GCB News

Element Genomics Acquired by Global Biopharmaceutical Company

Element Genomics, a small biotech company founded by Tim Reddy, Charlie Gersbach, Greg Crawford and Kris Wood in 2015, has been acquired by UCB, a global pharmaceuticals company with a focus on neurology and immunology. The total cost of the transaction, including upfront and short-term success based milestone payments, will amount to $30 million.

Genetics and Crime

A research team led by postdoc Jasmin Wertz, Avshalom Caspi and Terrie Moffitt determined that a genetic signature previously discovered in a genome-wide association study of educational attainment can also predict criminal offending. The study used data from individuals participating in the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study in Britain and the Dunedin Longitudinal Study in New Zealand.

The Struggle to Predict—and Prevent—Toxic Masculinity

Terrie Moffitt has been trying to figure out why men are terrible for more than 25 years. Or, to calibrate: Why some men are really terrible—violent, criminal, dangerous—but most men are not. And, while she’s at it, how to tell which man is going to become which.

Human Nature, Observed

For decades, two psychologists have kept watch over 1000 New Zealanders, teasing out factors that shape a life's course.

What algebraic topology could frame thy fearful symmetry?

Proteins are the workhorses of the cell. They are required for the structure, function and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs, and although half of all proteins in modern cells are symmetric complexes, less is known about them, as they are more difficult to work with both experimentally and computationally. Bruce Donald is the PI on a new NIH R01 grant that aims to develop tools to help make these symmetrical proteins easier to work with.