Genetics
Humans and chimps share genetic strategy in battle against pathogens
The evolutionary process usually acts to select the single best adaptation to help an organism survive, but sometimes it also works to maintain genetic variation in a population to keep the species’ hereditary options open. For example, humans can carry two versions of the hemoglobin gene: a normal one, and a mutated one that distorts […]
A GPS for Personalized Medicine
The 1200 Patients Project creates a database of how patients with particular genetic profiles react to specific drugs, and then puts that information online to help doctors make better decisions for their patients.
A History Lesson from Genes: Using DNA to Tell Us How Populations Change
When Charles Darwin first sketched how species evolved by natural selection, he drew what looked like a tree. The diagram started at a central point with a common ancestor, then the lines spread apart as organisms evolved and separated into distinct species. In the 175 years since, scientists have come to agree that Darwin’s original […]
Whole Genome Sequencing: Society to Reap the Benefits But Individuals to Bear the Risks
Using a person’s own genetic code to figure out what treatments might work best against a particular disease will be one of the most powerful weapons available to 21st century doctors and researchers. But such potential carries a heavy burden to protect the privacy of individuals who agree to share their most intimate information. That’s […]
Plenty Left to Learn from One Isolated Population
The Hutterites are an isolated, religious “founder population,” similar to the Amish or Mennonites, descended from a group of about 1,200 settlers that migrated to North America from Europe in the late 19th century. They settled in South Dakota, and then spread to Montana and western Canada, forming several self-sufficient, communal agricultural colonies. Today’s Hutterites […]
Using Genetics to Prevent Chemotherapy Side Effects
When President Bill Clinton announced the completion of the first draft of the human genome in 2000, he said it would “revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases.” At the time, the hope was that the Human Genome Project would uncover the roots of common diseases like cancer or […]
A Stem Cell Trojan Horse Against Brain Tumors
The medical playbook against tumors is typically a three-pronged approach: cut as much of the tumor out as possible, then attack it with radiation and chemotherapy drugs. But some tumors don’t make it easy. Brain tumors, for example, are difficult to extract without causing serious and permanent damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Whole brain radiation […]
LabBook July 27, 2012
Welcome to LabBook, our weekly roundup of University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences research news from around campus and the world wide web. Each Friday, LabBook will recap the week on the blog, link to news stories about our faculty and studies, and briefly summarize a handful of recent publications by our researchers. The […]
LabBook June 22, 2012
Welcome to LabBook, our weekly roundup of University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences research news from around campus and the world wide web. Each Friday, LabBook will recap the week on the blog, link to news stories about our faculty and studies, and briefly summarize a handful of recent publications by our researchers. THIS […]
Like Father Like Son, Even In Song
Kids learn a lot of things from their dads: how to play catch, how to shave, how to drive. In many cases, it’s obvious that sons have even learned how to talk from their father. Though their voices may be different, the words they use or their pronunciation or mannerisms can be very similar from […]
