Daily Human Digest
Every day, the staff of the Genetic Literacy Project scours the Web for stories on a range of human genetics issues, including gene editing, regulations and bioethics, gene therapy, epigenetics, personal genomics, evolution, ancestry and artificial intelligence. We publish excerpts of those stories and encourage our readers to visit the original publications for the complete stories.
Extra chromosome 21 removed from Down syndrome cell line
University of Washington scientists have succeeded in removing the extra copy of chromosome 21 in cell cultures derived from a ...
Link between child prodigies and autism
While child prodigies have been recognized throughout history, a new study has found a possible link between those we would ...
Identical twins may not be quite so identical
Identical twins may not be so identical after all. Even though identical twins supposedly share all of their DNA, they ...
Rare genetic variants may not as influential in common disease as once thought
Rare tweaks in single letters of DNA are not as powerful a force in health and in common diseases as ...
Genetic links found between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
A study published recently in Nature found new genetic links between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two autoimmune gut diseases ...
“Why is a statistician talking to you about personalized medicine?”
The role of statistics in personalized medicine is to examine the broad, sweeping trends of particular treatments in order to ...
Ethnic diversity is hallmark of 10,000-person genetic study of type 2 diabetes
In the search for the genetic basis of type 2 diabetes, a group of researchers have made a point to ...
Genetic data may be double-edged sword
Another heavyweight addresses the concerns of the burgeoning era of personal medicine: Nancy Andrews, Dean of Medicine at Duke University, ...
Direct-to-consumer genetic testing is here to stay
Geneticist Ricki Lewis says direct-to-consumer genetic testing is here to stay, addresses fears and realities around this new development in ...
Gene therapy offers “revolution” in prostate cancer treatment
Scientists have discovered new way of slowing the growth of prostate cancer. For the first time experiments have successfully targeted ...
Genetic counseling and medical ethics in the age of personal genomics
On October 25th, Time Magazine ran an article about genetic testing of children with the provocative title, “What Your Doctor ...
Science versus values in personal genomics for children
When it comes to what a child should know I tend to disagree with the consensus among genetic counselors. It ...
Soldier beetle’s genes may hold key for synthesizing antibiotic, anti-cancer chemicals
New antibiotic and anti-cancer chemicals may one day be synthesised using biotechnology, following CSIRO's discovery of the three genes that ...
First gene therapy to go on sale in 2013
The first gene therapy to be approved in a regulated market was announced by the European Commission. The therapy, available ...
Patient’s own stem cells no help in heart attack recovery
Autologous stem cells from bone marrow 3 or 7 days following a heart attack did not improve heart function six ...
Time has come to bring personalized medicine to cancer
Pathologists take note! Human whole-genome sequencing of tumors was the source of information for making treatment decisions in a recently-published ...
New gene-altering drug paves way for mass human modification
We’ve seen genetically modified mosquitoes, genetically modified plants, and genetically modified cows, but could we soon be dealing with our ...
Humans, chimps, monkeys: same DNA different gene regulation
Humans share over 90% of their DNA with their primate cousins. The expression or activity patterns of genes differ across ...
Will we ever decipher everything about a life form based just on its DNA?
As our technologies and understanding advance, will we eventually be able to look at a pile of raw DNA sequence ...
Humanity undergoing “technophysio-evolution”?
Advancements have been made so quickly, and have had such a significant impact on the human body that in the ...
Examining the human health implications of GM-labeling debate
“It’s really a value-laden decision. How do you act in the face of scientific uncertainty?” said Patrice Sutton, MPH, a ...
Stem cells from strangers can repair hearts
LOS ANGELES — Researchers are reporting a key advance in using stem cells to repair hearts damaged by heart attacks ...
Why is synthetic biology important?
In Regenesis the authors ask, “What should we do?” How can we balance economic growth and a sustainable environment? How ...
Feeding GM tomato to mice mimics effects of “good” cholesterol
At the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012, a study showed that genetically engineered tomato plants produced a peptide that ...
Sperm stem cells restore male fertility
Men who lose the ability to produce sperm after chemotherapy might one day be able to regain their fertility. That's ...
Genetic beauty test claims to predict how fast you’ll age
The test, developed by medical technology expert Professor Christofer Toumazou, uses a sample of your DNA to examine how quickly ...
Frozen egg banks – A “paradigm shift” for the fertility industry?
Advertising for frozen egg banks has recently kicked into high gear. The spread of large frozen egg banks also see ...
