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Fastest DNA sequencing technique helps undiagnosed patients find answers in mere hours

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A research effort led by Stanford scientists set the first Guinness World Record for the fastest DNA sequencing technique, which was used to sequence a human genome in just 5 hours and 2 minutes.

A new ultra-rapid genome sequencing approach developed by Stanford Medicine scientists and their collaborators was used to diagnose rare genetic diseases in an average of eight hours – a feat that’s nearly unheard of in standard clinical care.

“A few weeks is what most clinicians call ‘rapid’ when it comes to sequencing a patient’s genome and returning results,” said Euan Ashley, MB ChB, DPhil, professor of medicine, of genetics and of biomedical data science at Stanford. [Read more…] about Fastest DNA sequencing technique helps undiagnosed patients find answers in mere hours

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  • Could all your digital photos be stored as DNA?
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    Could all your digital photos be stored as DNA?On Earth right now, there are about 10 trillion gigabytes of digital data, and every day, humans produce emails, photos, tweets, and other digital files that add up to another 2.5 million gigabytes of data. Much of this data is stored in enormous facilities known as exabyte data centers (an…
    Tags: dna, data, features, genetics

Ancient DNA reveals the world’s oldest family tree

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Analysis of ancient DNA from one of the best-preserved Neolithic tombs in Britain has revealed that most of the people buried there were from five continuous generations of a single extended family.

By analysing DNA extracted from the bones and teeth of 35 individuals entombed at Hazleton North long cairn in the Cotswolds-Severn region, the research team was able to detect that 27 of them were close biological relatives.

The group lived approximately 5700 years ago – around 3700-3600 BC – around 100 years after farming had been introduced to Britain. [Read more…] about Ancient DNA reveals the world’s oldest family tree

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  • Ancient Islamic tombs cluster like galaxies
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    Ancient Islamic tombs cluster like galaxiesSudanese Islamic burial sites are distributed according to large-scale environmental factors and small-scale social factors, creating a galaxy-like distribution pattern, according to a study published July 7, 2021 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Stefano Costanzo of the University of Naples "L'Orientale" in Italy and colleagues. The Kassala region of eastern…
    Tags: tombs, ancient, study, archaeologists, areas, family, analysis, team, university, years

What makes us human? The answer may be found in overlooked DNA

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Our DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now found a previously overlooked part of our DNA, so-called non-coded DNA, that appears to contribute to a difference which, despite all our similarities, may explain why our brains work differently. The study is published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

The chimpanzee is our closest living relative in evolutionary terms and research suggests our kinship derives from a common ancestor. About five to six million years ago, our evolutionary paths separated, leading to the chimpanzee of today, and Homo Sapiens, humankind in the 21st century.

In a new study, stem cell researchers at Lund examined what it is in our DNA that makes human and chimpanzee brains different – and they have found answers. [Read more…] about What makes us human? The answer may be found in overlooked DNA

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  • Neuroscientists build ‘ultra detailed map’ of brain motor cortex, from mice to monkeys to humans
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    Neuroscientists build ‘ultra detailed map’ of brain motor cortex, from mice to monkeys to humansHundreds of neuroscientists have built a “parts list” of the motor cortex, laying groundwork to map the whole brain and better understand brain diseases. Before you read any further, bring your hand to your forehead. It probably didn’t feel like much, but that simple kind of motion required the concerted…
    Tags: brain, cell, cells, news
  • Rules of brain architecture revealed in large study of neuron shape and electrophysiology
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    Rules of brain architecture revealed in large study of neuron shape and electrophysiologyTo understand our brains, scientists need to know their components. This theme underlies a growing effort in neuroscience to define the different building blocks of the brain – its cells. With the mouse's 80 million neurons and our 86 billion, sorting through those delicate, microscopic building blocks is no small…
    Tags: cell, brain, cells, researchers, study, news
  • 'Feel good' brain messenger can be willfully controlled, new study reveals
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    'Feel good' brain messenger can be willfully controlled, new study revealsFrom the thrill of hearing an ice cream truck approaching to the spikes of pleasure while sipping a fine wine, the neurological messenger known as dopamine has been popularly described as the brain's "feel good" chemical related to reward and pleasure. A ubiquitous neurotransmitter that carries signals between brain cells,…
    Tags: researchers, study, news, brain
  • A new gene therapy strategy, courtesy of Mother Nature
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    A new gene therapy strategy, courtesy of Mother NatureScientists have developed a new gene-therapy technique by transforming human cells into mass producers of tiny nano-sized particles full of genetic material that has the potential to reverse disease processes. Though the research was intended as a proof of concept, the experimental therapy slowed tumor growth and prolonged survival in…
    Tags: cells, brain, dna, news
  • New CRISPR technology offers unrivaled control of epigenetic inheritance
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    New CRISPR technology offers unrivaled control of epigenetic inheritanceScientists have figured out how to modify CRISPR's basic architecture to extend its reach beyond the genome and into what's known as the epigenome – proteins and small molecules that latch onto DNA and control when and where genes are switched on or off. In a paper published April 9,…
    Tags: dna, researchers, cell, cells, human, news, genetics

Could all your digital photos be stored as DNA?

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On Earth right now, there are about 10 trillion gigabytes of digital data, and every day, humans produce emails, photos, tweets, and other digital files that add up to another 2.5 million gigabytes of data.

Much of this data is stored in enormous facilities known as exabyte data centers (an exabyte is 1 billion gigabytes), which can be the size of several football fields and cost around $1 billion to build and maintain.

Many scientists believe that an alternative solution lies in the molecule that contains our genetic information: DNA, which evolved to store massive quantities of information at very high density. A coffee mug full of DNA could theoretically store all of the world’s data, says Mark Bathe, an MIT professor of biological engineering. [Read more…] about Could all your digital photos be stored as DNA?

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  • Fastest DNA sequencing technique helps undiagnosed patients find answers in mere hours
    31
    Fastest DNA sequencing technique helps undiagnosed patients find answers in mere hoursA research effort led by Stanford scientists set the first Guinness World Record for the fastest DNA sequencing technique, which was used to sequence a human genome in just 5 hours and 2 minutes. A new ultra-rapid genome sequencing approach developed by Stanford Medicine scientists and their collaborators was used…
    Tags: data, dna, features, genetics

Human genome editing requires difficult conversations between science and society

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In October of 2020, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their discovery of an adaptable, easy way to edit genomes, known as CRISPR, which has transformed the world of genetic engineering.

CRISPR has been used to fight lung cancer and correct the mutation responsible for sickle cell anemia in stem cells. But the technology was also used by a Chinese scientist to secretly and illegally edit the genomes of twin girls – the first-ever heritable mutation of the human germline made with genetic engineering.

“We’ve moved away from an era of science where we understood the risks that came with new technology and where decision stakes were fairly low,” says Dietram Scheufele, a professor of life sciences communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. [Read more…] about Human genome editing requires difficult conversations between science and society

New CRISPR technology offers unrivaled control of epigenetic inheritance

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Scientists have figured out how to modify CRISPR’s basic architecture to extend its reach beyond the genome and into what’s known as the epigenome – proteins and small molecules that latch onto DNA and control when and where genes are switched on or off.

In a paper published April 9, 2021, in the journal Cell, researchers at UC San Francisco and the Whitehead Institute describe a novel CRISPR-based tool called “CRISPRoff,” which allows scientists to switch off almost any gene in human cells without making a single edit to the genetic code.

The researchers also show that once a gene is switched off, it remains inert in the cell’s descendants for hundreds of generations, unless it is switched back on with a complementary tool called CRISPRon, also described in the paper. [Read more…] about New CRISPR technology offers unrivaled control of epigenetic inheritance

Related Posts

  • What makes us human? The answer may be found in overlooked DNA
    34
    What makes us human? The answer may be found in overlooked DNAOur DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now found a previously overlooked part of our DNA, so-called non-coded DNA, that appears to contribute to a difference which, despite all…
    Tags: dna, cells, researchers, cell, human, genetics, news

Gene responsible for electric fish ‘spark’ found in South American ghost knifefish

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Unique genetic re-wiring of a sodium channel explains how a family of electric fish can generate the highest frequency of electrical discharge seen in any animal.

In a study publishing 27 March in the open access journal PLOS Biology researchers Ammon Thompson, Daniel Infield and colleagues at the University of Texas, Austin, University of Iowa, and Indiana University Bloomington show that this evolutionarily modified sodium channel could contribute to the electric organ’s high-frequency firing.

Electric fish sense their environment and communicate with each other by producing electrical signals from their electric organs. [Read more…] about Gene responsible for electric fish ‘spark’ found in South American ghost knifefish