deCODE and SGENE Consortium Discover Deletions in the Human Genome Linked to Risk of Schizophrenia
Findings may provide the foundation for a test to complement standard clinical diagnosis, potentially enabling earlier intervention and treatment
A team of scientists led by deCODE genetics has discovered evidence of three rare deletions in the human genome that confer a greater risk of schizophrenia. This discovery shows that individuals who have one of these deletions may be up to 15 times more likely to develop schizophrenia than the population at large. See “Large recurrent microdeletions associated with schizophrenia” which appeared this afternoon in Nature (www.nature.com)
BBC News Magazine’s Rob Liddle writes about his experience of taking the deCODEme genetic test. Does this new form of diagnosis lead to reduced autonomy or offer greater choice?
Chief scientific officer of deCODE, Jeff Gulcher (48) takes a deCODEme scan that indicates he has a very high risk bracket for prostate cancer. Taking his results to a urologist may have saved his life.
Jeffrey Gulcher had no reason to think much about prostate cancer. He was just 48, and the disease typically strikes later in life. Even the most cautious medical groups agree that most men need not begin annual prostate screenings until age 50.
But Gulcher happens to be the chief scientific officer of deCODE Genetics — one of several companies that, amid some controversy, have begun offering direct-to-consumer DNA tests that can help people predict which diseases they are likely to get. So in April, he spat into a test tube and, without giving the matter much thought, sent the sample in for analysis by his own company.
The second part of NBC Nightly News coverage of deCODE genetics and the genetic research conducted with the help of the Icelandic nation. Bazell continues to look at the company he sees as being at the cutting edge of genetic research.
NBC’s Robert Bazell looks at genetic research in Iceland and interviews deCODE’s CEO Dr. Kari Stefansson. Of special interest is the work carried out on common diseases that have a genetic component. Stefansson predicts that genetic tests will be widely used within 3-5 years.
A look at deCODE, the biotech company in Iceland that is researching genes for common conditions like heart disease, stroke and cancer. Sue Herera interviews NBC’s Robert Bazell on his coverage of deCODE and discusses the scientific, pharmacological and commercial implications of genetic testing.
NBC chief science correspondent, Robert Bazell, reports on deCODE in Iceland. Iceland is a goldmine of genetic information. where new discoveries in genetic testing may mean a healthier life for the whole world. That Icelanders have an extensive knowledge of their ancestry, says Bazell, has been interesting for history, but now it’s very important for medicine.
A maverick businessman and former White House confidant believes that by collecting enough data about his health, he can live to be ripe, old age.
Jack Grayson wants to live to be 113. Actually, the former head of the U.S. Price Commission under the late President Richard Nixon thinks he might be able to reach 150.
“I want to live longer so I can live forever,” says Dr. Grayson, who now runs the highly successful APQC, a private sector, non-profit organization to help American business, health and education sectors improve productivity and remain globally competitive.
How does the former FBI agent and farmer who taught at both Stanford and Harvard plan to live for a century and a half?
After years of reading meters for the electric company, Cheryl Click won the Texas lottery, retired and purchased a cattle ranch. Now financially secure, Ms. Click is no longer rolling the dice with her health.
By Edward Weinman
Cheryl Click is rich beyond her wildest dreams. In the 1990s, she won the
Texas lottery, pocketing upwards of $27 million. After quitting her job at the electric company, this Texan with a glowing smile cashed in on her dreams and now owns various cattle ranches.
Knowing that her family had a history of heart disease, and wanting to stick around long enough to enjoy her horses and cattle, Ms. Click turned to deCODE genetics for help deciphering what role genetics play in her family’s medical history.
“All my immediate family is gone,” Ms. Click says in her thick Texas drawl. “They died from heart problems. My sister had open-heart surgery, but her heart wasn’t strong enough to support her surgery. My brother had asthma all his life, but his heart quit on him one day. And my mother died of a stroke.”
The latest developments, news and discussions about genetic tests and genomics and how they relate to your health. For more information on the deCODEme genetic test visit us at www.deCODEme.com.
| Tags: deCODE genetics, Genetic Research, schizophrenia. 
