Connection Between Epigenome, Selective Mutability, Evolution, and Human Disease
Li, Harris et al., PLoS Genetics
Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine and elsewhere propose a "connection between the epigenome, selective mutability, evolution, and human disease" based on the findings of their study on associations of structural mutability with germline DNA methylation and with non-allelic homologous recombination mediated by low-copy repeats. "Combined evidence from four human sperm methylome maps, human genome evolution, structural polymorphisms in the human population, and previous genomic and disease studies consistently points to a strong association of germline hypomethylation and genomic instability," the Baylor-led team writes.
Outgoing HHS Secretary Offers Advice For Advancing Personalized Medicine
Michael Leavitt, who has less than two months remaining as HHS Secretary, said during a recent conference that for personalized medicine to take hold, the FDA and CMS need to become more closely aligned to establish common evidence standards for gene-based products and services, and find new ways to reward reductions in healthcare spending.
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