~ The Backwards Rider Show ~: Biological Hackers 'Demystify' Genetics with Do-It-Yourself Biology

May 2011

By Christie Rizk

Book review

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Researchers Genotype Tuberculosis Strain Using a Sequencing Approach
December 3, 2012 / Genome Technology
NHGRI Researchers Ponder When to Return Results to Relatives of Deceased Participants
December 3, 2012 / Genome Technology
Researchers Demonstrate Feasibility of Protein Nanopores for RNA Recognition
December 3, 2012 / Genome Technology
Study Highlights Differences, Linkages Between Transcriptome and Proteome
December 3, 2012 / Genome Technology
At NGS-Heavy Meeting, Clinical Researchers Still Get Behind PCR for Infectious Disease Dx
December 3, 2012 / Genome Technology

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Young Investigator Profile

Chetan Bettegowda

Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery and Oncology
Johns Hopkins Hospital

Toward Personalized Care

In his research to advance personalized treatments for patients with brain and spinal tumors, Bettegowda is seeking to solve a puzzle that doctors have been observing for years. Why do two patients, who seemingly have very similar disease characteristics, end up having disparate outcomes?

The fact that certain patients "will respond so well to a particular therapy, while others will remain recalcitrant has been a well observed phenomenon clinically for very many years, and any physician can tell you that," Bettegowda says. "But trying to understand why that is has amazing potential to have tremendous impact for the patients."

Bettegowda is currently developing a blood test to diagnose disease and track tumor burden for patients with central nervous system tumors. Currently, there is little in the way of molecular tools to gauge disease progression for patients with tumors in the brain and in the spinal cord. By developing a prognostic molecular test, Bettegowda is hoping to create a tool that oncologists can use to better track disease progression in patients and gauge their future outcome.
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Science

Deep sequencing of the coronavirus behind a Middle East respiratory syndrome has indicated that virus has been introduced into the human population a number of times. Researchers at Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Center in the UK, and elsewhere analyzed genomic data from 21 viral isolatesand found that there was likely a complex transmission chain. In addition, they estimated that the virus may have been circulating since the middle of 2011.
Business

Sequenom's board has authorized a review of potential strategic alternatives for its Genetic Analysis segment, which includes its MassArray System for measuring genetic target material and variations, as well as its iPlex assay for analyzing multiplex SNPs and somatic mutations. It said that it will evaluate "a full range of potential strategic alternatives" for the business. Any such deal would exclude its MaterniT21 Plus non-invasive prenatal diagnostic testing business.
Funding

The National Institutes of Health will provide up to $3.8 million per year for as many as five years to fund a consortium of researchers who will conduct a system analysis of extracellular RNA in the human body. Advances in RNA sequencing technologies have enabled investigators to identify "a large and diverse population" of exRNA, including microRNAs and long non-coding RNA, and RNA regulation may be "much more complex than previously believed," the institute said.
GenomeWebinars

Genomic Biomarker Development: Considerations for Outsourcing and Validation

Sponsor: EMD Millipore

This webinar was recorded August 27.

GenomeWeb and EMD Millipore invite you to view a webinar discussing issues that clinical and translational groups must consider when adopting genomic technologies for patient care and clinical trial stratification.

Register here to view the playback or download the recording.