. Read it all here.

Biotech News

• Gilead Sciences ’ chief medical officer will leave the company early next year as the drugmaker struggles to find new areas of growth beyond its core portfolio of HIV medicines.

• Startup Q Bio raises $27 million to build its own full-body scanner
• Adam Feuerstein has his eyes set on Cassava Sciences this week.?

J.D. Vance’s health care views and biotech ties

Sen. J.D. Vance, Donald Trump’s pick for vice president, has a history of investing in health care companies and pursuing health care policies that are sometimes at odds with his party’s base. Our colleagues Rachel Cohrs Zhang and Sarah Owermohle break it all down in this story.?

Vance has spoken or written at length about his mother’s struggles with drug use, culminating in an overdose and hospitalization. He has continued to speak about the drug overdose crisis since entering politics. Lev Facher examined Vance’s rhetoric and record on the opioid crisis.?

What connection does Vance have with entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy? Tune into the latest “The Readout LOUD” podcast for the answer.

Covid updates

• President Joe Biden’s positive test for Covid-19 on Wednesday is a sign of a broader trend: Covid cases are on the rise this summer. Our colleagues spoke with experts in infectious disease, virology, and public health to find out what people need to know about this summer’s Covid surge.

• Long Covid Part 1: Vaccination lowers the chance of developing long Covid, according to a large new study that also found that the risk of serious complications has diminished but not disappeared as new coronavirus variants emerged.

• Long Covid Part 2: New data from the CDC shows that long Covid is more common among Americans with disabilities.

The impact of GLP-1 sales on insulin users?

In the U.S., U.K., and South Africa, people who use insulin are dealing with shortages of the products they need. In South Africa specifically, Novo Nordisk, which had been supplying the government with insulin injection pens for years, has stopped providing them.

Meanwhile, GLP-1 sales continue to surge for both Novo and 礼来 . Insulin users fear they're being forgotten about.?

Bird flu debate at an Iowa county fair?

County fairs are a summer tradition and a reunion of sorts in the Midwest. This year, the Winneshiek County Fair in Iowa featured cows named Daiquiri and Baby Jesus, fried cheese curds, dairy princesses, and, unfortunately, debates about bird flu.

Since March, H5N1 bird flu has swept through 157 herds in 13 states, including Iowa, and the actual numbers are probably higher. Our colleague Eric Boodman attended the fair in Decorah, Iowa, to hear directly from people in the community.