Books About DNA: Coming to Life by Christiane Nusslein-Volhard

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 9, 2008 in Books About DNA, DNA Quotes and Excerpts

Coming to Life: How Genes Drive Development by Christiane Nusslein-Volhard

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard, winner of The Nobel Prize in Medicine, gives a concise and illustrative overview of genetics, evolution, and cellular processes as well as a discussing of current ethical issues in human biology.

An excerpt from the American Scientist review of the book:

The subtitle of Nüsslein-Volhard’s book is How Genes Drive Development. That’s really the essence of her conception of developmental biology, a view that guides the organization of the book. She begins with chapters that introduce the genetic machinery, heredity, chromosomes, genes and proteins. She moves on to a brief discussion of the role of model organisms that have been crucial in developmental genetics and proceeds to the first of these, D. melanogaster.

(>> Start a discussion!)

How To Make Money Selling Personal Genomic Services

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 8, 2008 in Business of DNA

Given my limited knowledge of how to run a business (my sister’s the Harvard MBA of the family), I’d always thought having a bigger market is the key to success (as I alluded to in my previous post, Using Dispoable Income for Genetic Tests). There is, of course, another way of increasing company profits as Steve Jobs demonstrated with Apple:

Apple’s stock has shot up more than 70% over the past year, thanks to Jobs’ strategy of focusing on his most profitable customers and coming up with new things to sell them—the ultra-thin MacBook Air most recently—rather than just chasing more market share. [emphasis added]

~The 2008 Time 100

So what does this mean for personal genomics companies? Perhaps Knome with its $350,000 genome sequencing service isn’t too far off the mark.

NB: If you’ve got an extra $2500 that you don’t know what to do with, check out my list of DNA services you can buy with $2500.

(11 comments)

What does DNA mean to you? #4

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 7, 2008 in Meaning of DNA

What does DNA mean to you?

Here’s what Eric of Seqanswers says:

To me, DNA is the single most important biological molecule, in fact to everyone it is! That fact is motivation enough for me to study and try to understand it completely. It is also extremely important for fueling intense amounts of blogging.

(>> Start a discussion!)

Using Disposable Income for Genetic Tests

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 6, 2008 in DNA Testing

The New York Times reported this past weekend that more people are having problems obtaining affordable health insurance. On top of the budget constraints people face during a recession, even those who are covered by employer health insurance have to deal with “some combination of higher premiums, less extensive coverage, and bigger out-of-pocket deductibles and co-payments.” This means that many skip routine check-ups and avoid seeing the doctor unless absolutely necessary.

The majority of U.S. tax payers this year will be receiving several hundreds of dollars in tax rebates. Here’s what people plan to do with the money according to a survey by the NPD Group :

• 42% would pay bills
• 21% would put the money into savings
• 12% would spend the money on discretionary items

How does this affect the potential market for genetic services? If people can’t even afford to pay for necessary maintenance medication, eye glasses, or diabetes test strips, how do personal genomics companies expect to expand their market for elective health services? And yet, direct-to-consumer genetic testing is more widely available in the U.S. than in any other country.

Where socialized medicine prevails in countries such as the UK, Singapore, and Iceland, it seems that people would have more disposable income to spend on optional healthcare. It would be interesting to see the uptake of personal genomic services in countries other than the U.S. although culture and legalities would be important factors as well. For example, are Icelanders more interested in and willing to spend money on personal genomics given that one of the more successful personal genomics companies, deCODE genetics , is based in Iceland and has published studies closely examining its citizens?

Eventually, personalized medicine incorporating genetic information will become a fact of life. At that point, genetic testing will be routinely covered by insurance as with any other laboratory test or become a hidden cost when pricing pharmaceuticals, i.e., a pharmaceutical company would cover the cost of a genetic test in order to determine type and dosage of a particular medicine. For now, however, it seems that it would be hard for most people to justify spending any of their disposable income on genetic tests or scans unless family history or other known medical conditions alert them to the need for extra information and vigilance.

How are you using your disposable income?

(4 comments)

DNA Video: DNA Replication Song

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 3, 2008 in DNA Podcasts and Videos

This DNA replication song set to Backstreet Boys is truly cringe worthy!

Oh, how I love bi-olo-gy (yeah yeah yeah)
It’s better than chemistry
And next time I have to go pee (I know)
what’s happening inside of me

(2 comments)

Taking My Eye Off DNA

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 2, 2008 in DNA in General

Eye on DNA celebrates its first birthday this week! In celebration, I’ve decided reward myself by slowing down a bit.

As some of you already know, I am expecting my second child in a few weeks. Last night, I was reading The Last Lecture on my new Kindle (woohoo!), and this passage got my attention:

Ask yourself: Are you spending your time on the right things? You may have causes, goals, interests. Are they even worth pursuing?

In some ways, blogging is becoming an albatross around my neck. The wonderful aspects of blogging–learning, networking, educating–still outweigh the annoyances. But in my present condition, I’m not sure if I’m spending my time on the right things. The clock is ticking and my attention span is shortening along with my temper. And on top of welcoming a new member to our family, my family and I are also relocating to Singapore from London this summer.

While I’ll still be keeping my eye on DNA *cough* over these next few months, the rest of me will be quite busy doing other things. Instead of posting every day, I intend to spend much more of my usual blogging time having fun with my five-year-old and husband before our lives turn upside down.

I’ll still be here but maybe not jumping around as much as usual. (How can I when I’m about to pop?!)

Thank you all for a great year. I’ll be back before too long so don’t forget about me!

(13 comments)

Books About DNA: Tomorrow’s Table

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted May 2, 2008 in Books About DNA, DNA Quotes and Excerpts, Genetically Modified Foods and Organisms

Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food by Pamela C. Ronald and R. W. Adamchak

From Dr. Ronald’s blog:

One of the major themes of our book “Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food” is that the judicious incorporation of two important strands of agriculture—genetic engineering and organic farming—is key to helping feed the growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. We are not suggesting that organic farming and GE alone will provide all the changes needed in agriculture. Other farming systems and technological changes, as well as modified government policies, undoubtedly are also needed. Yet it is hard to avoid the sense that organic farming and genetic engineering each will play an increasingly important role, and that they somehow have been pitted unnecessarily against each other. Our ambition in this book, therefore, is not to be comprehensive, but to identify roles for both GE and organic farming in the future of food production.

Another theme of the book is that the broader goals of ecologically responsible farming, and the adherence to those ideals, are more important than the methods used to develop new plant varieties. To this end, we have generated a list of key criteria
to help guide policy decisions about the use of GE in food and farming.

(2 comments)

Eye on DNA Headlines for 30 April 2008

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted April 30, 2008 in Eye on DNA Headlines

• Scienceblogs Gene Expression hosts Gene Genie #30.
• Thank you to the Missouri State Genealogical Association (MoSGA) Messenger for sharing Eye on DNA with its readers!
• DNA inspires not just scientists but artists too. Check out Digital 3d Art created by a “quantum theoretician involved in studying life at a molecular particle level.”
• Are we in for another Myriad genetic test ad uproar? Identigene (more from Eye on DNA), sellers of over-the-counter paternity tests, have hired STG Media Corp to create TV, print, and radio ads that will “not only inform consumers that the product is out there, but that will also demonstrate that the product actually works.”
• A “major television network” (I can vouch for their authenticity) is looking for people to interview. Here’s what they sent me:

  For an upcoming series on genetic testing, a major television network would like to interview a person who has ordered an online gene test to assess their future risk of getting certain diseases. Twelve complaints have been filed with the california Dept of Health and the New York State Dept of Health has sent letters explaining the legal ramifications of testing New York residents without the proper clinical laboratory permit. Most of these complaints are anonymous. Would anyone speak on-camera to their issues and share their personal experience ordering one of these tests and getting the results? Please call 917 991 3689 or write to Theodora12@gmail.com.

(>> Start a discussion!)

What does DNA mean to you? #3

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted April 30, 2008 in Meaning of DNA

This week, I asked Bertalan Mesko of Scienceroll:

What does DNA mean to you?

Even if the structure of DNA was discovered more than 50 years ago, DNA means the future for me. As personalized genetics is getting closer to people, DNA will be one of the most used words and not just in the scientific community. Plenty of the therapies used in our time will be revolutionized soon and our DNA will play the main role in the future of medicine regardless the dangers it can lead to.

(1 comment)

Gene Patents and Genetic Testing

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted April 29, 2008 in DNA Testing, DNA and the Law

The European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) has published recommendations on gene patents as applied to genetic testing in the European Journal of Human Genetics. The chair of the working group, Professor Gert Matthijs of the Catholic University of Leuven, said:

This new proposal aims to reconcile what until now have appeared to be conflicting interests patent owners, commercial companies, health authorities, policy makers, geneticists with the ultimate goal of ensuring that patients retain access to the latest technological advances.

Key points include:

1. Patents benefit society through innovation and promoting progress.

2. The definition of “invention” vs. “discovery” with the identification of genes, mutations, links between genetic defect and disease are deemed to be discoveries by some and thus would be unethical to patent.
3. Patenting novel technical tools for genetic testing is a good way to promote investment and allow for invention.
4. Genetic tests that examine a panel of genes will be impacted negatively by gene patents.
5. Genetic tests combined with protein or metabolite measurements will also have to consider multiple patents.
6. Patent applications do not take into account clinical validity and utility.
7. There are international differences in patent systems which affect the availability of genetic services worldwide.
8. Gene patents are overly broad and include not just the sequence but also protein and antibodies, etc.

Access to genetic testing can be impeded every step of the way from the discovery of new genes and mutations all the way up to availability of genetic tests. Right now, most of us concentrate on who has the right to have a genetic test and how. Another consideration clearly has to be who will develop the genetic tests and what intellectual property rights they have over their work.

As Michael Crichton said in a New York Times op-ed against gene patents:

Gene patents are now used to halt research, prevent medical testing and keep vital information from you and your doctor. Gene patents slow the pace of medical advance on deadly diseases. And they raise costs exorbitantly: a test for breast cancer that could be done for $1,000 now costs $3,000.

Should we prohibit the patenting of genes? Take the poll in this previous Eye on DNA post.

(4 comments)