Genomic Alliance

It’s been 40 years since the last treatment for osteosarcoma has been introduced, but now doctors are resorting to existing drugs, did we have the cure all along? Osteosarcoma is the most common form of bone cancer, and affects mostly people aged from 10-24. Through extensive research, doctors have performed the largest genetic sequencing on osteosarcoma patients, and saw that 10% of patients had mutations that would benefit from IGF1R inhibitors, an existing drug. http://bit.ly/2t4dPUN

Why do doctors still use the trial-and-error method when prescribing antidepressants? Michayla Sullivan received medications that were inferior and dangerous. A pharmacogenetics test revealed that Sullivan could not metabolize any antidepressants and anxiolytics. 80% of doctors who use pharmacogenetics testing believe that it will become the common standard in psychiatric drug treatment. http://bit.ly/2rXCZ6b

Does the discovery of the mutation responsible for a cold lead us a step closer to curing viral infections? Scientists discovered that a mutation in the IFIH1 gene causes the body to produce dysfunctional MDA5 proteins in cells in the respiratory tract, meaning that the immune system can’t properly attack the virus because it can’t detect the genetic material. This concludes that functional MDA5 proteins are necessary for protecting against the common cold. http://bit.ly/2sBI6dI

Is insomnia a result of environmental factors or are genetics to blame for it? Scientists at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam have discovered that there are seven genes that are associated with insomnia. One in specific, MEIS1, has been previously related to two other sleep disorders: periodic limb movements of sleep (PLMS) and restless legs syndrome (RLS). In addition, there was a strong genetic overlap of other traits such as anxiety disorder, depression, neuroticism, and low subjective well being. This is of significant information because this is the first time scientists were able to link insomnia as being a genetic disorder, and these findings show that these traits tend to go hand in hand with the condition. http://bit.ly/2sYUQbc