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Getting the Info

Jun 12, 2009

Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital plans to collect blood from patients for genetic analysis and then that information will be deposited into a database alongside the patients' medical histories, reports Technology Review. A pilot project of 600 patients will launch in the fall to "determine how willing people are to enroll in the project, the level of genetic counseling needed to explain the project to potential participants, and how to minimize disruption to physicians' work flow and patients' visits," the article says.

Breaking News
The Scan

Pig Organ Transplants Considered

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US Food and Drug Administration may soon allow clinical trials that involve transplanting pig organs into humans.

'Poo-Bank' Proposal

Harvard Medical School researchers suggest people should bank stool samples when they are young to transplant when they later develop age-related diseases.

Spurred to Develop Again

New Scientist reports that researchers may have uncovered why about 60 percent of in vitro fertilization embryos stop developing.

Science Papers Examine Breast Milk Cell Populations, Cerebral Cortex Cellular Diversity, Micronesia Population History

In Science this week: unique cell populations found within breast milk, 100 transcriptionally distinct cell populations uncovered in the cerebral cortex, and more.