Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Sequencing Of Human Genome Completed
Stat: Researchers Claim They Have Sequenced The Entirety Of The Human Genome
An international team of scientists says it has sequenced the entirety of the human genome, including parts that were missed in the sequencing of the first human genome two decades ago. The claim, if confirmed, surpasses the achievement laid out by leaders from the Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics on the White House lawn in 2000, when they announced the sequencing of the first draft human genome. That historic draft, and subsequent human DNA sequences, have all missed about 8% of the genome. (Herper, 6/1)
The New York Times: Two New Laws Restrict Police Use Of DNA Search Method
New laws in Maryland and Montana are the first in the nation to restrict law enforcement’s use of genetic genealogy, the DNA matching technique that in 2018 identified the Golden State Killer, in an effort to ensure the genetic privacy of the accused and their relatives. (Huges, 5/31)
Philadelphia Inquirer: These Penn Scientists Discovered How The Brain Engages In Imagination
While undergoing MRI brain scans at the University of Pennsylvania, two dozen volunteers were asked to picture themselves in a variety of pleasant and not-so-pleasant scenarios. Winning the lottery. Sitting on the beach on a sunny day. Watching their houses burn down. Though imaginary, these ruminations yielded a very real response on the brain scans. When neuroscientists analyzed the details, they could identify specific regions that “lit up” when the volunteers used their imaginations. In effect, it was an electronic rendering of what helps makes us human: our ability to hope, plan, and dream. (Avril, 6/1)
NPR: Scientists Studying Cannabis Now Have Access To More Plants For Their Research
Since 1968, U.S. researchers have been allowed to use cannabis from only one domestic source: a facility based at the University of Mississippi, through a contract with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). That changed earlier this month, when the Drug Enforcement Administration announced it's in the process of registering several additional American companies to produce cannabis for medical and scientific purposes. It's a move that promises to accelerate understanding of the plant's health effects and possible therapies for treating conditions — chronic pain, the side effects of chemotherapy, multiple sclerosis and mental illness, among many others — that are yet to be well studied. (Stone, 5/30)
