Category: genetics
-
Genes influence human lifespan far more than thought, new study suggests
Genes influence human lifespan far more than thought, new study suggests For researchers studying aging — and thinking about how to extend our lives — a key question has been how much our genes shape our lifespans. Past studies have arrived at a range of answers. Many researchers had coalesced around an estimate that roughly…
-
STAT+: DeepMind releases AlphaGenome source code, aiming to improve its AI predictions of gene regulation
STAT+: DeepMind releases AlphaGenome source code, aiming to improve its AI predictions of gene regulation When the world’s scientists finally pieced together a first draft of the human genome in 2003, one of the biggest surprises was just how little of it — only about 20,000 genes — are involved in the business of producing…
-
Opinion: A close friend grapples with James Watson’s complicated legacy
Opinion: A close friend grapples with James Watson’s complicated legacy Below is a lightly edited, AI-generated transcript of the “First Opinion Podcast” interview with Nancy Hopkins. Be sure to sign up for the weekly “First Opinion Podcast” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get alerts about each new episode by signing up for…
-
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers When biologist James Watson died on Thursday at age 97, it brought down the curtain on 20th-century biology the way the deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson on the same day in 1826 (July 4, since the universe apparently…
-
STAT+: Scientific panel puts new guardrails around stem cell-based embryo models
STAT+: Scientific panel puts new guardrails around stem cell-based embryo models An influential scientific panel is pumping the brakes on stem cell-based embryo models — an umbrella term for the increasingly complex structures researchers are building from stem cells and growing in the lab to mimic aspects of embryonic development. In new guidelines released Monday,…
-
Researchers sequence complex parts of human genome, expanding the future of precision medicine
Researchers sequence complex parts of human genome, expanding the future of precision medicine Complex regions of the human genome remained uncharted, even after researchers sequenced the genome in its entirety. That is, until today. Researchers decoded DNA segments involved in the development of diseases like diabetes and spinal muscular atrophy that had previously been considered…
-
Estimating Disease Rates Without Diagnosis
Estimating Disease Rates Without Diagnosis Immune genes as predictors of disease The post Estimating Disease Rates Without Diagnosis appeared first on Towards Data Science. David Wells Go to original source
-
Births of eight healthy children show promise of mitochondrial replacement therapy
Births of eight healthy children show promise of mitochondrial replacement therapy LONDON — Ten years ago, U.K. policymakers gave the green light to a pioneering reproductive technology meant to spare children from being born with types of rare but sometimes fatal diseases caused by genetic mutations in the powerplants of cells. The method involved combining…
-
STAT+: Sarepta reports second patient death after treatment with Duchenne gene therapy
STAT+: Sarepta reports second patient death after treatment with Duchenne gene therapy Sarepta Therapeutics said Sunday that it was halting shipments of its Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy for patients who can no longer walk, following the death of a second person who received the treatment. Sarepta disclosed the first patient death — a 16-year-old…
-
STAT+: Anne Wojcicki wins back 23andMe, this time as a nonprofit
STAT+: Anne Wojcicki wins back 23andMe, this time as a nonprofit A nonprofit led by Anne Wojcicki, the co-founder and long-time CEO of genetic data firm 23andMe, won a last-minute bidding war to buy most of the company’s assets for a price of $305 million, the company said in a press release. The news, reported…
-
STAT+: 23andMe leaders grilled on genetic data risks by federal lawmakers
STAT+: 23andMe leaders grilled on genetic data risks by federal lawmakers Since 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in March, 1.9 million of its 15 million DNA testing customers have asked the company to delete their data, interim CEO Joe Selsavage told federal lawmakers on Tuesday. The future of the company’s genetic hoard is uncertain as 23andMe…
-
Massive NIH study challenges use of race as a proxy for genetic ancestry in research
Massive NIH study challenges use of race as a proxy for genetic ancestry in research A large government study published Thursday shows more definitively than ever before that Americans’ self-reported race is a poor proxy for their genetic ancestry. Researchers said the findings have major implications for the way health disparities are studied, and how…
-
STAT+: Day 1 at ASGCT: Missing scientists, a gene editing failure, and a gene editing first
STAT+: Day 1 at ASGCT: Missing scientists, a gene editing failure, and a gene editing first NEW ORLEANS — The mood at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy isn’t amazing. The biotech market has been bad for years. The FDA and NIH are shrouded in uncertainty. But many researchers…
-
STAT+: Scientific societies call for a moratorium on using CRISPR to create genetically modified children
STAT+: Scientific societies call for a moratorium on using CRISPR to create genetically modified children Leading trade organizations representing the makers of cell and gene therapies are calling for a 10-year international moratorium on the use of CRISPR and other DNA-editing tools to create genetically modified children, according to a draft of the declaration provided…