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BGI Bid to Acquire Complete Genomics Passes US Antitrust Hurdle; Tender Offer Extended Again

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – BGI-Shenzhen and Complete Genomics said today that their proposed merger has cleared US antitrust review.

The companies said that they have received early termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period from the Federal Trade Commission regarding BGI's $118 million bid for Complete.

The news comes one week after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States cleared the proposed acquisition.

BGI also said today that it has extended its tender offer for Complete's shares to midnight EST on Jan 11. The offer had originally been scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2012, and was later extended to expire at midnight today.

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.