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The Next Mammal Up for Sequencing Is…

Keith Robison had been wondering what interesting organisms were left to be sequenced. He found on the Human Ageing Genomic Resources site a proposal to sequence the naked mole-rat, the white-faced capuchin monkey, and the bowhead whale to better understand their longevity. (They can live for 28, 50, and 200 years, respectively.) Robison also notes that this paper is probably one of the last of its kind. "Once genome sequencing becomes very cheap, a proposal to sequence a mammalian genome will become just a paragraph in a grant proposal at most, or more likely something mentioned only after the fact in an annual grant report," he writes.

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.