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Where's Billy Mays When You Really Need Him?

Celebrating Global Entrepreneurs Week, Benchfly's Alan Marnett has called in "three budding young companies" to pitch some products that might be useful in the lab. There's "PhDefense," which provides full military support for you as you stand in front of the committee to defend your thesis, "should things take a turn for the worse." Then there's "LabLitter," which eliminates the need for bathroom breaks that might take you away from your work. ("You call it LabLitter. We call it Freedom.") And finally, there's the "PI Detector." Hook it up to your PI and never again wonder what he or she is really thinking. "The truth may hurt, but not as badly as going through the motions on a project that you both know isn't working," Marnett says. So far, 89 percent of survey respondents would love to see a PI Detector on the market.

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.