Researchers have introduced a novel diagnostics method that can more sensitively detect gene fusions in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the most common type of pediatric cancer, compared to other publicly available fusion detection algorithms. The tool, detailed in an article appearing in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, enables a higher diagnostic yield from low-coverage, low-cost sequencing.

Gene editing can repair a DNA error in mice that causes Dravet syndrome, a rare, incurable, and potentially deadly form of childhood epilepsy. After the edit, the mice have far fewer seizures and live much longer.