Here are summaries of a selection of the papers published by GCB faculty in April 2019:
NEW METHODS
Andrew Allen was part of a team that developed two new methods that pinpoint risk regions of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) genes. These new methods not only pinpoint risk regions in known genes, but also highlight candidate genes as well. Read more
Charlie Gersbach and team have developed a method for improving the accuracy of the CRISPR genome editing technology by an average of 50-fold. They believe it can be easily translated to any of the editing technology’s continually expanding formats. Read more
Targeted DNA epigenome editing represents a powerful therapeutic approach. A protocol developed by Ornit Chiba-Falek and team describes the production, purification, and concentration of all-in-one lentiviral vectors harboring the CRISPR-dCas9-DNMT3A transgene for epigenome-editing applications in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived neurons. Read more
GENETICS
Avshalom Caspi and Terrie Moffitt were part of a team that tested selection/concentration of genetic risks for obesity, schizophrenia, teen pregnancy and poor educational outcomes in high-risk neighborhoods, including genetic analysis of neighborhood mobility. Members of the Genomic Analysis and Bioinformatics shared resource helped analyzed the data. Read more
MICROBIOME
Jenny Tung was part of a team that investigated 14 baboon populations to better understand what determines their gut microbiota. Their results support an emerging picture in which environmental variation is the dominant predictor of host-associated microbiomes. Read more
MENTAL HEALTH
Using the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin Study, Avshalom Caspi and Terrie Moffitt were part of a team that investigated associations between the characteristics of the neighborhoods where young adults live and their feelings of loneliness. Read more