A Science paper from Vijay G. Sankaran’s lab reports a noncoding regulatory variant, rs17834140‑T, that weakens MSI2 activity and substantially lowers the risk of clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) and subsequent blood cancers. The discovery emerged from a GWAS meta‑analysis of >640,000 individuals and follow‑up gene‑edited human HSC experiments. The study links the protective allele to disrupted GATA‑2 binding and reduced stem‑cell competitive expansion. Authors highlight MSI2 as a potential pan‑cancer therapeutic target and point to ongoing preclinical small‑molecule MSI2 programs; the finding also offers a human‑genetics anchor for target validation and stratified-risk biomarkers in hematology.