Morning Headlines 12/14/17
This Startup Wants to Democratize CRISPR Gene Editing Research By Making It Free
A Venrock-backed startup called Inscripta is releasing an alternative CRISPR-Cas9 enzyme that scientists can use for free to conduct research. CEO Kevin Ness reports, “You can go right to the website, download the sequences instantly, even get a user guide.”
A health care paradox: measuring and reporting quality has become a barrier to improving it
A STAT opinion piece explores the conflicting dynamic between “patient-centered care and the administrative burdens that measurement imposes on physicians, hospitals, and health systems.”
New CDC head faces questions about financial conflicts of interest
CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald recuses herself from decisions involving health IT and cancer detection because her and her husband are legally required to retain equity in companies involved in both markets. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) is questioning her ability to function in her role if she is unable to engage in conversations around cancer care, the second leading cause of death in the US.
Email is the biggest source of data breaches
A new survey finds that email is the leading cause of data breaches in healthcare, contributing to 73 breaches thus far in 2017, affecting 574,000 people.
And which "political exercise[s]" by a private entity are appropriate for state governments in this country to punish with a…