Genetics

ARGONNE, Ill. -- June 9, 2008 -- The Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology (IGSB), a joint venture of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago, has acquired two new instruments that provide an enhanced ability to sequence genomes more quickly and broadly.

Argonne's genomics research is primarily funded DOE's Office of Science, which supports research that provides a fundamental scientific understanding of plants and microbes necessary to develop strategies for sequestering carbon gases, producing biofuels and cleaning up waste.    » read more »

May 26, 2008 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have found that carrying a common genetic disorder doubles the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers.

The study is published in the May 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association.

Cigarette butts: Photo by mfshadow (CC)    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement after the President signed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 493) into law:

"The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act will protect all Americans from discrimination by insurance companies and employers on the basis of genetics, and I commend the President for signing it into law.

Senator Barack Obama: Photo by Ryan Glenn (CC)

"This landmark legislation will strengthen our privacy and civil rights protections in this new century of medical breakthroughs.    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank the members of Congress who've joined us as I sign the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, a piece of legislation which prohibits health insurers and employers from discriminating on the basis of genetic information.    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to President Bush signing the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act into law.

Melissa Wagoner, spokeswoman for Senator Kennedy, said, "Today, the President signed what Senator Kennedy calls the first civil rights law of the century of the life sciences. This bipartisan legislation continues Senator Kennedy's ongoing commitment to a fairer and more just America, by barring discrimination on the basis of an individual's DNA code, just as the nation has previously prohibited discrimination based on race, gender or national origin."

Source: Senator Ted Kennedy's office

May 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Hillary Clinton today issued the following statement on the President’s signing into law of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act.

“Today our nation has struck down a barrier that has for too long threatened the privacy and equality of many Americans. Personal genetic information will no longer stand in the way of anyone’s ability to obtain health care. The fear of discrimination must never stop people from undergoing critical tests for genetic illnesses.    » read more »

(As Prepared for Delivery)

April 24, 2008 -- Today, the Senate is considering the first major new civil rights bill of the new century. Five years ago this week, we celebrated a milestone that once seemed unimaginable – the completion of the Human Genome Project, which sequenced and mapped all of the genes in the human body. This Friday is “DNA Day,” when we pay tribute to this amazing accomplishment, which was the dawn of a new era in the life sciences.    » read more »

April 24, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement after the Senate's passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 493):

"I am proud the Senate passed landmark legislation today to protect all Americans from discrimination by insurance companies and employers on the basis of our genetics. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act will strengthen our privacy and civil rights protections in this new century of medical breakthroughs.

Automated DNA analyzers: Photo by Steve Jurvetson (CC)    » read more »

Flooding brain with "pleasure chemical" receptors works on cocaine, as on alcohol

April 16, 2008 -- UPTON, NY - Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have shown that increasing the brain level of receptors for dopamine, a pleasure-related chemical, can reduce use of cocaine by 75 percent in rats trained to self-administer it.

Peter Thanos: Photo courtesy Brookhaven Labs    » read more »

February 1, 2008 -- MIAMI – Florida Governor Charlie Crist today joined Speaker Marco Rubio and University of Miami President Donna Shalala to announce the creation of the University of Miami Human Genomics Institute.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to Florida’s success in establishing one of the top biotechnology centers in the nation,” said Governor Crist. “The Miami institute, along with Florida’s other innovative life science projects, will help medical doctors do a better job of preventing, detecting, and treating diseases.”    » read more »

The National Office of Public Health Genomics (NOPHG) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established the independent, non-federal Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention (EGAPP) Working Group in 2005 to support the development of a systematic process for evaluating genetic tests in clinical practice. Reliable, evidence-based information is urgently needed by health care providers, consumers, policy makers, and others to help determine which genetic tests are safe and effective, and to provide guidance on their appropriate use.    » read more »

Nov. 26, 2007 -- The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Arizona Department of Health Services have been awarded a highly competitive Arizona Biomedical Research Commission (ABRC) grant to study the genome of the fungus that causes Valley Fever, a respiratory illness caused by the inhalation of fungal spores that live in the soils of the desert southwest. This research will result in new analytical tools that will help determine where Valley Fever comes from, how transmission occurs, and a way to link cases to sites of exposure.    » read more »

Urge Public to Discuss Ethical Implications

Ancient Olympians were known to seek potions from astrologers to gain victory on the athletic field. But speakers at a AAAS co-sponsored Capitol Hill briefing warned that modern-day athletes may soon look for an advantage from a different sort of potion-maker: geneticists.

By deliberately altering their genes to increase muscle mass, quickly recover from a sprint, or more efficiently use oxygen, athletes may seek to gain an edge against their opponents.    » read more »

16 October 2007 -- Researchers have genetically engineered plants with an eye toward neutralizing toxic waste on military bases and mopping up industrial chemicals near manufacturing sites. The scientists are using the plants as a natural solution to serious environmental hazards.

It's called phyto-remediation, the use of plants to rid soil of toxic pollutants that threaten the drinking water of communities located near military or industrial sites.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2007--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight today announced the conclusion of the genetically engineered rice (GE) investigation. The investigation, which was conducted by USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Investigative and Enforcement Services in coordination with USDA's Office of the Inspector General, focused on the unintentional release of trace amounts of regulated genetically engineered rice detected in two commercial varieties of long-grain rice.    » read more »