Opoho School pupil Eddie Scott (6) leads climbers up Baldwin St on Saturday, including (from left) Sunny Jackson-Falconer (6), Madeline Henderson (7) and Joseph Scott (4), to raise money for the stroke treatment of a family member. Photo by Gregor Richardson. Opoho School pupil Eddie Scott (6) said he raised ''$1100 and something'' to help his mum's cousin, Luke Elliott (33), get medical treatment. ''He's not very well; he got the stroke and now he's going to America to get special treatment.'' As he had never climbed the street before, he had water strapped to his back in a hydration pack and carried a bag of chocolates. Eddie said he trained for the climb by walking to school with friend Jaspar Schoenleben (6). The training paid off - Eddie scaled the street with ease, leading an entourage of about 30 people to the top. Eddie's mother, Anne Scott, said her cousin had a ''massive'' stroke aged 24 and had raised about $22,000 of the $30,000 required to travel to Los Angeles for stroke treatment. ''This is the only hope that he, his wife and his two young boys have had in almost a decade.'' Mrs Scott said she and Eddie … Continue reading →

New ACMG Video Encourages Med Students to Consider a Residency/Combined Residency in Medical Genetics There has never been a more exciting and extraordinary time to consider a residency and career in medical genetics. Genetics and genomics are changing how we practice medicine and will increasingly guide day-to-day healthcare decisions. This fast-paced and engaging new video features current and recent medical genetics residents in interviews, in patient care situations, in group discussions and team meetings in a variety of settings. From diagnosis to management and from rare diseases to the most common conditions, medical genetics is moving the practice of medicine forward. The future of medicine lies in a better understanding of the human genome and how to apply it to every aspect of medical practice - this new video from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) lets medical students know the variety of ways that they can play a role in this fascinating effort. Go here to see the original: American College of Medical Genetics - ACMG_HOME … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 7-Sep-2014 Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center A genetic mutation caused by ultraviolet light is likely the driving force behind millions of human skin cancers, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The mutation occurs in a gene called KNSTRN, which is involved in helping cells divide their DNA equally during cell division. Genes that cause cancer when mutated are known as oncogenes. Although KNSTRN hasn't been previously implicated as a cause of human cancers, the research suggests it may be one of the most commonly mutated oncogenes in the world. "This previously unknown oncogene is activated by sunlight and drives the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas," said Paul Khavari, MD, PhD, the Carl J. Herzog Professor in Dermatology in the School of Medicine and chair of the Department of Dermatology. "Our research shows that skin cancers arise differently from other cancers, and that a single mutation can cause genomic catastrophe." Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common cancer in humans. More than 1 million new cases are diagnosed globally each year. The researchers found that a particular region of KNSTRN is mutated in about 20 percent of … Continue reading →

BERKELEY An agreement signed today in Shenzhen, China, launches a partnership among the University of California, Berkeley, Tsinghua University and the Shenzhen municipal government promoting research collaboration and graduate student education. UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks, Tsinghua University President Chen Jining and Shenzhen Mayor Xu Qin signed an agreement to establish the TsinghuaUC Berkeley Shenzhen Institute. The agreement is an addendum to a strategic partnership agreement signed by the two universities in 2012. It declares an intention to establish a joint institute, starting with research centers in three areas: nanotechnology and nanomedicine; low-carbon and new energy technologies; and data science and the next-generation Internet. Future centers will address additional collaboration topics and expand faculty engagement from across both institutions. Questions and answers: The TsinghuaUC Berkeley Shenzhen Institute What is the new partnership? UC Berkeley is partnering with Tsinghua University, Chinas top science and engineering university, to launch the TsinghuaUC Berkeley Shenzhen Institute. The goal of this partnership is to develop a research and education program that will enable the sort of complex, multidisciplinary collaborations necessary to successfully confront societal, environmental and economic challenges faced in China and California, as well as those that are global in scale and know no … Continue reading →