On Thursday, detectives in Portland, Ore. announced that a long-cold local murder case finally came to a resolution, 40 years after the fact. In 1979, 20-year-old Anna Marie Hlavka was found dead in the Portland apartment she shared with her fiance and sister. According to police, she was strangled to death and sexually assaulted. Police […]
View More A popular genealogy website just helped solve a serial killer cold case in OregonCategory: Genetics
Work on world’s first CRISPR gene-edited babies declared illegal by China
Chinese authorities have declared the work of He Jiankui, who shocked the scientific community by claiming he successfully created the world’s first gene-edited babies, an illegal decision in pursuit of “personal fame and gain.” Investigators have completed preliminary steps in a probe that began in November following He’s claims and say they will “seriously” punish the researcher […]
View More Work on world’s first CRISPR gene-edited babies declared illegal by ChinaCurious 23andMe twin results show why you should take DNA testing with a grain of salt
If you’ve ever enthusiastically sent your spit off in the mail, you were probably anxious for whatever unexpected insights the current crop of DNA testing companies would send back. Did your ancestors hang out on the Iberian peninsula? What version of your particular family lore does the science support? Most people who participate in mail-order […]
View More Curious 23andMe twin results show why you should take DNA testing with a grain of saltDriving down the cost of preserving genetic material, Acorn Biolabs raises $3.3 million
Acorn Biolabs wants consumers to pay them to store genetic material in a bet that the increasing advances in targeted genetic therapies will yield better healthcare results down the line. The company’s pitch is to “Save young cells today, live a longer, better, tomorrow.” It’s a gamble on the frontiers of healthcare technology that has managed […]
View More Driving down the cost of preserving genetic material, Acorn Biolabs raises $3.3 million23andMe updates its ancestry reports, but they’re still not perfect
23andMe, co-founded by CEO Anne Wojcicki, has deployed its latest update, featuring interactive ancestry details, cultural insights about food, art, language, and the option to order a physical ancestry book. Starting today, customers will be able to see more granular ancestry results from more than 1,000 regions, as well as 33 population-specific pages about cultural information. […]
View More 23andMe updates its ancestry reports, but they’re still not perfectUp to $818 million deal between J&J and Locus Biosciences points to a new path for CRISPR therapies
The up to $818 million deal between Locus Biosciences and Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a division of Johnson & Johnson) that was announced yesterday points toward a new path for CRISPR gene editing technologies and (potentially) the whole field of microbiome-targeted therapies. Based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., Locus is commercializing research initially developed by scientists at […]
View More Up to $818 million deal between J&J and Locus Biosciences points to a new path for CRISPR therapiesSophia Genetics bags $77M Series E, with 850+ hospitals signed up to its “data-driven medicine”
Another sizeable cash injection for big data biotech: Sophia Genetics has announced a $77M Series E funding round, bringing its total raised to $140M since the business was founded back in 2011. The company, which applies AI to DNA sequencing to enable what it dubs “data-driven medicine”, last closed a $30M Series D in fall 2017. […]
View More Sophia Genetics bags $77M Series E, with 850+ hospitals signed up to its “data-driven medicine”Companies tracking mutations in cancer cells can provide a key to unlocking better therapies
Investors and entrepreneurs are beginning to bring new diagnostic tools to market that promise better results for cancer patients through the identification of mutations in cancer cells that can create more targeted therapies. Earlier this month, research using technology developed by the startup Mission Bio helped identify cellular mutations in acute myeloid leukemia cancer cells that could […]
View More Companies tracking mutations in cancer cells can provide a key to unlocking better therapiesHospital in China denies links to world’s first gene-edited babies
News of the world’s first ever gene-edited human babies being born in China caused a huge stir on Monday after the MIT Technology Review and the Associated Press brought the project to light. People in and outside China rushed to question the ethical implications of the scientific breakthrough, reportedly the fruit of a Chinese researcher named He Jiankui from a university […]
View More Hospital in China denies links to world’s first gene-edited babiesJudge halts grizzly hunting because Yellowstone bears need to find more diverse sex partners
The grizzly bears are spared from hunting, for now.
For as low as $600 per hunting permit, grizzly bears were scheduled to be legally hunted in Wyoming beginning on Sept. 1, making it the first such hunt in over four decades. But after first ju…
Nutrigene wants to personalize your vitamins using your genetic code
Vitamins are proving to be a lucrative industry in the United States. Just last year vitamin sales pulled in roughly $37 billion for the U.S. economy. That’s up from $28 billion in 2010. To cash in on this growing market, several startups have popped up in the last few years — including Nutrigene, a startup combining […]
View More Nutrigene wants to personalize your vitamins using your genetic code23andMe might soon offer a more comprehensive $749 DNA service
23andMe is testing a $749 “premium” service for deeper health insights, according to several customers who saw a test page for the new product and posted about it on Reddit. First spotted by CNBC, the company served up a test web page to several customers telling them about a service that would allow them to […]
View More 23andMe might soon offer a more comprehensive $749 DNA service