The worlds top geneticists will come together for the first-ever Joint Symposium in Clinical Genetics May 19 - 21, 2017. The symposium, which will become an annual event, will be hosted at the Postgraduate Education Centre in the School of Public Health at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong.

Organized in partnership by the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Pediatrics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the goals of the symposium are to educate and update clinicians and scientists on the application of clinical genetics to genomic medicine and to highlight cutting-edge technologies and scientific discoveries in clinical genetics and genomics. Through the event, the partner organizations hope to lead in the implementation of genetic medicine in Asia.

The symposium will connect experts and leaders in the field from Baylor with those in Hong Kong and across Asia. In addition to the symposium programming, attendees and organizers will celebrate the establishment of the joint CUHK-BCM Center of Medical Genetics, which aims to promote high-quality training and conduct state-of-the-art research in medical genetics.

We are thrilled to see this symposium come to life, said Dr. Brendan Lee, chair of molecular and human genetics at Baylor. Ever since joining forces with the Chinese University Hong Kong, we have wanted to host a conference that would bring all of these talented minds together to discuss the latest developments and research in the field of molecular and human genetics. There is the potential for incredible work to come out of this three-day symposium.

The symposium will play host to key speakers in the field, including Baylors Dr. Igna Van Den Veyver, Dr. Richard Gibbs, Dr. Art Beaudet, Dr. James Lupski and Lee, who also is the Robert and Janice McNair Endowed Chair and Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics, and Dr. Dennis Lo, Dr. Rossa Chiu, Dr. Tak Yeung Leung and Dr, Richard Choy, all with the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Oral presentations will address relevant topics, including non-invasive prenatal genetic diagnosis, genomic technologies and the future, genetics and neurological diseases, inborn errors of metabolism, genetics and congenital cardiac diseases, genetic screening and counseling of diseases, and genetics and skeletal dysplasia, among others.

For more information about programming, visit the symposiums website.

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International genetics symposium launches in Hong Kong - Baylor College of Medicine News (press release)

By Emily Massingill Correspondent

ORANGEVILLE Hi View Farm outside of Orangeville is where Brian and Kristi Dinderman put their children on the bus each morning and then walk a few feet to work on their dairy farm.

Its a life they love after purchasing the farm from Kristis family. Despite facing the ups and downs of agriculture prices and climate, along with some additional family challenges, they still agree that life is best on the farm.

Brian and Kristi alsohave found a niche in breeding and genetics; they work with artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.

With their combined background and experience, Brian and Kristi arent looking to get bigger. Instead, theyre looking to be better at what they already do well. As technology changes and progresses, things become more affordable, Brian said.

We like to be the ones to care for our animals, Brian said. We want good animals that are well balanced in type and production.

Both Brian and Kristi have registered cattle backgrounds and grew up in FFA and 4-H. Kristi was familiar with Ayrshire and Brian with Guernseys.

They show at fairs and expos, which has been great publicity. They want to increase and better their genetics,and they'revery selective about breeding the animals they keep and sell.

Several have gone on to do well, Kristi said. Its exciting. We dont always have time to get ready to show all of the animals. Its fun to sell them and see other people take them to the next level.

The couple married in 2004 after meeting at a county fair and seeing each other in the same show circles. They have three children: Alaina, 10, and twins, Amery and Aidan, 8.

As the children get older, theyre showing as well, in addition to their nightly calf feeding duties. Last summer was a big achievement when Aidan, who has cerebral palsy, was able to show an Ayrshire calf and win first prize at the Stephenson County Fair.

The familyfaces the fluctuation of milk prices and knows to save when prices are good. The Dindermans are happy with their family oriented roots and hire little to no labor other than themselves. They milk about 70 head of dairy and have between 80 and 90 young stock.

Brian and Kristi also find time to teach a class at Highland Community College. Brian serves as a board member on the American Guernsey Association, is an Illinois Guernsey Director and is on the Holstein Board and the Farm Bureau Board. Kristi is active with Ayrshire Association and National Youth Committee, is an Orangeville FFA alum and serves on their Orangeville United Methodist Church board of directors.

Although some believe small family farms are going by the wayside, Brian says thats not how they see it.

We feel theres a fit for all of us, he said. Youll always have competition for land, but we dont see that as a challenge we see it as working together."

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Local farmers: Dindermans specialize in breeding and genetics near Orangeville - Freeport Journal-Standard

May 16, 2017 by Karen Zusi Credit : Susanna M. Hamilton, Broad Communications

A new study of inherited genetic risk indicates that common genetic variations throughout the genome act in addition to rare, deleterious mutations in autism-associated genes to create risk for autism.

Studies of genetic risk for developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often compare DNA from those diagnosed with autism to that of neurotypical controls, but these approaches can be confounded by external factors. To get a clearer look at the genetic underpinnings of autism risk, a team led by researchers from the Broad Institute's Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research and the Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School took a new approach, published in Nature Genetics, comparing genetic influences within families in which a child has been diagnosed with autism.

In the human genome, common genetic variations can each contribute a small level of risk for developing a given disorder. These variants can be aggregated to create a "polygenic risk score," which represents part of an individual's overall disorder risk.

In this study, Elise Robinson, an associated scientist at Broad and assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, first author Daniel Weiner, a scientist in Robinson's lab, and colleagues calculated polygenic risk scores for developing autism in members of 6,454 families with one or more children diagnosed with ASD. The risk scores were based on the participants' individual genotypes compared against data from genome-wide association studies.

On average, children's genetic risk scores for any phenotype equal an average of their parents' scores. However, the team discovered that children with ASD have a higher risk score on average for developing ASDmeaning that more of the contributing common variants from the parents have been inherited together, versus what would be expected if the risk score was an average of the parents'. Children with ASD in the study were also likely to have independently over-inherited their parents' polygenic risk for developing schizophrenia, as well as polygenic influences associated with more years of education (which are strongly correlated with the polygenic influences on IQ score).

The independent inheritance of these influences may help to explain the different ways that autism can manifest. For example, higher polygenic risk for schizophrenia was associated with lower IQ , whereas higher polygenic scores for years of education were associated with higher IQ, in children with ASD.

The team also found that risk for developing ASD is increased beyond the common polygenic risk score if a rare, harmful mutation, newly arising in the child, occurs in an autism-associated gene. In children with ASD, these rare variants are associated with more severe neurodevelopmental impacts, such as intellectual disability, seizures, and motor function delay.

The study results point to multiple types of genetic risk for ASD, highlighting the need for a better understanding of the behavioral and cognitive traits associated with autism in order to eventually develop models or therapies. Using genetic data from parents and their children to dissect the roots of a disorder also eliminates many potential confounding factors, and the research team noted the utility of this analytic method for studying other types of polygenic risk.

Explore further: Autism genes are in all of us, new research reveals

More information: Daniel J Weiner et al. Polygenic transmission disequilibrium confirms that common and rare variation act additively to create risk for autism spectrum disorders, Nature Genetics (2017). DOI: 10.1038/ng.3863

New light has been shed on the genetic relationship between autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and ASD-related traits in the wider population, by a team of international researchers including academics from the University ...

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(HealthDay)For women affected by familial breast cancer, a polygenic risk score based on 22 genomic variants can identify women at high-risk of breast cancer, according to a study published in the Dec. 10 issue of the ...

The causes of autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are complex, and contain elements of both nature (genes) and the environment. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Molecular Autism shows that ...

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Stop-and-go traffic is typically a source of frustration, an unneccesary hold-up on the path from point A to point B. But when it comes to the molecular machinery that copies our DNA into RNA, a stop right at the beginning ...

A new study of inherited genetic risk indicates that common genetic variations throughout the genome act in addition to rare, deleterious mutations in autism-associated genes to create risk for autism.

Sharing medical information, including genomic data, has the potential to benefit public health. However, companies that generate that information have a legal right to protect it as a trade secret. Legal and ethical conflict ...

A landmark study led by UNC School of Medicine researchers has identified the first genetic locus for anorexia nervosa and has revealed that there may also be metabolic underpinnings to this potentially deadly illness.

When a group of researchers in the Undiagnosed Disease Network at Baylor College of Medicine realized they were spending days combing through databases searching for information regarding gene variants, they decided to do ...

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The genetic architecture of risk for autism spectrum disorder - Medical Xpress

A year and a half ago, few health insurers would cover a noninvasive prenatal test which draws blood from a pregnant woman to analyze fetal DNA unless the pregnancy was considered high-risk, which usually meant the woman was over 35.

The test, which screens for chromosomal abnormalities linked to genetic disorders like Down syndrome, seemed less essential for women with average- or low-risk pregnancies.

Today, at least 30 major U.S. insurers including Anthem, Cigna and more than a dozen Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliates nationwide cover the test for average-risk single-gestation pregnancies, expanding access to millions more people.

The turnaround is part of a broader move by insurers to pay for genetic tests and screenings. The technology is advancing quickly, and the cost of many types of tests is plummeting. Not all tests are covered. But increasingly, insurers are willing to cover screenings for genetic mutations linked to breast, colon and prostate cancer.

The trend has sparked concerns about the access insurers could have to the sensitive information such tests reveal.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Matthew Rabinowitz, founder and CEO of Natera, is seen in a company genetics testing lab in San Carlos on May 4, 2017. Natera projects selling half a million tests this year, he said.

Matthew Rabinowitz, founder and CEO of Natera, is seen in a company genetics testing lab in San Carlos on May 4, 2017. Natera projects selling half a million tests this year, he said.

Paolo Jose calibrates equipment at the Natera genetics testing lab in San Carlos on Thursday, May 4, 2017. Natera Inc makes a non-invasive prenatal test and sells it to OBGYN practices and fertility centers.

Paolo Jose calibrates equipment at the Natera genetics testing lab in San Carlos on Thursday, May 4, 2017. Natera Inc makes a non-invasive prenatal test and sells it to OBGYN practices and fertility centers.

Insurers help make genetic testing widely available

We are seeing more insurance companies cover genetic testing for two reasons: The prices are going down and the value is going up, said Dan Mendelson, president of the Washington consulting firm Avalere Health. The growing coverage of such tests raises some important and extremely socially relevant questions about how the information is used, he added.

The trend is poised to bring a windfall to Bay Area genetic testing firms like Natera Inc., a San Carlos company that makes the noninvasive prenatal test and sells it to obstetrics-gynecology practices and fertility centers. The Natera test, called Panorama, has about 25 percent of the noninvasive prenatal test market share in the U.S. and is the fastest-growing genetic test in the country, according to data compiled by Wells Fargo Securities.

The noninvasive prenatal test is relatively new, coming onto the market in 2011. It is termed noninvasive because the more commonly known procedure to diagnose fetal chromosomal abnormalities, amniocentesis, involves sticking a needle into a pregnant womans abdomen to draw amniotic fluid, which creates a small risk to the fetus. The noninvasive test is not diagnostic, meaning that if it shows a positive result, an expectant mother must still get the result confirmed by amniocentesis. Negative results, though, could reduce the need for invasive procedures.

In December, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services established pricing for aneuploidy and microdeletion testing two chromosomal abnormalities that the prenatal test is designed to detect. Medicaid and many private insurers use the agencys pricing about $800 for one test as a benchmark to set their own prices.

Between 2013 and 2016, Natera sales largely driven by sales of Panorama and Horizon, a genetic-carrier screening more than quintupled from 88,000 to 447,000, according to the company, which went public in 2015 and earned $217 million in revenue last year. Natera expects to sell half a million tests this year, said CEO Matt Rabinowitz.

Coverage is growing beyond the prenatal sphere. More genetic testing for breast, ovarian and colon cancer is being paid for because the information gleaned from the tests is highly predictive, said Lawrence Brody, a senior investigator at the National Human Genome Research Institute, a unit of the National Institutes of Health.

Insurance companies dont want to pay for things that make no health improvements, he said.

Twenty years ago, it cost more than $100 million to sequence the human genome; today, it costs only thousands, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute. Similarly, testing for specific genes is also more accessible.

It used to cost $3,000 to $4,000 to look at just two breast-cancer genes, Brody said. Now it can cost a couple hundred to look at a panel that has 20 genes on it.

Insurance plans are now more likely to cover tests for the gene BRCA1, mutations of which increase the risk of breast cancer, said Mendelson, the health consultant.

That is spilling over to other companies in the genetic-testing space. Over the last nine months, three of the nations largest private insurers Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare have contracted with the San Francisco genetic testing firm Invitae Corp., making the company an in-network provider of diagnostic tests, including BRCA1 and BRCA2, for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. That is catapulting the number of people potentially covered for these tests from 5 million to 180 million, according to Invitae.

Many genetic tests still are not covered. For example, patients must pay out of pocket for results from the Mountain View firm 23andMe, which sells tests that indicate peoples risk of developing 10 diseases, including Parkinsons, Alzheimers and some blood-clotting disorders.

Where they do cover tests, insurers do not necessarily get access to the results, but a doctor treating a patient may use billing codes that would result in insurers knowing about some diagnoses, according to a spokeswoman for the California Department of Insurance, which regulates insurance companies.

Federal and state laws limit what insurers can do with the information. The federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against patients by denying coverage or charging higher premiums based on genetic information. California law goes a step further: It prevents insurers from discriminating against people who carry a gene that may cause a disability in their children.

Cigna does not have access to the test results, said Cigna spokesman Mark Slitt: Thats between patients and their doctors.

A spokesman for Kaiser Permanente said test results are reviewed only by providers and patients and not by the health plan.

A spokeswoman for Blue Shield of California did not directly address whether it saw the test results: As our coverage of genetic tests continues to grow, we go through a deliberate process of making sure the tests are scientifically sound and reliable for our providers and members, she said in an email.

Several of the regions largest insurers, including Kaiser and Blue Shield, said genetic testing can be applied to identify potential medical conditions and improve patients overall health, but they did not provide figures for how many such tests were conducted for their members.

Agreements between insurers and providers are confidential making it difficult to determine how many genetic tests are being done or covered by insurers, said Michael S. Watson, executive director of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, an influential medical association.

Anthem, the first major insurer to expand its coverage of noninvasive prenatal testing to average-risk pregnancies, declined to comment.

Not all genetic testing is useful, medically relevant or accurate, and some experts have cautioned against acting on the results without proper guidance from genetic counselors. Genetics determine just 30 percent of a persons health; the other 70 percent is a combination of behavior, environment and other factors, according to a 2015 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which is unrelated to Kaiser Permanente.

You have to be sophisticated to interpret the results, Brody said. We do have a tendency in the U.S. to pile more on sometimes because we can. ... Some genes included three years ago on a breast-cancer test panel have been shown not to influence breast-cancer risk, so we got those taken off. Were learning as we go.

Menlo Park residents Shantanu Rane and Pratibha Gupta took a noninvasive prenatal test last year when Gupta was pregnant with their now-7-month-old daughter. They received a false positive for Turner syndrome, a chromosomal condition in females that can lead to shorter life spans and kidney and heart problems. The couple chose not to do an invasive diagnostic procedure and prepared for the worst. They found out seven months later, when Gupta delivered, that their daughter did not have Turner syndrome, after doctors did a cord blood test analyzing the genetic composition of blood from the umbilical cord.

Rane, who wrote a Medium post about the experience, said he wishes he had known more about how to interpret the results of the test, which showed that a chromosomal abnormality was detected, and that the lab would have been more transparent explaining the result.

There needs to be better education of the patients so they know what theyre going into, said Rane, a researcher in electrical engineering. You have a lot of headache and worry, and at the end you find out things are fine.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.

Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: Cat__Ho

The rest is here:
A new era for genetic testing, especially in pregnancy - San Francisco Chronicle

Have you read a 2016 PLOS Genetics Research Article that stood out for you in terms of the strength of its analysis or impact on your field? Maybe you edited or reviewed a manuscript that caught your attention? If so, you may want to nominate it for the PLOS Genetics Research Prize 2017!

Now entering its third year, the prize awards $5,000 to the authors of the winning Research Article, selected by the PLOS Genetics Editors-in-Chief and Senior Editors from a pool of public nominations, based on the criteria of scientific excellence and community impact. Previous winners were Barroso-Batista, Sousa et al. for The First Steps of Adaptation of Escherichia coli to the Gut Are Dominated by Soft Sweeps in 2015, and in 2016, Naranjo, Smith et al. for Dissecting the Genetic Basis of a Complex cis-Regulatory Adaptation.

To tell us which 2016 Research Article you think is worthy of this award, please complete our nomination form. Nominations are open to the public until Friday June 16, 2017 at 11:59 PM ET.

For more information on the Prize, take a look at the Program Page and Program Rules. Questions about the Prize can also be sent to plosgenetics@plos.org.

Featured image credit: December 2016 Issue Image. Immunofluorescent staining of 2-month-old ovarian sections. Image Credit: Meng-Wen Hu

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Nominations open for the PLOS Genetics Research Prize 2017 - PLoS Blogs (blog)

Genetic testing is now available for over 2,000 conditions from over 500 different laboratories Reuters, file

Prior to April 2017, genetic testing was limited to medical professionals who were testing their patients for certain inherited traits and disorders. With the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the first ever direct-to-consumer test, the company 23andMe can not only sell commercial DNA kits to determine ancestry, but they can test for 500,000 genetic variants to assess for risk of developing any one of 10 diseases. You can do this in the privacy of your home. But should you?

Here are 5 questions to ask before ordering a home genetic testing kit.

Be an informed consumer. Experts recommend seeking professional genetic counseling even before ordering the kit to better understand the implications and limitations of the results. Since the process of developing a disease is much more complicated than just the presence or absence of a certain gene, seeking out the expertise of a genetic professional can aid with putting the results into context based on your family history and medical problems.

Related:

The FDA recognizes the seriousness of this testing, and reports that consumers must first acknowledge that the results may cause anxiety. The opt-in page provides resources to professional medical associations.

In the only commercially available direct-to-consumer test currently available, 23andMe assesses your genetic risk for 10 different diseases.

"The Alzheimer's Association believes you need to think thoroughly before getting a genetic test," says chief science officer of the Alzheimer's Association Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D. "There are 100s of genes for the Alzheimer's disease. So, it's important for people to know the test is only looking for one gene that has the highest risk for Alzheimer's.

If there are other diseases you are concerned about, speak with your doctor or a genetic counselor who is capable of ordering specialized testing.

No, the current test offered does not have the capability to diagnose you with a certain disease. It can only inform you of your genetic risk, but not overall risk. Keep in mind DNA is not the sole determinant of disease. There are also gene variations, family history, lifestyle choices, and the environmental factors to consider in how genes are expressed. Just because someone has a genetic risk does not mean they will go on to develop the disease. In cases of sufficient scientific evidence, a genetic report will even be able to quantify a risk percentage. For example, having two copies of a certain gene variant raises lifetime risk of developing Alzheimer's disease as high as 87 percent.

Related:

Privacy continues to be a top concern as technology rapidly advances. Transparency and easy of accessibility are what companies are considering when making their privacy policies. According to the National Society of Genetic Counselors, before sending in your DNA, it is important to ask:

Different state and federal laws exist, such as the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, which prohibits employers from discriminating based on genetic information. The Affordable Care Act also offered protections against health insurance companies from discriminating based on genetic testing results.

However, as health care legislature continues to evolve, it will be imperative to keep an eye on what new policies come forth.

Mary Freivogel, president of the National Society of Genetic Counselors Board of Directors, notes that there are currently no federal laws that exist relating to protections for life insurance, long term care insurance, or disability insurance.

Just as experts recommend seeking advice from a genetic counselor prior to testing, it is probably more important to have a professional weigh in once the results are back. They can help you interpret the implications of your genetic risk, understand what you can do to prevent or monitor for early signs of the disease, and how you should discuss your results with relatives who have similar DNA.

"It goes beyond the science and genetics and one should think about the societal and family implications," says Carrillo. "Talk to the genetic counselors before and after taking a genetic test. It is important understand the results since it can have implications for you and your family."

If you are considering sending off you spit here are additional resources about genetic testing to help inform your decision.

Parminder Deo is an associate producer for NBC News. Dr. Jacqueline Paulis, is an emergency medicine resident physician in New York City and a medical fellow for NBC News.

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5 Things You Need To Know Before Taking an At-Home Genetic Test - NBCNews.com

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Newman Ferrara LLP announced today that the firm is conducting an investigation on behalf of shareholders of NewLink Genetics Corporation (NewLink or the Company) (NASDAQ:NLNK) into potential breaches of fiduciary duty by the Companys Board of Directors (the Board).

NewLink, headquartered in Ames, Iowa, is a biopharmaceutical company. Despite the Companys low market capitalization and increasing investment in research and development since it became a public company in 2011, the Board continues to make decisions, without shareholder approval, that significantly diminish shareholder value and do not benefit the Company. Based on this, it appears the Board lacks the ability to fairly assess and oversee the Companys direction and leadership.

Current NewLink stockholders seeking more information on this matter are invited to contact Newman Ferrara attorneys Jeffrey Norton (jnorton@nfllp.com) or Roger Sachar, Jr. (rsachar@nfllp.com) to discuss this investigation and their rights.

Newman Ferrara maintains a multifaceted practice based in New York City with attorneys specializing in complex commercial and multi-party litigation, securities fraud and shareholder litigation, consumer protection, civil rights, and real estate. For more information, please visit the firm website at http://www.nfllp.com.

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Newman Ferrara LLP Announces Corporate Governance Investigation of NewLink Genetics Corporation - NLNK - Business Wire (press release)

While these preferences have been around for as long as wine has been in existence, very little is known about why these preferences occur and more specifically how they might be regulated in the human body. There have been some studies looking at overall alcohol consumption habits and genetics, though much of this has been focused on intake and not necessarily preference.

The study published [originally] in 8the European Journal of Human Genetics, aimed to perform a 8genome-wide study on various populations to determine if there are any possible genetic links toward wine preference, specifically toward the liking of white wine.

A total of 5 populations were studied, including three from various areas in Italy, one from the Netherlands, and one from Central Asia. A total of 3885 individuals were included in this study.

The results of this study suggest that having a preference for white wine may be in part controlled by the HLA-DOA gene, specifically the rs9276975 SNP region. Additionally, this genetic link to preference may be stronger in women than in men.

[Read the full study here.]

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:Wine Preference Linked to Genetics: Study Finds Liking White Wine is Associated With a Specific Gene

Continued here:
Red or white wine? Genetics may determine what you like to drink - Genetic Literacy Project

Eating disorders affect millions of people in the United States, and anorexia nervosa is considered to have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric conditions. For the first time, new research identifies a genetic location that helps to shed more light on the causes of this illness.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects both genders. However, the disorder is two and a half times more likely to occur among women, with almost 1 percent of U.S. women being affected.

Moreover, anorexia - along with other eating disorders - is reported to hit the transgender community relatively hard; around 16 percent of transgender college students reportedly have an eating disorder.

Eating disorders are a serious mental health issue caused by a variety of complex factors, from psychosocial to genetic and biological issues.

Anorexia can be a deadly disease. Of all mental health disorders, anorexia is linked with the highest mortality rate. Death can be a consequence of not receiving treatment, but 1 in 5 anorexia-related deaths are a result of suicide.

New research identifies, for the first time, a significant genetic location that underpins anorexia. Researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine in Chapel Hill conducted a genome-wide study in an effort to identify the genetic basis for this psychiatric condition.

The new research was carried out by the Psychiatric Genetics Consortium Eating Disorders Working Group - an international group of researchers from institutions all over the globe - and the team was led by Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D., founding director of the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders and a professor at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.

The findings were published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The research consisted of a genome-wide association study examining the DNA of 3,495 people with anorexia nervosa and 10,982 people without.

In genetics, the word "association" refers to a situation in which specific genetic variations - or single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) - are found more frequently in people with a certain disease.

Using standard association analysis, Bulik and team calculated the genetic correlations between anorexia nervosa and 159 psychiatric, education, and metabolic phenotypes. "Phenotypes" refer to the set of observable characteristics that are a result of the interaction between our genes and the environment.

Bulik defines genetic correlations as "the extent to which various traits and disorders are caused by the same genes."

Overall, the study looked at 10,641,224 SNPs.

The study revealed strong associations between anorexia and psychiatric as well as, surprisingly, metabolic conditions.

Bulik and colleagues uncovered a genetic locus on chromosome 12: rs4622308. This genetic area has previously been associated with type 1 diabetes and autoimmune disorders, report the authors.

"Anorexia nervosa was significantly genetically correlated with neuroticism and schizophrenia, supporting the idea that anorexia is indeed a psychiatric illness. But, unexpectedly, we also found strong genetic correlations with various metabolic features including body composition [...] and insulin-glucose metabolism. This finding encourages us to look more deeply at how metabolic factors increase the risk for anorexia nervosa."

Cynthia Bulik

Additionally, the study found positive genetic associations between anorexia and educational achievement, as well as high-density lipoprotein cholesterol - that is, the "good" kind of cholesterol. They also revealed negative correlations with the phenotypes for body mass index (BMI), insulin, blood sugar, and lipids.

The authors note that the large scale of the study enabled them to come up with "the first genome-wide significant locus" for the disease.

"In the era of team science, we brought over 220 scientists and clinicians together to achieve this large sample size. Without this collaboration we would never have been able to discover that anorexia has both psychiatric and metabolic roots," notes co-author Gerome Breen, Ph.D., of King's College London in the United Kingdom.

Learn how deep brain stimulation may be an effective treatment for anorexia.

Originally posted here:
First genetic location found for anorexia nervosa - Medical News Today

The USDA is working with breeders to move forward after the discovery of potentially genetically engineered petunias.

Following the news that orange-colored petunia varieties in Europe had been found to be genetically engineered (GE), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched an investigation into potentially affected varieties imported, distributed and grown in the U.S. without appropriate authorization.

Petunia breeders have been in contact with the USDA, which circulated a document dated May 11, 2017, listing some of the potentially affected implicated varieties, and instructions for how to destroy the seed and plants. The following plants are listed:

Pegasus Orange Morn Pegasus Orange Pegasus Table Orange Potunia Plus Papaya Go!Tunia Orange Bonnie Orange known as Starlet Orange in North America African Sunset Sanguna Patio Salmon Sanguna Salmon Trilogy Red Trilogy Deep Purple Trilogy Formula Mix Trilogy Liberty Mix Ray Salmon Perfectunia Orange Perfectunia Mandarin Confetti Garden Tangerine Tango Confetti Garden Twist KwikKombo Color My Sunset KwikKombo Orange Twist

According to the document, USDA is currently conducting genetic tests on implicated varieties for which we have obtained samples. These tests will confirm whether these petunias are genetically engineered. As we obtain results from the genetic tests, we will provide updated lists of confirmed GE petunia varieties.

Evira, the Finnish Food Safety Authority, released a statement on April 27, 2017, regarding the discovery of genetically engineered orange petunias. Evira noted in the statement that while genetically engineered plants are not authorised for cultivation in the [European Union], The orange petunias do not cause any risk to people or the environment. Evira has decided to remove from sale seeds and planting stock of the ornamental plant petunia characterised by the orange colour of the flowers which has been produced by means of genetic engineering.

According to initial conversations with breeders who have been in discussions with the USDA, the implicated plants were not properly registered with the USDA as GE plants because no one seemed to know that they contained or were bred with GE plant material.

Since the news broke at the end of April in Europe, petunia breeders have been working to conduct their own tests to determine which plants are affected after it was discovered it was not just orange petunias that may have been bred with a genetically engineered plant.

We were completely shocked by the findings, says Mike Huggett, national sales manager for American Takii. American Takii's African Sunset was the orange petunia that prompted the investigation initially. We sent out the recall through our broker network and instructed the growers to stop sales [on African Sunset], and following that, we conducted some other trials internally, and confirmed Trilogy Red and Deep Purple had foreign DNA in them, so we initiated a recall on those as well.

American Takii only breeds using conventional means, Huggett says.

Takiis reaction was just to reclaim as much as we could because as far as the company is concerned, we dont do any genetically modified plant material, we dont practice in it, we dont want to, he says. Im not as much worried about the flowers as I am the perception about the vegetables. Thats when consumers get worried. Takii only does things the conventional way, even if it takes 10 to 15 years of work, you ultimately come out with something your customer can count on being non-GMO and the best breeding thats available on the market. The petunia loss hurts, but in the bigger scheme of things, I think its the perception of what the company is doing. You dont want to be associated with a GMO.

The silver linings for American Takii are that the GE plant is an ornamental, not an edible, and therefore not harmful to consumers, and their recently released Evening Scentsation petunia tested negative for the GE material, says Steve Wiley, COO and general manager.

"It's an ever-expanding list," Wiley said of the GE petunias implicated by the USDA. "Its one of those things where I think [the genetically engineered plant] sprang up during an age of innocence and perpetuated itself because no one even knew to look for it or fathomed that it was in the germplasm chain."

Huggett credits the USDA and the American Seed Trade Association for their quick work and helping us navigate through this.

You cant plan for this because it wasnt our intention, he says. We have to start picking up the pieces.

This is a developing story that we will continue to update as more information becomes available. The USDA did not immediately respond to calls and emails for comment and clarification.

Conner Howard, assistant editor of Garden Center magazine, and Chris Manning, assistant editor of Greenhouse Management magazine, contributed to this report.

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Breaking: Finnish report prompts petunia genetics investigation in the US - Greenhouse Management