(Image credit: medicineworld.org) 
This week b5 media’s Health and Wellness channel is focusing on celebrities health.  Our focus is not on ‘tittle tattle’  and hot gossip about Angelina, Brad or ’Tomkat’ but rather a serious look at health issues that high profile individuals share with all of us. 
In the genetics world, our ‘celebrities’ are the likes of Craig Venter and James Watson – pioneering geneticists but basking in the eye of the media.
The race to sequence genomes has resulted in some major PR, particularly for Craig and James. 454 is sequencing James Watson’s genome and Craig has announced some of his results in PLoS.  TV …read more

 (Tasmanian Tiger – photo credit www.bbc.co.uk/news)
Using transgenic mice, Australian and American researchers have shown that they can “resurrect” a snippet of DNA from the genome of an extinct animal — the Tasmanian tiger — and test its biological function in a living animal.   The last Tasmanian Tiger died in an Australian zoo in 1936 having been hunted to extinction.
Dr Andrew Pask, of the Department of Zoology at Melbourne University, who led the research, said it was the first time that DNA from an extinct species had been used to carry out a function in a living organism.
“As more and more …read more

 
Osteoporosis 
(Image source: www.soylabs.com) 
An extensive genome-wide search has been undertaken to find the genes linked to osteoporosis and fracture. Five regions of interest have been identified that appear to warrant further scientific investigation.
The Garvan Institute for Medical Research collaborated with the Icelandic genetics company, deCode, in a project that looked at 1500 women from Garvan’s Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study as well as more than 12,000 women from Iceland and Denmark.
The collaborative study examined more than 300,000 such markers and found 12 that were linked to bone mineral density and 6 linked to fragility fractures. Some of these SNPs are close to genes …read more

(Photo: Breast cancer cell , courtesy www.hopeforcancer.com)
Scientists believe they have identified a gene that may be able to limit the growth of breast cancer tumors.
The US National Cancer Institute, led by geneticist Kent Hunter found in tests on mice that tumors containing the bromodomain 4  or Brd4 gene ended up 10 times smaller than ones that did not.
In typically growing cells, Brd4 is a nuclear protein that’s associated with chromatin. It apparently influences DNA replication and cell cycle progression. Because of its previously identified physical interaction with an invasiveness-suppressing GTPase activating protein called Sipa1, Hunter and his colleagues decided to delve into …read more

 
KQED Public Broadcasting in San Francisco recently did a radio story about the UC San Francisco Canine Behavioral Genetics Project run in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania. The aims of the project are:
1. To explore the relationship between genes and behavior, both normal and abnormal, in domestic dogs.
2. To assess the amount and nature of genetic diversity in domestic dogs, both within and between breeds. 
Melanie Chang of the CBG project
Anyone wishing to send in their dog’s DNA can visit the site:
http://www.k9behavioralgenetics.com/ 
Dog DNA samples waiting to be processed at the CBG project 
However, it is often said dogs and their owners resemble each other. …read more

G&H’s INTERVIEW WITH NAVIGENICS
Navigenics approached Genetics and Health for an interview. With so much written about similar genomics companies such as 23andme, Knome, deCODE genetics, I was intrigued to learn more about this company.  In particular, Navigenics appears to be the only company within this industry genre who provides a comprehensive wellness model – a healthcare model that Opaldia, the genetic screening and health surveillance company I founded, endorsed whole-heartedly. 
I interviewed Navigenics’ Medical Director Dr Michael A Nierenberg MD, clinical professor of medicine, emeritus at Stanford University to find out what makes Navigenics stand out amongst its competition.  He was …read more

Icelandic company deCode Genetics has announced it has signed a Letter of Intent to offer its genetic testing products to US Preventative Medicine customers.
US Preventative Medicine is a Dallas based company. The company has developed a suite of prevention, early detection and chronic condition management products and services that improve health outcomes while reducing health care costs.  It’s products are as follows:

“The signing of the letter of intent with DeCode is significant because we will be the first entity in the US and internationally to offer a full continuum of geographically dispersed, comprehensive solutions for personalized medicine,” Christopher Fey, chairman …read more

As readers of Genetics and Health know, I am vocal in my support of providing patients with a wealth of education, information and advice before, during and after they undergo a genetic test.
With this in mind, Navigenics is a company I have had my eye on for some-while.  The company offers a comprehensive SNP based genetic risk assessment screen but has placed great emphasis on the ‘preventative health, wellness and ongoing support’ aspect for its customers and members.
Navigenics kindly agreed to be interviewed on all aspects of the company’s service, its philosophy and also provided comment on the various ethical and scientific debates that are currently raging around the whole subject of …read more

In January, The New England Journal of Medicine published an article criticizing the popularization of genetic testing by companies such as 23andme, deCode, Navigenics and Knome who doctors believe are introducing genetic testing prematurely into a commercial setting and confusing public and medics alike.  The authors of this article coined the phrase ‘recreational genomics’ for this type of testing.
While all of these companies claim that their tests should not be used as the basis for medical decisions, some physicians are concerned that customers for these tests will nevertheless begin seeking medical direction based on their results.  Doctors have been unprepared for the genetic advice they need …read more

Peripheral artery disease image showing ‘furring up’ of arteries 
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD) can affect the arteries, the veins or the lymph vessels. The most common and important type of PVD is peripheral artery disease, which affects about 8 million Americans.  It becomes more common as a person gets older, and by age 65, about 12 to 20 % of the population has it. Diagnosis is critical, as people with peripheral artery disease have a four to five times higher risk of heart attack or stroke. 
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) results from fatty deposits (plaque) that build up in the arteries outside the heart (peripheral arteries); mainly the …read more