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Association between genetics and suicide is complicated – Post-Bulletin

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Why does it seem that suicide tends to run in families? Does it have anything to do with genetics?

The association between genetics and suicide is complicated. Research has shown that there is a genetic component to suicide. But it is only one of many factors that may raise an individual's risk. And even if someone is at high risk for suicide, that doesn't predict whether or not an individual will actually act on suicidal thoughts.

Genetic research, including studies involving twins, has revealed that many psychiatric conditions, including having suicidal tendencies, are influenced by genetics. While studies demonstrate that specific genes, such as one called the BDNF Met allele, can increase risk for suicide, it's more likely that a range of genes affect connections and pathways within the brain, and impact suicide risk.

Complicating matters further, a process called epigenetics also comes into play when considering the effect of genes on suicide. This process controls when certain genes are turned on or off as a person grows and develops, and it can be influenced by what happens in a person's environment.

For example, if someone goes through a difficult event as a child, that experience could have an impact on how or when a gene is activated within that person's brain. Researchers speculate that negative experiences influencing epigenetics in a person who has a family history of suicide could further compound that person's suicide risk.

In addition, it is known that 90 percent of people who die by suicide have a psychiatric illness at the time of death. Mood disorders, psychotic disorders, certain personality disorders and substance use disorders can increase suicide risk substantially. Each of those disorders has a genetic component, too.

It's important to understand, however, that an increased risk of suicide does not predict who will commit suicide. For some people even those whose genetics may seem to predispose them to a higher suicide risk the thought of suicide doesn't enter their minds. For others, suicide quickly may become a focus of their thoughts.

For those whose thoughts do turn to suicide, the way they arrive at suicidal thoughts may be a well-imprinted and familiar pathway. Psychotherapeutic treatment can help examine the process they go through to get to that point and find ways to interrupt the process.

Genetics, family history and environment all matter when it comes to the risk of suicide. But knowing risk factors is not a substitute for a thorough assessment of an individual's situation and the process he or she takes to arrive at suicidal thoughts.

If you or a loved one is concerned about your risk for suicide, or if you've had suicidal thoughts, talk to a mental health professional. To help you find ways to break the cycle that leads to suicidal thoughts, he or she can work with you to treat any psychiatric illness that may be present and help you understand the process you're going through when you turn to the possibility of suicide.

If you are in a suicide crisis or emotional distress, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free, confidential emotional support 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 (toll-free). Brian Palmer, M.D., Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester.

Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesnt replace regular medical care. Email a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit http://www.mayoclinic.org.

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Association between genetics and suicide is complicated - Post-Bulletin

The Next Pseudoscience Health Craze Is All About Genetics – Lifehacker Australia

Recently, Vitaliy Husar received results from a DNA screening that changed his life. It wasn't a gene that suggested a high likelihood of cancer or a shocking revelation about his family tree. It was his diet. It was all wrong.

Illustration: Angelica Alzona/Gizmodo

That was, at least, according to DNA Lifestyle Coach, a startup that offers consumers advice on diet, exercise and other aspects of daily life based on genetics alone. Husar, a 38-year-old telecom salesman, had spent most of his life eating the sort of Eastern European fare typical of his native Ukraine: Lots of meat, potatoes, salt and saturated fats. DNA Lifestyle Coach suggested his body might appreciate a more Mediterranean diet instead.

"They show you which genes are linked to what traits, and link you to the research," Husar told Gizmodo. "There is science behind it."

DNA Lifestyle Coach isn't the only company hoping to turn our genetics into a lifestyle product. In the past decade, DNA sequencing has gotten really, really cheap, positioning genetics to become the next big consumer health craze. The sales pitch a roadmap for life encoded in your very own DNA can be hard to resist. But scientists are sceptical that we've decrypted enough about the human genome to turn strings of As, Ts, Cs and Gs into useful personalised lifestyle advice.

Indeed, that lifestyle advice has a tendency to sound more like it was divined from a health-conscious oracle than from actual science. Take, for instance, DNA Lifestyle Coach's recommendation that one client "drink 750ml of cloudy apple juice everyday to lose body fat".

"Millions of people have had genotyping done, but few people have had their whole genome sequenced," Eric Topol, a geneticist at Scripps in San Diego, told Gizmodo. Most consumer DNA testing companies, like 23andMe, offer genotyping, which examines small snippets of DNA for well-studied variations. Genome sequencing, on the other hand, decodes a person's entire genetic makeup. In many cases, there just isn't enough science concerning the genes in question to accurately predict, say, whether you should steer clear of carbs.

"We need billions of people to get their genome sequenced to be able to give people information like what kind of diet to follow," Topol said.

Husar stumbled upon the Kickstarter page for DNA Lifestyle Coach after getting his DNA tested via 23andMe a few years earlier. He wondered whether there was more information to be gleaned from his results. So six months ago, he downloaded his 23andMe data and uploaded it to DNA Lifestyle Coach. Each test costs between $US60 ($78) and $US70 ($91).

"I'm always looking for some ways to learn about my health, myself, my body," said Husar, who contributed to the company's Kickstarter back in 2015.

The advice he got back was incredibly specific. According to DNA Lifestyle Coach, he needed to start taking supplements of vitamins B12, D and E. He needed more iodine in his diet, and a lot less sodium. DNA Lifestyle Coach recommended that 55 per cent of his fat consumption come from monounsaturated fats like olive oil, rather than the sunflower oil popular in Ukraine. Oh, and he needed to change his workout to focus more on endurance and less on speed and power.

He switched up his workout and his diet, and added vitamin supplements to his daily routine. The results, he found, were hard to dispute: He lost 3kg, and for the first time in memory didn't spend Kiev's long harsh winter stuck with a bad case of the winter blues.

Image: A sample of a DNA Lifestyle Coach customer's fitness recommendations provided by a customer.

For now, DNA Lifestyle Coach's "interpretation engine" only offers consumers advice on diet and exercise, but in the coming months it plans to roll out genetics-based guidance on skin care, dental care and stress management. The company wants to tell you what SPF of sunscreen to use to decrease your risk of cancer, and which beauty products to use to delay the visible effects of ageing. Its founders told Gizmodo that eventually they envision being able to offer their customers recipes for specific meals to whip up for dinner, optimised for their genetic makeup.

DNA Lifestyle Coach joins a growing list of technology companies attempting to spin DNA testing results into a must-have product. The DNA sequencing company Helix plans to launch an "app store for genetics" later this year. One of its partners is Vinome, a wine club that for $US149 ($194) a quarter sends you wine selected based on your DNA. Orig3n offers genetics-based assessments of fitness, mental health, skin, nutrition and even obviously unscientific which superpower you are most likely to have. The CEO of the health-focused Veritas Genetics told Gizmodo that the company hopes to create a "Netflix for genetics", where consumers pay for a subscription to receive updated information on their genome for the rest of their life.

"It's not going to happen overnight, but we believe that DNA will become an integrated part of everyday life," Helix co-founder Justin Kao told Gizmodo. "The same way people use data to determine which movie to see or which restaurant to eat at, people will one day use their own DNA data to help guide everyday experiences."

Few would debate that our capability to decipher information from our genetic code is getting a lot more sophisticated. Just a decade ago, a bargain-basement deal on whole genome sequencing would run you $US300,000 ($391,491). Recently, DNA sequencing company Illumina announced plans do it for just $US100 ($130) within the next decade. Every day, researchers discover new links between our health, our environment and our genetics.

But much of this research is still preliminary, and many of the studies are small. DNA Lifestyle Coach's advice to drink 750ml of cloudy apple juice for fat loss, for instance, stemmed from a study of just 68 non-smoking men. Those results, while promising, still require much larger studies to confirm. Suggesting that the same regiment might work for consumers is a little like reading the leaves at the bottom of a tea cup extracting meaning from patterns that aren't necessarily there.

Not to mention that the information our genes offer up is probabilistic, not deterministic. You may have run into this if you've done an ancestry DNA test and received results indicating that your parents are only "very likely" your parents. More often than not, many genes contribute to a specific trait like taste and how those genes all interact is a complex and poorly understood web. To complicate matters further, the expression of genes is often impacted by our behaviour and the environment. If you have a gene that raises the risk for skin cancer, but live in overcast Seattle and don't ever go outside, your chances of getting cancer are probably slimmer than someone who lives in Sydney and spends every day in the sun without slapping on some sunblock.

DNA Lifestyle Coach, though, wants to offer its customers simple, actionable advice, and so omits all this confusing grey area from its results. Instead, the recommendations are clear and specific, from how much Vitamin A to take to how many cups of coffee a day are most beneficial. It's a bit reminiscent of a long-term weather forecast spitting out predictions for sunshine or rain 30 days in advance yes, such predictions can be made, but most meteorologists will tell you they're borderline useless.

Image: A sample of a DNA Lifestyle Coach customer's diet recommendations provided by a customer.

"We use a series of algorithms which rank studies by reliability of results," the company website explains. "Studies are then analysed for their relation to real-world dietary and nutritional needs, and the user is given straightforward recommendations."

Pressed on the questionable nature of that apple juice study, DNA Lifestyle Coach's founders responded that the "data is not as strong" as the the other studies it pulls from. "But it is a harmless recommendation," the company said.

When asked whether it was possible that DNA Lifestyle Coach's claims might have any validity, Topol laughed.

One day, he said, it's likely we'll have some genomic insight into what types of diets are better suited for certain people. But, he added, it's unlikely that we will ever accurately predict the sort of granular details DNA Lifestyle Coach hopes to, like exactly what SPF of sunscreen you should be using on your skin.

"There are limits," he said.

Image: A sample of a DNA Lifestyle Coach customer's diet recommendations provided by a customer.

DNA Lifestyle Coach was founded by a chemist and a business consultant who met over an interest in the biohacker scene, a subculture focused on ideas like DIY life extension. The company that runs DNA Lifestyle Coach, Titanovo, actually started as a blog. The name is meant to invoke superhumans. "It's like the rise of the titans," said Corey McCarren, the business side of the duo, when Gizmodo met with him at a health "moonshots" conference last month.

Their first foray into genetics was a home telomere length test, which launched in 2015 with help of $US10,000 ($13,050) raised on Indiegogo. Telomeres are little bits of DNA at the end of chromosomes. Each time a cell divides, its telomeres get shorter, and so they provide some insight into our biological age. Titanovo wanted to develop an easy test to tell consumers how long or short their telomeres were. The company initially pitched the test as a way to measure both longevity and health, but eventually was forced to clarify for customers that it is not at present possible to discern biological age from telomeres alone, after receiving emails from customers panicked about their own short telomeres.

Instead, they suggest, the $US150 ($196) telomere testing kit is a way to discern information about health. One finding from their data: Vegetarians and vegans who use the service have, on average, longer telomeres. The company recommends going veg if you find your telomeres are in need of a boost. Even this, however, seems like a stretch: Data on telomere length, like genomics, is not quite ready for public consumption. For every paper that finds a potential cause of telomere shorting, there's one that finds the opposite effect.

Undaunted by the rocky rollout of its telomere testing kit, Titanovo is now pressing forward into genomics. The Kickstarter campaign for DNA Lifestyle Coach wound up raising more than $US30,000 ($39,149). The company says it now has more than 1000 customers who either pay $US215 ($281) for the full DNA testing kit along with one panel, or the $US60 ($78) to $US70 ($91) to run panels with data from services like 23andMe.

While it might seem harmless to take part in a little science-based superstition and find out whether you're more Batman or Superman, such indulgence can have serious side effects. For years, we've been sold on DNA as the answer to almost everything. Decode the human genome, and decode the "mysteries of the human spirit". This gives companies like DNA Lifestyle Coach dangerous authority. If your DNA testing results say you're prone to obesity, why spend time exercising and eating right when your health seems beyond your control?

Joshua Knowles, a Stanford Cardiologist who studies applied genetics, told Gizmodo that he recently had a patient who was unwilling to try a certain class of drug based on their genotyping, even though they had a high risk of heart disease that might be drastically reduced by use of those medications.

"We're doing a poor job of educating patients on risk-benefit analysis," Knowles said. "In some cases, when it comes to genetics, we're placing a lot of weight on some things that have very small overall effects."

In 2008, an European Journal of Human Geneticsarticle argued for better regulatory control of direct-to-consumer genetic testing, asking whether in the end, tests ran the risk of being little better than horoscopes that told people information they were already predisposed to believe.

It was these kinds of concerns that moved the US Food and Drug Administration to crack down on 23andMe in 2013, ordering the company to cease providing analyses of people's risk factors for disease until the tests' accuracy could be validated. The company now provides assessments on a small fraction of 254 diseases and conditions it once scanned for it still processes the same information, but is restricted in what it can tell consumers. Where it once reported "health risks" alongside specific tips and guidance on how to reduce them, it now reports on your "carrier status", framing the results in terms of whether you might pass down a specific genetic variant to your offspring rather that whether you might develop the condition yourself.

Companies like DNA Lifestyle Coach have moved in to offer the sort of tips 23andMe no longer can.

"We have much too many companies doing nutrigenomics and other unproven things like that," said Topol. "That can give consumer genomics a really bad name. That's unfortunate."

Kao, of Helix, said that educating consumers on what these results really mean alongside actionable information will be the industry's greatest challenge and what distinguishes it from just another pseudoscientific health fad.

"It's typically been very hard to interpret DNA information," Kao said. "DNA is most valuable with context, rather than as the only piece of the puzzle."

The industry, he argues, is young, but will get more accurate the more consumers use DNA-testing products. "Just as Netflix improves the more you rate shows you watch, so would many DNA-based products," he said.

Husar told Gizmodo that he got blood work done to confirm what he could about his DNA Lifestyle Coach results. The tests indeed confirmed that he was low on vitamins B12, D and E, as DNA Lifestyle Coach had suggested. Of course, Hussar still can't be sure his genes are responsible. It could be that he's simply not eating enough meat or cheese. Still, the blood work was enough to convince Husar that DNA Lifestyle Coach's analysis was worth taking seriously. And, for the most part, the results felt right it made sense that a boost of vitamin B12 might counteract the emotional toll of winter, and that cutting out potatoes and saturated fats might be beneficial.

The tests's fitness results though, he did find a tad shocking.

"I was really surprised to learn that I'm not fast or powerful, but I have a high endurance," he said. "I can do Iron Man. This is what my genetics say. I'm trying to change my workout to see if that's true."

Husar may never be sure whether the advice divined from his genetics was really helpful. He can only hope it doesn't hurt.

Originally published on Gizmodo Australia.

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The Next Pseudoscience Health Craze Is All About Genetics - Lifehacker Australia

Seattle Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN) Valuation According To Analysts – UK Market News

As analysts monitor volatile markets in recent weeks they have updated their price targets on shares of Seattle Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN). Based on the latest notes released to investors, 2 analysts have issued a rating of buy, 4 analysts outperform, 10 analysts hold, 1 analysts underperform and 0 analysts sell.

Latest broker research notes issued:

03/15/2017 Oppenheimer began new coverage on Seattle Genetics, Inc. giving the company a perform rating.

02/13/2017 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its neutral rating reiterated by analysts at Credit Suisse. They now have a USD 66 price target on the stock.

02/10/2017 Seattle Genetics, Inc. was downgraded to underperform by analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

12/29/2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its neutral rating reiterated by analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald. They now have a USD 43 price target on the stock.

12/27/2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its buy rating reiterated by analysts at Needham & Company. They now have a USD 72 price target on the stock.

11/29/2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. was downgraded to equal-weight by analysts at Barclays. They now have a USD 70 price target on the stock.

10/21/2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its outperform rating reiterated by analysts at Leerink Swann. They now have a USD 62 price target on the stock.

10/10/2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its outperform rating reiterated by analysts at RBC Capital. They now have a USD 62 price target on the stock.

09/15/2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. was upgraded to neutral by analysts at Goldman Sachs. They now have a USD 47 price target on the stock.

09/07/2016 Morgan Stanley began new coverage on Seattle Genetics, Inc. giving the company a overweight rating. They now have a USD 60 price target on the stock.

07/27/2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its neutral rating reiterated by analysts at SunTrust. They now have a USD 38 price target on the stock.

02/10/2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its neutral rating reiterated by analysts at JP Morgan. They now have a USD 43 price target on the stock.

02/10/2016 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its neutral rating reiterated by analysts at Piper Jaffray. They now have a USD 33 price target on the stock.

08/25/2015 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its buy rating reiterated by analysts at William Blair.

08/03/2015 Seattle Genetics, Inc. had its market perform rating reiterated by analysts at Cowen. They now have a USD 40.5 price target on the stock.

The share price of Seattle Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN) was down -0.03% during the last trading session, with a day high of 67.30. 1028309 shares were traded on Seattle Genetics, Inc.s last session.

The stocks 50 day moving average is 64.32 and its 200 day moving average is 59.50. The stocks market capitalization is 9.51B. Seattle Genetics, Inc. has a 52-week low of 32.40 and a 52-week high of 75.36.

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Seattle Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SGEN) Valuation According To Analysts - UK Market News

Delivering nearly 500kg of milk solids with Holstein Friesian genetics – Agriland

Husband and wife team, Brian James and Lorna Sixsmith, have a 130-cow spring-calving Holstein Friesian herd.

Based in Garrendenny, Crettyard, Co. Carlow, the couples herd increased from 115 cows in 2016. And in recent times, their milking platform has moved from about 49ha to 69ha.

The pair have farmed since 2002, after taking over from Lornas father, and farming has been a second career for them both.

The herd has an EBI of 149 and is currently ranked 28th on the latest EBI herd ranking (February 2017), with a fertility sub-index of 81, a production sub-index of 36 and +0.08% protein.

The herd is delivering 480kg of milk solids, while maintaining a 365-day calving interval and a 6% empty rate.

The cows normally get out to grass by day in February and are out full-time by March. The herd is housed by night in late October and ishoused full-time during the first week of December.

However, the farm is fairly heavy in places and getting out to grass has been delayed for the last two seasons. But the cows have been able to graze more in the back-end of both years.

This delayed access to spring-grass led to more meal being fed last year than would normally be the target of about 800kg/cow.

That said, Brian does like a happy cow and a contented cow and when push comes to shove he wouldnt begrudge them extra meal feeding.

The couple arrived back toGarrendenny 15years ago to a largely British Friesian type herd and used some Rotbunt genetics initially.

Solids production then became the major focus and they selected high-protein Holstein Friesian sires. Since then milks solids production has been steadily rising.

Milk protein has climbed from 3.3% to 3.7%, while fat improved from 3.7% to 4.3%.

Brian says this means solids sold have gone from 300kg to nearly 500kg (milk solids). The national average is still 372kg.

The herds fertility is top class with a 365-day calving interval and an average of 285 days in milk, but a few April and May calvers drag that latter figure down. When these cows are excluded, the average days in milk rises to 294.

Virtually all cows were served last year within six weeks and there was a 5.5% involuntary culling rate.

In 2016, the herd delivered 480kg of milk solids to the creamery and that was after a late turnout and a reduced grazing season, as highlighted above.

The couples ideal cow weighs 500kg, produces 500kg of milk solids and calves every 365 days.

Brian said his ideal cow is one that calves down every year, gives a reasonable volume and doesnt give me any hassle with mastitis or whatever.

The herd also uses the AI Service to reduce labour and for convenience. When asked about this Brian simply says: We have enough to do.

When he began using Progressive Genetics AI Service, he didnt like moving away from twice-a-day AI. Now he says its the best thing I ever did.

It works out well; Im happy with it, he said, and it leads to less stress on the cows and a conception rate to the first service of over 60%.

Bulls that feature amongst the milking cows are by GMZ, CFF, VML, BHZ, LLK, LHZ, HMY, TSK, PBM, AAC and ABO, amongst others.

The heifers coming into the parlour this year are predominantly sired by YGB, PBM, PSZ and PKR.

Some of the sires Brian used last year were: FR2007, FR2030, FR2032, FR2040, FR2041, FR2275, KAZ and LWR. The focus is very much on protein, fertility and a hardy, compact cow.

The herd genetic level is +0.08% protein, producing 3.70% protein.

An average herd could achieve this level using bulls +0.15% protein in their EBI, which is easily achievable from todays top bulls.

LLK daughter Garrendenny Llk Skye 1794 recently calved for the fourth time as she had an LWR bull calf on the 16th February.

The latest calving gives the cow a 363 day calving interval and over her three lactations to date she has produced 1,576kg of milk solids.

In her last lactation, she averaged 4.19% fat and 3.75% protein or a milk solids production of 643kg.

This cow has never had a high SCC, with her three lactations to date averaging 45,000, plus her genomically tested EBI is 156.

The couple uses the DIY Milk Recording Service, which is found to be reliable and convenient, but is primarily a very useful tool for improving milk quality and therefore increasing milk price.

The herds SCC ranged from 86,000 to 181,000 in 2016.

Milk recording helped achieve this, as after every recording problem cows are highlighted in the Mastitis Incidence Problem Cow Report and the Cell-check Farm Summary helps identify areas the herd can improve on.

Milk Recording regularly provides information on which Brian ranks cows and makes breeding decisions. It enables him to highlight top cows, identify weak areas with other cows, allowing the couple to cull unprofitable cows with persistently high SCC counts.

For more information on the services provided by Progressive GeneticsClick Here

Sponsored by Progressive Genetics

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Delivering nearly 500kg of milk solids with Holstein Friesian genetics - Agriland

Should companies be allowed to demand your genetic test results? – CBS News

Your genetic profile can reveal whether you have a disease or a predisposition to problems like cancer. So there is concern over a bill that would let companies request genetic testing, and effectively charge employees more for health insurance if they refuse.

The bill aims to clarify rules for workplace wellness programs. Employers would be able to offer discounts of up to 30 percent to those who participate. For the average family of four, that could be a difference of more than $1,500 a year.

But critics of this new bill say theres no telling how companies could use that information in the future. To them, its a choice between losing privacy or losing what could be thousands of dollars in savings.

Joselin Linder told correspondent Tony Dokoupil that, most of the time, she doesnt mind discussing the genetic illness that runs through her family attacking a vein in the liver.

So my grandmother passed it to two sons and watched two sons die of this gene, she said.

But she wouldnt want a boss to know the details of her family tree.

Dokoupila sked, How do you think you would feel if an employer said, We want to see your genetic test or were going to charge you 30% more for health insurance?

I think it would feel like a penalty, she replied.

What Linder calls a penalty, North Carolina Congresswoman Virginia Foxx sees as motivation. She introduced a bill that would allow companies to offer insurance premium discounts to workers who undergo genetic testing as part of a workplace wellness program.

If they dont participate in the wellness program, their premium is going to be the same as everyone else, Foxx said.

With the exception of the people who participate in the program, said Dokoupil.

Well, its an incentive to participate in the program, Foxx replied.

Nancy Cox, president of the American Society of Human Genetics, countered, Its hard to imagine a good reason for wanting this information.

In a letter to Congress, her organization (and dozens of others) said the bill would impose draconian penalties on employees.

Federal law bans companies from using genetic information to hire, fire or discriminate. But critics say a simple blood or saliva test could eventually reveal so much about a persons health and abilities that the urge to peek might be irresistible.

There are possibilities for misusing genetic information that make it very important for this information to be private, Cox said.

When asked about the opposition to her bill, Rep. Foxx said, We are totally surprised.

She points to the benefits of companies engaging in workers health: It will save people money, and it also will help them achieve a better quality of life.

Most large companies offers wellness programs, which are supposed to encourage healthy living, prevent disease, and lower health costs.

But Joselin Linder doesnt think shed ever join one if it meant handing over her genetic information. I think all of us deserve our privacy, Linder said, and I think all of us deserve healthcare.

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports theres little evidence so far that wellness programs actually improve workers health.

Foxxs bill passed a House committee this month, and she is is optimistic about its chances of becoming law.

But with opposition mounting, it could be a tough sell in the Senate.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Should companies be allowed to demand your genetic test results? - CBS News

World’s first licence for mitochondrial donation IVF may enable … – News-Medical.net

March 20, 2017 at 8:07 AM

Eminent UK reproductive and genetics experts have become the first in the world licensed to provide a revolutionary IVF procedure using donor DNA which they spent decades developing enabling women carrying potentially fatal mitochondrial disease to have healthy, genetically-related babies.

Mitochondrial donation to prevent mitochondrial disease has been permitted in the UK since pioneering legislative changes in 2015 and endorsement in 2016 by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), establishing the worlds first regulated system to provide mitochondrial donation.

Today the HFEA granted the first clinical mitochondrial donation licence to the Newcastle Fertility Centre at the International Centre for Life in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom.

Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation (AMDF) CEO Sean Murray applauded the licensing as a major step forward for the mitochondrial disease community worldwide, and congratulated Mary Herbert, Professor of Reproductive Biology at the Institute of Genetic Medicine, and her team.

Professor Herberts work developing and refining mitochondrial donation has been widely published and is internationally-renowned, along with colleague Professor Sir Doug Turnbull, director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research at the Institute of Neuroscience, Mr Murray said.

Its very exciting that women can now access mitochondrial donation through licensed, reputable clinicians in the UK who are world experts in mitochondrial disease and reproductive technologies.

The UK Government and regulators have undertaken a rigorous and comprehensive global scientific and ethical review of the treatment over a ten-year period.

Each painstaking step has added to the evidence the AMDF expects the Australian Government to consider in changing our laws to make mitochondrial donation available to Australian women, he said.

Mitochondrial donation in the UK is restricted to women at risk of having a baby suffering severe mitochondrial disease, a debilitating genetic disorder that starves the bodys cells of energy, impairing major organs like the brain, heart, liver, muscles, ears and eyes.

The disease has few treatments and no cure and can cause any symptom in any organ at any age.

The procedure is subject to numerous safeguards overseen by the HFEA such as carefully selecting women to undergo the procedure as a clinical risk reduction treatment, providing full information about potential limitations and risk, undertaking genetic testing when the embryo is at 15-weeks gestation, and closely monitoring the outcomes over time.

Mitochondrial donation could prevent at least 60 Australian babies each year from suffering a severely disabling and life-threatening form of mitochondrial disease, Mr Murray said.

The Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation and local families affected by mitochondrial disease looks forward to the Australian Government following the UKs lead and amending our laws to give families here the choice to access mitochondrial donation to have healthy biological children.

Meanwhile, the first live birth of an apparently disease-free baby to a woman at risk of passing mitochondrial disease to her child was announced in September 2016 by US scientists who carried out the procedure in Mexico, where laws do not preclude it.

However, although the AMDF cautiously welcomed the news, Mr Murray said there is concern about the lack of published information, regulation or independent monitoring.

While this appears to be a promising development demonstrating a successful outcome for mitochondrial donation to prevent mitochondrial disease, the AMDFs Scientific and Medical Advisory Panel looks forward to details being published in a peer-reviewed journal so we can closely assess the matter, Mr Murray said.

Ukrainian scientists also announced the birth in January 2017 of a baby with donor mitochondrial DNA to a woman with unexplained infertility, but without mitochondrial disease, who had been unable to conceive with conventional IVF. Details have not been published to date.

The AMDF supports making mitochondrial donation techniques available to women at risk for having children with severe forms of mitochondrial disease that could lead to a child's early death or substantial impairment, he said.

We also support regulation and strict oversight of clinics offering the procedure and recognise it will be important to monitor outcomes closely, as it would be with any new IVF technique.

The AMDF does not currently support mitochondrial donation to treat infertility. As far as we are aware, its use for purposes other than preventing inheritable disease has not been subject to rigorous scientific and ethical review or research, as has been the case for preventing mitochondrial disease.

Mitochondrial donation involves transferring nuclear genetic material from the affected mothers egg into a donor egg that has had its nuclear DNA removed and retains only its healthy mitochondrial DNA.

The mothers and fathers nuclear DNA contributes more than 20,000 genes or 99.9 per cent of the babys genetic make-up and determines its appearance, intelligence, behaviour and other personal characteristics.

The 0.1 per cent contribution (37 genes) from the donor egg means the resulting babys cells can effectively convert food and oxygen into the energy needed to power its organs.

Mitochondria are the powerhouses of our cells that generate 90 per cent of the energy fuelling our bodies, particularly muscles and major organs. Depending on which parts of their bodies are most affected and to what extent, people with mito can lose their sight or hearing, be unable to walk, eat or talk normally, have strokes or seizures, develop liver disease or diabetes, suffer cardiac, respiratory or digestive problems, or experience developmental delays or intellectual disability.

More than 1 in 200 Australians at least 120,000 people have genetic mutations that predispose their mitochondria to fail early, and may develop mitochondrial disease sometime in their lives. Many people are symptomatic but undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, some are not yet symptomatic, and others are unknowingly at risk of passing the disease to their unborn children.

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World's first licence for mitochondrial donation IVF may enable ... - News-Medical.net

Cut the long story short, and stitch it back together – Science Daily

A species of unicellular ciliate has found a special trick to make use of the cellular machinery in seemingly impossible ways. Researchers of the NCCR "RNA & Disease -- The Role of RNA Biology in Disease Mechanisms" of the University of Bern have for the first time described a mechanism in detail how so called "junk"-DNA is transcribed before being degraded -- and this mechanism is remarkably clever.

It sounds a bit like the winning proposal in a design contest: How can small pieces of information be read when they are too short to fit into the reading apparatus? Stitch them together into a longer string and close the string to produce a handy loop that can even be read off repeatedly. That's how a little organism called Paramecium tetraurelia, a species of unicellular ciliate, organises the transcription of small excised DNA segments into RNAs, which have a regulatory function.

But the story actually goes the other way round: When Mariusz Nowacki from the Institute of Cell Biology of the University of Bern found small RNAs with a regulatory function in the elimination of segments out of the Paramecium DNA, he and his team started to investigate the molecular mechanisms -- where do these RNAs come from, and what exactly is their role? They soon found out that there seems to be a sort of a feedback loop in the deletion of DNA segments. These, previously thought to be useless pieces of DNA (also called "junk DNA"), are cut out of the genome and then degraded by the cell machinery. However, before degradation, they serve as templates for small RNAs which in turn help with cutting out more of these DNA pieces. Once started, this pyramid system keeps reinforcing itself, via the production of RNA.

Transcribing the non-transcribable

As beautiful and intriguing as this system seemed to be, the researchers were left with a serious problem: Usually, the cellular transcription mechanism needs a much longer piece of DNA to operate. So how could these small excised DNA pieces -- of the length of not even 30 base pairs -- be used as templates? Without a good explanation for this, the whole theory looked very implausible. "It was an interesting detective work," Nowacki remembers. They had a suspect -- all they needed was to pin it down. "We were not actually looking for the unknown, because we soon had an idea, and then it was all about testing that idea." And their guess proved to be right: Paramecium has figured out a way to stitch DNA pieces together randomly into strings and, once the strings have the right length (of about 200 base pairs), to connect the ends and form circular concatemers of DNA segments.

Junk or not junk?

The finding has interesting implications: DNA thought to be non-coding "junk" -- of no use for the organism whatsoever and degraded quickly after being removed from the genome -, is actually a functional template for a biologically important class of small RNAs. It is actually one of the big emerging fields in molecular biology, whether "junk" DNA is really worthless or rather, as is increasingly becoming clear, whether it actually has regulatory functions. Nowacki believes that in this work his group was for the first time able to pin down a precise mechanism for the transcription of deleted "junk" DNA -- which would strengthen the case for an inevitable name change.

"RNA & Disease -- The Role of RNA Biology in Disease Mechanisms"

The NCCR "RNA & Disease -- The Role of RNA Biology in Disease Mechanisms" studies a class of molecules that has long been neglected: RNA (ribonucleic acid) is pivotal for many vital processes and much more complex than initially assumed. For instance, RNA defines the conditions, in a given cell, under which a given gene is or is not activated. If any part of this process of genetic regulation breaks down or does not run smoothly, this can cause heart disease, cancer, brain disease and metabolic disorders.The NCCR brings together Swiss research groups studying different aspects of RNA biology in various organisms such as yeast, plants, roundworms, mice and human cells. Home institutions are the University of Bern and the ETH Zurich.

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Cut the long story short, and stitch it back together - Science Daily

Cell Biology – thoughtco.com

What Is Cell Biology?

Cell biology is the subdiscipline of biology that studies the basic unit of life, the cell. It deals with all aspects of the cell including cell anatomy, cell division (mitosis and meiosis), and cell processes includingcell respiration, and cell death. Cell biology does not stand alone as a discipline but is closely related to other areas of biology such as genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry.

Based on one of the basic principles of biology, the cell theory, the study of cells would not have been possible without the invention of the microscope. With the advanced microscopes of today, such as the Scanning Electron Microscope and Transmission Electron Microscope, cell biologists are able to obtain detailed images of the smallest of cell structures and organelles.

All living organisms are composed of cells. Some organisms are comprised of cells that number in the trillions. There are two primary types of cells: eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells have a defined nucleus, while the prokaryotic nucleus is not defined or contained within a membrane. While all organisms are composed of cells, these cells differ among organisms. Some of these differing characteristics include cell structure, size, shape, and organelle content. For example, animal cells, bacterial cells, and plant cells have similarities, but they are also noticeably different.

Cells have different methods of reproduction. Some of these methods include: binary fission, mitosis, and meiosis. Cells house an organisms genetic material (DNA), which provides instructions for all cellular activity.

Cell movement is necessary for a number of cell functions to occur.

Some of these functions include cell division, cell shape determination, fighting off infectious agents and tissue repair. Internal cell movement is needed to transport substances into and out of a cell, as well as to move organelles during cell division.

Study in the field of cell biology can lead to various career paths. Many cell biologists are research scientists who work in industrial or academic laboratories. Other opportunities include:

There have been several significant events throughout history that have led to the development of the field of cell biology as it exists today. Below are a few of these major events:

The human body has a multitude of different types of cells. These cells differ in structure and function and are suited for the roles they fulfill in the body. Examples of cells in the body include: stem cells, sex cells, blood cells, fat cells and cancer cells.

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Cell Biology - thoughtco.com

Where the Dead ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Docs Would Be Now If They Were Alive – Wetpaint

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Where the Dead 'Grey's Anatomy' Docs Would Be Now If They Were Alive - Wetpaint

Grey’s Anatomy’s Sarah Drew Breaks Down the Moment Every Japril … – E! Online

And just like that, it looks like Japril is back on.

All it took was Jackson (Jesse Williams) and April's (Sarah Drew) trip to Montana on tonight's new episode of Grey's Anatomy to get the co-parents and former spouses back between the sheets. Well, that and a run-in with Jackson's long-lost pophey, Eric Roberts!of course. But with the status of their relationship left rather ambiguous by the episode's end, not to mention that pesky Grey Sloan Memorial civil war they've got to return home to, where will the docs go from here?

For some clarity on the subject, E! News got Drew on the phone for her thoughts. What follows is our unedited Q&A, covering the thrilling fling, what it meant for April to be present during Jackson's major life moment, and how she's readying herself for the onslaughtof tweets from Japril fans that she'scertainly about to receive.

ABC

We've got to start right away with the moment that every Japril fan is going to be tweeting about. How are you preparing your Twitter feed for the deluge of tweets coming your way? [Laughs] Oh my gosh, I don't know. I'm actually going to be on set all day tomorrow, so I'm going to have to be just popping back and forth between shots to talk to people, to talk to the fans and stuff. I've got a lot of behind the scenes photos which are kind of fun that I'm going to be posting. But, yeah, I know so many fans have been waiting for this moment and I think it's going to be pretty satisfying for them.

In all seriousness, what do you think this means for them? Is this like a "What happens in Montana, stays in Montana" situation or could this be the beginning of a true reunion for these two? I think it could go in a couple different directions. It could either lead to total confusion about what their status isthey're still living together. They're still roommates and they've got this baby that they love and adore and have made together, you know? So it could either lead to confusion or it could be a solidification of their best friendship, just a reminder that they really have always been each other's person since their time over at Mercy West and it could be very platonic moving forward. Or it could be a total rekindling of their romance. And you'll just have to wait and keep watching to see what happens. But I think any of those is totally justifiable and makes total sense to me. I don't think it's a thing that happened that is never thought about again or discussed again. I think it meant something important, but what exactly that leads to, you'll just have to wait and see.

The episode also holds such huge moments for Jackson Oh my gosh, he's so amazing! Jesse is brilliant. He's absolutely brilliant. It's such beautiful work. it's really exciting to see him just shine in this way. it's really cool.

What do you think it meant to April to be the one there to help him work through this as he confronts his father? You know, what I love the most about our dynamic in this episode is that so often in our history on the show together, April's been the one that's been spinning out of control and Jackson's the one that has to center her and ground her and show up for her. And that has been a pattern over and over and over again. She's the one that runs away and he has to get her back. She's the one that freaks out and he then has to show up for her. In this episode, she is rock solid for him. She shows up for him in a way that he didn't even know he needed or could articulate that he needed. He never thought that he would want to have her there for this. I think he discovers by the end of the episode that she was exactly the only right person to be there with him as he went through this. I love it.

I love that we get to see her be really strong for him and not need anything from him. That's the thing that I love the most about it. There was no moment of neediness for her. She didn't need him to be nicer to her, she didn't need him to get his act together. She knew what he needed, and then she provided that for him.

It was kept under wraps that Eric Roberts was cast as his father. What was it like getting to work with him? He's so great. He's so amazing, so enthusiastic, so talented. Really fun to work with. it was a ball working with Eric Roberts. he was so awesomeand felt so right for this role. He's so charming and likable, but yet at the same time, you're like, "How could someone so charming and likable have completely abandoned all of his responsibilities and his own child?" It's hard. You want to hate him, but then you can't. It's an interesting line he has to walk to play this character and he does it brilliantly.

Aside from the big moment between the sheets, the fans overall have just been thrilled to get a Japril sequel after last season's episode. What did it mean for you and Jesse to get to have this one-off adventure again? We felt a great sense of responsibility. We felt like Shonda [Rhimes] had trusted us with something huge. We felt that way last year, too. When she gave us that episode later year, it was an honor. It was really humbling to have her basically say I believe that these two characters will capture the attention of our Grey's Anatomy audience for an entire episode, you know? That felt very big and meaningful. And to get to do it again, it was even more of an honor.

And Jesse and I have always worked really well together. We've always been really passionate about the material, have always been super invested in our characters' journey and the relationship between April and Jackson. So, for us, this was just such a ball. We had so much fun working on the script and taking it to pieces and really finding and mining all of the inner workings and all the layers that were happening. And we were shooting on location and we were nowhere near the hospital, so it really felt like we ran off to do a little move together. And with Kevin [McKidd,] who we love and is one of out absolute favorite directors and people. So to have him at the helm for this episode was also such a tremendous gift. He's amazing.

What can you tease about what they return to at Grey Sloan next week with this civil war that's still waging on? We pick up back at the hospital right where we left off before running over to Montana. And at this point, really the main focus is what's going on with Bailey, Arizona and Richard because there's a lot of feeling of betrayal and hurt and loyalty questions and all that stuff, so that stuffthere's a lot of be ironed out and healed and sorted through when we get back to the hospital. That's really the focus when we get back.

Before they left, Jackson and April were really on opposing sides in this whole situation. With the trip to Montana and all that they go through, does it sort of heal them or have they come to a different understanding? Or does it affect their positioning at all when they come back? I think that basically what happens in Montana makes everything else feel pretty small and unimportant. This is a pretty big deal, him finding his father, looking for his father, conquering a huge fear that he had about whether he would be a good father or not. And April showing up for him through all of that and assuring him of what a tremendous dad he is, I think that ends up pretty much erasing the tension over hospital politics. So, yeah, I think there's enough that happens in Montana that really does a profound job of healing the two of them.

Grey's Anatomy airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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Grey's Anatomy's Sarah Drew Breaks Down the Moment Every Japril ... - E! Online