While the COVID-19 shots are referred to as “vaccines,” they do not meet the classical definition of a vaccine. Health authorities needed to change the definition1 to accommodate the COVID shots and shut down the argument that, as experimental gene therapies, they may be riskier than traditional vaccines. Meanwhile, based on the U.S. Food and… Read More »
By Bill Hathaway A genome-wide analysis of more than 435,000 people has identified 29 genetic variants linked to problematic drinking, researchers at Yale University School of Medicine and colleagues report May 25 in the journal Nature Neuroscience. “The new data triple the number of known genetic risk loci associated with problematic alcohol use,” said Yale’s Joel… Read More »
Prostate cancer screening with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test has been criticized for flagging too many slow-growing tumors that might never be life-threatening. But some men have inherited gene defects that boost their risk of developing prostate cancers that can be quite aggressive. Is PSA screening particularly well-suited for these genetically defined groups? New research… Read More »
Cystic fibrosis is caused by an inherited mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Due to this mutation, the CFTR protein doesn’t embed in cell membranes to form a channel for chlorine ions the way it should. As a result, mucus-producing cells secrete a thicker-than-normal mucus that can create blockages in the lungs and… Read More »
Transplanted cells persist for 19 months in man with HIV – but don’t appear to control HIV when treatment stops CRISPR gene editing was safe and moderately effective in introducing stem cells that lacked the CCR5 receptor and were immune to HIV infection after chemotherapy eradicated the immune system of a man with HIV and… Read More »