Last month I told you about an innovative partnership that brings community healthcare into the 21st century. The Genomic Medicine Institute was launched at Silicon Valley’s El Camino Hospital together with DNA Direct to enable physicians and their patients access to leading-edge genomic services.

Physician studying DNA radiograph. Image: Newscom

Genomic Medicine Institute was created so that patients can be better directed in their decisions about their medical conditions, especially when it comes to using genetic tests and counseling. For example, when someone finds out she has breast cancer, one of the questions that is asked is will she pass it to her daughter? Should she tell her sisters about it? Should she have mastectomy? Should her daughter have mastectomies? Difficult questions like these can best be answered when the physician and a genetic counselor work together to get patients a comprehensive answer.

And the people of Silicon Valley, California have that kind of access with the newly launched Genomic Medicine Institute.

I talked with DNA Direct CEO Ryan Phelan about some of the details that her company is doing as partner of the Genomic Medicine Institute:

• DNA Direct is a “guidance and decision support” for genomic medicine.
• The company provides education and support for the physician in making informed decisions about his patient’s medical needs, including genetic issues.
• The company also provides information and counseling for the patient through their expert genetic counselors.
• DNA Direct is not a genetic testing company and does not make money off testing services.

Ryan Phelan talked about these points in detail in my interview, which you can read after the cut.

Read more

It may be unconventional to post a promo trailer on a genetics site, but I’ve been waiting for this film since I first heard of it.

“My Sister’s Keeper” is the story of two young sisters whose lives would be intertwined beyond their control. Kate is the older sister – beautiful, graceful and living with a rare genetic disease called acute promyelocytic leukemia. Anna is three years younger – genetically engineered and conceived to be a genetic match for Kate. Whatever Kate’s body needs – cord blood, blood, bone marrow, kidney – Anna is the donor. How many times can you save your sister’s life?

Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva star in “My Sister’s Keeper”. Image: Bauer Griffin

“Genetically engineered to be a donor” sounds so unethical and far-fetch that it’s the stuff thriller films are made of. I don’t know how close this idea is to real life but the drama comes closer to home when it’s brought in the context of saving one’s family or child.

An adaptation from a novel by Jodi  Picoult, “My Sister’s Keeper” gets released to US theaters on 26 June 2009.

Logo by Ricardo at My Biotech Life

Gene Genie Genetics Carnival #33  is hosted by Mo from Neurophilosophy.  

Mo has a great series of genetics related articles from all the best genetics blogs in the world.  In this edition, there is a strong emphasis on cancer. There’s also a focus on leukodystrophy, and a special section on personalized genetics.

Well worth a read!

Elaine Warburton  www.geneticsandhealth.com

Logo credit: Ricardo @ mybiotechlife

A big thanks to Walter Jessen at Highlight Health for hosting this month’s Gene Genie genetics Carnival where Genetics and Health is included.  Walter has a great round-up of this months genetics’ news.

http://www.highlighthealth.com/blog-events/gene-genie-32-googling-the-genie/

Elaine Warburton  www.geneticsandhealth.com

(Image courtesy of Ricardo Vidal at My Biotech Life) 

Many thanks to Razib at Gene Expression for hosting Gene Genie#30, the carnival of genetics blogs. Click on the following link to get a great summary on all that is happening in the genetics blog word.  There are some great articles, including some from G&H.

http://scienceblogs.com/gnxp/2008/04/gene_genie_30.php

Here are links to all the previous Gene Genie Carnivals.

• Issue #1: Scienceroll
• Issue #2: Sciencesque
• Issue #3: Genetics and Health
• Issue #4: Sandwalk
• Issue #5: Neurophilosophy
• Issue #6: Scienceroll
• Issue #7: Gene Sherpa
• Issue #8: Eye on DNA
• Issue #9: DNA Direct Talk
• Issue #10: Genomicron
• Issue #11: Med Journal Watch
• Issue #12: My Biotech Life
• Issue #13: The Genetic Genealogist
• Issue #14: MicrobiologyBytes
• Issue #15: Cancer Genetics
• Issue #16: Neurophilosophy
• Issue #17: The Gene Sherpa
• Issue #18: Eye on DNA
• Issue #19: Scienceroll
• Issue #20: Bitesize Bio
• Issue #21: BabyLab
• Issue #22: Sandwalk
• Issue #23: Scienceroll
• Issue #24: biomarker-driven mental health 2.0
• Issue #25: The Gene Sherpa
• Issue #26: Sciencebase
• Issue #27: DNA Direct Talk
• Issue #28: Greg Laden’s Blog
• Issue #29: My Biotech Life
• Issue #30: Gene Expression

Happy reading!

Elaine Warburton  www.geneticsandhealth.com

Fellow science blogger Pharyngula has blogged this but I just have to show Genetics and Health readers this wonderful video showing dolphins’ version of home entertainment!

Elaine Warburton

Grace at Kids Health Notes and Kristina at Autism Vox have both written about the gene CNTNAP2 being unequivocally implicated in Type 1 Autism.

In her article CNTNAP2, an autism susceptibility gene which I highly recommend,  Kristina writes a personal account of her ongoing experience with her son Charlie’s autism and discusses the recent research findings.

Do read Grace’s article titled CNTNAP2 ‘unequivocally implicated’ in Type 1 autism which summarizes the three main pieces of research appearing in the American Journal of Genetics.

For the scientists:

Contactin Associated Protein-Like 2 is also known as CDFE; NRXN4; CASPR2; DKFZp781D1846. This gene encodes a member of the neurexin family which functions in the vertebrate nervous system as cell adhesion molecules and receptors. This protein, like other neurexin proteins, contains epidermal growth factor repeats and laminin G domains. In addition, it includes an F5/8 type C domain, discoidin/neuropilin- and fibrinogen-like domains, thrombospondin N-terminal-like domains and a putative PDZ binding site. This protein is localized at the juxtaparanodes of myelinated axons and associated with potassium channels. It may play a role in the local differentiation of the axon into distinct functional subdomains. This gene encompasses almost 1.5% of chromosome 7 and is one of the largest genes in the human genome. It may represent a positional candidate gene for the DFNB13 form of nonsyndromic deafness.

Genomic position - chromosome: 7; Location: 7q35-q36

Elaine Warburton

 (From The DNA Store)

b5’s Science and Health channel correspondents are coming together to bring you our Top 5 lists for Christmas and holidays … each of us with different slant!

Here at Genetics and Health we are recomneding the following …

Straight in at Number 1 and this has to be YOUR New Year’s resolution

….. if you’ve got a family history of health problems or are worried about any aspect of your health and wellbeing  - get yourself regularly checked out  - your good health is your number one priority. Only you can look after yourself!

Now for some festive gifts:

1. Total genome analysis ($350,000) - For the man or woman in your life that has everything www.gnome.com

2. Partial genome analysis ($1,000) - For the man or woman in your life that has everything but your purse doesn’t stretch to a second mortgage www.decodeme.com, www.23andme.com, www.navigenics.com

3. SNP analysis for certain diseases ($300) -  A perfect gift for your loved one to show them you want them around for years to come www.decode.com (diabetes and heart risk), www.intergenetics.com (breast cancer risk)

4.  DNA Archive ($175) - great for all the family and best still it lasts forever! Check out DNA Direct:    DNA Storage

5. Still uncertain? Then browse The DNA Store - there’s something for everyone that will suit every purse!

                                 (From The DNA Store)                                                                                                                            

Happy shopping!!

Elaine Warburton

Almost forgot to let you know that I guest posted in Gloria’s excellent Cancer Commentary.  I wrote about why African-American men are more predisposed to developing prostate cancer.

http://www.cancercommentary.com/2007/11/15/why-african-american-men-maybe-more-at-risk-of-developing-prostate-cancer/

Elaine

My fellow b5 Science and Health journalist Grace at Kids Health Notes wrote a most interesting article in response to Dr James Watson’s less than helpful comments on intelligence and culture which I have previously alluded to in my article Dr James Watson co-founder of DNA - retires

I would also like to add my opinion on genetics and its impact on individual cultures.  Although we have a fundamental right to freedom of speech, there are boundaries which should not be crossed for fear of causing immense offense. 

I believe cultures evolved and adapted to suit the environment they were inhabiting.  As these cultures migrated and settled around the world, they took their inherited behavioural traits with them.  Despite ’sprinkling nurture dust’ over them, inherited traits, having evolved over many thousands of years are deeply imprinted and will take many more thousands of years to remove.

Within each culture you will find ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ irrespective of race, creed or colour.  We should be embracing these wonderful differences, not mock them … after all if we were all the same, life would be insanely dull!

Elaine Warburton