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☆ Beethoven’s hair reveals lead poisoning
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is one of the first songs I learned to play on the violin. While his doctor’s notes were lost to time, scientists sequenced Beethoven’s genome from locks of his hair last year. Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesA new analysis of Beethoven’s hair has shown the composer experienced lead poisoning toward the end of his life. Tests revealed incredibly elevated levels of lead, as well as arsenic and mercury, in two of his locks, likely from drinking wine that was sweetened with lead. Researchers don’t believe lead poisoning would have been enough to kill him, but it could have contributed to the composer’s well-known gastrointestinal issues and deafness.

Persons: CNN — Ludwig van Beethoven’s, Joy ”, I’ll, Beethoven, Ludwig van Beethoven, don’t, ”, William Meredith, Umm Jirsan, Lady Elliot, Rebecca Wright, Kate Quigley, “ We’re, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Symphony, Hulton, “, Arabia, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Minderoo, Energy, CNN Space, Science Locations: Alabama, Saudi Arabia, Umm Jirsan, Lady, Australia

☆ Beethoven’s hair reveals evidence of lead poisoning, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Beethoven’s genome was made publicly available, inviting researchers around the world to investigate lingering questions about Beethoven’s health. Meanwhile, scientists continue to figuratively go over the authenticated locks of Beethoven’s hair with a fine-tooth comb, teasing out surprising insights. But at the time the researchers did not test Beethoven’s newly authenticated hair samples for lead. Because the researchers don’t have hair samples from earlier in Beethoven’s life, it’s impossible to understand when the lead poisoning started, Meredith said. But Rifai said he saw comparable lead levels when he conducted research in two villages in Ecuador where the main trade is to glaze tiles with lead from batteries.

Persons: Ludwig van Beethoven’s, Beethoven, ”, Christian Reiter, Hiller, Thayer, Anton Halm, William Meredith, Nader Rifai, Meredith, Rifai, Paul Jannetto, he’d, Johann Adam Schmidt, Beethoven’s, “, ” Meredith, Friedrich Schiller’s, Joy, it’s Organizations: CNN —, Center of Forensic Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Beethoven, Symphony, Ninth, Ninth Symphony Locations: United States, Ecuador, Vienna

☆ Experimental gene therapy restores some vision in patients with inherited blindness
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

“Now, post-surgery and post recovery, I am able to see in dimmer lighting with my left eye,” Cook said. A treatment that used CRISPR was found to be safe and efficacious in improving vision among a small sample of patients with inherited blindness in the Phase 1/2 clinical trial that Cook participated in. Months following the treatment, Cook was sitting with friends on a balcony that had Christmas lights wrapped around the railing. Courtesy Olivia CookBefore the treatment, Cook said that she sometimes could conceal the vision challenges she has had. Mass Eye and EarKalberer described the CRISPR treatment as “groundbreaking,” but warned it’s not a cure.

Persons: Olivia Cook, Cook, ”, ” Cook, “, I’ve, “ I’d, you’d, CRISPR, Eric Pierce, Brigham, “ We’re, ” Pierce, Jason Comander, ‘, Michael Kalberer, Kalberer, it’s, “ It’s, It’s, Pierce, Editas, We’re, Art Caplan, ” Caplan, —, Vlad Diaconita, ” Diaconita, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Aliaa Abdelhakim Organizations: CNN, Missouri State University, New England, of Medicine, Mass, Harvard Medical School, Editas Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, University of Miami, Oregon Health & Science University, US Food and Drug Administration, CEP290, pharma, NYU Grossman School, Medicine’s Department of Population Health, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, CNN Health Locations: Springfield, United States, CEP290

☆ Generative AI will be designing new drugs all on its own in the near future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-05 | by ( Trevor Laurence Jockims | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

An analogy for understanding the development of AI drugs can be found in the mechanisms of ChatGPT. As a result, it's a drug discovery process that has a 90% failure rate. Some of the noted flaws of generative AI, its propensity to "hallucinate" for example, could prove to be powerful in drug discovery. AI is learning to distinguish drugs from non-drugs, and to create new drugs, in the same way that ChatGPT can create sentences, Ellington said. Now, AI models are helping narrow down the possibilities, so scientists more quickly know the optimal modifications to try.

Persons: ChatGPT, Kimberly Powell, Google's, —, AlphaFold, Powell, Rau, Lilly, Eli Lilly, Diogo Rau, It's, Amgen, Andy Ellington, Ellington, Daniel Diaz, Diaz, We've Organizations: Nvidia, CNBC Technology, Summit, University of Texas, Austin, NVIDIA, biosciences, UT's Institute, Foundations of Machine, Cadence Locations: Nature

☆ Chinese Scientist Who Shared Covid Sequence Protests Lab Closure
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Keith Bradsher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A well-known Chinese scientist who defied a Chinese government gag order by being the first to disclose the genome of the Covid virus to a global database four years ago held a rare protest this week in Shanghai after being locked out of his lab. The scientist, Zhang Yongzhen, had run a laboratory in Shanghai since 2018, but found over the weekend that the facility had been sealed off with one of his colleagues locked inside, according to a Chinese news outlet. Dr. Zhang’s key card had been canceled and the elevators had been turned off. On Sunday evening, he began sleeping outdoors on flattened cardboard in front of locked blue doors at the sidewalk entrance to the lab, photos posted online by students showed. At least five security guards could be seen in one of the photos.

Persons: Zhang Yongzhen, Zhang’s, “, ” Locations: Shanghai, Shandong Province

☆ Zhang Yongzhen: Chinese virologist shared crucial Covid-19 data. Then his research hit hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Yong Xiong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The ordeal is just the latest hindrance to Zhang’s research since 2020, according to a colleague who has been in contact with the Chinese scientist in recent years. The “institute always respects … and supports scientific researchers and students in carrying out normal research work,” the statement said. The earlier post by Zhang’s students said the two days originally allocated by the center for them to move their scientific work was insufficient. Following the release of the data, Zhang’s lab had limitations placed on it, which barred it from isolating the Covid virus, Holmes said. That included imposing restrictions by April 2020 on the publication of academic research on the origins of the novel coronavirus.

Persons: Zhang Yongzhen’s, Zhang, ”, hadn’t, Hector Retamal, Edward Holmes, Holmes, ” Holmes, “, He’s, Zhang Yongzhen, ” Zhang, “ He’s, It’s, virologist Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Shanghai, Health, Weibo, Zhang’s, Chinese Center for Disease Control, CNN, Fudan University, Health Clinical, Getty, World Health Organization, Nature, University, Sydney, CDC, China’s National Health Commission, Oxford University Press, Shanghai Public Health Center, Natural Science Foundation of China Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Wuhan, AFP, Beijing

☆ Biotech startup Seed Health is betting its profits on AI-powered medical science
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Natalie Rose Goldberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

On Thursday, Seed Health launched CODA, a computational biology platform funded by its consumer business profitability. Seed Health has been in the business of microbiome scientific breakthroughs since its founding in 2015, but its biggest success to-date may have been becoming profitable as a bioscience startup. Katz's co-founder and co-CEO at Seed Health, Raja Dhir, said CODA and the accompanying data set will help to standardize microbiome science methods, which has long been an issue in the field. CODA's first applications are in metabolic health, brain health, longevity, and menopause, research areas chosen because they have already been identified as areas of human health where early CODA data displayed the strongest evidence. Seed Health has been working on several efforts around pioneering microbiome science for human and planetary health, and many in the field believe the approach is destined to have wider applications.

Persons: Katz, Ara Katz, Eran Segal, Eric Topol, transcriptome, Katz's, Raja Dhir, Dhir, Arpana Gupta, Goodman, There's, Segal, Joseph Petrosino, Petrosino Organizations: Seed, Seed Health, CNBC, Weizmann Institute of Science, Scripps Research Institute, UCLA, Luskin Microbiome, Baylor College of Medicine, Center, Metagenomics, Microbiome Research

☆ Biotech stocks are ready to break out. They just need one more thing
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

While debate rages on about when the Federal Reserve might start cutting interest rates, biotech industry analysts are making the case that the argument for stocks in the sector is growing. Last week, Morgan Stanley analysts noted that it is the months leading up to an initial rate cut when biotech stocks outperform. Morgan Stanley also believes the case for biotech stocks is further reinforced by the financing environment and the outlook for mergers and acquisitions as well as upcoming innovation. The case for innovation Morgan Stanley also favors owning biotech stocks that have a strong drug platform even if the key catalyst of clinical trial data and FDA approvals are farther out. Rhythm ranks among the stocks rated overweight that Morgan Stanley favors in this category.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Needham, Joseph Stringer, dealmaking, Stringer, erosive, it's, Phathom, GERD, LSEG, Merck, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: Federal Reserve, Nasdaq, Oncology, Immunology, Phathom Pharmaceutical, Pharmaceuticals, Phathom Pharmaceuticals, LSEG, Drug, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Intellia Therapeutics, Rocket Pharmaceuticals Locations: New Jersey

☆ Cheating death: The latest research on aging and immortality from a Nobel Prize-winning scientist
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Jessica Dulong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Ramakrishnan shares his perspectives on the realities of aging, death and immortality. Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Venki Ramakrishnan offers his perspective on aging, death and immortality. But biologists don’t believe that aging and death are programmed in the sense that a fertilized egg is programmed to develop into a human being. Larger animals tend to live longer. CNN: What are the societal costs of the quest to cheat aging and death, particularly inequities?

Persons: Harper Collins, Nobel, Venki Ramakrishnan, Venki, they’ve, Jeanne Calment, Dolly, I’m, it’s, Don’t, Steven Johnson, we’re, we’d, It’s, Jessica DuLong, ” Organizations: CNN, Aging Locations: French, Brooklyn , New York

☆ Ancient DNA reveals what famed Chinese Emperor Wu may have looked like
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Ancient DNA recovered from the remains of a sixth century Chinese emperor who ruled during the country’s dark ages has shed some light on what the leader may have looked like. Emperor Wu ruled China as part of the Northern Zhou dynasty from 560 to 580 and is credited with unifying the northern part of ancient China during a particularly chaotic period. “Our analysis shows Emperor Wu had typical East or Northeast Asian facial characteristics.”The authors said they hoped ancient DNA might shed light on Wu’s cause of death. The genetic analysis showed that Emperor Wu intermarried with ethnically Han Chinese, China’s dominant ethnic group today. “It’s interesting to see the genetic study, but none of the findings of this genetic study are surprising at all,” Miller said.

Persons: Emperor Wu, Wu, ”, Shaoqing Wen, Tobias Houlton, University of Dundee , Houlton, Jeong Hoongwon, Jeong, ” Jeong, Franks, Bryan Miller, Miller, wasn’t, ” Miller, “ Organizations: CNN, Fudan University, University of Dundee, Seoul National University’s School of Biological Sciences, Han, Central, University of Michigan Locations: China, Mongolia, Shanghai, Seoul, North

☆ Unusual find in Bronze Age teeth shows consequences of a shift in the human diet
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Taylor Nicioli | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The rare find could help scientists further understand how changes in the human diet have led to the prevalence of cavities today. Uncovered during two excavations from 1993 and 1996, the teeth were among several human teeth and other remains found within a limestone cave in County Limerick in Ireland. One tooth had a surprising abundance of Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), an oral bacteria that causes cavities. Researchers also believe the bacteria is not as commonly found within ancient teeth because the human diet included less refined sugar and fewer processed foods than are consumed today, Cassidy said. … ancient teeth can help us understand how the human oral microbiota (range of microorganisms) has evolved over time and the impact of these changes on human health in the past and today,” Humphrey said in an email.

Persons: Lara Cassidy, Cassidy, mutans, —, “, would’ve, Tannerella, mutans “, Louise Humphrey, ” Humphrey Organizations: CNN, Trinity College Dublin Locations: County Limerick, Ireland, France, London

☆ Why don’t humans have tails?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

One of those led to shorter tails; the more of that protein the genes produced, the shorter the tails. A tail as old as timeFor modern humans, tails are a distant genetic memory. While Alu’s role “seems to be a very important one,” other genetic factors likely contributed to the permanent disappearance of our primate ancestors’ tails,” Xia said. In their experiments, the researchers found that when mice were genetically engineered for tail loss, some developed neural tube deformities that resembled spina bifida in humans. “Maybe the reason why we have this condition in humans is because of this trade-off that our ancestors made 25 million years ago to lose their tails,” Yanai said.

Persons: —, Alu, AluY, Bo Xia, ” Xia, ”, Xia, Itai Yanai, ” Yanai, “, Bo, Yanai, TBXT’s, Liza Shapiro, ” Shapiro, africanus, Shapiro, spina, Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, Gene, Broad Institute of MIT, Harvard University, Institute for Systems Genetics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, University of Texas, Scientific Locations: Austin, Kenya

☆ Mass grave with 1,000 skeletons found in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Archaeologists say they have discovered what may be the largest mass grave ever excavated in Europe at a site in southern Germany. The remains are thought to date from the 1632-1633 plague epidemic. This evidence led the team to conclude that the older group of remains probably dates from the 1632-1633 epidemic. “I personally expect the number to be at 2,000 or even above, making it the biggest mass grave in Europe,” he said. Next up is work to complete the excavation, as well as cleaning and analyzing bone material, Langbein told CNN.

Persons: Melanie Langbein, ”, Sebastian Spital, Langbein, Terra Veritas Julian Decker, Decker, “, “ We’re Organizations: CNN —, CNN, Terra Veritas, Terra Veritas Archaeologists, “ Locations: Europe, Germany, Nuremberg, Langbein, St, “ Nuremberg

☆ A single genetic tweak caused human ancestors to lose their tails 25 million years ago — but it came at a cost
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A single genetic tweak that occurred among our ancestors 25 million years ago means humans today are unable to grow a tail, according to a new study. Scientists knew that a gene called TBXT was involved in the snipping of the tail. Asep Supriatna/Getty ImagesWandering DNA snipped off our tailsThe solution, they found, was in a type of "jumping gene" called an Alu element. Scientists found two Alu elements around a part of the TBXT gene, called Exon 6. Scientists tested their findings by inserting Alu sequences in mice.

Persons: —, Himanshu Sharma, it's, we've, Asep Supriatna, Miriam Konkel, Emily Casanova, Konkel, Casanova Organizations: Service, Business, Anadolu Agency, Getty, NYU, Grossman School of Medicine, Nature, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Science Locations: Pushkar, Rajasthan, India

☆ A New Creature Emerges From a Forest Drowned by the Gulf of Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Veronique Greenwood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But this mussel was tiny and pale and, strangest of all, lived a mere 60 feet or so down. Dr. Distel and his colleagues discovered the mussel while they were investigating an ancient underwater forest off the coast of Alabama. During the last ice age, bald cypresses grew in what was then a swamp a hundred miles from the ocean. Then, sometime between 45,000 and 70,000 years ago, as sea levels rose, the trees were swallowed by the advancing sea. For millenniums, all was still in the forest, until heavy waves stirred up by one of the hurricanes of 2004 scooped away the sand.

Persons: Dan Distel, wasn’t, Distel, Vadumodiolus, cypresses, Ben Raines Organizations: Genome, Northeastern University Locations: Boston, Alabama, Gulf of Mexico

☆ 23andMe is low on cash and its stock is worth pennies. The CEO wants another chance
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

New York CNN —Just three years ago, DNA testing company 23andMe was the golden child of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. In 2018, 23andMe agreed to a five-year exclusive drug development partnership with GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline). Genetic testing company 23andMe, once valued at $6 billion, is facing the possibility of delisting from NASDAQ. Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesSo far, the partnership between GSK and 23andMe has produced more than 50 new drug targets. But drug discovery is a very long process and it can be anywhere from 10 to 15 years on average from target discovery to an FDA-approved drug.

Persons: New York CNN —, 23andMe, Anne Wojcicki, ” Wojcicki, “, Susan Wojcicki, Sergey Brin, Kyle Grillot, Wojcicki, they’ve, ”, we’re, “ We’ve, Steven Mah, TD Cowen, Mah, they’re, Justin Sullivan Organizations: New, New York CNN, Nasdaq, CNN, Stanford, Palo Alto High School, YouTube, Google, 23andMe Inc, Bloomberg, Time Magazine, P Biotech ETF, GSK, GlaxoSmithKline, NASDAQ, Big Pharma, it’s Locations: New York, Silicon Valley, Los Angeles , California, U.S, London, Sunnyvale , California, United States

☆ This little-known genome editing stock is poised to surge more than 60%, JPMorgan says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

JPMorgan thinks investors should flock to biotechnology company Beam Therapeutics , which the firm says stands to benefit from increased market share and a strong gene therapy pipeline. "We see BEAM outperforming our coverage over the mid-term, with current levels being an attractive entry point," the analyst said. The stock is down more than 4% so far this year, and has lost more than 42% over the past 12 months. BEAM 1Y mountain Beam stock. He added that BEAM-302 is "uniquely positioned" as a one-time genetic medicine for AATD, particularly given its success in preclinical trials.

Persons: Eric Joseph, Joseph Organizations: Beam Therapeutics, TAM Locations: U.S, 1H24

☆ Ancient human DNA suggests Columbus may not have brought syphilis to Europe after all
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewThe idea that Christopher Colombus brought back syphilis from the New World might be completely wrong. Interim Archives/Getty ImagesThe timing of the arrival of syphilis in Europe is suspiciousLooking at historical literature, you would think syphilis definitely arrived with the conquistadors. There was a big outbreak of syphilis in Europe in the late 1400s, mostly in harbor towns, seemingly out of the blue. AdvertisementThis suggests that the bones lesions alone don't guarantee that syphilis was present in South America before Columbus, poking holes in the evidence used to support the hypothesis. AdvertisementWith this ancient genome, Schünemann and colleagues were able to discover that the whole Treponema family is much older than had ever been expected.

Persons: —, Christopher Colombus, didn't, Verena Schünemann, Christopher Columbus, Columbus, Brenda Baker, Schünemann Organizations: Service, Business, University of Basel, Arizona State University, Getty Locations: Europe, South America, Barcelona, Spain, Brazil, Asia, Japan, Columbus, India, Americas

☆ Did syphilis originate in the Americas? Ancient DNA offers some insight
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In France, it was named the “Neapolitan disease” after the French army got infected during its invasion of Naples, Italy, in the first documented syphilis epidemic. A complex disease caused by a complex bacteriumWithout treatment, syphilis can cause physical disfigurement, blindness and mental impairment. Others believe T. pallidum bacteria always had a global distribution but perhaps grew in virulence after initially manifesting as a mild disease. Some bones had marks characteristic of infection with T. pallidum — the bacteria effectively eat away at bones, leaving concave lesions. “The modern tools available for extracting DNA from ancient samples, for enriching the treponemal DNA, and obtaining deep sequencing from samples has rapidly increased our understanding of the Treponema.”

Persons: Christopher Columbus, Treponema pallidum, ”, Brenda J, Baker, Jose Filippini It’s, Molly Zuckerman, wasn’t, ” Zuckerman, “, it’s, Columbus, Europe ’, Sheila A, pallidum, Verena Schünemann, Schünemann, Mathew Beale, Beale, ” Lukehart Organizations: CNN, Research, Arizona State University, Bioarchaeology Laboratories, Mississippi State University, University of Washington, University of Zurich’s Institute of Evolutionary, Wellcome Sanger, Columbus Locations: France, Naples, Italy, Europe, Americas, Brazil, New, Laguna, Santa Catarina, Africa, Columbus, Finland, Estonia, Netherlands, Asia, Cambridge, England

☆ The Ancient Back Story of the Slimiest Animal in the Sea
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Veronique Greenwood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The hagfish, a deep-sea scavenger about the size and shape of a tube sock, has the curious ability to smother itself in its own snot. The mucus is a defense mechanism, released into the water (or in one unfortunate incident, all over an Oregon highway) when the fish feels threatened. A shark trying to take a bite of a hagfish will find itself suddenly unable to breathe, its gills clogged with the slime. “We have to be removing the mucus all the time on the ship, or they will die,” he said. The hagfish has no jaw, making it part of a group that diverged long ago from the ancestors of jawed vertebrates like ourselves.

Persons: Juan Pascual, Anaya, ” Organizations: University of Málaga Locations: smother, Oregon, Spain, Japan

☆ AI is helping the healthcare industry and could transform the way patients get drugs and treatments
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-22 | by ( Nicholas Fearn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

In the pharmaceutical industry, AI may one day accelerate new-drug development. In the foreseeable future, McClain expects the healthcare industry to use AI technology to design personalized medicines. Risks to considerWhile AI offers promise for the healthcare industry, there are also a variety of risks professionals using AI must consider and mitigate. Showalter said that a lack of "comprehensive regulations" can also make using AI technology in healthcare settings risky. With this in mind, he said, the medical industry must understand the "fundamentals of AI and its applications in healthcare."

Persons: —, Sean McClain, McClain, Tim Showalter, Showalter, it's, Fred, haven't, Surya Josyula, Josyula Organizations: Experts, Service, Northwestern Medicine, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, UW Medicine, University of California, Fujitsu, Aichi Cancer, Fujitsu Laboratories of America Locations: University of California San Diego, Nagoya, Japan, China, United States

☆ Orchid tests embryos for genetic diseases. It just raised $12 million with this 11-slide pitch deck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Orchid, a startup that tests embryos for genetic diseases, has just raised $12 million. "The way that IVF and embryo screening works today is the amount of information available is really limited," Orchid CEO and cofounder Noor Siddiqui said. Genetic testing has been around for years, but it has been usually limited in the diseases it can identify, which include cystic fibrosis, Bloomberg reported. Orchid produces reports with two types of genetic testing: monogenic and polygenic. The cost of the test depends on the number of embryos that Orchid tests.

Persons: Noor Siddiqui, Siddiqui, Orchid, Dylan, Anne Wojcicki, Fidji Simo, Peter Kraft Organizations: Business, Bloomberg, Prometheus Fund, Starbloom Capital, One Ventures, Los Angeles Times Locations: San Francisco, Pebblebed

☆ Reproductive startup launches test to identify an embryo's genetic defects before an IVF pregnancy begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Reproductive technology startup Orchid on Tuesday announced a comprehensive new genetic test that may help many prospective parents across the U.S. breathe a little easier. Orchid said its new test will help couples identify whether their embryos present genetic risks such as birth defects, neurodevelopmental disorders, chromosomal abnormalities, or pediatric and adult-onset cancers that were previously only detectable after birth. IVF is a taxing process that can cost an average of more than $12,000 in the U.S., according to the Institute for Reproductive Health. Success is not guaranteed, and some people go through multiple rounds of IVF before a pregnancy develops. Orchid's genetic test will cost couples an additional $2,500 per embryo sequenced, but it does not add any new steps or risks to the IVF process, Siddiqui said.

Persons: Noor Siddiqui, Siddiqui, Couples Organizations: CNBC, Institute for Reproductive Health, Austin Locations: Dublin, Ireland, U.S, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami

☆ Not so dead as a dodo: ‘De-extinction’ plan to reintroduce bird to Mauritius
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Tom Page | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An audacious collaboration between geneticists and conservationists plans to bring back the extinct dodo and reintroduce it to its once-native habitat in Mauritius. But according to the partners, its return to Mauritius could benefit the dodo’s immediate environment and other species. The Nicobar pigeon, native to the coastal regions from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is the closest living relative to the dodo. Then it will edit the PGCs of a Nicobar so it expresses the physical traits of a dodo. “I have studied the dodo for many years, and there is still a lot to learn about this enigmatic bird,” he added.

Persons: dodo, Beth Shapiro, ”, Matt James, James, Holger Hollemann, Tatayah, ” Tatayah, “, dodos, Ben Birchall, Julian Hume, ” Hume, Ben Lamm, “ We’re Organizations: CNN, Colossal Biosciences, Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, Getty, Gorges, Colossal, “, White Rhino, Biosciences Locations: Mauritius, Rodrigues Island, Asia, Nicobar, Park, “ Mauritius, Aigrettes, Ile

☆ A leading supplement researcher says she doesn't take any — because she's getting what she needs from her vegan diet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A leading supplement researcher says she doesn't take supplements. She prioritizes getting the key vitamins and nutrients she needs from vegan food. She keeps close tabs on her own health, and the regular tests and checks she performs on herself suggest she doesn't need supplements. Maier prefers getting her vitamins from whole foods"My supplement strategy? All of this goes into Maier's clinical decision-making about whether to try a certain supplement on a specific patient.

Persons: prioritizes, —, Andrea Maier, Maier isn't, She's, Maier, Galina Zhigalova, It's Organizations: Service, Centre, Healthy Longevity, National University of Singapore, Longevity Locations: Singapore

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