First published in Scientific American (blogs), 4/25/12
When cosmetic gynecologist Adam Ostrzenski, MD set out to discover the elusive G-spot, the part of a woman’s anatomy supposedly responsible for orgasm, he followed a flawed premise – but his finding announced today will undoubtedly generate frantic media coverage.
The discovery of the G-spot in a lone elderly corpse and the lack of information on just what Dr. O dissected are obvious limitations of the paper in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Wiley. Less obvious is trouble with a different G – the guanine in genes. (more…)
The Forever Fix gang: Corey Haas with book, surrounded by mom Nancy and dad Ethan Haas, Ricki Lewis on left next to Lori and Hannah Sames. At book signing 3/24/12, Barnes + Noble, Albany NY.
The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It (324.0KB)
flyer / handout 
Glenn Nichols, surrounded by his hospice team. The author is in yellow.
Archives
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Genetic LinkageThe Past and the Future of Gene TherapyApril 22, 2012 
Corey Haas and Hannah Sames sign their photographs in "The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It."
Corey and Hannah represent gene therapy’s immediate past and future. They put faces on a once-moribund biotechnology reborn after a series of tragic errors and failures. They are also remarkable children: bright, poised, aware, and charming. They are making history. (more…) Vanquishing “Mossy Foot” With Genetic Epidemiology and ShoesApril 19, 2012 
Podoconiosis is painful and isolating, affects millions, and is completely curable -- with shoes.
In Fasil Tekola Ayele’s native Ethiopia, the people call it “mossy foot.” Medical textbooks call it podoconiosis, non-filarial elephantiasis, or simply “podo.” The hideously deformed feet of podo result not from mosquito-borne parasitic worms, as does filarial elephantiasis, nor from bacteria, like leprosy. Instead, podo arises from an immune response to microscopic slivers of mineral that penetrate the skin of people walking barefoot on the damp red soil that tops volcanic rock. Podoconiosis means “foot” and “dust” in Greek. (more…) Treat Cellulite, or Rare Diseases?April 11, 2012
“Next, news that all women will want to hear!” teased the commentator on the increasingly imbecilic Today Show.
Soon I learned that, finally, we womenfolk need no longer suffer from the “horrible, dimpled ‘orange peel’ skin” of cellulite. The new miracle cure sounded like “cellulase,” an enzyme that breaks down wood. Googling, I soon discovered that “Cellulaze” is instead a new laser technique that “pinpoints and disrupts dimpled pockets of herniated fat” and melts away the collagen cords that hold in place the vile lipid, while promoting formation of new collagen and elastin. It joins a long list of cellulite remedies, including sound waves, radio waves, massage, retinol, red algae patches, and extracts from licorice roots, horse chestnut, and kola. The market is $2.3 billion. (more…) Limits of Genome Sequencing Not a SurpriseApril 3, 2012 
Comparing whole genome (or exome) sequencing to predict common diseases or identify rare single-gene diseases is like comparing the proverbial apples to oranges.
This isn’t exactly astonishing to anyone who has taken a genetics course, but the Johns Hopkins team, in Science Translational Medicine, provides elegant evidence to back up the long-held idea that the so-called “complex," common diseases result from so many intertwined inherited as well as environmental threads that using a DNA sequence as a crystal ball just won’t work – at least until more data accumulate. (more…) |
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