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Shedding Light on a Black Box

Jun 03, 2009

FDA announced yesterday that it is creating an internal task force to determine how the agency can become more transparent. According to the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg called the FDA a "black box that makes important decisions without explaining them." The New York Times adds that "the task will be complicated. Agency confidentiality decisions are governed by several interconnected laws, including the Federal Trade Secrets Act." The task force will be led by Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein.

Breaking News
The Scan

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Tigers in India with thick stripes harbor a genetic change, as Gizmodo reports.

High GABA Tomatoes

The Japan News reports that genome-edited tomatoes with higher GABA levels are now for sale in Japan.

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A National Human Genome Research Institute team calls for the field to "adopt diversity as an ethos."

Science Papers on Tumors Immune System Evasion; Drivers of Genomic Instability, Inflammation

In Science this week: study of how tumors evade the adaptive immune system, and more.