Category Archives: Genetics

Its a marketing trope often repeated in viral,feel-good commercials for genetic ancestry tests: If we only knew just how related we all were, even distantly, then prejudice and racism would cease to exist. But new research at the University of California, Los Angeles, finds the opposite: White supremacists do not especially care what their genetic ancestry tests show, if they reveal anything that doesnt conform with their claimed white heritage. At the same time, these genetic tests may actually be exciting to white supremacists because it gives them a scientific argument for the diversity of the European race, which helps them appropriate the language of diversity and multiculturalism for hateful purposes. The findings, presented at the American Sociological Association this week and to be published in a forthcoming journal article, are a sober reminder that it takes a lot more than genetic proof of multiethnic ancestry to dissuade hard-core racists from their hateful ideology. In fact, the tests may bolster some of their beliefs. We cant rely on genetic information to turn white nationalists away from their views, researcher Aaron Panofsky wrote in an email to HuffPost. I saw a tweet that said we should crowdfund [genetic ancestry tests] for … Continue reading →

South San Francisco, CA-based Fluidigm Corporation FLDM , a leading player in the analysis of single cells and industrial application of genomics, recently announced that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Baylor Genetics. Per the agreement, Fluidigm licensed the rights to commercialize the CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) library prep assay developed by Baylor Genetics for research purposes. This would be used with its proprietary Juno automated microfluidic system. The targeted library prep assay enables accurate identification of variants from each of the 27 exons in the CFTR gene and selected intronic regions. When combined with Fluidigm microfluidics, this solution has the potential to significantly simplify complex labor-intensive laboratory workflows and improve the efficiency of CFTR sequencing. This would invariably improve the efficiency of its Juno automated microfluidic system and help the company to capture a considerable market share. Next-generation sequencing offers a more comprehensive approach to CFTR genetic analysis by allowing a complete view of the sequence. Targeted sequencing library prep workflows, however, can be very labor-intensive. With the application of Fluidigm automated microfluidics technology, library preparation can be streamlined to provide significant efficiencies. Over the past one month, Fluidigm has underperformed the broader industry . … Continue reading →

In BriefResearchers have established a new method of controlling the movements of mice in an attempt to better understand the workings of the brain. Genetic engineered mouse brains respond to temperature and electric current with the flick of a switch. This research could help people with mental health issues. A team of researchers at the University of Buffalo has used magneto-thermal stimulation to control the movements of mice. These results were achieved working with mice that had been genetically engineered such that targeted neurons would produce ion channels sensitive and even receptive to temperature. Nanoparticles consisting of a cobalt-ferrite core coated in manganese ferrite were injected into the brain, attaching themselves to neurons. Applying an alternating magnetospherecauses the magnetization of these nanoparticles to switch back and forth, raising their temperature. As a result, the ion channels open up, causing the associated neurons to fire. This research isnt really about bossing mice around its about linking specific parts of the brain to the movements and behaviors they control. Understanding how the brain works in this respect could help develop treatments for conditions that affect particular groups of neurons, including Parkinsons disease, dystonia, and traumatic brain injuries. There is a lot of … Continue reading →

AN EAST Yorkshire company has agreed an initial five-year contract to supply beef genetics to a French co-operative. The Stabiliser Cattle Company (SCC) of Givendale, near Pocklington, York, has signed an agreement for Bovinext to be the exclusive provider of Stabiliser genetics to French breeders. Stabilisers continue to be the fastest growing breed of cattle in the UK, and their moderate, easy calving frame with high fertility and efficient feed conversion traits opened the gates to the new international export market. Laurent Rouyer, president of Bovinext, said French farmers are increasingly aware of their native breeds becoming too big for the market and not delivering consistent, high-marbled meat quality for which there is growing consumer demand. He said these factors, and the desire to increase farm margins had generated a lot of excitement on the French market with 50 breeders already making plans to use Stabiliser semen and embryos. The initial five year contract is set to deliver genetics through extensive semen sales and embryo transfers, with an initial target of 1,000 Stabiliser breeding females in France. Live cattle exports will also be a crucial component of meeting the target and the first set of breeding heifers will arrive in … Continue reading →

Gov. Pete Ricketts was on hand Tuesday to help celebrate the opening of Hendrix Genetics new hatchery in Grand Island. The $18.5 million facility at 2325 W. Schimmer Drive covers 20 acres in the northeast section of Grand Islands Platte Valley Industrial Park-East. Along with Ricketts, representatives of Hendrix Genetics from Europe and North America were in attendance. The new hatchery operation will serve 10 percent of the U.S. market demand. It is a fantastic state-of-the-art facility for this hatchery, said Ricketts, who toured the facility with Nebraska Department of Agriculture Director Greg Ibach. The governor called the plant a great example of value-added agriculture and how we are going to grow Nebraska. It is not only a $20 million investment here that will create between 40 to 50 jobs, but it is going to allow area farmers to put up these barns for the eggs that will supply this hatchery and a diversified revenue stream for those farmers who are participating, Ricketts said. The farmers who are putting up the barns to raise the eggs for Hendrix Genetics will be feeding their layers feed thats coming from out state, he said. It is an example of how we take … Continue reading →

Environment | News releases | Research | Science August 16, 2017 The documentary Chasing Coral, released on Netflix in July, is a cinematic warning about how the bleaching of coral reefs may foreshadow how these marine animals will respond to climate change. Corals are key to ocean health because they support the densest, most diverse ecosystems harboring species from turtles to algae to reef fish. University of Washington scientists are looking at the burgeoning field of coral genetics to better predict, and maybe even prepare for, corals future threats. Their new study uses modern genetic-sequencing tools to reveal the relatedness of three similar-looking corals. Porites porites can have spindlier branches (upper right) or thicker, knobbier branches (lower images). Scientists have debated whether or not they are the same species.James Dimond/University of Washington This coral appears to be three different species, but its been debated whether its really three separate species or whether its one thats really variable in its appearance, said first author James Dimond, a UW doctoral student in aquatic and fishery sciences. Defining a species matters for conservation, because you cant monitor and protect a species if you dont know it exists. In the past weve relied on … Continue reading →

I t was a strange moment of triumph against racism: The gun-slinging white supremacist Craig Cobb, dressed up for daytime TV in a dark suit and red tie, hearing that his DNA testing revealed his ancestry to be only 86 percent European, and 14 percent Sub-Saharan African. The studio audience whooped and laughed and cheered. And Cobb who was, in 2013, charged with terrorizing people while trying to create an all-white enclave in North Dakota reacted like a sore loser in the schoolyard. Wait a minute, wait a minute, hold on, just wait a minute, he said, trying to put on an all-knowing smile. This is called statistical noise. Then, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, hetook to the white nationalist website Stormfront to dispute those results. Thats not uncommon: With the rise of spit-in-a-cup genetic testing, theres a trend of white nationalists using these services to prove their racial identity, and then using online forums to discuss the results. advertisement But like Cobb, many are disappointed to find out that their ancestry is not as white as theyd hoped. In a new study, sociologists Aaron Panofsky and Joan Donovan examined years worth of posts on Stormfront to see … Continue reading →

Innovate UK has awarded a 2 million pound contract to Bath-based company, Atlas Genetics, for its diagnostic instrument (io System) and how to best adopt it into UK sexual health clinics. Atlas io system is a molecular diagnostic platform that rapidly diagnoses a broad range of infectious diseases. According to an Atlas spokesman, it offers results within 30 minutes, allowing clinical professionals to perform infectious disease tests that are as accurate as those carried out in hospital laboratories. The two-year contract will allow Atlas Genetics to collaborate with Aquarius Population Health, an independent health economics consultancy, and the Applied Diagnostic Research and Evaluation Unit (ADREU) at St Georges, University of London where they willresearch the benefits of point-of-care testing for sexual health. The company wants to further understand how to best integrate its io system into UK sexual health clinical practices and expand its research into diagnostic pathways within sexual health. The funding will also help Atlas develop its Multi-STI (MSTI) test ahead of clinical trials. The first of the various studies and evaluations conducted by St Georges using the io system started mid-2015. Atlas have collaborated with St Georges on variety of other projects including i4i, phase 1 of … Continue reading →

Industry needs to better understand the genetic differences behind high performing, selectively bred animals when developing feed, say scientists. Animals can be selectively bred to grow faster, grow to a specific size or even digest food better, among other things, but what most programs all have in common is the goal of feed efficiency. Dr Kim Bunter, senior scientist for the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit at University of New England, Australia, said it was vital feed manufacturers and others working with these improved animals, better understood animal genetics. If you dont understand genetics, you tend to have the global view that one diet fits all, at least within a class of animals, she told FeedNavigator. If you understand genetics, or even just the nature of variation between individuals - whether it be genetic or environmental in origin, then perhaps targeted or customized diets for animals would have more meaning. Bunter said that whilst the animal sector had customized diets for classes of animals with differences in weaner, grower and lactation diets, for example industry had yet to truly customize for high performing animals within that class. Animal longevity, she said, was an issue across industry with mortalities, lameness and … Continue reading →

On Aug 11, we issued an updated research report on Salt Lake City, UT-based molecular diagnostics provider, Myriad Genetics, Inc. MYGN . The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). For the past three months, Myriad has been trading above the broader industry . The company has rallied 24.7%, compared with the industry's 3.7% gain. Myriad ended fiscal 2017 on a solid note, with its fourth-quarter numbers exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The company particularly observed strong growth in EndoPredict and GeneSight testing revenues. Also, Myriad witnessed a third consecutive quarter of rise in hereditary cancer volumes. Also, it received provincial reimbursement in Quebec for EndoPredict. Notably, at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) meeting held in June in Spain, Crescendo Bioscience, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Myriad, released new data from a meta-analysis of clinical studies. The data has demonstrated the Vectra DA test's ability to predict a joint damage. The same month, the company announced that its BRACAnalysis CDxcompanion diagnostic test has successfully identified BRCA -mutated patients with HER2- metastatic breast cancer in the OlympiAD trial, who have responded to treatment with olaparib better than standard chemotherapy. Myriad's collaborations with AstraZeneca and BeiGene for development of companion diagnostics … Continue reading →