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Norman Sharpless

The US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has appointed Norman Sharpless as acting commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration. Sharpless, currently the director of the National Cancer Institute, will take over for current FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb who announced on March 5 that he will resign from the post in one month. Before his position at the NCI, Sharpless directed the University of North Carolina's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, authored more than 100 research papers, and treated leukemia patients.

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.