December 2, 2024
A New Edition of European Journal of Human Genetics Is Now Available
European Journal of Human Genetics (vol. 32, no. 11, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
Genetic Ethics
November 26, 2024
Combining AI and Crispr Will Be Transformational
(Wired) – The genome-editing technology can be supercharged by artificial intelligence—and the results are already being felt. In my field, Crispr gene editing and genomics more broadly, we often deal with enormous datasets—or, in many cases, we can’t deal with … Read More
November 25, 2024
‘DNA Typewriters’ Can Record a Cell’s History
(New York Times) – Labs around the world are trying to turn cells into autobiographers, tracking their own development from embryos to adults. Dr. Stadler’s lab and others around the world are trying to turn cells into their own historians, … Read More
November 21, 2024
Genetic Carrier Screening Changed Couples’ Reproductive Decision Making
(MedPage Today) – Australian study explored screening for hundreds of genetic conditions Couples who were found to be genetic carriers for autosomal recessive or X-linked genetic conditions often opted to change their reproductive strategy, a large Australian population-based study found. … Read More
November 20, 2024
The Cancer Gene More Men Should Test For
(The Atlantic) – The BRCA genes became inextricably linked with breasts, as much as the pink ribbons that have become an international symbol of breast cancer. And in driving more women to find out if they have BRCA mutations, it’s … Read More
November 15, 2024
The First Crispr Treatment Is Making Its Way to Patients
(Wired) – It’s been a year since the gene-editing treatment Casgevy was approved for sickle cell disease and a related blood disorder. It’s finally being infused into patients. When WIRED followed up with Vertex via email, spokesperson Eleanor Celeste declined … Read More
November 14, 2024
CRISPR builds a big tomato that’s actually sweet
(Nature) – Deleting just two genes that control sugar production makes a more succulent fruit. Rotten tomatoes no more: growing sweeter tomatoes is possible by editing just two of the fruit’s genes. Deleting the genes increased the engineered fruits’ glucose … Read More
November 14, 2024
Man Who Received Historic Pig Kidney Transplant Did Not Die From It
(Gizmodo) – Doctors say that Richard Slayman’s body did not reject a pig kidney modified to become more compatible with human biology. A historic medical accomplishment that ended in tragedy may yet have a silver lining. Doctors say that Richard … Read More
November 13, 2024
AI-Assisted Genome Studies Are Riddled with Errors
(The Scientist) – Researchers used artificial intelligence in large genomics studies to fill in gaps in patient information and improve predictions, but new research uncovers false positives and misleading correlations. With AI-assisted GWAS [genome-wide association studies], Lu and his colleagues … Read More
November 13, 2024
A New Edition of Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy Is Now Available
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy (vol. 27, no. 4, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
November 12, 2024
23andMe Lays Off 40% of Staff, Shuts Drug Development Business
(Wall Street Journal) – DNA-testing company 23andMe said on Monday that it was firing roughly 40% of its workforce, more than 200 people, as Chief Executive Anne Wojcicki seeks to stabilize her money-losing business. As part of the restructuring, the … Read More
November 12, 2024
Genetic Discrimination Is Coming for Us All
(The Atlantic) – Gaps in the United States’ genetic-nondiscrimination law mean that life, long-term-care, and disability insurers can obligate their customers to disclose genetic risk factors for disease and deny them coverage (or hike prices) based on the resulting information. … Read More
November 11, 2024
A New Edition of European Journal of Human Genetics Is Now Available
European Journal of Human Genetics (vol. 32, no. 10, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
November 8, 2024
World-first stem-cell treatment restores vision in people
(Nature) – Three people with severely impaired vision who received stem-cell transplants have experienced substantial improvements in their sight that have persisted for more than a year. A fourth person with severely impaired vision also experienced gains in their sight, … Read More
November 7, 2024
Will South Africa become first country to accept controversial form of human genome editing?
(Nature) – Scientists raise the alarm following updated research ethics guidelines on heritable human genome editing. Researchers have voiced concerns after South Africa updated its health-research ethics guidelines to include a new section on heritable (or germline) human genome editing. … Read More
November 7, 2024
Study raises hopes of treating aggressive cancers by zapping rogue DNA
(The Guardian) – Tumours could be reduced by targeting genetic material driving their growth with a new drug in early-stage trials Scientists have raised hopes of treating some of the most aggressive cases of cancer by targeting small fragments of … Read More
November 6, 2024
A New Edition of Journal of Medical Ethics Is Now Available
Journal of Medical Ethics (vol. 50, no. 11, 2024) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
November 4, 2024
A ‘Crazy’ Idea for Treating Autoimmune Diseases Might Actually Work
(The Atlantic) – Lupus cannot be cured. No autoimmune disease can be cured. Two years ago, however, a study came out of Germany that rocked all of these assumptions. Five patients with uncontrolled lupus went into complete remission after undergoing … Read More
November 4, 2024
Deal reached on proceeds from DNA data-sharing
(Axios) – Almost 200 countries at a UN biodiversity conference in Colombia agreed on a system for distributing proceeds from products derived from genetic information into a global conservation fund. Why it matters: Countries are seeking fair compensation for their … Read More
October 31, 2024
Being Sugar-Deprived Had Major Effects on These Childrens’ Health
(New York Times) – People who were restricted to limited amounts of sugar in the first few years of life were less likely to develop diabetes and high blood pressure decades later, a new study has found. The study, published … Read More
October 30, 2024
An Easier-to-Use Technique for Storing Data in DNA Is Inspired by Our Cells
(MIT Technology Review) – It turns out that you don’t need to be a scientist to encode data in DNA. Researchers have been working on DNA-based data storage for decades, but a new template-based method inspired by our cells’ chemical … Read More
October 24, 2024
Google, Microsoft, and Perplexity Are Promoting Scientific Racism in Search Results
(Wired) – The web’s biggest AI-powered search engines are featuring the widely debunked idea that white people are genetically superior to other races. AI-infused search engines from Google, Microsoft, and Perplexity have been surfacing deeply racist and widely debunked research … Read More
October 23, 2024
What is genomic prediction and can embryos really be ‘screened for IQ’?
(The Guardian) – There is broad scientific consensus that intelligence is partly inherited and that genes play a significant role. But pinning this incredibly complex trait down to precise contributions from specific genes is a far more thorny scientific challenge … Read More
October 23, 2024
DNA stores data in bits after epigenetic upgrade
(Nature) – ‘Bricks’ of DNA, some of which have chemical tags, could one day be an alternative to storing information electronically. An innovative method now allows DNA to store information as a binary code — the same strings of 0s … Read More
October 22, 2024
Life Without Sickle Cell Beckons Boy Who Completed Gene Therapy
(New York Times) – After 44 days, Kendric Cromer, 12, left the hospital. While his family feels fortunate that he was the first to receive a treatment, their difficult experiences hint at what others will be up against. Kendric Cromer, … Read More
