UK Biobank has released a vast tranche of genetic data to health researchers around the world, offering an unprecedented resource to enhance understanding of human biology and aid in therapeutic discovery. This follows a brief exclusive research period for Regeneron and GSK. Additional tranches of data will be released over the next two years.
Dr Ben Langmead is a computational biologist and assistant professor in the Computer Science Department at Johns Hopkins University, most famous for his creation of the Bowtie and Bowtie 2 sequence alignment algorithms, used to improve sequencing alignment quality. FLG spoke to Dr Langmead about his lab, his recent work using the Stampede2 supercomputer cluster to optimise sequencing data analysis software, and the future for DNA sequencers as a whole.
Yale University researchers have discovered a potential new biomarker for identifying individuals with increased risk of prostate cancer metastasis. The findings announced that mitochondrial protein syntaphilin is vital in determining the balance between tumour cell proliferation and tumour cell invasion, and is expressed significantly at the invasive tumour edge in prostate cancer.
Gene therapy can make heart cells regenerate after a heart attack, King’s College London researchers have found. The study, published in Nature, stated that a small piece of genetic material called microRNA-199 delivered into a pig’s heart after myocardial infarction resulted in almost total cardiac recovery a month later.
Swiss scientists have found a potential new way to block metastasis, with promising results demonstrated in mice. The researchers have found a “barrier”, built by the Activin B protein and a receptor called ALK7, the combo of which prevents tumours from spreading through the body.
Takeda Pharmaceutical has announced the sizeable first sale in its proposed £10 billion-worth of assets to offset the debt it took on during its acquisition of Shire. The company announced it was divesting eye drug Xiidra to Novartis for $5.3bn total, and its TachoSil Fibrin Sealant Patch to Ethicon for $400 million in case.
When the MDM2 gene acts with a specific protein found in cancer cells’ mitochondria, it can lead to cancer cell death. The study which discovered this fact, published by Mount Sinai researchers in Molecular Cell journal, could open new treatment opportunities for cancer patients in the future.
Network algorithms can improve cancer treatment effectiveness by better determining how genes interact, researchers from the University of Sussex have found. The algorithm built by the scientists, Slant, uses current data to find patterns associated with being part of a synthetic lethal interaction.
Questions around legality, protecting privacy and ensuring quality of data in DNA sequencing all need answering, a symposium recently held at the University of Minnesota has announced. LawSeq, a $2 million project looking to solve the issue of privacy and legality in sequencing, is exploring how to ensure the legal world catches up with current science.
A new polygenic risk score tested data from 300,000 people to forecast risk of obesity. The study found that 10% of adults with the highest genetic risk were 25 times more likely to become severely obese than the 10% whose genes were most likely to keep them slim.
Front Line Genomics’ “Biodata Analysis and Management – Genome Analytics, Interoperability, and Data Life Cycle” report isn’t just an update of our old Genomic Data 101 guides: packed with new information on AI and machine learning,. data discoverability and data interoperability, it is much much more.
Genomic compression expert PetaGene has become a NetApp Alliance Partner, the company announced recently, a move set to improve performance and reduce costs for researchers using large datasets within the genomics field.
Two companies with access to data from the 100,000 Genomes Project have identified patients with previously undiscovered life-threatening kidney and neurological diseases. The companies, Alexion and BioMarin, were part of Genomic England’s Discovery Forum, which grants certain industry research proposals access to data from the project after vetting.
SOPHiA GENETICS’ Solid Tumor Solution (STS) application was recently granted a CE-IVD designation, a regulatory stamp that a product has satisfied the EU’s in vitro diagnostic device requirements. We spoke to Gioia Althoff, SOPHiA’s Senior Vice President, Genomics Business Area, about the STS application and where SOPHiA is going from here.
The first stage of a collaboration between Genomics England, Inivata and Thermo Fisher Scientific looking to assess the suitability of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) samples collected during the 100,000 Genomes Project has now concluded. The collaboration was also created to objectively evaluate liquid biopsy market offerings and find evidence for implementing that technology in healthcare for better disease treatment and prevention.
