Edwin Stone, MD, PhD

At the risk of coming off completely stalker-ish, I want to share my (completely professional) obsession. I first came across Dr. Edwin Stone through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute website. I was looking for stories of researchers who sit on the divide between basic research and patient care, and Stone definitely fit the bill. Aside from his ongoing research and clinical duties, Stone, an ophthalmologist at U. of Iowa, is also an advocate for rare diseases and an emissary to Congress. As described in an article in Wired magazine, he hopes to amend the Rare Diseases Act of 2002 to include coverage for diagnostic tests (as opposed to treatments) for rare diseases.

This would clarify the complex legal hurdles due to intellectual property for genetic information. Other researchers would then be able to adopt his model of nonprofit genetic testing, helping patients across the country better understand and treat their disorders. Check out this article from the HHMI Bulletin to read about Dr. Stone’s work, and visit the Carver Lab to find out about the services they provide and how you can help.