Eye on DNA Headlines for 17 December 2007

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted December 17, 2007 in DNA and Disease, DNA and the Law, Eye on DNA Headlines

• Illumina, provider of SNP genotyping BeadChips to companies like 23andMe and deCODEme, is in the spotlight at the San Diego Business Journal. Over the past five years, Illumina has grown 250 percent and now has operations in five countries.
• So far, it’s pretty obvious that 23andMe is winning the PR campaign with celebrities and other noted technorati signing up for their services. Andrew Meyers of Buzzyeah wants to join them and is asking for donations. Frankly, I’m astounded that he’s already raised $300. Andrew promises to blog all if he is able to get his genome scanned.
• The SciAm 50 Awards have been announced. I’m a little embarrassed to say that I don’t know most of the names on the list but I do recognize the X Prize Foundation at #3.
• Topping the genetics headlines today is the discovery of genetic variants at the CRAC1 (HMPS) locus on chromosome 15q13.3 that are associated with an increased risk of colorectal (colon) cancer. The CRAC1 aka HMPS gene was previously associated with colon cancer in the Ashkenazi population. This study has found that it also moderately increases cancer risk in the general population from an average 5% lifetime risk in the UK to 7% for people with both “bad” copies of the genetic variant. (via The Guardian)
• Dayton Daily News has created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about DNA in forensic investigations. I found this Q&A particularly interesting:

  Q How do forensic scientists determine if there is DNA evidence and how do they examine it in the lab?

  A Generally, we’re looking for a body fluid, mainly blood, semen and saliva. There are tests to identify these body fluids. We can also take samples on evidence that might contain skin cells. Usually, we are looking for evidence discarded at the scene which might contain DNA from the perpetrator. Next we take these samples through the DNA process to see if we obtain a DNA profile.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, forensics, colon cancer

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Comment by Andrew Meyer

2007-12-17 21:21:20

Dr. Lei, thanks for the holler.

I’m excited to hear what a lot of these people have to say when they start getting their tests results back.

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Pingback by BUZZYEAH by Andrew Meyer » Decoding My DNA Soon, $820 Raised So Far

2008-01-11 17:47:12

[...] the blogosphere for giving me plenty of shout outs. Interesting genetics and genealogy blogs like Eye on DNA and The Genetic Genealogist and awesome tech blogs like TechCrunch have all given boosting [...]

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