DNA Video: DIY DNA Extraction

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 18, 2007 in DNA Podcasts and Videos

Easily See Your DNA At Home – The most popular videos are a click away

And the most amusing comment on this video:

You are trying to say that this crap looks like the DNA double helix structure???

Yessiree. DNA is slimy, mucus-y stuff. Disappointed?

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, dna extraction, diy, video

(4 comments)

DNA Quote: African-American Identity

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 17, 2007 in DNA Quotes and Excerpts, DNA and Genealogy

More and more African-Americans are choosing to take DNA tests to learn more about their ancestry. For many, it’s a way of learning more about the history that was lost when their ancestors were taken from Africa and sold into slavery in America. But not everyone feels that they need DNA proof to know who they are.

Jacqueline Peavy, a business speaker from Atlanta, said:

I don’t have anything against DNA testing, but I disagree with the idea that you don’t have a history or an identity without it.

I know exactly who I am. I am an amalgamation of many ethnic Africans … I am a new world African in America.

I applaud Ms. Peavy for her strong sense of identity. Our DNA makes us who we are but we’re also a lot more than our DNA.

Tags: quotes, african-americans, genetic genealogy, genetics, genes, dna, dna testing

(2 comments)

Colbert Report DNA Skit

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 17, 2007 in DNA Fun, DNA Podcasts and Videos

Yay! Here’s the hilarious DNA skit they put together for Colbert Report on Tuesday, August 14, when Dr. Spencer Wells of The Genographic Project was on. I wasn’t able to watch this skit until now since Colbert isn’t shown here in the UK.

Everybody together now – adenine, guanine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, thymine, adenine, cytosine…. Bet you won’t be able to get that tune out of your head today.

via RichardDawkins.net

Tags: colbert report, humor, video, genetics, genes, dna

(1 comment)

Eye on Doggie DNA

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 16, 2007 in DNA Products, DNA Testing

More animal DNA in the news! And even for me, who’s indifferent to animals, it’s fascinating stuff.

DNAPrint Genomics, makers of the AncestryByDNA and EuroDNA admixture genealogy tests, has introduced their latest product – Doggie DNAPrint. And similar to its human counterpart, Doggie DNAPrint traces your dog’s ancestry and compares it to four ancient ancestral breeds. All you need to do is to take a cheek swab of your dog, send it in to the lab, and you’ll get these results within 6 to 9 weeks:

1. Raw genetic data
2. A graphic depiction of the animal’s DNA
3. Information on how to interpret the results

Doggie DNAPrint analyzes 204 “unique canine Ancestry Informative Markers (CanAIMs) on the dog genome.” As the Doggie DNAPrint database grows, you’ll also be able to compare your dog’s score to other purebred and mixed breed dogs. And personalized medicine for your dog isn’t far behind. Other companies offering breed DNA analysis tests for dogs include The Mars Wisdom Panel MX and Canine Heritage.

In other news, a man who claimed he saw a mountain lion in his Maine back yard has found that DNA tests on a sample of fur show it was a fox. Mr. Kelvin Higgins still insists that it was a mountain lion although the last mountain lion documented in Maine was seen and killed in 1938. Guess not everyone is awed by DNA test results.

Have you had a DNA test done on your dog yet?

Update: The four ancestral dog groups are: wolf-like, herders, hunters, and mastiff. And, the price of Doggie DNAPrint hasn’t been set yet but they’re offering some sort of “deep discount” if you express your interest at their website now.

Photo: From Gunni Cool of Zaca who passed away on August 15, 2007.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, dna tests, dna testing, genetic testing, dogs, pedigree, breed, doggie dnaprint, canine heritage, mars wisdom panel, mountain lion, fox

(3 comments)

Google Answers DNA – Who’s yer daddy?

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 16, 2007 in DNA @ Google Answers, DNA Testing

Although Google shut down the Google Answers service at the end of November 2006, it’s still a wealth of information on a variety of topics including genetics and DNA. In this new series at Eye on DNA, I’ll be choosing the most interesting to share with you.

The Question:

Who’s yer daddy?

The Answer:

For many people, this is a simple issue: yer daddy is the person who is married to yer mommy. However, modern society has found many ways of complicating this question. Nevertheless, regardless of the different emotional roles differnet people may play in your life, there is only one male in the world who can be your biological father. For those cases where the answer to your question is not clear, the only resource to turn to is DNA testing.

Continue reading….

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, google answers, paternity testing, paternity test

(28 comments)

What happens after a positive breast and ovarian cancer (BRCA) genetic test?

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 15, 2007 in DNA Testing, DNA and Disease

When I think of people who’ve made the decision to take a medical genetic test, I assume they’re the type to go all the way for disease prevention and treatment. That if they test positive, they would do all they can to prevent the disease from occurring. Apparently, I made a false assumption.

In Canada, researchers recently studied women who tested positive for either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations associated with an increase in risk of breast and ovarian cancer. They found that a significant number of women took no preventive action after receiving a positive result. They did not choose to have their breasts or ovaries removed, change their birth control methods, try tamoxifen or raloxifen, or even be more vigilant with MRI or mammography screening.

• Of the 342 women with the BRCA mutations who were breast cancer-free four years after taking the genetic test, 21% had undergone mastectomies.
• 46% of this same group had taken no preventive action.
• More women from Quebec chose not to pursue preventive action – 62% compared to 39% in Ontario, 34% in Western Canada.

Kelly Metcalfe, a professor in the faculty of nursing at the University of Toronto:

We don’t know why it is. It could be that they don’t have access. It could be that they’re not being followed after they’re given their results so they go home with their results and that’s the end of it. It could be something cultural. We don’t know what it is yet.

In an interview with the Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer Society of Alberta, Marie talks about what it was like to have hereditary breast cancer in the family and what happened after she received a positive BRCA test (pdf).

Marie: The months after I got my positive test result were difficult. I went to surgeons and plastic surgeons to hear what they had to say. My sister and I accompanied each other to our various appointments and both decided to proceed with prophylactic mastectomies with reconstruction. We did not feel it was too drastic a measure. The doctors that we met with were compassionate and supportive of our decision, which really helped. I was terrified of the lengthy surgery and the significant trauma to my body but now, a year and a half later, I am very pleased with the results. The support of my husband, kids, family and friends helped me get through the physical and emotional hardships of the surgery.

Last month, I focused on perceptions of genetic testing but I primarily discussed the process leading up to testing and neglected how people felt afterwards whether they tested positive or negative.

If you’ve taken a genetic test for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, how did you feel after you received your results? (Please feel free leave an anonymous comment.)

Note: I currently work for DNA Direct which offers direct-to-consumer genetic testing for breast cancer.

Photo: Breast cancer cells from Wellcome Images under Creative Commons

Tags: breast cancer, brca, brca 1, brca 2, cancer, genetic testing, genetics, genes, dna

(8 comments)

The Genographic Project’s Dr. Spencer Wells on Colbert Report

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 15, 2007 in DNA Podcasts and Videos, DNA and Genealogy

Saturday is usually podcast and video day here but this video from yesterday’s Colbert Report featuring Dr. Spencer Wells of The Genographic Project is a must-see (the video is mislabeled on the Colbert site as the segment with Jerry Miller). At the risk of embarrassing myself, I just have to say that Dr. Wells is the perfect spokesperson…for obvious reasons.

Thomas at Epidemix got to watch the entire show and had this to say:

Thing is, Colbert is very good at spotting the zeitgeist and parodying it before others spot it in the first place – so the fact that he’s twice made fun of DNA means that genetics is very much of the moment.

Glad Colbert’s on the DNA bandwagon with us!

NB: Click here to see Craig Venter on the Colbert Show last month.

Tags: colbert report, spencer wells, genographic project, genetics, genes, dna, genome

(6 comments)

Eye on DNA Headlines for 14 August 2007

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 14, 2007 in DNA and Disease, Eye on DNA Headlines, Personalities with DNA

• Medicine and health blog carnival Grand Rounds 3:47 – Sudden Changes is up at Med Journal Watch.
• Science blog carnival Tangled Bank #86 is up at Fish Feet (ewwww have I ever told you guys how much I dislike feet, esp. fishy ones?!).
• Bayblab has started a cancer research blog carnival and is inviting everyone to submit a post. By the way, I only just realized that Bayblab is not Babylab. Oops.

• Walter at Highlight HEALTH explains cell division with videos on mitosis and meiosis.
• An experimental DNA vaccine for multiple sclerosis (MS), BHT-3009, has been developed that appears to slow the progression of the disease. It works by lowering the level of white blood cells that attack myelin, a fatty sheath coating the axons of nerve cells. The DNA vaccine contains DNA that encodes the human myelin basic protein and is injected directly into the muscles of patients with MS.
• Newsday has a short profile of Michael Wigler, a geneticist at Cold Spring Harbor Lab, who studies the genetics of autism.

Photo: Metallic image of medicine from Wellcome Images under Creative Commons

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, autism, cancer, multiple sclerosis, ms, dna vaccine

(>> Start a discussion!)

Geeky DNA T-Shirts: MedTees

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 14, 2007 in Geeky DNA T-shirts

Today’s geeky DNA t-shirt is from the awesome Dr. Wes who runs MedTees.com.

MedTees.com hopes to empower people to live their lives to the fullest. This is where humor, support, patient-to-patient interaction can make the difference. Hopefully we will educate and inform along the way, and importantly, contribute to programs who support the research and treatent of many chronic medical conditions.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, t-shirts, shirts, fun

(>> Start a discussion!)

DNA Art Forms by Catherine Dapra and Paul Zawierka

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted August 13, 2007 in DNA Products

More DNA art for your viewing pleasure. DNA Art Forms was founded by Catherine Dapra and Paul Zawierka. The process begins with a DNA test that examines 15 short tandem repeat (STR) markers. You then discuss the results of your DNA with Catherine, the artist, who uses various media to create a unique piece of art incorporating your DNA pattern.

Our first DNA art form was created in 2003. To develop a greater understanding of the science behind our art, Paul studied genomics at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, New York. Although initially only for themselves, the concept of layering their families’ DNA was conceived. Coming from a large family, Catherine imagined comparing her lineage and weaving a DNA family tree. The comparisons seemed endless, and watching the variations and mutations from grandmother to mother to daughter and so on became an incredible way to preserve history.

My favorite painting from the DNA ART gallery is the one shown called Butterflies in Rain. (Click on the cropped image to see the whole painting.)

NB: Terry Lovelocke also left a comment in my post mentioning DNA 11 prints. He pointed to DNA Art that also produces prints but with a DNA pattern of 12 lanes (columns) instead of 10.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, dna art, painting, catherine dapra, paul zawierka

(1 comment)