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More Booster Discussions

Both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson say their data supports boosters for their SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, NPR says.

It notes that advisors to the US Food and Drug Administration are meeting later this week to discuss the possibility of boosters for those companies' vaccines. Last month, the agency authorized a booster dose of Pfizer and BioNTech's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for individuals 65 years old and older and for younger individuals at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 due to underlying medical conditions or exposure at their jobs.

In documents released ahead of the meetings, Moderna says that its immune and side effect data supports a booster — its booster is a 50 microgram dose, as compared to the 100 microgram initial doses — among adults six months after their initial inoculation, NPR reports, noting that the company also cited the Delta variant in the need for a booster. Likewise, J&J says its data supports a booster six months after the initial shot, or as soon as two months for high-risk individuals, it adds.

The AP notes that the discussions for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters will be more complicated than those for the Pfizer-BioNTech booster, as the panel has to weigh the different dose for the Moderna booster and the timing of the J&J booster.

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.