Deleting A Part of Us?

TAG of the Week:

Scientists are now more accurately and cheaply able to alter genome sites simultaneously adding or deleting genes in living cells.  What are some of the ways in which this new technology can be applied in both the medical and non-medical fields?

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/editing-the-genome-with-high-precision-0103.html

Fancy Prenatal Testing

TAG of the Week:

“New prenatal genetic test gives parents more answers”

The “unknown” is a scary concept.  For mothers-to-be, prenatal genetic tests help to alleviate some of this uncertainty in having healthy and happy pregnancy.  Current screening and diagnostic methods have their limitations and often test for specific conditions.

In regards to prenatal microarray testing - is knowing more necessarily better?  What are some pros and cons of delivering all of these results vs. more specific results from less comprehensive test methods?  Who would benefit from microarray testing?  And who wouldn’t?

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/06/new-genetic-test-gives-parents-more-answers/?iref=allsearch

Resistance to HIV

TAG of the Week:

Possible HIV resistance gene—hope for new drug targets

According to some recent studies, scientists think that a specific mutation in the CCR5 gene may contribute to “HIV-safety.” It hinders the HIV virus from entering the cell, thus making a person sick. This is a huge breakthrough, although it is not the whole story for HIV resistance. There are also some forms of HIV that can still infect those with the CCR5 mutation. As discussed in this article, the mutation may seem like a miracle drug target, but it could have negative consequences, such as resistance to this type of CCR5 mutation and a new strain of HIV. If you were a public health professional, what does this new development mean for the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa and other highly epidemic areas?

http://genetics.thetech.org/original_news/news13

TAG of the Week:

Who should have access to a person’s genetic information stored by private companies.   With company  acqusitions occuring like the one with Amgen and deCODE, will consumers find the rules concerning the use of their genetic information will change when companies get bought and sold?  What will happen if foreign companies buy American companies with stores of genetic information that do not have the same medical privacy laws we have in the US?

http://www.genomicslawreport.com/index.php/2012/12/11/as-decode-departs-23andme-reloads/

Are we born to be Violent?

TAG of the Week:  Are we born to be Violent?


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To add to the nature vs nurture debate, scientists have mapped chemical changes that occur in the brain when exposed to violence in childhood.  Will genomics uncover genes or gene combinations that predict violent behavior, and can this technology be used to prevent or limit exposure to violence for people who are genetically predisposed?  Is it ethical to target people that may never commit violence by altering their environment in response to their genomes?

 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130115090215.htm