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:
Genetic Ethics
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
October 18, 2024
US startup charging couples to ‘screen embryos for IQ’
(The Guardian) – Heliospect’s services were marketed at up to $50,000 for 100 embryos, undercover footage shows A US startup company is offering to help wealthy couples screen their embryos for IQ using controversial technology that raises questions about the … Read More
October 16, 2024
GSK sues Moderna over mRNA vaccine technology
(Axios) – GlaxoSmithKline is suing Moderna for allegedly using technology patented by GSK in its COVID-19 vaccine. Why it matters: It’s the latest in a series of legal fights over who owns the intellectual property behind mRNA technology and whether … Read More
October 14, 2024
How to…Delete Your 23andMe Data
(MIT Technology Review) – Deleting your data from 23andMe is permanent and cannot be reversed. But some of that data will be retained to comply with the company’s legal obligations, according to its privacy statement. That means 23andMe and its … Read More
October 10, 2024
Can We Prevent Cancer With a Shot?
(Wall Street Journal) – Vaccines designed to prevent cancer for high-risk groups are in early human trials Researchers are making progress toward vaccines that train healthy people’s immune systems to eliminate signs of cancer before it develops. Vaccines are in … Read More
October 7, 2024
Nobel Prize in medicine goes to two American biologists for work on the discovery of microRNA
(CNN) – The 2024 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine has been awarded to US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their work on the discovery of microRNA, a molecule that governs how cells in the body function. Their … Read More
October 4, 2024
World-first therapy using donor cells sends autoimmune diseases into remission
(Nature) – The treatment’s success in three people raises hopes for mass production of cutting-edge CAR T therapies. One woman and two men with severe autoimmune conditions have gone into remission after being treated with bioengineered and CRISPR-modified immune cells. … Read More
October 2, 2024
In Genetic Data, Gaps That Affect Indigenous Communities
(Undark) – Precision medicine relies on genetic data that’s lacking in Latin America — especially for Indigenous groups. At stake is the practice of precision or personalized medicine, which uses individual variability, including genes, to make decisions regarding diagnosis or … Read More
September 30, 2024
Remember That DNA You Gave 23andMe?
(The Atlantic) – The company is in trouble, and anyone who has spit into one of the company’s test tubes should be concerned. 23andMe is not doing well. Its stock is on the verge of being delisted. It shut down … Read More
September 27, 2024
Space travel is dangerous. Could genetic testing and gene editing make it safer?
(MIT Technology Review) – Long-distance space travel can wreak havoc on human health. There’s radiation and microgravity to contend with, as well as the psychological toll of isolation and confinement. Research on identical twin astronauts has also revealed a slew … Read More
September 26, 2024
Two Nobel Prize winners want to cancel their own CRISPR patents in Europe
(MIT Technology Review) – In the decade-long fight to control CRISPR, the super-tool for modifying DNA, it’s been common for lawyers to try to overturn patents held by competitors by pointing out errors or inconsistencies. But now, in a surprise … Read More
September 23, 2024
Targeting the Racial Disparity in Kidney Disease
(Knowable Magazine) – Some people of West African descent face a higher risk of renal failure. New drugs based on gene research may help right the ship — if they can reach everyone who needs them. The result was exciting. … Read More
September 20, 2024
Doctors Said These Women’s Mutated Genes Wouldn’t Harm Them
(The Atlantic) – Deb Jenssen never wanted her children to suffer from the disease that killed her brother at 28. The illness, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, initially manifests in childhood as trouble with strength and walking, then worsens until the heart … Read More
