Humans spend about one-third of our lives asleep, but scientists still dont fully understand how sleep works and why some people have different sleep habits than others. Natural short sleepers are a perfect example: The average person requires seven hours a night, but these folks only need about four to six hours of snooze time.

In August 2019, scientists discovered that these natural short sleepers have something unusual a mutation in the gene ADRB1. The finding suggests genetics may at least in part underlie natural short sleepers tendencies. Understanding why they need different doses of daily rest than the average Joe could help scientists finally pinpoint just how much sleep humans really need to be well-rested.

This is #2 on Inverses 25 most WTF science stories of 2019

Lead study author Ying-Hu Fu, a neurology professor at UC San Francisco, told Inverse at the time she hoped the finding would not only bring relief to those who suffer from sleep problems, but increase sleep efficiency for everyone to ensure healthy aging.

Fu and her team analyzed a family of short sleepers genes and found that they all carried mutations in ADRB1. The gene is involved in neurons in a brain region called the dorsal pons which play a role in regulating sleep-wake behavior.

From there, they compared the mutated ADRB1 genes protein to that of a non-mutated version, and found that the mutant version of the protein was less stable. This suggests that the mutation doesnt interact with the neurons as expected that may explain why carriers of the genetic variant have an atypical sleep-wake cycle.

To confirm their results, the researchers bred mice with the mutated ADRB1 gene and compared them to controls. The mutant mice woke up 55 minutes earlier than the control mice on average. They also saw that the gene was expressed at high levels in the mutant mices brains dorsal pons region.

Untangling the genetics underlying sleep could one day help people get better at sleeping, said Fu. Her team has also found that natural short sleepers may carry a different mutation in the DEC2 gene, which helps regulate circadian rhythms. And there are likely more discoveries to come as scientists get to grips with the biology of this universal human activity.

As 2019 draws to a close, Inverse is counting down the 25 science stories from this year that made us say WTF. Some are incredible, some are icky, and some are just plain strange. This has been #2. Read the original article here.

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Mutants among us: "Natural short sleepers" reveal the genetics of sleep - Inverse

It was quite a year for the Jews of the Bay Area. From TV shows to Barbie Death Camp to white supremacists to racial diversity in the Jewish community, here are the 10 stories our online readers clicked on the most in 2019.

It was a big year for Israeli TV in America. One show in particular, Shtisel, became an unlikely crossover hit among American viewers when the 2013-2016 series about the travails of a haredi family in Jerusalem hit Netflix late last year. As our TV reviewer Esther D. Kustanowitz wrote in January, there are some universal themes about family, community and change that kept mainstream audiences fascinated by the show:

In September, we brought you perhaps the strangest piece of news we covered this year: the curious case of Burning Mans Barbie Death Camp display. Heres how reporter Gabe Stutman described it: A sea of nude Barbies is seen moving toward three full-size kitchen ovens. Some are crucified on bright pink crosses. Other photos show toy soldiers with semi-automatic rifles marching the Barbies from the rear. A banner strapped to an RV proclaims the Barbie Death Camp the friendliest concentration camp at Burning Man. Another reads arbeit macht plastik frei, a reference to the message over the Auschwitz gate meaning work makes you free.

Some might say its the least Jewish story we wrote this year, but I beg to differ. My visit to the recently remodeled Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple in Oakland was a personal highlight of the year. It was the first time it had been open to the public in over 50 years, and the visit did not disappoint. As I wrote at the time: I was there out of my love of religious architecture and because Id heard that [Mormon temples] include architectural references to the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary used by the Israelites as they wandered in the desert), as well as the ancient Temples that stood on Jerusalems Temple Mount.

No one article about him truly topped the list, but weve been covering the story since the 24-year-old Concord man was arrested in June and accused of plotting online to shoot Jews. Police found a weapons cache and Nazi literature in his home. He has been in and out of court and jail since then. Last month, a federal charge was added: In 2017, he falsified an application to join the Army by lying about his mental health history, according to the FBI. His bail has been revoked and he remains in custody as his case progresses.

This profile of iconoclastic billionaire Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, was the first in-depth interview he has given about his Jewish upbringing and values. More and more Im conscious of the notion of treating people like I want to be treated, and more and more Im conscious of the notion that I got lucky financially and I should share that in ways that mean something, he told our late colleague Rob Gloster in April.

The 2018 Portrait of Bay Area Jewish Life and Communities revealed that one-quarter of local Jewish households include at least one person of color. In our Jan. 25 editorial, we wrote: Its time we acknowledge not only the tendency to make Jews the other in broader society, but the equally pernicious tendency to other Jews of color right here within our own community. Our cover story is replete with stories from Jews of color being stared at or questioned when they show up in synagogue, and being passed over for leadership positions. But we also highlighted ways in which the situation is changing for the better.

Remember this years middling Netflix film The Red Sea Diving Resort, based on the secret Israeli plan to extract Ethiopian Jews through Sudan in the early 80s? Yeah, theres no reason you should. Much more interesting is the real-life story of one of the Israeli naval commandos who took part in the operation. Nir Merry lives in Mountain View today, and as he told editorial assistant Gabriel Greschler, during the operation he spent nights picking up Ethiopian Jews who had hiked for days, sometimes weeks, to reach the rendezvous point. He recalled avoiding armed Sudanese patrols on the coastline and ferrying the refugees to a disguised Israeli Navy ship in the Red Sea. We were tired but really excited, Merry said. I remember picking [up] an [Ethiopian] lady and you could hear little squeaks. And I realized it was a baby tucked in her dress close to her body.

Just last week, Adam Eilath, head of school at Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School in Foster City, registered his dismay at the Hanukkah-themed episode of the Disney series Elena of Avalor. In his opinion piece he wrote, As a Sephardic Jew raising two small daughters in an American Jewish community whose default is almost always Ashkenazi. I was excited that the episode would feature Princess Rebekah from a Latino (Ladino) Jewish kingdom. But, he continued, As usual, the only way that Sephardic culture gets represented in this episode is by incorporating Sephardic food.

This story was part of a three-part series on the rise of home genetic testing and the ease of doing genealogical research from the comfort of your home computer. One woman we spoke with grew up Catholic, but found out that she was 50% Asheknazi Jewish from a 23andMe home genetic test. But, as reporter Maya Mirsky asks, what does that really mean? The question itself is a new wrinkle in the age-old debate of just what it means to be Jewish, which has been given a kick in the pants from the commercialization of a field of science that says it can tell you something new: For a price, you can now choose from one of seven commercial genetic tests to find out just how Jewish you are.

In October we reported on a Nazi flag seen hanging inside a state parole office in Sacramento. How did it get there? And why was it hanging in a government building? The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told us in an email that they have a zero tolerance policy for the display of objects that are derogatory in nature, but they pointed out that their officers deal with gang members and high-risk sex offenders, [so] we will come into contact with items that may be considered objectionable. However, the email continued, We take this issue seriously and have removed the item and are looking into the circumstances for why the flag was displayed in potential view of the public. No word yet on what they found out.

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Our 10 most read stories of 2019: genetics, TV, 'Barbie Death Camp' and more - The Jewish News of Northern California

What Can Genes Tell Me About My Cancer Risk?

Before pursuing any kind of genetic testing, it is important to understand that the majority of cancers are not the direct result of genes passed down from your parents. Inherited gene changes sometimes called mutations or variants contribute to somewhere between 5 and 10 percent of all cancers. For that reason, genetic testing and counseling is typically recommended only for people who have had certain types of inherited cancer or who have histories of cancer within their family.

Genetic testing allows healthcare providers to look for inherited gene mutations associated with increased cancer risk, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene changes that have a clear tie to breast and ovarian cancer. For example, women in the general population have roughly a 12 percent chance of developing breast cancer in their lifetime; for women with BRCA mutations, it is closer to 70 percent, according to the NCI. Understanding that risk can help a woman and her healthcare providers plan prevention strategies.

RELATED: My Genetic Test Came Back BRCA Positive. Now What?

Medical-grade genetic cancer testing is typically ordered by your doctor or a specialist, such as a genetic counselor. The tests are noninvasive and typically use a blood or saliva sample.

"Medical-grade testing is developed and approved to answer medical questions [such as]: 'Do I carry a mutation in one of these hereditary cancer genes?'" says Ellen Matloff, the president and CEO of My Gene Counsel, a company that helps clients better understand their genetic testing results, and the former director of the cancer genetic counseling program at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. "At-home testing kits are for entertainment and are not developed, or approved, to answer medical questions."

There are several reasons for that. Medical-grade testing is far more thorough, Matloff says. For example, medical-grade testing for BRCA gene mutations analyzes thousands of gene variant options, whereas one leading at-home kit considers just three.

There are also differences in accuracy. A study published in March 2018 in the journal Genetics in Medicine found that 40 percent of gene variants reported in direct-to-consumer tests were false positives and that some of the variants companies told users meant they were at increased risk for certain health conditions are actually considered common gene variants by clinical labs.

An unpublishedstudy presented in October 2019 by Invitae, a medical-grade genetic testing company, found that an individual's ethnicity may have a significant impact on whether their at-home test results are accurate. MUTYH gene mutations, for example, would have been missed in 100 percent of Asian and 75 percent of African American test takers, but only 33 percent of Caucasian individuals.

"Medical-grade testing uses laboratory techniques and validation methods not used by most at-home testing kits," Matloff explains. "So those results are generally more accurate."

Health insurance plans will often cover genetic testing which can cost thousands of dollars but not always, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and Breastcancer.org. Direct-to-consumer genetic cancer risk tests tend to be less expensive, so they can be a good starting point for people who are worried about their family history and who do not want to spend too much.

"There are some at-home genetic cancer testing kits that are good, reasonably priced, and convenient for people who do not meet insurance criteria for coverage of traditional medical-grade testing and prefer to pay out of pocket and have the test delivered to their house," Matloff says.

But it is important to remember that everyone from the American Cancer Society to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) caution that the tests may provide incomplete or inaccurate information, and urge individuals to talk to their doctors before making any health-related decisions on the basis of those tests.

Read the rest here:
What to Know Before You Buy an At-Home Genetic Cancer Risk Test - Everyday Health

(BPT) - An estimated 130 million Americans make resolutions for 2020 with more than half of them focused on health. However, most resolutions are broken by February.

Marjan Champine, a board-certified and licensed genetic counselor at Ancestry, the global leader in family history and consumer genomics, shares tips for thinking about your health in 2020:

1. Small choices matter for a healthier you in the New Year.

Day in and day out, the small choices we make can end up making a big difference in how we feel and our overall health. The journey to better health can be as simple as to:

2. Talking to your family can unlock valuable insights into your health.

Understanding your familys health history and screening for common genetic conditions can provide information about some potential health risks. Armed with this information, there are powerful choices and actions you can take to improve your health, and your familys health, now and in the future.

You dont need to be alone in trying to make sense out of all of this. Genetic counselors can help you connect the dots of your family health history and the results of genetic health screening tests. Services like those offered by Ancestry, which recently launched AncestryHealth, can also empower you with genetic insights to put you on the path to a better, healthier you. When you and your health care provider know more about your risks for certain conditions, thats the start on the path toward better health.

3. Your genes dont need to be your destiny.

While genetics plays an important role in our health, the daily choices we make about our activity, sleep, nutrition and how we handle stress can also play a role in our quest for better health.

Because families share genetics as well as other health-related risk factors such as diet, lifestyle and environment family history is again important in this regard. Most people understand the health benefits of a good diet and exercise. But whats often overlooked is the importance of knowing your familys health history. By sharing your family health history in addition to any genetic health test results with your health care provider, you can work together to create a personalized plan of action to treat, manage and, in some cases, even prevent certain diseases.

4. Specific, achievable, actionable and enjoyable.

I am always looking for fun ways to improve my health. As part of that goal, my resolution this year is to spend more quality time with my family, share stories about our history and keep a record of our health history all in one place using AncestryHealths family health history tool.

If you havent made a New Years health resolution yet, think of a goal thats specific, actionable and achievable. Also think of goals that can be achieved in ways you enjoy.

5. The time is now.

Now is the perfect time to jump in and begin tackling your 2020 New Years health resolutions. Your family health history and genetic screening results could unlock important information that will allow you to manage your health.

The more you know about your genetic risk factors, including your family health history, the more you can take proactive steps, in collaboration with your health care provider. Taking this information and sharing it with your health care provider is important so that, together, you can create a personalized plan of action for a healthier 2020.

Marjan Champine is a board-certified and licensed genetic counselor at Ancestry with a passion for family, health and helping others.

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Resolving for a healthy 2020? Talking to your family is a great way to start - Mountain Grove News Journal

Seattle Genetics' (NASDAQ:SGEN) shares soaredas much as 6% after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its bladder cancer drug this month, and the stock now is heading for a total gain of more than 86% for 2019. The biotech company, which has a pipeline of candidate treatments for various cancers, now has a new product on the market and is optimistic about an investigational treatment that recently earned the FDA's "breakthrough" label.

IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.

Let's have a closer look at the two elements that could lift the shares in 2020, even after this year's spectacular performance.

Seattle Genetics announced the accelerated approvalof Padcev (generic name: enfortumab vedotin-ejfv) on Dec. 18 for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer. It's the most common kind of bladdercancer, and develops in the cells lining the inside of the bladder. The approval is specifically for adult patients who have previously been treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and a PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor. PD-1 and PD-L1 are proteins in the body, and in some cases, they help cancer cells hide from an immune system attack. Inhibitors prevent this from happening. As for Padcev, it targetsthe Nectin-4 protein and leads to the destruction of cancer cells.

A key point in this approval news is that Padcev is the only FDA-approveddrug for this patient set, meaning that it will be an obvious choice and welcome option for many. Seattle Genetics has said about 2,000 to 4,000 new patients per year may be candidates for Padcev, but CEO Clay Siegall said it's difficult to forecast an exact patient population. However, according to GrandView Research, the global urothelial cancer drug market will reach $3.6 billion by 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of 23%. In the U.S., about80,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed per year, and about 90% of cases are of the urothelial type. So a foothold in this market is a definite growth opportunity for Seattle Genetics.

Seattle Genetics aims to submit tucatinib, its investigational treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer, to the FDA in the first quarter. That's a positive development, but even better is the fact that the FDA already grantedtucatinib breakthrough status based on data from a phase 3 clinical trial. Tucatinib was administered along with Roche'sHerceptin and another drug, and riskof death declined by 34%. The study also showed a 46% decline in risk of disease progression. HER2stands for a protein -- human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. In HER2-positive breast cancer, high levels of this protein within tumors lead to the spread of cancer cells. Tucatinib inhibits enzymes that activate this type of protein.

Breakthrough status is meant to expedite review and approval for treatments that address life-threatening illnesses, so if all goes well, Seattle Genetics could have a third drug on the market sooner rather than later. (The company also sells Adcetrisfor Hodgkin lymphoma.) The market for HER2-positive breast cancer is expected to increase by 54% from its 2015 level to $9.89 billion in 2025, according to GlobalData.

Padcev and tucatinib both address conditions where the need for new treatments is obvious. Though Seattle Genetics' earningshistory hasn't been great -- it missed its EPS forecasts in the past two quarters -- its recent product news offers investors reasons for optimism about revenue streams to come. A new drug on the market and high hopes for another approval are catalysts that should help its share price make healthy gains in the new year.

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2 Things That Will Propel Seattle Genetics Stock Even Higher in 2020 - Motley Fool

When Anne Weber became pregnant with her first child at age 28, little did she suspect that, rather than bringing home a bundle of joy, she would have to contend with a cancer diagnosis that would change the course of her life.

At her first ultrasound, not only did she find out that she had miscarried but also that she had a large cyst on one of her ovaries. That cyst turned out to be cancer.

"Because I didn't have a strong family history of cancer, everyone assumed it would be benign," she recalled in an interview with Medscape Medical News. "We were all very surprised when the pathology report came back with ovarian cancer."

Although the incidental finding may have been heartbreaking, it may also have been lifesaving. Because it was caught early, her ovarian cancer was of stage I. She underwent surgery and is now telling her story, 10 years later.

Weber is now a patient advocate at FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to individuals affected by hereditary breast, ovarian, and related cancers, andpreviously worked for a while at genetic testing company Myriad Genetics.

How Weber developed ovarian cancer at such a young age was initially a mystery. Without a family history and without symptoms or personal risk factors for it, her physician did not suspect a hereditary cancer even though at the time, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommended that physicians consider genetic testing for anyone younger than 50 who are found to have ovarian cancer. However, her physician didn't offer genetic testing, or even counsel her about it.

Weber was left with nagging questions. She wanted to know why she'd gotten ovarian cancer and how she could prevent a recurrence. So she started sleuthing around on the Internet.

"When I was diagnosed, I knew nothing about this. Literally, I didn't know what terms to type into the search engine," she said.

When she stumbled onto an online forum that linked her to the NCCN guidelines, the pieces of the puzzle began fitting together.

This was 2009, and she was living in Atlanta at the time. She asked her physician about genetic testing, and her doctor referred her to the only genetic counselor in the city, who was at Emory University. At that time, the wait time for genetic testing was 6 months.

"Six months when you're dealing with something like cancer can be pretty dire," Anne said.

Genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer has not always been straightforward, and fast-moving research means that genetic testing is becoming more and more complex all the time.

The NCCN may have recently provided a step in the right direction. On December 4, the NCCN released updated clinical practice guidelines on genetic/familial high-risk assessment for breast and ovarian cancer.

The guidelines represent a fairly radical shift from previous recommendations, which focused on BRCA genes, according to Robert Pilarski, MS, LGC, MSW, LSW, a genetics counselor and professor of clinical internal medicine at Ohio State University's Comprehensive Cancer Center. He was also vice chair of the NCCN guidelines panel that updated the guidelines.

The NCCN recommendations remain anchored in strong, unbiased evidence and reflect a conservative approach regarding genes for which there is lack of evidence, he said. But the guidelines also acknowledge a shift toward panel testing and include a table of 17 moderate- and high-penetrance genes that should be considered in addition to BRCA genes. They also provide management recommendations for people who carry these genes.

"Most people now are doing panel testing where the panel involves multiple genes besides BRCA," Pilarski said, "This guideline update is the closest that we've got to a consensus [regarding breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer] because it now specifies a set of genes that are reasonable to include in at least a basic panel."

The use of multigene panels is controversial, as previously reported by Medscape Medical News. A study published in early 2019 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology suggested that roughly half of breast cancer patients who carry a pathogenic or likely pathogenic mutation are missed by current genetic testing guidelines. That study used an 80-gene panel, and the authors recommended expanded panel testing for all patients with breast cancer.

Critics shot back, arguing that universal testing is not warranted and that large, multigene panels may create undue anxiety among patients as well as confusion among physicians. Research is in its infancy for many of these genes, and physicians don't know how or even whether to act on results for some of them. That's especially true for variants of unknown significance, which have not been confirmed to increase risk for disease.

Perhaps in response to this controversy, the NCCN guidelines do not recommend universal testing for breast or ovarian cancer. Instead, they provide clinical scenarios in which genetic testing is clinically indicated, may be considered, or has low probability of clinical utility. The NCCN authors hedge their bets by not endorsing for or against multigene panel testing.

"I think we held back from becoming too definitive because there may be times when other genes are appropriate," Pilarski explained. "We didn't want to lock patients out of insurance coverage, and we didn't want to lock ourselves into a set of genes that could change next week with changing evidence."

This "wishy-washiness" over multigene panels creates a problem for Mehmet Copur, MD, FACP, an oncologist who wrote a critical response to the study published earlier this year. He is affiliated with the Morrison Cancer Center in Hastings, Nebraska, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

"I believe they have tried to please both parties, and they have been too nice," he said. "My personal opinion is that I would go for high-penetrance genes in clinically suspicious settings. I would ignore that disclaimer note and say, 'I'm going to do this 17-gene panel.' "

Going one step further, he suggested the creation of commercially available gene panels based on the NCCN recommendations for these 17 genes.

"There are a wide variety of panels available with different genes on different panels. There is a lack of consensus among experts regarding which genes should be tested in different clinical scenarios. If possible, it would be helpful to create commercially available gene panels based on the updated NCCN recommendations," he said.

In another major change, the guidelines now include pancreatic cancer for the first time. But in contrast to breast and ovarian cancer, the NCCN recommends that all patients with newly diagnosed pancreatic cancer receive genetic testing.

"Approximately 1 in 20 patients with pancreatic cancer will have an inherited susceptibility gene. Most people with pancreatic cancer who carry these mutations do not have a family history of pancreatic cancer, so you can't rely on family history to guide you about who should get genetic testing," Michael Goggins, MD, MBBCH, who was also involved in updating the NCCN guidelines, told Medscape Medical News. Goggins is director of the Pancreatic Cancer Early Detection Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Advantages of genetic testing for pancreatic cancer include guidance regarding choice of chemotherapy and the possibility of cascade testing for prevention or earlier detection of pancreatic cancer in family members.

Other additions to the guidelines include new recommendations for genetic testing for individuals with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, as well as new or updated recommendations for Li-Fraumeni syndrome and Cowden/PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome.

The guidelines also offer an expanded section on genetics risk assessment and genetic counseling. Genetic testing has become increasingly complex, and the NCCN emphasizes the importance of genetic counseling throughout the testing process.

It has been 10 years since Anne Weber was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Because she was diagnosed at a young age (28 years) and her other ovary was unaffected, she opted for surgery to remove only the ovary with the tumor.

After her own Internet research and at her own request, Weber underwent genetic testing. She found out that she is a carrier of the BRCA2 mutation, which carries high risk for breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer.

Current recommendations are that people with BRCA2 mutations start breast cancer screening at age 25, so Weber was screened immediately.

Her first breast MRI revealed a mass that was found to be stage I breast cancer. At that point, she chose to have her other ovary removed, as well as both fallopian tubes and both breasts, which significantly reduces her risk for recurrence.

"I'm so incredibly grateful that I found the information. All the guidelines say that I shouldn't even have had my first mammogram at my current age of 39. So there is low likelihood that I would have been diagnosed by now, and it certainly would not have been stage I," she said.

Since her diagnosis, she and her husband have adopted a child.

"Genetic testing isn't right for everyone. People aren't going to make the same decisions I did," she said. "The biggest thing is to understand that being positive doesn't mean that you're going to get cancer. It just allows you to have that circle of care to try to prevent cancer, or at least catch it earlier, when it's more treatable."

NCCN. Genetic/Familial High-Risk Assessment: Breast, Ovarian, and Pancreatic Version 1.2020. Full text

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Link:
Heartbreaking News, Then Tumor Find Leads to Genetic Testing - Medscape

US Pentagon in Washington DC.

For years, many of us in the genetics community have strongly suggested thatconsumers think long and hard beforeordering recreational genetic test kits for Christmas or any other occasion. But when thePentagon sends a stern warningto its military members, even Santa needs to listen.

Military Mission at dusk

Why would the Pentagon be worried about our military using at-home DNA kits?A memo issued to service membersfrom the Office of the Secretary of Defensestates that recreational genetic kits could give military personnel inaccurate information about their health. These inaccurate results couldhave negative professional consequences,particularly because military members, who are required to report medical problems, are not covered bytheGenetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA),which prohibits genetic discrimination by employers and health insurers.

It is already well known that thesekits should not be usedto answer serious medical questions based on a personal or family history of disease. Anyone with such a history shouldconsult a certified genetic counselorto ensure that an accurate test is ordered and interpreted correctly.The Pentagon concurs, saying they dont advise against genetic testing altogether, but recommend that service members get genetic information from a licensed professional rather than a recreational kit.

But are there other reasons the Pentagon may be warning against recreational genetic test kits? Couldthis genetic information lead to genetic surveillance, tracking, and grave privacy concerns for military personnel and others who use these kits?

China has already demonstratedthat genetic technology and research findings, intended to help people, can instead be used to harm. It is believed that the Chinese government has collected DNA samples from its citizens throughmandatory physicals to create a large databasethats being used to weed out up to one million Uighurs to be sent toconcentration camps. Although U.S. citizens, thankfully, enjoy greater protections than those in China, this example illustrates that our DNA can give insight into ancestry and ethnic origins that can be used for grave harm.

In fact, genetic data can reportedly be usedto determine how gay a person is, and if you are a 23andMe user who shared your data for research, you may have contributed to this study. Could DNA data be used to determine if military personnel may be gay? And if so, could that information beused against them?

And, of course, none of these companies can guarantee that their databases wont be hacked,as has happened in the past. Recently, GEDmatch, the genealogy company used to track down the Golden State Killer, wasacquired by a company created to work with crime labs. Other testing companies have chosen toshare their user data with the FBI.How will all of this consumer data be used, for good or evil? The truth is, we dont know.

finger print with DNA code at background

What we do know is thatundercover military agentscould likely be identified using a small sample of blood or saliva and large DNA databases. This may be true whether or not they personally have undergone recreational genetic testing,since one of their relatives probably has. For our military working undercover, this means that anonymity is likely a thing of the past.

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Why The Pentagon Is Warning US Military Not To Use Recreational Genetic Test Kits - Forbes

Eikon search string for individual stock moves: STXBZ

The Day Ahead newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2ggOmBi

The Morning News Call newsletter: http://tmsnrt.rs/2fwPLTh

U.S. stock index futures hovered near record-highs on Tuesday, buoyed by optimism about the global economy in the wake of improving trade relations between Washington and Beijing. .N

At 8:16 ET, Dow e-minis 1YMc1 were up 0.09% at 28,575. S&P 500 e-minis ESc1 were up 0.05% at 3,229, while Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQc1 were up 0.05% at 8,730.75. The top three NYSE percentage gainers premarket .PRPG.NQ: ** WESCO International Inc , up 8.0% ** Ocwen Financial Corp , up 4.9% ** TETRA Technologies Inc , up 3.9% The top three NYSE percentage losers premarket .PRPL.NQ: ** NGL Energy Partners LP , down 6% ** Frontline Ltd , down 3.5% ** Ooma Inc , down 3.4% The top two Nasdaq percentage gainers premarket .PRPG.O: ** Microbot Medical Inc , up 21.7% ** Proteostasis Therapeutics Inc , up 15.4% The top three Nasdaq percentage losers premarket .PRPL.O: ** Verisign Inc , down 22% ** Ferroglobe Plc , down 17.4% ** Cpi Card Group Inc , down 10.8% ** Advanced Micro Devices AMD.O: up 0.9% premarket BUZZ- Rises for fourth day as RBC sets Street high price target ** Cel-Sci Corp CVM.A: down 5.2% premarket BUZZ- Drops on discounted stock offering ** NewLink Genetics NLNK.O: up 12.3% premarket BUZZ- Rises on licensing deal for its cancer treatment

(Compiled by Trisha Roy in Bengaluru)

((Trisha.Roy@thomsonreuters.com; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780, outside U.S. +91 80 6749 7786;))

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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BUZZ-U.S. STOCKS ON THE MOVE-NewLink Genetics, Verisign, WESCO International, Microbot Medical - Nasdaq

According to news articles published in early December, Veritas Genetics, a Massachusetts-based company that hoped to lower the cost of whole-genome sequencing, is suspending its U.S. operations because of a lack of investment. Articles theorize that the decreased funding was driven mainly by new CFIUS regulations and heightened CFIUS scrutiny.

Early in December 2019, Veritas announced that its adverse financing situation had forced the suspension of its U.S. business. Veritas has stated that it is assessing potential paths forward, and there are rumors that one such path is the sale of the company. Veritas will no longer sell its tests, which include genetic testing for diseases and cancers (such as the BRCA test), in the United States. Veritas will continue to operate and sell its tests outside the United States.

Veritas first launched in 2014, and since 2015 it had raised $50 million in financing. Major investors included Chinese companies, such as Lilly Asia Ventures, which invested $10 million into the company, and Simcere Pharmaceutical. However, there has been increased scrutiny in the past two years for transactions that involve Chinese investors, especially when sensitive personal information, such as genetic information, is at stake. This year, for example, CFIUS forced iCarbonX, the Chinese, majority owner of U.S. company PatientsLikeMe, to divest its stake in the U.S. company.

According to news reports, recent CFIUS activity may have scared away not only Chinese investors but also non-Chinese investors reluctant to invest in a company with Chinese ownership. Non-Chinese investors may fear that Veritass Chinese ownership will lead to increased CFIUS scrutiny of any investment into Veritas, regardless of the investors nationality. Investors may also worry that CFIUS scrutiny could delay their return on investment if their firms are forced to stall business to address CFIUSs concerns.

No doubt the proposed CFIUS regulations from September also concern foreign investors: the proposed regulations explicitly target U.S. companies that maintain or collect sensitive personal data of U.S. citizens. While most sensitive personal data only triggers the proposed regulations if the U.S. business maintains or collects such data on greater than one million individuals, companies with genetic data are considered to be covered businesses no matter how many individuals are involved. Thus, companies like Veritas will always fall under CFIUS jurisdiction if a foreign person would acquire certain rights in the company. These rights include:

Several genetic and biopharmaceutical companies expressed concern in public comments to the regulations that the proposed regulations, specifically including all genetic data in the definition of sensitive personal data, would stymie foreign investment in these companies. Several companies argued that the Department of the Treasury should revise the proposed CFIUS regulations to require that genetic data be identifiable. Companies often are in possession of anonymized genetic information, which these companies argued does not pose a risk to national security. We await publication of the final regulations and whether CFIUS will make any changes to the definition of sensitive personal data, particularly as it pertains to genetic information. It is to be seen whether U.S. companies in other industries will face similar funding obstacles as foreign investors grow more wary of CFIUS.

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Veritas, a US Genetic Sequencing Company, Suspends US Operations Due to Decreased Funding; CFIUS Thought to be Leading Cause - Lexology

It hasn't been the best quarter for Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MYGN) shareholders, since the share price has fallen 20% in that time. In contrast the stock is up over the last three years. However, it's unlikely many shareholders are elated with the share price gain of 47% over that time, given the rising market.

Check out our latest analysis for Myriad Genetics

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Over the last three years, Myriad Genetics failed to grow earnings per share, which fell 37% (annualized).

Thus, it seems unlikely that the market is focussed on EPS growth at the moment. Therefore, we think it's worth considering other metrics as well.

It could be that the revenue growth of 4.2% per year is viewed as evidence that Myriad Genetics is growing. In that case, the company may be sacrificing current earnings per share to drive growth, and maybe shareholder's faith in better days ahead will be rewarded.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

It's good to see that there was some significant insider buying in the last three months. That's a positive. On the other hand, we think the revenue and earnings trends are much more meaningful measures of the business. So we recommend checking out this free report showing consensus forecasts

Investors in Myriad Genetics had a tough year, with a total loss of 8.9%, against a market gain of about 40%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 6.9% over the last half decade. Generally speaking long term share price weakness can be a bad sign, though contrarian investors might want to research the stock in hope of a turnaround. If you want to research this stock further, the data on insider buying is an obvious place to start. You can click here to see who has been buying shares - and the price they paid.

Myriad Genetics is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

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Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading.

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Does Myriad Genetics's (NASDAQ:MYGN) Share Price Gain of 47% Match Its Business Performance? - Yahoo Finance