The DNA Network |
| Researchers find new mode of gene regulation in mammals [Think Gene] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 07:10 PM CDT Josh: This is pure speculation, but perhaps this was introduced from viruses. The article states that the hammerhead ribozyme was previously only believed to be found in plant viruses, but they are probably also found in other viruses. Mammals inherited a lot of techniques used for gene regulation from viruses or defense from viruses (such as microRNAs). Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have discovered a type of gene regulation never before observed in mammals–a “ribozyme” that controls the activity of an important family of genes in several different species. The findings, published July 9 in the journal Nature, describe a new and surprising role for the so-called hammerhead ribozyme, an unusual molecule previously associated with obscure virus-like plant pathogens called viroids. The UCSC researchers found the ribozyme embedded within certain genes in mice, rats, horses, platypuses, and several other mammals. The genes are involved in the immune response and bone metabolism. (more…) |
| Pressured proteins: A little pressure in proteomics squeezes 4-hour step into a minute [Think Gene] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 07:01 PM CDT Josh: In research, everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, these mistakes can cost hours, days, or even weeks of work. By allowing a long, usually overnight process to take place in a mere minute, it allows researchers to recover from mistakes much faster. Not only that, but it should also allow more samples to be prepared simultaneously, also cutting down the time required. Many coaches inspire better performance by pressuring their teams. Now, proteomics researchers are using pressure to improve the performance of their analyses. In a simple solution to a time-consuming problem, the researchers have found that adding pressure early in their protocol squeezes four hours of waiting into a minute. “We were really happy to see how well it worked,” said biochemist Daniel Lopez-Ferrer, a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. “We’re determining when and how to incorporate it into our analyses.” Lopez-Ferrer and his colleagues reported their findings in July 8, 2008 Journal of Proteome Research. (more…) |
| NIH Intramural Center for Genomics and Health Disparities [Yann Klimentidis' Weblog] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 03:06 PM CDT  There's an interview in Nature Medicine with the director, Charles Rotimi, of this newly established NIH center.We collect demographic and migrational information from our study participants, including Africans and African-Americans. This information enables us to develop models to test how 'old' genes from Africa work in new environments such as the United States to increase our risk for diseases or to protect us from getting certain diseases. We also collect information on diet and data relating to education and income. But I would say that most of the very critical factors in term of health disparity are things to do with social structure, the communities where people live, and social factors such as racism. These are extremely difficult factors for a setup like ours to fully capture. But there are other groups we intend to collaborate with who can help address such questions.He cautions against using racial labels in medicine and medical research, and briefly discusses the BiDIL controversy. |
| 2008 Young Investigator Award [Microarray and bioinformatics] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 03:03 PM CDT Tiffany A. Greenwood, Ph.D., assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry, will utilize DNA microarray technology, which facilitates the simultaneous study of multiple gene interactions, to construct a custom "gene chip" to identify candidate genes related to mental illness. This research builds on a previous NARSAD-funded study led by UCSD colleague David Braff, M.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the Schizophrenia Program at UCSD School of Medicine, who was awarded a NARSAD Distinguished Investigator award in 2007         |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 02:13 PM CDT  Wow this might be the stupidest set of arguments I have ever seen listed. Epic fail.1-Mathematical formulae make up the VERIFICATION LANGUAGE of science. Formulae are the only reliable way to test a theory. Every scientific theory has a formula, except the Theory of Evolution. Darwinists have never been able to derive a working Evolution Formula because Evolution theory does not work. 2-Darwinists claim we evolved from the simplest form of bacterial life to ever more complex forms of life. The most basic bacteria had less than 500 genes; man has over 22 thousand. In order for bacteria to evolve into man, organisms would have to be able to add genes. But there is no genetic mechanism that adds a gene. (Mutations change an existing gene but never add a gene.) This means there is no mechanism for Darwinian Evolution and this is a fatal flaw in the Theory of Evolution. 3-The Theory of Evolution in a nutshell is "Survival of the fittest." But most mammals and birds give birth to helpless babies - instead of strong and fit ones. Neither Darwinism nor Neo-Darwinism can explain infantile helplessness. Every baby that is born contradicts Evolution Theory and this is a fatal flaw. 4-? 5-profit |
| Eppendorf is at it again [Bayblab] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 02:01 PM CDT Check out their promotional page about abolishing pipetting slavery :). lyrics: "Pipetting all those well-plates, baby, sends your thumbs into overdrive And spending long nights in the lab makes it hard for your love to thrive What you need is automation, girl, something easy as 1 2 3 So put down that pipette, honey, I got something that will set you free And it's called epMotion (whisper: 'cause you deserve something really great) Girl you need epMotion (whisper: yeah girl it's time to automate) It's got to be epMotion (whisper: no more pipetting late at night) Only for you epMotion (whisper: girl this time we got it right) DNA RNA Proteins Cell Cultures Less reagents Faster workflow Saves you money Well, well, well And it's called epMotion (whisper: 'cause you deserve something really great) Girl you need epMotion (whisper: yeah girl it's time to automate) It's got to be epMotion (whisper: no more pipetting late at night) Only for you epMotion (whisper: girl this time we got it right)" |
| Door to door science [Bayblab] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 01:45 PM CDT |
| Disintermediation: Why Genomics is More Like Insulin Injections than Napster [The Personal Genome] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 01:13 PM CDT Some are comparing the shake-up of business models in the genomics industry by DTC companies with the disruption of the music industry via P2P services like Napster, who radically changed how music was distributed. Seemingly overnight, the music industry felt they had been bamboozled and marginalized. Their role as the primary distributors, gatekeepers, and fee collectors of music had been challenged — and by a teenager! This made them very unhappy, to say the least. Like Napster, the consumer genomics industry is a force of disintermediation. Access to personal genetic data no longer requires a trip to a clinic, or any face-to-face interactions with physicians or genetic counselors, as they have in the past. This makes the traditional medical genetics community very unhappy. Like the music industry, they do not want to be marginalized as distributors, gatekeepers, and fee collectors of genetic knowledge. Some would argue that the analogy goes further: the ultimate fate of Napster will be the fate of consumer genomics companies. Napster was shut-down by court order, and later re-emerged with a more traditional model of distribution that re-inserted the intermediaries they famously had marginalized via P2P. Some believe its only a matter of time before consumer genomics companies are shut-down and are required to re-insert physicians and face-to-face counseling. I disagree. The future of the consumer genomics industry is more likely to follow the path of insulin injections, than music. The reason is purely economic. To be sure, if diabetics needed insulin injections only once a year, rather than several times a day, physicians would still be in control of the syringe. Insulin is both life-sustaining and life-threatening, depending on the dose. The risk that a diabetic patient might inadvertently kill themselves with the wrong dose of insulin is real. However, the fact that diabetics need injections on a regular basis, even several times a day for some, meant that doctors were out-of-the-picture. Self-injection of insulin by diabetics is so commonplace today, its easy to forget just how radical the practice of self-injection is, provided the dangers to the patient and the well-intended desire of the medical establishment to protect them. We now accept the disintermediation of insulin injections without a second thought. Could it really be any other way? The same will be true of genomics. Although self-examination of biological data presents many risks to individuals, the expense of forcing people to go through gatekeepers and censoring data in the interest of protecting individuals from themselves will be too burdensome. An editorial in this month’s issue of Nature Biotechnology, sums this up nicely:
Risks and responsibilities associated with self-management of genomic data will increasingly be transferred from physicians to individuals, as they were with insulin injections (and home pregnancy tests). The medical community and regulators will play incredibly important roles in genomics, but serving as gatekeepers to biological data is not one of them. – Editorial. “In need of counseling?” Nature Biotechnology. 26(7):716. July, 2008. Direct to Consumer (DTC), disintermediation, dtc, genomics, insulin, napster, policy, regulation |
| Evolution education, Jindal and the election [The Tree of Life] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 12:41 PM CDT There is an interesting piece on the "Science Education Act" in Louisiana in the New Scientist (see New legal threat to school science in the US ). by Amanda Gefter. This act seems to be designed to "lip ID in "through the back door" and is promoting itself as a bill for "Academic Freedom" Personally, I am all for academic freedom, including the ability to study and discuss all sorts of controversial things. However, it is clear this is not what the bill is really about. It is about teaching religion as science. The New Scientist reports "Supporters of the new law clearly hope that teachers and administrators who wish to raise alternatives to evolution in science classes will feel protected if they do so. The law expressly permits the use of "supplemental" classroom materials in addition to state-approved textbooks. The LFF is now promoting the use of online "add-ons" that put a creationist spin on the contents of various science texts in use across the state, and the Discovery Institute has recently produced Explore Evolution, a glossy text that offers the standard ID critiques of evolution (see "The evolution of creationist literature"). Unlike its predecessor Of Pandas and People, which fared badly during the Dover trial, it does not use the term "intelligent design"."All I can say is that if McCain picks Bobby Jindal (the governor of LA and supporter of this bill) as his running mate it will be the ultimate proof that McCain is no longer the independent thinker he used to be and is instead a complete tool of others. It is worth reading this article if you care about science education. |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 10:33 AM CDT  I ride my bicycle into the lab everyday in the summer here in Ottawa. Today I was passed by another cyclist which, as always, instigated an understanding between the passer and myself that we were racing. This guy was dressed in nice shoes and a shirt and I think he even had a tie on. Thing is he was riding a power assisted bicycle, available from Canadian Tire. He was fast and not sweating nearly as much as myself on a fast road bike. I would have thought that these bikes were for geezers and out of shape nerds but I was really impressed. The website has good reviews of the bike and it is only $500, and parking would be free at work. If these bike could make a longer bicycle commute more comfortable these things might really be a viable alternative to a car for a larger number of commuters. I can't wait to race him again. |
| The Trip Part II - Brittany [The Daily Transcript] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 09:34 AM CDT From Normandy we headed to the Breton coast. But first we passed through Mont Saint Michel, a large rock that sits in the crux of a large bay that divides Normandy from Brittany.
We were fortunate enough to visit the island at low tide when the water recedes for miles. In the distance we could spot small caravans of tourists crossing the surrounding sands.
|
| These are not the adverse events you’re looking for [business|bytes|genes|molecules] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 09:01 AM CDT
Reporting adverse drug reactions (the adverse events that interest me) is critical, as is the technology required to capture these events and analyze them. Companies like Prosanos and Phase Forward have pharmacovigilance applications, essentially signal detection software that monitor pubic adverse event databases (and company proprietary information) to look for signals that would indicate a real adverse event. The more data we capture the better our results. If my perfect world, every adverse drug reaction will be reported with the patients genetic profile, phenotype and metabolomic profile all included. Not only is this a way to get better signal detection, but essentially a never ending clinical trial, with more information being added over the years, helping us make sure drugs are safe and modifying the label as we go along. In addition to the algorithms being developed by various people, we also need these data to be stored as linked data, cause in the end pharmacovigilance is all about data mining. The ability to use complex algorithms for signal detection with the ability to find and co-relate all kinds of metadata can only be a good thing. It will help companies develop rich data warehouses to combine their own internal knowledge with the public knowledge and hopefully result in safer drugs and better treatments over time. Further reading:  |
| Who Will Survive the “The Chasm”? [Think Gene] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 08:52 AM CDT
23andMe has the most will to succeed, followed by Navigenics, followed by deCODEme. All three have sufficient potential funding, so will (and luck) will most decide who will survive The Chasm. Yesterday, I mentioned a popular business graph called “The Chasm.” The Chasm is start-up business jargon for the difficultly businesses tend to experience growing from a market of early adopters to the general public. This is because customer motivation changes: early adopters buy because they like new technology, but most people buy because they want to solve problems with minimal effort. Today, DTC (direct to consumer) genomics is still in its “innovators” market phase, though continued coverage in Wired and regulatory attention suggests that the market is approaching an “early adopter” transition. But which genomics start-ups will survive to cross The Chasm to reap the riches of a greater market? Two factors keep start-ups alive during tough times:
Consider the “big three” DTC start-ups: 23andMe, deCODEme, and Navigenics. Other competitors are possible, but identifying them is speculation. Further, the recent California “legal lab” crackdown seems to have scared away most other scrappier competitors for now. I think that all three competitors have ample funding… if they have the will to spend it. I argue that 23andMe and Navigenics have that will, while deCODEme may or may not. The leaders of 23andMe and Navigenics are most personally and publicly invested in the success of their ventures and thus are most likely to succeed. 23andMe wins the accountability metric because if it doesn’t succeed, it will forever be known as “that Google’s wife’s start-up toy with that disgruntled affy chick.” These women probably do not appreciate being known as such, and are powerful and determined enough to prove otherwise. That alone will keep 23andMe around indefinitely. The rest of the 23andMe team is also well featured on the about page. However, the iStockPhoto slideshow on the 23andMe team page needs replacing. Navigenics team is also very well featured, even better than 23andMe’s team. At deCODEme, Kári Stefánsson may publicly represent the business, but he’s the CEO of deCODE. Who is personally accountable for the success of deCODEme itself? On both the old and the new versions of the deCODEme website, nobody is named. The new About deCODEme page does feature a photo of the deCODEme team, but the only names are of deCODE researchers publishing papers, not deCODEme management. (they are pretty nice photos, though) Further, both 23andMe and Navigenics feature recruitment on their websites and actively advertise positions with third parties (a quick Google search confirms this). deCODEme does not. Finally, deCODEme’s parent company, deCODE, has not been doing well financially and has never reported a profit. It has recently eliminated many positions, is debt-leveraged, has sold-and-leased its American office, it’s stock price is at $1 and cents from about $28 in 2000, and its CEO has warned of ending operations. All of this is bad for morale, and if more cuts must be made, an unprofitable deCODEme is a likely candidate. I doubt deCODEme will ever be eliminated because it’s obviously Kári’s personal initiative, and as far as I can tell, deCODE is Kári. What’s most likely, if things get bad, is that deCODEme will process orders, but languish without growth or direction as 23andMe, Navigenics, and other competitors continue to hire, grow, and improve. |
| No such thing as natural selection? [T Ryan Gregory's column] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 07:50 AM CDT In reading an interesting article in the New York Times (in part because it quotes my colleague Andrew MacDouga |
| Colour MRI, Agent Prion, Testing Testosterone [Sciencebase Science Blog] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 07:00 AM CDT
New insights offered by near infrared spectroscopy into the mineralogy of carbonate rocks could help improve the outlook for carbon capture and storage in efforts to reduce the effect of carbon dioxide emissions on the global climate. Although, personally I think the real relevance of this work will be in understanding the mineral found on Mars or other planets rather than some spurious and potentially misguided efforts to control the atmosphere. Not everything is black and white, perhaps with the exception of MRI. Aside from the artificial colours that can be added by computer, MRI is a technique of contrasts and greyscales. However, that could all change soon thanks to the ongoing development of microscopic magnetic particles by researchers in the US who hope to bring a little colour to MRI. Meanwhile, NMR spectroscopy, the original molecular MRI, has revealed significant difference between the infectious and non-infectious form of Raman spectroscopy. The technique has potential applications in pharmaceutical research, forensic science and security screening. Another analytical boost comes with work being done at Argonne National Laboratory to develop a new super bright source of X-rays that are one hundred million times brighter than any currently operating laboratory source. The sources will open up new avenues in materials science such as the faster and more detailed analysis of high-temperature superconductors. Finally, in the current specNOW issue, a new analytical approach to testing for testosterone and related steroids in body fluids could spot illicit doping of athletes at coming sports events. A post from David Bradley Science Writer Colour MRI, Agent Prion, Testing Testosterone |
| Arguing against GM food gets harder [Genetic Future] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 04:42 AM CDT It's relatively easy to dismiss genetically modified crops as dangerous "Frankenfoods" when their major benefits are to farmers and corporations (increased yields and resistance to pesticides and insects, for instance). These types of modifications play easily into the hands of anti-GM activists wishing to portray all genetic engineering of crops as a tool for evil, ruthless businesses to make profits at the expense of our health. This glib dismissal will become harder as new engineered crops start to offer benefits to nutrition and health: Scientists have genetically engineered fruit and vegetables capable of providing most of a day's nutrients in a single meal.  No doubt some of the claims made for the health benefits of these particular crops are exaggerated, but the point is that there's nothing in biology to stop crops from being engineered to boost nutrient content or reduce unwanted molecules (like the proteins that cause allergic reactions), and there are considerable commercial incentives to do so. That makes it inevitable that solid, reliable products like these will be hitting the market soon.Consumers are fickle creatures: if genetic engineering visibly allows them to get better food (preferably at a lower price) the scare-mongering of anti-GM activists will start to sound less convincing. So long as agri-biotech firms are careful enough about safety to avoid any serious health panics, it won't be long before the hardcore anti-GM movement - which has enjoyed dominance in the UK for far too long - has the rug pulled out from underneath it. (Image from here.)  Subscribe to Genetic Future. |
| What does DNA mean to you? #13 [Eye on DNA] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 03:07 AM CDT
|
| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 01:12 AM CDT Josh: This is simply amazing. What a great way to deliver vaccines exactly where they need to be. I wonder how easily this could be adapted for other uses, such as for HIV. If the cells produce just the proteins that form the envelope and other exposed regions of the virus, perhaps the body has a much better chance of creating effective antibodies. Even if it won’t work, it should allow for much more rapid development of other vaccines, such as for H5N1. Researchers at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have made a major step forward in their work to develop a biologically engineered organism that can effectively deliver an antigen in the body. The researchers report that they have been able to use live salmonella bacterium as the containment/delivery method for an antigen. The work is a major step forward in development of a new means of biological containment that would be a key component to a new way to deliver vaccines in animals and humans. If fully developed, the new method could be used to administer vaccines to many of those who do not benefit from traditional vaccines because of their cost, because of drug resistance or because of limited effects on children. |
| Argyrin: Natural substance raises hope for new cancer therapies [Think Gene] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 01:04 AM CDT Josh: And yet another potentially great anti-cancer agent is found. It seems that almost daily a significant advance is made in cancer treatment. Hopefully in the near future cancer will be a thing of the past. The effective treatment of many forms of cancer continues to pose a major problem for medicine. Many tumours fail to respond to standard forms of chemotherapy or become resistant to the medication. Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, the Hannover Medical School (MHH) and Leibniz-Universität (LUH) in Hanover have now discovered a chemical mechanism with which a natural substance - argyrin - destroys tumours. Today, the researchers publish their findings in the renowned scientific journal Cancer Cell. The basis for this breakthrough was an observation made by the MHH scientist Prof. Nisar Malek: he had been studying the role of a certain protein - a so-called cyclin-kinase inhibitor - in the development of cancer. In the process, Malek noted that mice in which the breakdown of the kinase inhibitor was suppressed by genetic change have a significantly lower risk of suffering from intestinal cancer. “I needed a substance that would prevent the breakdown of the protein that I was investigating in the cancer cells,” says Nisar Malek: “This molecule, in all likelihood, would make a good anti-cancer agent.” (more…) |
| FDA Approves Genetic Test for Breast Cancer [ScienceRoll] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 12:55 AM CDT Great news for those who are interested in personalized medicine. One of the first examples of this special field of medicine was the potential use of Herceptin in breast cancer. Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a genetic test for determining whether patients can be treated with the drug Herceptin (trastuzumab).
Of course, patients with normal HER2 genes are not the best candidates for Herceptin therapy. So this test is not only useful for the patients but makes the whole process cost-effective as well (a full course of treatment costs about 70 000 US dollars). That is personalized medicine…
More about personalized medicine:         |
| Southern, northern, western (and eastern?) [Bitesize Bio] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 12:40 AM CDT It’s official - biologists DO have a sense of humor, well some of them at least. This is the story of how one of the most famous and quirky naming conventions in biology came into being. It’s a story of discovery, comedy and the triumph of people power over the establishment. Read on to find out the story of how the Southern, northern and western (etc) blots got their names. Two years later, J.C. Alwine, a biologist with a sense of humor, developed a technique analogous to the Southern blot, this time for the identification of a specific RNA within a complex RNA sample using a radio-labelled DNA probe. Alwine couldn’t resist the temptation to call his technique the northern blot in an allusion to Southern’s technique, raising a chuckles in labs everywhere. Then W. Neal Burnette, a post-doc working in the Nowinski group at the Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, started the real fun. Burnette was searching for a way to combine the powers of radio immunoassay and SDS-PAGE electrophoresis so that he could pinpoint specific antigens in a complex protein mixture, such as a cell extract. After some “laughably naive” (his own words - see this great account by Burnette himself) attempts to visualise the interaction between antibodies and the separated proteins in the gels, he was inspired by Alwine’s nothern blot method (so indirectly by the Southern blot) to make a solid phase replica of the gel. So he developed the method of using electrophoresis to blot the protein onto nitrocellulose paper and after some further work, perfected the technique of blocking non-specific binding sites and visualising the specific radioimmunolabelled antigens using an X-Ray film. In a historic, but mostly forgotten conversation with Nowinski, Burnette coined the name “western blot” for his technique. What fun. Like nothern blotting, “western blot” was also an allusion to the Southern and nothern techniques, but Burnette had upped the ante by throwing in a geographical reference to location of the Nowinski lab. So if the Nowinski lab had been in New York, we would all be doing “eastern” blots. A quick aside for the pedants among us. Note that among these techniques, only the Southern blot should be capitalised since it refers to Southern’s name, the others - nothern, western etc - are not proper nouns, so should not be capitalised. Try pulling your boss up on that one next time he is in mid-flow talking about a “Northern blot” in a departmental presentation. Anyway, back to our story. Unfortunately for Burnette no sooner had he perfected his technique than a paper describing a very similar method, also inspired by nothern blotting, was published by Towbin et al working at the Friedrich Miescher Institute in Switzerland (see here for the reference and here for Towbin’s account of events). Burnette was dejected, but nonetheless, convinced that his methodology was sufficiently different to Towbin’s, he decided to submit a manuscript on his western blot method to the Analytical Biochemistry journal. The reviewers hated it, they hated the name even more - obviously humor was not high on their agenda - and the manuscript was rejected. But despite this, the popularisation of Burnette’s technique, and particularly the name “western blot” still happened even without the assistance of the literary establishment. It happened through the sense of humor of the researchers who were doing the work, through people power (assisted by Xerox power). It happened because researchers, besides being interested in the technique itself, were tickled enough by its quirky name to make copies and send it to their friends. In Burnette’s words…
A few years later, Burnette eventually coaxed Analytical Biochemistry into accepting his paper and it was published in 1981 (see here), but by then, word of mouth had already beaten them to it. Ironically, considering the people power that was doubtless (at least partly) responsible for it’s eventual publication, Burnette’s paper is available only to Analytical Biochemistry subscribers. *end of open access rant* Bowen and colleagues continued the naming convention in 1981 with their publication of the southwestern blot, a technique for identifying DNA-binding proteins in nuclear protein extracts using specific oligonucleotide probes. The “south” in the name refers to the use of DNA probes, while the “west” refers to the protein blot. Interestingly, Bowen’s paper alludes to Burnette’s western blot even though it was published before Burnette’s paper, which shows just how strongly word-of-mouth actually publicised the western blot. And in 1998, Ishikawa and Taki published their far-eastern blotting method, no doubt a reference to their geographical location, for the analysis of lipids by TLC separation followed by blotting onto a PDVF membrane. Finally, there is one blot that deserves mention. Legend has it (well, the legend of the bio.net forum at least) that Ethan Signer coined the phrase “eastern blot” for the tantric practice of willing a failed gel into show bands. Apparently, you take your blank gel, meditate, repeat the mantra, and the bands appear… …if only! If you’re a biologist with a sense of humor, join in by telling us about your favorite quirky naming conventions in the comments section. Photo:nullalux |
| If You Think Wired Is a Good Place to Go for Medical Advice, Think Again... [DNA and You] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 12:33 AM CDT Andrew Yates at Think Gene wrote today about the new Wired Wiki home genomics how-to guide, "Check Yourself for Genomic Abnormalities." Check out Andrew's post for a great discussion of the maturity, or, rather, the lack thereof, of the personal genomics market. Something caught my eye though as I read through "Check Yourself for Genomic Abnormalities" at the Wired Wiki site. The wiki post describes several options for "checking yourself for genomic abnormalities": 1) Visit a Genetic Counselor; 2) Scan Your Whole Genome; and 3) Perform Lab Tests at Home. Interestingly, the author(s), who otherwise did an ok job of briefly explaining what genetic counselors do, utilized consideration of a diagnosis of celiac sprue as an example of a situation in which someone would want to see a genetic counselor rather than "scanning their whole genome" or "performing lab tests at home." I think the world of Wired, but in case it is not clear to the early adopters out there... Wired is probably not where you want to get your medical advice. Celiac disease (aka gluten-sensitive enteropathy or non-tropical sprue), the condition mentioned in the hypothetical scenario, is diagnosed via a blood antibody test and small intestinal biopsies. Thus, rather than seeing your local genetic counselor if you think you might have CD, you would do well to discuss it with your primary care doctor and a gastroenterologist. The wiki writer's confusion likely stems from the fact that genetic factors do play a role in risk for Celiac disease; however, the genetics are complex, and the genes involved are not deterministic. For example, risk of Celiac disease is higher if you have certain forms ("alleles") of HLA genes. About 30% of the population has one of the Celiac disease-associated HLA alleles; however, only 3% of individuals with the Celiac disease-associated allele develop CD. |
| What’s on the web? (9 July 2008) [ScienceRoll] Posted: 09 Jul 2008 12:17 AM CDT First, feel free to join the Facebook group of Scienceroll.com.
        |
| Posted: 09 Jul 2008 12:05 AM CDT Scientific American covers the human diaspora in a nice broad-brush overview:
|
| The Backlash Against Screening & Prevention [Epidemix] Posted: 08 Jul 2008 11:42 PM CDT Put together, a couple stories in the NYTimes today show that while preventive medicine is theoretically the way of the future, it’s going to be a cultural challenge getting the public to synch up with the program. First, there’s Tara Parker Pope’s column about the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation to prescribe statins to children as a longterm preventive measure against heart disease. The idea is to identify those children at a higher lifetime risk for heart disease as early as possible - as early as eight years old - and take preventive measures to ward off the disease. The backlash comes from pediatricians, who flag that there is scant evidence that’s it’s safe to take statins over several years, let alone decades, let alone 40 or 5o years. The second story kicks in at the opposite end of life: It concerns recommendations for elderly women to undergo multiple mammograms every year to screen for breast cancer. In this case, there’s somewhat more sound evidence for the intervention.
So what’s the controversy? Basically, it boils down to the idea that by the time women hit 85 or 90, there are fairly low odds that they’ll die of breast cancer. Basically, they’re so old that they’re more likely to die of something else, not breast cancer. In both cases, the issue seems to pivot on one question: What constitutes sufficient evidence to recommend screening for large populations? Is one study enough? And when you’re talking the very old or the very young, screening measures risk bumping up against a ‘yuck factor’ - the idea that we are medicalizing populations, or forcing people into medical interventions, when they should “just be living.” My sense is that these are simply the first bumps along a pretty clear path towards a whole arsenal of screening panels. In a year or two, pretty much every demographic - be it the very young, the very old, or some slice in between - will have a handful of screening tests that they fall under. The sense of outrage that comes with these recommendations will fall away, because it’ll be up to us, as individuals, to decide whether or not to plug into these panels. But better to have the option of engaging early, and face our risks, rather than wait for the worst to happen. |
| Harvard Prof on Virtue vs. Money in Science [adaptivecomplexity's column] Posted: 08 Jul 2008 11:31 PM CDT I've been traveling, often with three whining kids in the back seat of a cramped car - not the best environment for blogging. On part of this trip, we toured this not so well known, but spectacular site:  I'll be impressed if any readers recognize the place - give it your best shot in the comments, if you think you know where it is. The real subject for today is virtue and scientists: is the ideal scientist a disinterested, virtuous seeker of knowledge? Do academic scientists embody this ideal, and are corporate scientists sell-outs? Harvard historian Steven Shapin shares his ideas in an interview with the Boston Globe. The interview is a brief plug for Shapin's upcoming book. Shapin says the wrong way to think about science in academia is with
|
| You Know It's Bad [The Gene Sherpa: Personalized Medicine and You] Posted: 08 Jul 2008 02:07 PM CDT You know you are in for a grilling when the SACGHS says......"While we laud you for coming to participate in the conversation, part of that participation means that you may not like what you... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] |
I’ve got some wide-ranging research to report in this week’s SpectroscopyNOW, including mineral tests, colour MRI, the Agent Smith of prions, and a new approach to spotting doped athletes.
| You are subscribed to email updates from The DNA Network To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner |
| Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of The DNA Network in a feed reader. | |
| If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: The DNA Network, c/o FeedBurner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment