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Not Just an X-ray

At the Decision Tree, Thomas Goetz blogs that he is "fearful" that with all the interest by Congress in personal genetic testing that "the FDA will feel obligated to regulate and shut us off from what is rightfully ours." Goetz adds that "this isn't a drug, and this isn't a device — it's information about ourselves" and that it provides consumers with the ability "to take control of their health."

Steve Murphy at Gene Sherpas naturally disagrees. At his blog, he says that issue is not about access to personal genetic data, but rather in the interpretation of that information. In a follow-up post, Murphy adds: "When you get a cholesterol of a blood pressure reading in the United States, you would hope the interpretation you receive is standardized in some way. Further you hope at least the person giving you the interpretation of that data has some sort of licensing to assure quality and accuracy."

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.