DNA Today: A Genetics Podcast

10 women who made major contributions to the fields of microbiology and genetics are recognized. Rosalind Franklin provided key evidence for the structure of DNA. Nettie Stevens supported her hypothesis that a fetus’s sex was determined by chromosomes, not environment. Barbara McClintock discovered mobile genetic elements. Salome Gluecksohn Waelsch founded the field of developmental genetics. Esther Lederberg discovered the lambda phage, worked on the F fertility factor, and, developed the method of replica plating. One theme throughout this episode is how little credit these women recieved for their work.

A review of a Precision Medicine Initiative presentation at Jackson Laboratory Genomic Medicine in Farmington, CT. by Dr. Jo Handelsman. Also on July 10th the 21st Century Cures Act passed in the House of Representatives, the advantages and disadvantages are explored if this is passed in the Senate.

Maddie Shaw is an active advocate with the Immune Deficiency Foundation and has a Primary Immune Deficiency Disorder (PI). She is also the Founder & Leader of Maddie’s Herd. Maddie's Herd raises awareness and research funds ($22,000 so far of her $50,000 goal!) for the ImmunoDeficiency Foundation (IDF) as 1000s of Americans are battling immunodeficiency disorders through prolonged diagnosis. Maddie is teaching doctors to "Think Zebra" when they hear hoofs. Like Maddie's Herd on Facebook to stay up to date. Don't forget to get your very own Maddie's Herd T-shirt and bracelet, both of which Ed Sheeran owns, he even wore his bracelet while playing on stage!

Dr. Klassen shares his research with fungus-growing ant symbiosis to understand how microbial interaction evolves. He explains how relevant genetics is in his research as well as other research he has done involving gene fragmentation, phylogenetic analysis and drafting genome sequences. We discuss how genome sequencing works and how the technology has advanced in the last 10 years. The device we refer to in the episode is seen below! He explains what students can expect in his spring 2015 Microbial Genomics course (MCB 3895-004). Dr. Klassen is an Assistant Professor at UCONN. He received his PhD in Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Alberta and his Postdoctoral Study in the Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has his own lab in UCONN Storrs campus, Klassen Laboratory. Learn more on jonathanklassenlab.com and follow their activities on Twitter @KlassenLab.

Plugging Away at Leaks in the Public Health Dike: Infectious Disease - Ebola and the Rest. This event was sponsored by the UCONN Student Chapter of the American Society for Microbiology and featured 2 speakers. Dr. Richard Melchreit is the Healthcare Associated Infections Program Coordinator at the CT Department of Public Health. He discussed the hosts of infectious disease challenges facing public health today. He discussed the concerns and pandemic influenza, outbreaks for foodborne disease; healthcare associated infections; and antimicrobial-resistant pathogens (such as MRSA, drug-resistant TB and CRE) Dr. Randal Nelson, DVM, CT State Public Health Veterinarian expanded upon Dr. Melchreit’s ideas as well as talked about zoonoses. Dr. Rob Knight from Pediatrics and Computer Science and Engineering of University of California presented on the Dynamics of the Human Microbiome. I share a few points he made during his presentation that shows just how powerful the microbiome in all of us.

Georgia Hurst (@ShewithLynch), Amy Byer Shainman (@BRCAresponder), and Ellen Matloff (@MyGeneCounsel) are involved in raising awareness for Hereditary Cancer by holding the #Hcchats (@Hc_chat) on Twitter. You can catch the next Tweetchat April 29th at 9pm ET with special guest Dr. Sharon Bober (@DrSharonBober), an expert in sex after Oophorectomy or Hysterectomy. Georgia Hurst shares her and her family's experience having Lynch Syndrome and how she started her non-profit, IHaveLynchSyndrome.com. Amy Byer Shainman describes her documentary, Pink and Blue, and being a BRCA1 positive previvor. Ellen T. Matloff is the President and CEO of MyGeneCounsel and shares her insight on the importance of understanding genetic testing and genetic counseling and we all weigh in on Angelina Jolie's impact on both.

News stories include a very bizarre story about Gabriele D’Annunzio, a dead national war hero whose DNA was reconstructed. New advances in treatments for the most common form of muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy. The last story is about a biotech company, GenomeNext, that has achieved analyzing genomes at the speed of 1,000 per day.

The 100,000 Genomes Project has commenced. Genomics England is heading the project which has plans to sequence 100,000 whole genomes from NHS patients by 2017. This project aims to bring benefit to patients, create an ethical and transparent programme based on consent to enable new scientific discovery and medical insights and kickstart the development of a UK genomics industry.

Presentations at the Rare Disease Day 2015 are recapped. Presentors include Dr. Anton Alerte, Juliet and Tara Lynn, Dr. Caroline Dealy and Ethan Talbot. Check out joshuafrase.org, Favafoundation.org, and rarediseases.org for more information.

Attend the Rare Diseases Awareness Event 2015 at UCONN Health Center on February 25th. Sophia Walker explains the celebration of individuals who have rare diseases and the many researchers and physicians who are fighting to find cures for these conditions. Listen to patients, doctors, and students share their experiences and learn about rare diseases! Everyone is welcome and the free event is geared towards the general public. Email sowalker@uchc.edu for any questions. Visit rarediseaseday.us, rarediseaseday.org and rarediseases.org for more information.

This episode features an interview with Noel Lloyd who is the communications manager from the Alliance for Aging Research. The Alliance for Aging Research is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discoveries and their application to vastly improve the universal human experience of aging and health. Noel explains how the Alliance advances science and enhances lives through education campaigns and working with legislation. You can read the blog post Noel references about Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative that I discussed last episode of DNA Today along with the 21st Century Cures Initiative blog post. Check out the nonprofit on their website, agingresearch.org, and follow their activties on Twitter @aging_research.

President Barack Obama proposed the Precision Medicine Initiative. It has a $215 million investment in the President’s 2016 Budget. This initiative focuses on the making major advances in personalized medicine. This means tailoring the treatments based on specific characteristics of individuals, such as a person’s genetic makeup, or the genetic profile of an individual’s tumor.

Researchers have identified a genetic mutation accountable for a metabolic disease among Inuits in northern Canada. New research has provided new insight into fragile X syndrome, learn more about the syndrome at fragileX.org. January is National Birth Defect Month! I go over the CDC's top 10 most common birth deffects in the US. Prevention of birth defects is presented.

All about genes! New study finds gene variants may be a contributor to PTSD. New genes have also been discovered to be linked to triple-negative breast cancer. Scientists have successfully used light to trigger REM sleep in mice.

First news story is about research on how genetics can affect the brain and therefore behavior. Another study has been published regarding the mechanism that regulates dopamine levels in the brain, which all comes down to one gene. Last news story is about DNA traveling into space.