ScienceDaily (June 12, 2012) University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers have developed a powerful visual analytical approach to explore genetic data, enabling scientists to identify novel patterns of information that could be crucial to human health. The method, which combines three different "bipartite visual representations" of genetic information, is described in an article to appear in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. The work won a distinguished paper award when it was presented at the AMIA Summit on Translational Bioinformatics in March 2012. In the paper, the authors use their technique to analyze data on genetic alterations in humans known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs. Among other things, the frequencies of particular SNPs are associated with an individual's ancestral origins; for the study, the researchers chose to examine SNP data from 60 individuals from Nigeria and 60 individuals from Utah. "We selected SNPs that we already knew differentiated between the two groups, and then showed that our method can reveal more about the data than traditional methods," said UTMB associate professor Suresh Bhavnani, lead author on the JAMIA paper and a member of UTMB's Institute for Translational Sciences. "This is a fresh way of looking at … Continue reading →

Main Category: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology Also Included In: Genetics Article Date: 13 Jun 2012 - 16:00 PDT Current ratings for: 'Genetic Discovery Will Help Fight Diarrhoea Outbreaks' Published today in the journal Evolutionary Applications, the findings pave the way for a new gold standard test to distinguish between the waterborne parasite's two main species affecting humans. One species is spread from person to person (Cryptosporidium hominis) but the other is often spread from livestock to people (Cryptosporidium parvum). "Being able to discriminate quickly between the two species means it is easier to spot an outbreak as it develops, trace the original source, and take appropriate urgent action to prevent further spread," said lead author Dr Kevin Tyler of Norwich Medical School at UEA. Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that causes outbreaks of diarrhoea across the globe. In the UK, around two per cent of cases of diarrhoea are caused by the organism and many people will be infected at some time in their lives. Symptoms include watery diarrhoea, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting and can last for up to a month, but healthy people usually make a full recovery. However, in the developing world infection can be serious in malnourished … Continue reading →

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The worlds leading experts in the field of personalized medicine are meeting in Boston, MA September 12th and 13th 2012 for the 4th Annual Personalized Medicine Conference. This conference will tackle the issues driving, as well as restraining, the clinical delivery of personalized medicine, including coding and reimbursement, whole genome sequencing in practice, the economics of personalized medicine, Medicare policy, and market access challenges for companion diagnostics. Personalized medicine has the potential to revolutionize medical care by utilizing an improved understanding of genetics and molecular biology to allow for better, more precise diagnostic tests, greater predictability of disease course, and improved patient safety. Speakers and panelists will be answering the following key questions: Is personalized medicine changing clinical practice? Can personalized medicine improve clinical outcomes? Will insurers fund the genomic revolution? What types of validation requirements are payors looking for? At this conference, Robert C. Green, MD, MPH, Director, G2P Research Program, Associate Director for Research, Partners Center for Personalized Genetic Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School will discuss the impact that whole genome sequencing will have on the practice of medicine, patients, and health care costs, as well as the potential risks associated with … Continue reading →

Public release date: 13-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Simon Dunford s.dunford@uea.ac.uk 44-160-359-2203 University of East Anglia Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have discovered unexpectedly large genetic differences between two similar species of the pathogenic Cryptosporidium parasite. Published today in the journal Evolutionary Applications, the findings pave the way for a new gold standard test to distinguish between the waterborne parasite's two main species affecting humans. One species is spread from person to person (Cryptosporidium hominis) but the other is often spread from livestock to people (Cryptosporidium parvum). "Being able to discriminate quickly between the two species means it is easier to spot an outbreak as it develops, trace the original source, and take appropriate urgent action to prevent further spread," said lead author Dr Kevin Tyler of Norwich Medical School at UEA. Cryptosporidium is a protozoan parasite that causes outbreaks of diarrhoea across the globe. In the UK, around two per cent of cases of diarrhoea are caused by the organism and many people will be infected at some time in their lives. Symptoms include watery diarrhoea, stomach pain, nausea and vomiting and can last for up to a month, but healthy people usually … Continue reading →