This multipart series available from Science News offers helpful information for those of you who ever wondered if genetic testing was for you. The articles include: a 411 on consumer testing; what tests tell you about health; privacy issues; ancestry options; finding family; and several other valuable topics.

Science News is a publication of the Society for Science and the Public published since 1921 and is for lay readers.

Presentation Nov 27, 2018 from 12- 1 pm: Trust and Willingness of African-Americans to Participate in Medical Research: The Legacy of Tuskeegee and Henrietta Lacks. Register here to attend.

Treatment for depression can be very challenging. Now through pharmacogenomic testing (i.e., knowing how genes affect a person’s response to particular drugs) it may be possible to select the best intervention using GeneSight testing.

The Genetics Home Reference offers easy-to-read summaries of about 1,200 genetic conditions, more than 1,450 genes, all of the human chromosomes, and mitochondrial DNA. New and updated summaries are added regularly. The Genetics Home Reference also strives to provide topical information. See recently added entries to the educational primer, Help Me Understand Genetics, discuss Neanderthal DNA, genome editing, and newborn genomic screening.

Dr Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), describes the All of Us Program in a recent blog. You can choose to be a participant in this research resource of data and biological samples. You can consent to contribute online health data, complete health surveys, and provide electronic health records. In the future physical measurements, blood and urine samples may be requested. If you enroll, you will be an active partner and get your information back which may help you learn more about your health. The Director’s blog also lists video links to information that may help you decide if you want to be one of the million volunteers to help speed medical discoveries.

NHGRI notes, whether you realize it or not, many parts of our daily lives are influenced by genomic information and genomic technologies. Genomics now provides a powerful lens for use in various areas - from medical decisions, to food safety, to ancestry. See the video that describes the celebration and review the 15 ways that genomics has and will continue to transform our world.

We have a number of microbes living on different parts of our bodies.  NIH Director, Dr F. Collins provides details about metagenomes gathered from 265 healthy volunteers that indicate diversity as well as similarities of the microorganisms living on and within our bodies.

Genome editing is a tool used in the laboratory setting to make changes to a organism's genetic material. A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences provides a review of the advances in this technology and offers recommendations for safe use of genome editing to improve human health. Yesterday a new Nature publication about the first human embryo gene editing in the US at OHSU stimulates discussion and controversy about the potential risks for future generations.

This targeted treatment study is for children and adolescents (ages 1 to 21) with solid tumors no longer responding to standard treatment or have recurred after treatment. The study matches patients with therapies aimed at molecular abnormalities in their tumors. Enrollment is available at children’s hospitals, university medical centers, and cancer centers across the US that are part of the Children's Oncology Group.

NIH Researcher has identified a muscle enzyme in mice, called DNA-PK that increases with age, slowing down the body's metabolism.  This increase may lead directly to weight gain.  Wouldn't it be great to have a magic pill that along with exercise and healthy diet helped us maintain that slim figure?  

Presenter Katherine Bowman was study director for the recently released report on human genome editing.  This webinar reported on the findings and recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine committee.

Recording and slides now available

Almost 80% of those with childhood cancers do not develop other cancers in their lifetime.  However, a new study shows that genetic changes (either inherited or resulting from treatment) contribute to an increased lifetime cancer risk for the others.

Newly proposed U.S. Legislation threatens to weaken protections provided through the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008.  Preserve the nondiscrimination protections afforded to all Americans by GINA and the ADA by opposing The Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act, H.R.1313 . 

Obesity is a global health problem, contributing to premature death and morbidity by increasing a person's risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and some cancers. While obesity mostly results from lifestyle and cultural factors, including excess calorie intake and inadequate levels of physical activity, it has a strong genomic component (NHGRI, 2017)

In Greek mythology, the Chimera was an awesome fire-breathing monster visualized with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. Today, a medical definition of chimera refers to the possibility to create human-animal chimeras for human organ transplant.

New genetic clues to why some women have a more difficult time with PMS.

The advent of a powerful gene-editing tool called Crispr-Cas9 allows researchers to snip, insert and delete genetic material of humans with increasing precision. But should we?  A new report out differs from perspectives in 2015.  

Opportunity for communities to help build a diverse research cohort of one million or more as part of the Precision Medicine efforts supported by the NIH. Applications are due March 24, 2017.

Genetic testing can be a powerful tool for both men and women with breast cancer. This tool can also help identify other family members at risk for disease. But many are not learning about this as an option in their care.

In a recent blog, the author emphasizes how important it is that patients “understand the basics of precision and personalized medicine and feel empowered to make decisions regarding how their data will be used for themselves and to save the lives of others.”