Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered a gene that plays a critical role in the development of multiple cilia, microscopic hair-like structures that propel fluids through the brain and lungs. “Cells with multiple cilia play a number of important roles, including moving fluids through the respiratory tract, brain and spinal cord,” said lead researcher and Salk professor Christopher R. Kintner.
Kintner and his colleague, Pathway Genomics scientist Jennifer Stubbs, made the discovery by analyzing the embryos of Xenopus laevis, commonly known as the African clawed frog, while Stubbs was a postdoctoral fellow in Kintner’s lab. Read more about this exciting discovery…
Nutrition and wellness coach Kristen Michaelis, writer and editor of the popular blog Food Renegade, had the opportunity to discuss the topic of genetics, and its relation to nutritional science. In specific, she addresses the topic of epigenetics, which she describes as “the study of how inherited genes are turned on and turned off.” In her article, Michaelis interviews Catherine Shanahan, M.D., author of Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food, which dives deeply into the subject.
“I started writing when I became overwhelmed by the amount of medical research that did nothing to explain chronic illnesses, or what to do to actually cure them. I wanted the world to know that there was research to support eating a traditional diet, tons of it,” Dr. Shanahan explains. “…I wanted to incorporate all the amazing things about the inner workings of the human body that could be brought together to tell the story of health and disease simply by understanding how food affects our body at a cellular, even molecular, level.” Read more about this story…
Would you spit on your iPhone? Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology are currently developing a way to quickly diagnose specific diseases – with an iPhone and saliva. The researchers claim that the touch sensitivity of smartphones with touch screens – such as the iPhone – might have the capability to be used as a diagnostic chip. According to an article in Forbes, the institute’s “innovation harnesses a touchscreen’s ‘capacitive sensitivity,’ its ability to sense a fingertip’s electrical charge. The iPhone touch screen’s sensitivity extends far beyond that needed to sense a finger touch or tap, leading researchers to speculate what else it could detect, such biomarkers in bodily fluids signifying the presence of disease.” Read more about this story…
Last week, DNAction reported on a new study arguing that empathetic character traits, such as being trustworthy and caring, may be powerfully linked to our genetics. The paper was published on November 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the lead author is is Aleksandr Kogan, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto. Over the last week, there has been some lively discussion about the credibility of the study due to its small population. In an article published in Genomes Unzipped, Joe Pickrell, Jeff Barrett, Daniel MacArthur and Luke Jostins address the problems with the study.
“We find it frustrating to see researchers making two-decade-old mistakes today,” the Genomes Unzipped authors write. “Consider the paper in question by Alex Kogan and colleagues. The authors took a highly-studied candidate gene (the oxytocin receptor) and tested for association between a genetic variant in this gene and a trait called prosociality in a sample of 23 individuals. In light of what we know about complex trait genetics, this study design is hopelessly underpowered.”
Read the full Genomes Unzipped article…
Read a response post by the study’s lead author, Aleksandr Kogan…
Empathetic character traits, such as being trustworthy and caring, may be powerfully linked to our genetics. A new study, recently published on November 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, claims that a gene associated with empathy and sociability “is so powerful that even strangers observing 20 seconds of silent video identified people with a particular genetic variation to be more caring,” according to a press release by Oregon State University.
“Our findings suggest even slight genetic variation may have tangible impact on people’s behavior, and that these behavioral differences are quickly noticed by others,” said Aleksandr Kogan, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and the study’s lead author.
Dr. Ayala, a pediatric and medical genetics physician in Philadelphia, discussed on her blog the connection between genetics, lifestyle, and the risk of being overweight or obese. The gene most widely associated with the propensity to be overweight or obese is the FTO gene on chromosome 16. Specifically, Ayala writes, “the presence of specific ‘risky’ versions of this gene is correlated with an extra 3 pounds for each risk-increasing copy (we have 2 copies of each gene).” She makes it clear, however, that being overweight or obese is only part of the equation. Eating habits, lifestyle, and other environmental factors also play a vital role. Read Dr. Ayala’s insights on the genetic testing of obesity and, as she puts it, “genetically discovering yourself — and then what?”
Earlier this month, the U.S. National Research Council called to create a vast network of data combining patients’ routine medical records with leading-edge molecular and genomic data of their diseases. The panel argued that a database of this scope would benefit and improve medical care, and help push it to the next era of “precision medicine.” According to an article in ScienceInsider by Jocelyn Kaiser, and outlined in the panel’s 108-page report, Toward Precision Medicine: Building a Knowledge Network for Biomedical Research and a New Taxonomy of Disease, America needs a “live network of data on individuals’ molecular tests and health records,” and “this system would be used to develop a new disease taxonomy and personalize medical care.” Read more…
A paper published last week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition calls for changes to policy regulating nutrigenomics research. According to the paper “Coevolution of nutrigenomics and society: ethical considerations” by Michiel Korthals of Wageningen University, nutrigenomics research policy should seek to form “a research partnership with society on the basis of fair representation.” Korthals adds that several “normative concepts” associated with nutrigenomics research policy do not align well “with concepts of food and health of various food styles in Western societies.” Read Korthals’ abstract…
As Genomes Unzipped contributing author Luke Jostins writes, the fate of genome sequencing in medicine was a focus of the International Congress of Human Genetics in Montreal. The meeting took place last week, and brought together over 7,000 geneticists. In specific, the highlighted debate, titled “Current and Emerging Sequencing Technologies: Changing the Practice of Medical Genetics,” was especially riveting. Read more at the Genomes Unzipped blog…
Personal genomics has been a controversial topic to the media, medical professionals, policymakers, and the general public. However, according to the findings of a recent study, much of the criticism may be an overreaction. The study, published in the October 2011 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, concludes that there is “little evidence to suggest that predictive genomic risk information consistently influences risk perception or worry in the manner or degree that has been posited by some scientific critics and commentators.” Additionally, the authors suggest that the oversight of genomic technologies on the horizon should be focused on diseases and conditions that have the potential to pose the greatest harm. Read more about this study…
On a related note, the results of this study are similar to the findings of earlier studies showing that disclosure of genetic test results does not lead to increased anxiety. Read more about this…
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