Bethesda, MD and Fort Washington, PA (PRWEB) March 02, 2015 The American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) and ReachMD announced today the launch of Genetically Speaking, a series of audio interviews designed to educate healthcare professionals on the application of human genetics in disease prevention and management. The series features peer-to-peer interviews conducted during the ASHG 2014 Annual Meeting and includes topics such as: One of our primary goals at ASHG is to develop a healthcare workforce that is genetics-literate and capable of interpreting and applying information in clinical practice, said Joseph D. McInerney, MA, MS, Executive Vice President of ASHG. We are excited to team up with ReachMD to produce and deliver peer-to-peer programming to healthcare professionals nationwide. Genetically Speaking is co-produced by ASHG and ReachMD and broadcast on ReachMDs integrated online, mobile, and on air content distribution network. Content is accessible both on demand and through 24/7 radio streaming on ReachMD, iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and iTunes digital platforms. This series is an excellent addition to the ReachMD lineup, said Matt Birnholz, MD, Vice President and Medical Director of ReachMD. Our users love cutting-edge programming, and the scientific and medical experts on this series really showcase the latest research and … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Philadelphia, March 2, 2015 Analyzing a puzzling multisystem disorder in three children, genetic experts have identified a new syndrome, shedding light on key biological processes during human development. The research also provides important information to help caregivers manage the disorder, and may offer clues to eventually treating it. This syndrome illuminates a very important pathway in early human developmenta sort of master switch that controls many other genes, said study leader Ian D. Krantz, M.D., co-director of the Individualized Medical Genetics Center at The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Krantz, a medical geneticist, is an attending physician in CHOPs comprehensive human genetics program. Krantz is the senior author of the study, published online today in Nature Genetics. His co-study leader is Katsuhiko Shirahige, Ph.D., of the Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, University of Tokyo, also the home institution of first author Kosuke Izumi. The investigators named the disorder CHOPS syndrome, with the acronym representing a group of symptoms seen in the affected children: cognitive impairment and coarse facies (facial features), heart defects, obesity, pulmonary involvement, short stature and skeletal dysplasia (abnormal bone development). The central research finding is that mutations in … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise CHAPEL HILL, NC You might resemble or act more like your mother, but a novel research study from UNC School of Medicine researchers reveals that mammals are genetically more like their dads. Specifically, the research shows that although we inherit equal amounts of genetic mutations from our parents the mutations that make us who we are and not some other person we actually use more of the DNA that we inherit from our dads. The research, published in the journal Nature Genetics, has wide implications for the study of human disease, especially when using mammalian research models. For instance, in many mouse models created for the study of gene expression related to disease, researchers typically dont take into account whether specific genetic expression originates from mothers or fathers. But the UNC research shows that inheriting a mutation has different consequences in mammals, depending on whether the genetic variant is inherited from the mother or father. This is an exceptional new research finding that opens the door to an entirely new area of exploration in human genetics, said Fernando Pardo-Manuel de Villena, PhD, professor of genetics and senior author of the paper. Weve … Continue reading →