Feb 24 2012
The realization of a long-awaited hope arrived this past month for many families in the form of a new treatment for cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most common recessively inherited diseases, affecting about 30,000 people in the United States. Last month the FDA approved the drug ivacaftor (Kalydeco ®) as the first treatment to address one of the underlying causes of CF.
Oct 25 2011
It’s been an exciting year for research on Parkinson’s disease, and now 23andMe is adding yet another discovery to the mix — a genetic factor that may protect against Parkinson’s in individuals carrying the high-risk G2019S LRRK2 variant.
Mar 30 2011
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a relatively rare but devastating condition affecting 1-2% of Americans. Although some risk factors are known — including genetic variants that predispose to the condition — its exact causes and mechanisms remain a mystery, and development of treatments has been slow. 23andMe chose to focus on Parkinson’s disease for our first [...]
Jun 22 2010
As highlighted in Thomas Goetz’s new Wired article “Sergey’s Search,” 23andMe’s innovative web-based research platform is pushing Parkinson’s disease research ahead at an unprecedented pace. With our database clocking in at 50,000 genotyped customers—a number that grows everyday—we’re poised to make exciting discoveries in many other areas. As long as we are tooting our own [...]
Apr 15 2010
Sarcomas are an extremely rare set of cancers that affect the bone and connective tissues such as muscle, bone, fat, cartilage, tendons, blood vessels, and the like. With the launch of the new Sarcoma Community, 23andMe hopes to recruit a research cohort that will serve as a platform for research investigations into the causes and treatment [...]
Jan 26 2010
By Nick Eriksson, 23andMe Principal Scientist, and Lizzie Dorfman, Parkinson’s Research Project Manager Less than a year ago we announced the launch of the 23andMe Parkinson’s Research Initiative. Since then, we have built one of the world’s most useful resources for studying the genetics of Parkinson’s disease. This past December we had meetings with the [...]
Oct 15 2009
Here’s how it goes for me: a few afternoons a year, usually when I haven’t slept or eaten right, but sometimes for no apparent reason, I begin to sense a pressure behind my left eyebrow and to feel queasy. By now I know what’s coming, and I resign myself to another miserable evening and a [...]
Jul 27 2009
Mutations are bad, right? Not always. Some DNA changes are completely neutral. That’s how the human genome came to have so many variations. And some mutations are actually advantageous. A case in point is the PCSK9 gene. So-called “loss-of-function” mutations that prevent the protein encoded by this gene from functioning properly actually lead to lower [...]
Jul 20 2009
It may be you’ve heard a rumor that males are on the brink of extinction. Whatever you may think of that prospect, the rumor is false. But over the past decade, numerous studies have hinted that the Y chromosome, a male necessity, is going the way of the dodo. Though other studies have suggested this [...]
Jul 16 2009
The exact causes of Crohn’s disease remain a mystery, but scientists do know that genetic factors play an important part. More than 30 variations have been associated with increased risk for the disease, but changes in one gene, NOD2, have been found to be especially critical. Three different variants in this gene have been associated [...]
