While pharmaceutical companies focus on drug discovery for Ebola virus disease, a powerful clue is coming from a rare “Jewish genetic disease&rdquo…
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post When Mutation Counters Infection: From Sickle Cell to Ebola
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post Eman Reports From Ebola Ground Zero
The last post here at DNA Science continued Emmanuel Gokpolu’s reporting from Ebola ground zero in Monrovia, and surrounding communities. The Ebola outbreak interrupted…
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post Eman’s Emails from Liberia: Through September
Emmanuel Gokpolu, who lives in Liberia, calls me Mom, although he has a wonderful real mother. In Africa, family isn’t only about…
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post Another Reason Freezing Employees’ Eggs is a Terrible Idea
Facebook and Apple’s decision to offer female employees a $20,000 benefit to freeze their eggs indicates a stunning disregard for the complexities…
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post SCID-X1 Gene Therapy, Take 2
Beneath all the bad news about viruses this week lies a good virus: the one that underlies gene therapy for X-linked severe…
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post DNA and Dating: Buyer Beware
Last week’s post dealt with three very serious types of DNA tests. But not all DNA tests detect health-threatening conditions. A few years ago “Born…
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post Genetic Testing For All: Is It Eugenics?
In recent weeks, there’s been talk of three types of genetic testing transitioning from targeted populations to the general public: carrier screens…
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post Black Pee Disease Offers New View of Arthritic Joints
“A new cause of osteoarthritis identified by research on a rare disease,” ran the headline of a news release a few weeks ago. I was…
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post Medical Success Stories: From Cystic Fibrosis to Diabetes
A skinny little boy, with mocha skin and curly black hair, lived in the apartment building next door when I was growing…
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post Update: How Ebola Kills
UPDATE OCT. 7: Emmanuel (my “son”) and his family, in Liberia, are still all healthy! The post below is from mid-August, when…
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post ALS Target: Microglia
Glia, perhaps the most underappreciated of cell types, are finally getting some attention. A new report in Science Translational Medicine from Kevin Eggan’s…
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genedx Gene Test Predicts Blindness After LASIK
Millions of people have put aside their eyeglasses or contact lenses thanks to a procedure called LASIK. But for carriers of a…