Until recently, genetic tests only scanned small parts of someone’s DNA, such as the parts carrying genes that can cause Huntington’s or Alzheimer’s or breast cancer. Whole genome sequencing spells out the entire genetic code — all 3 billion letters. It’s far from clear how often it will yield truly definitive, useful information. Vague results will send patients down long,…
Researchers have found the first drug to treat progeria, an extremely rare genetic disease that causes children to age so rapidly that many die in their teens. The drug, called lonafarnib, is not a cure. But in a study of 28 children lead by Dr. Leslie B. Gordon it reversed changes in blood vessels that usually lead to heart attacks…
After years of studying how cats get their color, researchers have pinpointed an elusive gene underlying spots on cheetahs, stripes in house cats and patterns across the feline world. Called Taqpep, it and two other genes produce proteins central to a cascade of cell-level events that ultimately generate your kitty’s distinctive coat. “It’s something we’ve been curious about for a long…
A study published this week in the well-respected journal Food and Chemical Toxicology has sparked a lot of controversy. In the study, titled “Long term toxicity of a Roundup herbicide and a Roundup-tolerant genetically modified maize” Dr. Gilles-Eric Séralini and colleagues basically concludes that rats fed a diet of genetically modified corn and small amounts of herbicides got sicker faster…
ISG faculty Dr. Hannah Landecker wrote an essay for “Hidden Treasure“, a book that reveals over 400 never-before seen treasures from the National Library of Medicine. The book was edited by Michael Sappol and published in March 2012. Description of the Book: Founded 175 years ago, the National Library of Medicine is the world’s largest medical library, with more than 17…
“The eminent evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould once said: “Our planet has always been in the Age of Bacteria.” But scientists’ rapidly accelerating ability to harness microbes and turn them into what the field of synthetic biology calls “platforms for industrial production” is entirely without precedent. We are witnessing a revolution in the biological sciences of a speed and scale…