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FDA Chemist Charged

Cheng Yi Liang, a chemist at the Food and Drug Administration, and his son Andrew Liang have been arrested and charged with insider trading, reports NPR's Shots blog. Cheng Yi Liang had access to FDA's internal database that included upcoming announcements regarding drug approvals and, with the help of his son, he allegedly traded on that information to make more than $3.6 million since 2006, according to this statement from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC says that Liang benefitted from 27 insider trades, including ones of stocks from Clinical Data, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, and Vanda Pharmaceuticals. "In each instance, he traded in the same direction as the announcement," the SEC alleges. "Liang went to great lengths to conceal his insider trading. He traded in seven brokerage accounts, none of which were in his name. One belonged to his 84-year-old mother who lives in China."

The Scan

Harvard Team Report One-Time Base Editing Treatment for Motor Neuron Disease in Mice

A base-editing approach restored SMN levels and improved motor function in a mouse model of spinal muscular atrophy, a new Science paper reports.

International Team Examines History of North American Horses

Genetic and other analyses presented in Science find that horses spread to the northern Rockies and Great Plains by the first half of the 17th century.

New Study Examines Genetic Dominance Within UK Biobank

Researchers analyze instances of genetic dominance within UK Biobank data, as they report in Science.

Cell Signaling Pathway Identified as Metastasis Suppressor

A new study in Nature homes in on the STING pathway as a suppressor of metastasis in a mouse model of lung cancer.