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Want to Work for the Government?

Rick Weiss of the Center for American Progress and Science Progress has compiled an extensive list of open science and technology positions that the new administration will have to fill soon. He has a few ideas as to who will be appointed to secretary of Health and Human Services (Harold Varmus is one) and to commissioner of FDA, but of all the positions, the most important will be the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, he says. "It will be interesting to see if the new president breaks with tradition and appoints an earth scientist or biologist to that central scientific coordinating position."

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.