Logo

Genomes in the Open

Oct 12, 2010

Daniel MacArthur and the others over at Genomes Unzipped unveiled the next step in the site's evolution: making the genetic data of all the bloggers there publicly available. The group has developed a genome browser based on JBrowse for all to look through. MacArthur writes that over the coming weeks, the bloggers' data will be posted and they will be sharing their experiences with being tested and what they've found out. "We hope that our experiences and those of other early disclosers will provide valuable lessons for those who follow," MacArthur says.

At his blog, John Hawks wonders what the uptake of personal genomics will be, leading Razib Khan at Gene Expression to look at the social good of personal genome testing. "When only a few people have been genotyped your understanding of population-wide variation is still spotty," he says. "But as you increase your coverage you get a better sense of the variance within the population ... but soon enough you enter the phase of diminishing returns."

Breaking News
The Scan

Study Finds Few FDA Post-Market Regulatory Actions Backed by Research, Public Assessments

A Yale University-led team examines in The BMJ safety signals from the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System and whether they led to regulatory action.

Duke University Team Develops Programmable RNA Tool for Cell Editing

Researchers have developed an RNA-based editing tool that can target specific cells, as they describe in Nature.

Novel Gene Editing Approach for Treating Cystic Fibrosis

Researchers in Science Advances report on their development of a non-nuclease-based gene editing approach they hope to apply to treat cystic fibrosis.

Study Tracks Responses in Patients Pursuing Polygenic Risk Score Profiling

Using interviews, researchers in the European Journal of Human Genetics qualitatively assess individuals' motivations for, and experiences with, direct-to-consumer polygenic risk score testing.