 Monday, July 02, 2001Stem cells -- complex politics on Capitol Hill: Some staunch anti-abortion members of Congress who argue it is possible to be both "pro-life" and "pro-stem cell" are pressuring President Bush to permit federal funding for stem cell research, reported The Washington Post.
Stem cells -- A European view: A European Science Foundation policy paper recommends that studies of human stem cells from embryos and adults be allowed, reproductive cloning should not be permitted, but therapeutic cloning should be allowed.
Gene database to remain in-house: Human Genome Sciences' "pioneering database of human genes" will no longer be licensed to other firms, the New York Times reported. Company Chairman William A. Haseltine said the comopany will use the data to help its own drug development efforts, then license the rights to drugs.
"The database contains information on 90,000 human genes, Dr. Haseltine said. Scientists who sequenced the entire human genome estimate there are only about 30,000 genes, but Dr. Haseltine says those scientists are wrong."
Regenerating neurons: Increasing the expression of a single gene that is important during development dramatically improves the ability of adult neurons to regenerate, according to a University of Utah School of Medicine study announced by the National Institutes of Health.
"The finding suggests that intrinsic properties of neurons play an important role in controlling neuronal regeneration and may lead to new approaches for treating damage from stroke, spinal cord injury, and other neurological conditions."
The abstract in the Journal of Neuroscience is here. Monday, June 25, 2001Bush boosts genetic privacy: President Bush surprised some lawmakers over the weekend
by announcing his support for legislation prohibiting insurers or employers from using
genetic information to deny coverage or jobs. Here's the New York Times report.
"It is unjustified, among other reasons, because it involves little more than medical
speculation," Mr. Bush said. "A genetic predisposition toward cancer or heart disease does
not mean the condition will develop."
Thanks, George: Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-NY, welcomed Bush's comments in a brief statement. Slaughter is a longtime sponsor of such legislation, but has been
unable to get it a hearing in the House of Representatives. Considerably more information
about her activities on behalf of her bill, H.R. 602, can be found on
her web site.
Test tube "incest" case: It's just too complicated to explain here, but the BBC
and the Independent have a
go at it.
The French Health Minister, Bernard Kouchner, said yesterday that the case was "at the
frontiers of psychopathology and science fiction."
Tuesday, June 12, 2001Stem cell dispute: The Bush administration is divided on whether to fund human embryonic stem cell research, reports The Washington Post.
Low level talks: Representatives of Celera and the publicly funded Human Genome Project consortium met to talk shop, reports The New York Times.
"But it would be premature to say peace had broken out. While the foot soldiers were fraternizing across the trenches, the generals on the two sides were engaged in a shoot-out in the scientific literature as to who deserves credit for cracking the human genome."
Gene therapy for hemophilia?: Not yet, but researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston reported that a phase 1 trial in six patients with severe hemophilia A passed safety tests. Patient cells were extracted, a gene for expressing factor VIII was inserted using a non-viral gene therapy technique, and the cells were returned to the patients. No immune responses or other safety problems arose, and researchers found elevated plasma levels of factor VIII in four of the six patients. Tuesday, April 24, 2001Genetic "knowledge parks" planned: Britain will invest millions of pounds to develop collaborations of hospitals, universities and drug companies researching advances in genomics and medicine, and to recruit recruit new genetically qualified physicians and scientists to the National Health Service. Secretary of State Alan Milburn also vowed that Britain will soon place a ban on human cloning, according to stories in The Independent and The Guardian.
Sweet tooth gene? Researchers at Harvard and Mount Sinai School of Medicine say they've identified a gene that encodes a receptor for sweet stuff, which may help us understand what's going on in the system that tells what tastes sweet and what does not. Tuesday, April 03, 2001Pre-eclampsia gene: Dutch researchers say they have found a genetic mutation that may make women more susceptible to pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure during pregnancy that can result in seizures, MSNBC reported.
The abstract from The Journal of Medical Genetics is here. Monday, March 26, 2001Gene implicated in early puberty: A variant in a gene responsible for the breakdown of testosterone in the body may have a role in the early onset of puberty among girls, and may increase the risk of breast cancer. Announcements of that and other studies from the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research are here.
In another study, "researchers found that a genetic variant increased HIV-infected individuals' risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma." Several studies also discuss the potential for pharmacogenomics in cancer treatment. Cloning's hidden flaws: Cloning techniques produce serious subtle -- and not-so-subtle -- problems in many animals, some of which don't show up for a long time, reports the New York Times. The problems raise further questions about proposals for human cloning.
"All the evidence so far, scientists say, indicates that the breathtakingly rapid reprogramming in cloning can introduce random errors into the clone's DNA." Tuesday, March 06, 2001Arthur Caplan, regarding the Human Genome sequencing competition: "I think the battle over monetary value or commercial access is part of the smokescreen for egos, for hopes about winning prizes, for places in history books." Mixed views: Ninety percent of those polled for the UK's Human Genetic Commission say genetics research will bless us with the cures for many diseases, but a third also believe it's unethical and tampering with nature. Meanwhile, not only do 94 percent believe genetic information should be used in police investigations, a majority believes it's fine to take DNA samples from people arrested for drunk driving. The survey report is here (in PDF format) and the press release is here.
The BBC finds "an ethnic divide:" Black folks are less inclined to trust police with DNA evidence, and blacks and Asians don't put as much stock in the potential for medical advances. Sunday, February 11, 2001Small, but powerful: The first detailed analysis of the human genome reveals that a relatively small portion of our DNA -- only about 30,000 genes -- is actually devoted to making the likes of us.
The Washington Post: "The new findings show the human genome to be far more than a mere sequence of biological code written on a twisted strand of DNA. It is a dynamic and vibrant ecosystem of its own, reminiscent of the thriving world of tiny Whos that Dr. Seuss's elephant, Horton, discovered on a speck of dust."
New York Times focuses on the rivalry: "One team, Celera Genomics, has compiled a parts list of the proteins needed to make a person. The other team, a publicly funded consortium, has traced the history of how the "junk" regions of the genome accumulated and has found that small elements of the junk may play a useful role. They also discovered that human genes have been derived directly from bacteria."
The Los Angeles Times: "Where simpler organisms rely on each gene to produce a single protein, human cells are able to skip over parts of genes at times, allowing each gene to produce on average of three versions of a protein, and sometimes as many as five. This suggests that to understand the root causes of disease, researchers will have to intensively study how proteins, as well as genes, interact and how they go awry."
The Financial Times: "There were dissenting voices. William Haseltine, chairman of Human Genome Sciences, a US biotechnology company that uses a different technique to find genes, said last night that neither Celera nor the public project had data good enough to draw conclusions about the number of genes." Friday, February 09, 2001Genome conference videocast Monday: The public and private human genome sequencing projects will be published in Nature and Science next week, and the parties involved will talk about it Monday at a press conference in at the Capital Hilton in Washington D.C. You can catch the comments from the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium and Celera Genomics during the videocast starting at 10 a.m. at http://videocast.nih.gov. Similar press conferences are scheduled to be held Monday in London, Tokyo, Paris, and Berlin.
Also Monday, the Human Genome Project will release a CD-ROM-based multimedia educational kit
for high school students.
Finally, the National Human Genome Research Institute will begin a five-part lecture series, "Insights from the DNA Sequence of the Human Genome." The speakers list is here.
Wednesday, February 07, 2001Already, their Greatest Hits: After a year on the Net, GeneLetter is celebrating its birthday by reposting some articles you may have missed. Another genomics institute: The University of Pennsylvania joined the academic genomics institute bandwagon, saying it will establish a $75 million center to build on the foundation laid by the Human Genome Project. The university has committed $38 million to house the program in 13,000 square feet of a new four-story Life Sciences Building, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer. Monday, January 22, 2001Gene therapy disclosure: The Food and Drug Administration would publicly disclose more safety-related information about gene therapy trials, including study design, informed consent agreements, and adverse effects associated with the gene transfer experiment, under a proposed new rule. The text of the proposal, published in the Federal Register, can be found here. The Washington Post story on the rule can be found here (temporarily). The agency will be taking comments on the proposed rule until April 18. Genomics computing deal: Sandia National Laboratories and Celera Genomics announced they had signed an agreement to work with Compaq Computer Corp. to develop "next generation software and computer hardware solutions" necessary to do the big number crunching necessary for genomics, proteomics and other such research.
Wednesday, January 17, 2001Genes and heart disease: A study of 500 twins suggests a bigger role for genetics in the development of heart disease, reports the London Daily Telegraph.
The abstract from the Lancet is here (free registration required).
Playing catch-up: New U.S. gene patent guidelines can be found here (in PDF format). Friday, January 12, 2001Genetically modified monkeys: Researchers have introduced new genes into primates for the first time. "The technology could lead to the development of a variety of animal models of diseases having a greater resemblance to the corresponding human conditions than do any animal models now in existence," says the NIH news release.
The Oregon Health Sciences University announcement is here. And you can see a picture of ANDi, the genetically modified monkey, here.
Rhythm (as in circadian) gene: "Researchers exploring the genetic basis of a rare syndrome that causes people to fall asleep and awaken earlier than normal have pinpointed thefirst human gene that controls circadian rhythm," the Howard Hughes Medical Institute reports.
Friday, December 15, 2000And now a plant genome: Researchers have completed the first sequencing of a plant genome, Arabidopsis thaliana, and the full details are available at Nature's Genome Gateway site. (A free CD with the sequence is available, but they've only got 5,000, so don't delay!)
"Arabidopsis may be a simple plant (it's detractors call it a weed!) with only 50 identified cells types and no complex nervous system or behavioural response, but its genome is surprisingly complex."
The USDA's Agricultural Research Service discusses the implications here.
Researchers "found its ancestry to be more complex than suspected. Instead of duplicating only once, the genome has doubled at least four times. And those events occurred between 100 and 200 million years ago, about the time when dinosaurs walked the Earth..." Thursday, December 14, 2000Academic genome research programs: With a grant of $105 million from Lilly Endowment, an Indianapolis foundation, Indiana University and the IU School of Medicine announce the creation of the Indiana Genomics Initiative, with programs in genomics, bioinformatics, medical informatics, bioethics, an INGEN Scholars Program and a Biomedical Research Certificate program.
New "post-Human Genome Project" initiatives are popular. Other recent announcments include the Duke University Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy, the University of Michigan Life Sciences Initiative, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences
NAS President backsteps? Nature reports that National Academy of Sciences President Bruce Albert, after an initial statement of support for the controversial agreement under which Science will publish Celera's human genome sequence paper, now says that the deal could work for publicly funded scientists, but that the terms for private ones appear unworkable. "The data should be available both to the public sector and private," he says.
"An unusual bargain": The earlier Los Angeles Times report on the Celera - Science agreement is here. (Currently still in free database, but requires free registration)
"To its critics, the agreement appears at odds with science's long-held view that the free exchange of ideas is the best route to discovery and the advancement of knowledge...
"Officials with both Science and Celera scoffed at critics Wednesday and asserted that their agreement strikes a fine balance between researchers' need for access and the company's desire to protect its investment."
Deal sparks protest: According to Genomeweb.com, "Two leading bioinformaticists have issued a call to arms to their
colleagues in response to Science’s decision to allow Celera to submit its genome data under
special circumstances."
Public genome sequence in Nature? BioMedNet reports that the "sequence for the public version of the human genome, held at GenBank in the United
States, has been submitted for publication to the journal Nature, according to a source at
one of the centers involved in the sequencing."
The Science position is here.
"The objective of making available through peer review and publication data that is at the forefront of scientific research, and that might otherwise not be open to public scrutiny, is important for the goals of advancing science and public health. We believe we have accomplished this, in a unique situation, without setting a novel precedent."
Celera's brief announcement is here. Wednesday, December 06, 2000Cardiac arrhythmia gene therapy: Researchers at Johns Hopkins report they've successfully treated arrhythmias in pigs using gene therapy techniques.
Docs are genetic testing stumbling block: Physicians and other clinicians get a bad report card in The Washington Post (Dec. 2 edition): "Surveys confirm that most doctors and other health care professionals understand woefully little about genetics or genetic tests . . . They don't know who should get tested. They don't know which tests are most useful. And they fail miserably at interpreting and communicating genetic test results, wrongly reassuring people at risk and scaring people who have little to fear."
"What good does it do to have all the molecular genetics at your disposal if the doctor is going to draw the wrong conclusions anyway?" -- Mary-Claire King of the University of Washington.
Wednesday, November 29, 2000"Hands on your genes?" Britain's Human Genetics Commission has mounted a three-month "public consultation" -- a call for comments -- on ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI) related to genetic information. The commission has issued a discussion document entitled "Whose hands on your genes?" that is available here in either PDF or RTF format. The commission will be collecting responses to questions posed in the document through Feb. 28, 2001.
In an accompanying survey, most people (70%) said they feel they have too little information about controls on biological developments, and 71% have little or no confidence that rules and regulations are keeping pace with scientific developments.
The commission's press announcement is available here.
Autism gene: Researchers at the University of Rochester say they have identified a gene, important in early brain development, that may predispose people to developing autism. The university announcement is here. The NIH announcement is here.
Bioinformatics: The convergence of genomics and information technology is the focus of the current issue of The Scientist.
Toxicogenomics on the horizon: Using DNA chips "could offer a faster, cheaper and more accurate way to test drugs, chemicals, food additives and cosmetics" for toxicities to humans and other creatures, reports the New York Times. Following the pathway of gene expressions could reveal why a substance causes tissue damage or other problems.
Tuesday, November 21, 2000No gene patent fees?: The British government and the British licensee for patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are associated with breast cancer, are negotiating an agreement that would allow National Health Service physicians to offer tests without paying license fees, reports The Independent.
Gene patent race: According to The Guardian, patents are already pending or have been granted on more than 500,000 genes and partial gene sequences in living organisms.
Friday, November 17, 2000Biotech endorsement from Blair: UK Prime Minister Tony Blair gave an "unashamedly pro-science" speech on biotechnology issues, including stem cell research, to the European Bioscience Conference in London, reports The Guardian.
Blair: "The distinction I believe is this: Our conviction about what is natural or right should not inhibit the role of science in discovering the truth; rather it should inform our judgement about the implications and consequences of the truth science uncovers." The full text of Blair's speech is available here.
The Guardian's package on genetics ethics is here.
Thursday, November 16, 2000AIDS susceptibility: SNP analysis indicates that one variation of the immune system RANTES gene can leave individuals more susceptible to HIV infection, yet substantially prolong the time in which such individuals progress to AIDS, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reported.
Tuesday, November 14, 2000DNA database effort: Britain's Medical Research Council has awarded £8.4 million for three years of funding to extend or create 14 collections of genetic data, reports New Scientist. The collections could be valuable in identifying mutations involved in diseases in which many genes play a role.
Father figures: A research team headed by geneticist Ornella Semino at the University of Pavia says its analysis indicates 80 per cent of modern European men have inherited their Y chromosomes from two groups of Palaeolithic ancestors, one a group which spread to Europe from Central Asia 35,000 to 40,000 years ago, and a second wave of migrants from the Middle East about 25,000 years ago. Also in The New Scientist.
Structural biology factories: With the genome projects' sequencing efforts nearing conclusion, the next step is characterizing the biological activities of the proteins the genes produce. As part of that process, the science of structural biology is being automated, reports Nature.
Sunday, November 12, 2000Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: "Within a family, the ability to choose the genes of the next generation can stamp out a particular disease. On a population level, this power can, over time, alter the gene pool." A report in The Scientist. Cashing in on their genes: Isolated villages in southern Italy have been dubbed "genetic park where scientists can harvest the racially pure inhabitants' DNA to identify the causes of disease," reported the London Guardian.
"Villagers crowded into the town hall of Gioi Cilento at the weekend to toast a project they hope will bring visitors and jobs, reversing generations of poverty and emigration." Monday, November 06, 2000Gelsinger settlement: The University of Pennsylvania and the father of Jesse Gelsinger have settled the lawsuit filed by the father, Paul Gelsinger, following the death of his 18-year-old son during a gene transfer experiment last year. The death resulted in the end of such trials at Penn and more stringent regulation of such experiments. Financial details were made confidential. Here's the Reuters report on MSNBC.
"This is about fixing a system that was broken," Gelsinger said. "I am amazed at what my son has brought to light." Thursday, November 02, 2000What's next: "My dream is the eradication of common diseases." From an overview article on the impact of the genome project on the future of medicine in New Scientist.
Wednesday, November 01, 2000
Kidney disease gene: Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers at Yale and Mount Sinai medical schools reported they have located a gene that causes immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), a common kidney diseases. "IgAN, which was not previously recognized to be an inherited disorder, affects up to one percent of the population worldwide and 100,000 people in the United States," according to the HHMI report.
Puffing up the sequences: An international consortium led by the US-based Joint Genome Institute plans to sequence the genome of the puffer fish Fugu rubripes. "It is hoped that this will offer a cheap and fast route to unravelling many of the mysteries of the human genome" by adding another species to the tools available for annotating the genome, reports the journal Nature.
Gene patents: Also, in Nature's Genome Gateway section, the journal's report on Germany's decision to allow the patenting of genes. Thursday, October 05, 2000Tumor suppression switch: The tumor-suppressor genes p53 and p73 are controlled by the same activation switch, say Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Washington University School of Medicine and MIT. This identifies a new potential target for anti-cancer therapies. The HHMI announcement is here. The Nature abstracts are here and here (registration required).
NIH genomics grants:The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) announced it had awarded grants totaling $37 million for 11 Programs for Genomic Applications to identify the human genes particularly relevant to heart, lung, blood, and sleep functions.
Genetic discrimination blocked: A Hong Kong judge ruled that three men could not be denied employment as a firefighter, ambulance driver and customs officer because each had a parent affected by schizophrenia, reports the London Observer.
Tuesday, October 03, 2000DNA damage, repair and mutations: Proliferation is necessary for both repair and mutation in transgenic mouse cells -- a report in PNAS from researchers at York University.
"The importance of this technique goes beyond the present results with ENU. It offers a new approach to understanding the mutagenic mechanism of the many chemicals that are ubiquitous in our environment." -- commentary by J. Patrick O'Neill of the University of Vermont.
Monday, October 02, 2000Genome conference webcast: If you've got the time -- and the quality net connection -- you can tune in the webcast of a recent two-day conference, "Sequencing the Human Genome," held at the American Museum of Natural History (in both Real Audio and Windows Media formats). Net video isn't all that good, but this presentation probably's little worse than sitting in the back of a stuffy conference room. And when they are stalling, trying to get the slides working right, you can "fast forward."
Gene expression in the brain: Researchers at the Salk Institute of Biological Studies studied the simultaneous expression of thousands of genes in the brain using gene chip technology. Two strains of mice showed differing responses to drug-induced seizures. The study was reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Salk announcement is here.
"The results lead to the identification of differences in gene expression that may account for distinct phenotypes in inbred strains and the unique functions of specific brain regions." Tuesday, September 26, 2000Diabetes gene: Researchers from the University of Chicago and the NIH reported they have found that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene for calpain-10 are associated with type 2 diabetes. The findings are reported in Nature Genetics and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The announcement from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which supported the research, is here.
Genetics and sports: In Salon, Jon Entine asks, "It's obvious that blacks dominate certain sports while whites dominate others. Why can't we talk openly about the genetics of athletic excellence?"
Well, we can't talk intelligently about it until more people understand that race and genetics are not the same thing.
The agenda for this week's RAC meeting is here (in PDF format).
Wednesday, September 20, 2000No germline gene therapy: Human gene therapy trials in inherited traits should not be conducted because they're not safe and raise unanswered ethical questions, says a report issued by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The report, in PDF format, is here. Here's the AAAS press release.
And this advice was based on...: Georgetown University researchers surveyed -- in 1998 -- nearly 2,000 health care professionals and found that 70 percent of them reported that they had discussed the genetic component of their clients’ problems with their clients. But less than 10 percent "had a high level of confidence in their ability to provide these services" and more than 80 percent had heard little or nothing about the Human Genome Project. The study appeared in the July/August 2000 issue of Genetics in Medicine (no abstract yet available). The Georgetown press release is here.
Another obesity gene: Australian scientists said they found a new gene responsible for controlling appetite in humans. An Associated Press report at CNN.com is here.
Tuesday, September 19, 2000Eat your broccoli: A study of Chinese men found that isothiocyanates, a class of nutrient found in broccolil, cauliflower and other such vegetables, reduced the risk of lung cancer. Moreover, men with a gene that produces an enzyme to eliminate isothiocyanates from the body quickly had less protection than men with an alternate form of the gene, which doesn't produce a form of the enzyme that eliminates the nutrients. The NIH announcement is here.
Friday, September 15, 2000New gene therapy vector: Eurogene Ltd. of London says it has developed a safer gene therapy vector, using baculovirus, that can also transport more genetic information than can other vectors.
Royal disagreement: Princess Anne and Prince Philip give at least a partial thumbs up to genetic engineering. The Prince of Wales is opposed. No word yet from the Queen, apparently. Monday, September 11, 2000HLA complex research: The National Institutes of Health will spend $20 million over five years with the International Histocompatibility Working Group, a composed of some 200 laboratories in more than 70 countries, to catalog the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene complex. The complex plays a primary role in the body's immune system and determining what cells are "self" and what are not.
The announcement from NIH is here.
"A primary goal of the IHWG is to create a searchable HLA database linking multiple interacting genes with function, ethnicity and disease." -- from Science Daily. Wednesday, August 30, 2000Now open for investigation: Researchers have sequenced the genome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic bacterium that can plague people with compromised immune systems and other problems and is resistant to antibiotic regimens.
"We propose that the size and complexity of the P. aeruginosa genome reflect an evolutionary adaptation permitting it to thrive in diverse environments and resist the effects of a variety of antimicrobial substances." -- From the abstract in Nature.
New cancer treatment possibilities: A plant compound that produces severe neural defects in developing embryos can block the action of mutated genes that produce basal cell skin carcinomas, the most common form of human cancer, say Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers at Johns Hopkins.
"The finding also spotlights the promise of mechanism-based treatment approaches that target specific signaling pathways that are critical to a particular cancer."
Wednesday, August 23, 2000Stem cell research: The text of the NIH's stem cell research guidelines is here, along with summaries of the comments that were received after the publication of the draft guidelines, along with the NIH's response to those comments. For example:
Respondents commented regarding the sources of stem cells. Some respondents stated that research on hPSCs was unnecessary because stem cells from adults, umbilical cords, and placentas could be used instead. Other respondents asked the NIH to restrict Federal funding for hPSC research to those cells derived from fetal and adult tissue but not embryos. Other respondents asked that the Guidelines encompass research using stem cells from adult tissues...
"Given the enormous potential of stem cells to the development of new therapies for the most devastating diseases, it is important to simultaneously pursue all lines of promising research. It is possible that no single source of stem cells is best or even suitable/usable for all therapies. Different types or sources of stem cells may be optimal for treatment of specific conditions. In order to determine the very best source of many of the specialized cells and tissues of the body for new treatments and even cures, it is vitally important to study the potential of adult stem cells for comparison to that of hPSCs derived from embryos and fetuses. Unless all stem cell types are studied, the differences between adult stem cells and embryo and fetal-derived hPSCs will not be known."
Other links to NIH documents on stem cells are here.
Tuesday, August 22, 2000Genome evolution: "There's so much diversity that we never suspected. Genomes have bizarre properties. Evolution has played with genes so much, what we're doing is tiny. I think genetic modification of plants can have detrimental effects, but that's already happening when we move species around." -- From an interview with Indiana University biology professor Jeffrey Palmer in The Scientist.
"Race" and DNA: "... the more closely that researchers examine the human genome -- the complement of genetic material encased in the heart of almost every cell of the body -- the more most of them are convinced that the standard labels used to distinguish people by "race" have little or no biological meaning." -- The New York Times.
Friday, August 18, 2000Alzheimer's gene mapped: Icelandic firm deCODE genetics and Hoffmann-La Roche said scientists at deCODE "have successfully mapped a novel gene that contributes to the occurrence" of late-onset Alzheimer's.
From the deCODE announcement: "The location of the gene linked to Alzheimer's disease within a narrow chromosomal region was achieved through a study focusing on Alzheimer's disease as a public health problem involving 1,100 participating Icelandic patients and their unaffected relatives." Friday, August 11, 2000Immune system booster? Genetic modifications of dendritic cells could turbocharge the immune system, say researchers at the National Cancer Institute working with mice and avipox virus -- New Scientist.
Molecular motors: "The DNA motors resemble tweezers that are so small they could potentially pick up a single atom, with 30 trillion of the devices fitting into a drop of water." -- The New York Times
"We're using DNA in a very nonbiological way, as a structural material and as a fuel in some sense." -- Bernard Yurke, a physicist at Bell Labs.
The abstract in Nature is here (free registration required).
And here's the report in Nature's Science Update.
Wednesday, August 09, 2000Benefits of exotic trips: Researchers travel to the Caribbean, come back with a gene they say is linked to a form of cleft lip and cleft palate -- The Rocky Mountain News. Thursday, August 03, 2000Cholera bacterium sequenced: The Institute for Genomic Genomic Research has sequenced the two chromosomes of the pathogen responsible for a pandemic that's lasted nearly 40 years, and reported its findings in Nature.
Already, Harvard microbiologist John J. Mekalanos has created a cholera genome expression chip, the New York Times reported.
"Our ability to decipher and then understand the genomes of pathogens like these is going to have a much more immediate impact on human health than the human genome project," David Brandling-Bennett, deputy director of the Pan American Health Organization, told the Los Angeles Times. Tuesday, August 01, 2000Tell them your deepest secrets: DNA Sciences, a new California based company, is appealing to the public to donate DNA to the company's "gene trust" to help in the effort to find genes related to disease, the New York Times reports.
Not everyone is enthused:
"It is essentially being developed and hitting the spotlight without a sense of rules, ethics and social norms," Janlori Goldman, director of the health privacy project at Georgetown University, told The Times.
Meanwhile, is ELSI a dog? While scientists successfully crunched the data to produce the highly touted "draft" of the human genome, the effort to study the ethical, legal and social implications of the genome project (ELSI) is a flop, suggests GeneLetter.
"I think you could eliminate the ELSI program tomorrow and no one would miss it," Kathi E. Hanna, a science and health policy consultant based in Washington D.C., told GeneLetter. Thursday, July 27, 2000Gene gender imprinting: "Scientists are reporting evidence that genes people inherit from Dad don't always work like those from Mom." --
from the Toledo Blade.
It had to happen: Dave Barry weighs in on "deciphering the human genetic code." (via the Spokane Spokesman-Review.
(It begins: "To Whom It May Concern.") Tuesday, July 25, 2000Lots of gene news in the currrent issue of The Scientist:
Reading the Human Genome
Genetic Variation Illuminates Murky Human History
Gene Transfer in Space
DNA Surprise
Oversight of Genetic Testing Friday, July 21, 2000Hypertension gene: Discovery of the gene associated with the inherited form of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) at Columbia "is indeed a major breakthrough" the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute says in a news release. The abstract in the American Journal of Human Genetics is here.
Genetic testing: "...the new genetic information is creating new kinds of rifts, when one family member finds out what another family member does not want to know..." -- The New York Times.
Targeting DNA: The new method "should be useful in any kind of genetic engineering where genes must be inserted at a specific site, and in any genome project where the function of an unknown gene could be ascertained by disrupting it." -- The New York Times.
BRCA1 activity: BRCA1 is part of a chromatin remodeling complex called SWI/SNF, say researchers at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia. -- Reuters Health, published in The Washington Post.
Adoption swap: "Two mothers met near the Arctic Ocean, had a drink, and swapped babies. Along came a group of scientists in helicopters. The team swooped down to the ice, tested some DNA, and revealed the truth." -- Dallas Morning News.
Genes and chocolate: "Hawaii genetics specialists passed out Good News candy bars labeled 'It's a Genome' when the first mapping of the human genetic code was announced last month." --
Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
Monday, July 17, 2000Gene therapy recommendations to RAC: The NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee heard draft recommendations on new regulations for gene therapy protocols and for adverse event reporting at its June meeting.
"RAC Executive Secretary Dr. Amy Patterson warned that efforts to harmonize SAE (serious adverse event) reporting need to be carefully developed since all SAE data, included confidential and detailed information, received by RAC is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests whereas reports sent to the FDA are not made available to the public." -- report from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
According to the June 2000 Data Management Report, 402 human gene
transfer protocols have been submitted to the Office of Biotechnology
Activities. "Of the 921 (serious adverse events reported in the
current period) only 103 or 10.4 % were considered as possibly,
probably or definitely associated with the study agent and unexpected."
The report notes that in three cases in which patients were being
treated with vectors carrying genes meant to promote blood vessel
development (angiogenesis), tumors developed. Protocol and consent form
modifications were recommended. Thursday, July 13, 2000So, what causes cancer? Is it inherited genetic factors? Is it environmental factors? Is
it lifestyle? The answer is yes. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports,
not surprisingly, that a minority of cancer cases can be attributed to inherited genetic
mutations.
From the NEJM abstract:
"Inherited genetic factors make a minor contribution to susceptibility to most types of
neoplasms. This finding indicates that the environment has the principal role in causing sporadic
cancer. The relatively large effect of heritability in cancer at a few sites (such as prostate
and colorectal cancer) suggests major gaps in our knowledge of the genetics of cancer."
Heritable genetic factors may cause a minority of cancers, but at the molecular level, the
mechanisms of cancer involve genetic disruptions. To get a clear understanding of what this study
means, the average person would need to do a lot of reading -- particularly to clear up possible
confusion over the many ways "genetic" gets used.
Thus the Los Angeles
Times report, headlined "Study Ties Most Cancer to Lifestyle, Not Genetics,"
says: "The large influence of environment and lifestyle observed in this and other studies flies
in the face of a gene-centric mood in the general public fostered in part by the frenzy
surrounding the recently announced mapping of most of the human genetic code," according to Paul
Lichtenstein, associate professor of genetic epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute in
Stockholm, Sweden, and the study's lead author.
But
the Associated Press version, found in The New York Times with this headline: "Genes May
Cause 25% of 3 Major Cancers," takes this tack: "Genes may cause more than one-quarter of three
major types of cancer, more than previously thought, a group of researchers says."
In the Washington
Post: "On average, environmental factors caused about twice as many cancers as inborn genetic
factors. The study did not identify what exactly in the environment put people at risk for
specific types of cancer, but researchers said cigarettes, poor diet, lack of exercise, radiation
and pollution were among the prime culprits. Prostate cancer had the strongest genetic component,
accounting for 42 percent of the risk, followed by colorectal (35 percent) and breast cancer (27
percent).
Also from The Post: Robert N. Hoover of the National Cancer Institute said the new data show that even an identical
twin has about a 90 percent chance of not getting the same cancer as his or her affected twin. "I
think that's a useful piece of information from this study, to get away from this fatalism."
It's worth reading the NEJM editorial, written by Hoover (the full text is available on the
NEJM web site). It concludes:
"Perhaps it is time to drop the competition implied by talking about a debate over nature versus
nurture in favor of efforts to exploit every opportunity to identify and manipulate both
environmental and genetic risk factors to improve the control of cancer." Monday, July 10, 2000Gene patent debate: "Much of the time and 'intellectual capital'
invested in this process is increasingly done by computers, not
humans." -- The
Christian Science Monitor.
"Nobody has any problem with a plastic material being patented." --
Chuck Ludlam, vice president for government relations, Biotechnology
Industry Organization.
Infection control: "Someday, treatment for infectious disease
may begin by doctors asking our genes for the identity of the bacterial
or viral invader." -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Faith-based perspectives: "Genetic code is part of one's karma. My code is influenced by all actions I have done 500, maybe 10,000 years ago. Who knows what it will look like next time?" Ken Friedman, an adherent of the Soka Gakki branch of Japanese Buddhism, tells the Rocky Mountain News. Friday, July 07, 2000Salt and blood pressure: A single mutation in a protein that regulates the body's
salt balance can produce dangerously high blood pressure in pregnant women, say Yale University researchers funded
by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Also at the Howard Hughes Institute site, do some virtual DNA sequencing and
identification in the
Bacterial ID lab.
Artificial chromosomes: Scientists in British Columbia say they have shown it is
possible make artificial chromosomes that can pass from one generation to the next, New Scientist reports.
Now, on to the proteins: "Proponents of structural genomics say structure
determination is now where the genome search was about 15 years ago." -- The
New York Times.
"This is not for the faint-hearted." -- Tim Harris, president of Structural GenomiX Inc.
"It's really hack money. The concepts are to do things very quickly without thinking, and
I don't think that creates good science." -- Michael G. Rossmann, professor at Purdue
University. Wednesday, July 05, 2000
Anti-discrimination bill: The Senate votes to expand ban on genetic discrimination. "Current law bars insurers from denying coverage to the 170 million people in group health plans based on genetic testing, or from raising premiums on an individual in a group plan based on the tests. The (new measure) would extend those protections to the 13 million people who obtain insurance as individuals," reports The Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile, in Britain: The Human Genetics Commission announced it has
"set up a working group to establish a set of principles relating to
the storage, protection and use of genetic information" as part of its
work plan
following the genome draft announcements.
"Our strongest defence against the misuse of these discoveries is simply our democratic culture." -- Andrew Marr in The Observer.
"The real challenge to science is not public understanding or ethical policing, it is the degenerating skills of reporting and analysis." -- Simon Jenkins in The Times. Thursday, June 29, 2000Gene targeting in cloned animals: Scientists at PPL Therapeutics (the Dolly folks) describe in Nature their system to insert new genes and modify existing genes at precise locations in chromosomes. Think pig organs for human transplants with fewer rejection problems, and "immuno cows."
The abstract in Nature is here.
A Reuters story on the development at MSNBC.
Now, how to annotate the genome?: "The annotation is so formidable that it may need the largest Internet 'collaboratory' yet attempted" -- Nature. One idea: Use Napster. Wednesday, June 28, 2000Getting on with the real work: "It's a commonplace that the chimp genome is 99%+ identical to the human yet no-one would mistake a human for a chimp. We need to understand the rules of development, and to move beyond naive concepts of 'genes for' this or that." Steven Rose, Professor of Biology and Director Brain and Behaviour Research Group, The Open University, UK, in comments on the Sanger Center site. Considerable Genome Project background here. Tuesday, June 27, 2000Genome draft day coverage: "...even the genome carries no guarantees. Genetic researchers may dream of finding a gene and ... a Nobel Prize. But in their worst nightmares, they discover that the genes contributing to mental illness are so manifold, so tiny in their effects and so complex in their interplay that identifying them is a hopeless task." From one of a bunch 'o stories (and a DNA primer in Flash video format) in The New York Times
"The announcement marks a benchmark in genome research. Nothing is actually completed, and an enormous amount of work remains." -- Newsday. A pile of good stories here too, plus this and other graphics (clip and save!).
"Wolf Blitzer declared that the announcement will affect your health 'in the very near future.' It won't," Tabitha Powledge writes in Salon. Why? Because of all those pesky errors and gaps.
"It's a four-letter alphabet instead of 26. But we are nowhere near being able to readily write poetry with that alphabet." -- Lori Andrews, former chair of The Working Group on Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of the Human Genome Project, in the Chicago Tribune.
"We could find that we are much more related to each other than we think we are, and that there is much more variation within a group that is socially defined--like Asians or African Americans--than between the groups. How will people react to that?" -- Mildred Cho, senior research scholar at Stanford University's Center for Biomedical Ethics, in The Los Angeles Times.
The Washington Post: Celera Genomics President J. Craig Venter "said his project used DNA taken from five people, including Hispanic, African American, Caucasian and Asian individuals, 'out of respect for the diversity that is America, and to help illustrate that the concept of race has no genetic or scientific basis.'
The publicly funded genome represents a 'consensus' sequence that is a composite of a dozen anonymous people selected from about 100 volunteers who donated blood in response to advertisements years ago."
Monday, June 26, 2000It's Genome Draft Day:
The NIH announcement is here.
"The assembly reported today consists of overlapping fragments covering 97 percent of the human genome, of which sequence has already been assembled for approximately 85 percent of the genome."
The White House announcement is here.
Celera's announcement is here.
The first announcement came in London (stories at the Associated Press site).
Newsweek/MSNBC: "It was the biggest scientific grudge match since the space race."
For more background:
Meanwhile, back in the lab: "Life would be difficult without memories. And memories might be difficult without a gene called NPAS2," say Dallas scientists, reported in The Dallas Morning News. Friday, June 23, 2000The official word comes Monday: Celera Genomics schedules a press conference "to announce the first assembly of the human genome. The NIH, DOE, and international partners will announce a working draft of the human genome."
Lots of work yet to do: An essentially completed map of the human genes, expected to be announced in days, is just the beginning of a genetic revolution in medicine that may take a century to complete, reports the Associated Press. Thursday, June 22, 2000Communities of Color & Genetics Policy Project: Conducted by the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Tuskegee University, "the project will develop a process for engaging communities of color of diverse socio-economic levels in dialogues relating to genome research and its resulting technology, and ... will develop recommendations for laws, professional standards and institutional policies..."
Coffee at risk? "Gene banks" of coffee around the world are at risk due to the effects of agricultural development, drought, disease and timber cutting, reports New Scientist. Monday, June 19, 2000Iceland's national medical database: What is informed consent when a nation authorizes creation of a national database of medical and genetic information by a private for-profit company? A discussion in the June 15 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine:
Jeffrey R. Gulcher and Kari Stefansson of deCODE genetics: "An unresolved issue is whether deCODE will be allowed to ask for broad consent from participants to correlate any information in the data base with data on variance in their genomes ... without broad consent, the data base would be only an extraordinarily effective tool for classic gene mapping, rather than a revolutionary method for studying the interplay between genetics and environment in human disease and health."
George J. Annas, Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health: The primary purpose of deCODE is to collect and analyze DNA samples for commercial purposes. It is therefore surprising that nothing in the Icelandic statute specifically authorizes this activity or describes how it is to be accomplished. Because of this omission, the issues of community consultation and benefit and individual consent and benefit for research on genetic variation have yet to be dealt with in any detail in Iceland." Thursday, June 15, 2000BRCA testing and mastectomy: Just under half of 411 women known to be at risk for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations chose presymptomatic testing for the mutations, which carry a high risk of breast cancer, in a study from the Netherlands reported in The Lancet. Of those testing positive for a mutation, about half chose to undergo prophylactic mastectomy and nearly two-thirds chose prophylactic oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries). "Young women with children especially opt for DNA testing and prophylactic mastectomy." Lancet access requires free registration, summary only for non-print subscribers. Wednesday, June 14, 2000Genome deal at hand?: "Intermediaries, fearful that the race between the publicly led Human Genome Project and upstart biotech firm Celera Genomics could taint science's public reputation for objectivity, are trying to broker a deal under which the rivals would simultaneously publish separate scientific articles about their findings as early as September," reports The Los Angeles Times. Tuesday, June 13, 2000Gene therapy bubbles?: A University of Arizona researcher says he and colleagues have attached genes and drugs to ultrasound contrast agents, micron-sized bubbles that are injected into the bloodstream. The bubbles could offer a safer alternative to viral vectors used in gene therapy, reports the American Institute of Physics. Monday, June 12, 2000Developmental biology: Celera Genomics and Geron Corp. announced they'll collaborate to find genes important to "early human development." Celera provides the high-throughput genomics and Geron the expertise in pluripotent stem cells, the "mother" cells that can develop into most tissue types. Here's the plan: ID the genes and then "develop small molecule pharmaceuticals, protein therapeutics, cell and gene therapies, diagnostics, and tools for use in drug discovery and testing." Prostate cancer gene: Myriad Genetics announced discovery of a prostate cancer susceptibility gene. Myriad has "determined that inherited mutations in this gene may significantly increase the risk of prostate cancer" and said the company's analysis "indicates the potential to form the basis of a prostate cancer susceptibility test." Myriad provided no public details about the gene, but noted that the discovery bagged it a $1 million payment from Schering-Plough Corp. |
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