The Chinese hamster has led a secret life in science for decades. By one estimate, 11 biotech drugs that are made using Chinese hamster ovary cells generated an incredible $57 billion in sales in 2013. That's pretty incredible, given the hamster's humble beginnings as a pest in Chinese fields. Listen to learn how something so small got so big. This Signal podcast was produced by Jocelyn Gonzales. Illustration by Molly Ferguson for STAT.

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Episode #14 - These hamsters have birthed billions for biotech

The impact of modern medicine on the human condition can’t be underestimated. From antibiotics to vaccines, medicine has changed the way our bodies work, answered deadly questions, and promised faster cures. But it’s not simple. Drug development is rife with tension. It costs a lot of money, and takes a long time. Most things fail. But when they succeed, they can make a tremendous difference in people’s lives. Where will the next breakthroughs come from? How will we pay for them? Who decides who gets them? This is SIGNAL, a podcast from Stat that sorts through the flood of health and medical news to deliver stories of the next development, controversy or breakthrough that will affect us all. Hosted by veteran biotech journalist Luke Timmerman and CNBC biotech and pharma reporter Meg Tirrell, SIGNAL explores the characters and the dramas behind today’s medicine, from biotech boardrooms, to research labs, to your corner pharmacy. Subscribe to us on iTunes and Stitcher, or visit us on our website, www.statnews.com.

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