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Catching the Eye of Pharma

Derek Lowe is intrigued by NIH's latest announcement that it is beginning a preclinical drug discovery endeavor for rare diseases and says that it'll be a good learning experience for researchers to see the difficulties involved in getting a drug through the development process. He adds that the NIH, judging by its release, is clear-eyed about the process. "If they can get some things to the point that a company or foundation is willing to take on the (now somewhat reduced) risks, that'll be great," Lowe says. The Wall Street Journal's Health Blog adds that NIH will be spending about $24 million per year to get these potential drugs through the preclinical stage.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.