Biomedicine & Disease
Without accurate genome sequencing, personalized medicine is a goner
It's hard to correctly read every one of the six-billion base pairs in a human genome. But without precision sequencing, ...
Leading bioethicists suggest dropping informed consent in limited cases
As technology continues to evolve, leading bioethicists are proposing nuanced approaches to consent: not providing the opportunity for informed consent ...
GMO Q&A with an Illinois farmer
A seventh generation farmer answers readers questions about GMOs Are GMOs safe? Yes. The World Health Association, the Food & ...
GMO Q&A with an Illinois farmer
A seventh generation farmer answers readers questions about GMOs Are GMOs safe? Yes. The World Health Association, the Food & ...
Horshoe crabs bleed for biomedicine
The bright blue blood of horseshoe crabs is a biomedical treasure, but harvesting the blood of these unique creatures seems ...
British ‘3-parent’ IVF babies could come as early as 2015
While the U.S. FDA takes on the process of 3-parent IVF, Britain could be seeing their first 3-parent babies as ...
Genetic manipulation is a slippery–so get over it
This week, the Food and Drug Administration debated a new IVF technique that could allow women with mitochondrial disease to ...
Ovary removal reduces death risk by 77% in women with BRCA mutations
A young, cancer-free Toronto woman says her decision to have both ovaries and both breasts removed was daunting, but not ...
When tinkering with our DNA, researchers should take it slow
The manipulation of human genes could lead to profound advances in our ability to cure or prevent terrible diseases. But ...
USDA report says GM crops show mix of benefits, concerns
After more than 15 years of using genetically modified crops, U.S. farmers are continuing to see an array of benefits, ...
Latest on the latest anti-GMO scare: Dangerous plant GMO is in your blood
The truth is that there may or may not be plant DNA in your blood. The single research paper making ...
FDA meetings on ‘3-parent’ IVF, gene manipulation continues
As the FDA takes on the controversial issue of mitochondrial manipulation and gene therapy, ethical issues arise. Critics and proponents ...
Sequencing genes IDs rare illnesses and may, eventually, help with other health issues
Born prematurely, Lillian Yuska struggled to feed, and she suffered from chronic gastrointestinal problems and repeated infections. After years of ...
Genetic odd couple: Humans traveling with (friendly?) infection-causing African bacteria for 100,000 years
Helicobacter pylori, which causes ulcers and stomach cancer, maybe the oldest our oldest bacterial infection: genetic studies suggest it came ...
The IVF question: What to do with leftover embryos?
For those currently undergoing in vitro fertilization, the entire process can be complex – both medically and emotionally. In vitro ...
Technique for refining multi-source genomic data
A scientific team from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Harvard, and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute says they have ...
GMO 2.0: New generation of blight-resistant foods
Blight-resistant vegetables could be great for farmers, as well as for the environment. Potatoes are sprayed against blight up to ...
Southern sugar cane industry, threatened by deadly fungus, look to GMO solution
Brown rust fungus poses a serious threat to Louisiana's nearly $1 billion sugarcane industry. Thanks to funding from the American ...
How GMOs saved my life
GMOs weren’t personal until I almost died. After one ambulance ride and three days of wearing a heart monitor with ...
DNA screening helps find the best guide dogs
Researchers in Hokkaido have developed a way to test slight differences in the DNA of young dogs to screen their ...
DTC genetic testing companies need nudge to help patients understand results
The 23andMe controversy illustrates a stalemate over the role of direct-to-consumer genetic testing in American health care. On one side ...
Resurrecting an ancient protein that could cure human disease
While dinosaurs have not yet been resurrected Jurassic Park-style, scientists fiddling with ancient DNA sequences have made a discovery that ...
Switching genes on and off can change fate, theoretically anyhow
A Chennai-based researcher is part of team that has provided proof of the concept that turning on and turning off ...
We should use genetic engineering to treat disease, not fundamentally alter future children
The mitochondrial manipulation that the FDA is considering would start us down the slippery slope toward human experimentation with unknown ...
GMOs in fem care products can kill you? Not if you follow the science
Last week, the tweets were flying furiously in a "Right to Know" campaign regarding fem care products (for more information, ...
Patients avoid thyroid surgery with help of gene test
Later this year, doctors in the U.S. will be able to use a gene test to guide thyroid cancer surgery ...
Promise of “easy” stem cells comes under investigation
Two breakthrough papers in Nature highlight a remarkable new technique for creating totipotent stem cells via a simple acid bath ...
