When life gives you lemons, you take more risks

Anyone needing a little excitement in their lives could do worse than suck a lemon, surprising new research at the University of Sussex suggests.

Scientists at the Sussex Computer Human Interaction (SCHI) Lab say they have found for the first time empirical evidence that sour tastes lead to more risk-taking behaviour in a paper published in Scientific Reports today (7 June).

The researchers recommend that risk-averse people, such as those suffering from anxiety disorders or depression, could benefit from sour-enriched diets to boost risk-taking behaviour such as leaving the house or talking to a stranger.

They also recommend that people in professions where risk-taking could have serious repercussions, such as airline pilots, may benefit from reducing the amount of sour they have in their daily diet.

Dr Chi Thanh Vi, Research Fellow in Multisensory Experiences at the University of Sussex’s Department of Informatics, said: “Risk-taking can mean different things for different people; for some that is jumping out of a plane at 30,000 feet but for others it can be simply leaving the house. But while it may have negative connotations for some, risk taking is actually one of the primary behaviours that leads to a happier life.”

Dr Marianna Obrist, Reader in Interaction Design at the University of Sussex’s Department of Informatics, added: “Our research indicates that sour does not provoke people to indulge in reckless risky habits, but does have unique attributes to modulate risk-taking and may encourage risk-averse people to take new opportunities.

“This is supported by previous work which indicated that people suffering psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, or stress-related disorders could benefit from the use of lemon oils which also had stress-reducing qualities.”

The study involved 168 participants from the UK and Vietnam who were given a 20ml solution representing one of the five main taste groups (bitter, salty, sour sweet and umami) and a neutral control of mineral water.

PhD Student Giada Brianza and designer Tu-Anh Nguyen of the SCHI Lab at the University of Sussex. Credit: University of Sussex

They were then asked to take part in the standardized Balloon Analogue Risk-Taking (BART) – a measure of risk taking behaviour where participants take part in a computer simulation to fill up a balloon with air.

The more air in the balloon the more money the participants win until the balloon pops and they lose everything.

Participants have the option to cash out at any time as each click sees the balloon increase in size along with the prize or it explodes, dependent on a randomized algorithm.

On average, participants who drank citric acid pumped the balloons at a significantly higher frequency than with any other taste; more than 39% more than sweet (sucrose), 20.50% more than bitter (caffeine), 16.03% more than salty (sodium chloride), and 40.29% more than umami (monosodium glutamate or MSG).

The study also found that sour promotes risk-taking behaviour regardless of an individual’s own level of risk-taking and style of thinking with the sour effect effective for both intuitive and analytical thinkers.

The researchers say their experiments indicate the risk-taking influence can last for at least 20 minutes but believe that it could last considerably longer depending on the amount of concentration of sour consumed.

Dr Vi said: “We don’t know exactly what happens within the brain that controls this type of behaviour and it is something we would now like to pursue further.

“We know what happens in the brain when people have a certain taste and we know what happens when someone decides a certain course of action but what is missing is tracking the neural pathway to show how taste can affect that decision-making process.

“It could be that by taking that first bite of something sour we are already exhibiting some risk-taking behaviour to eat fruit which might not be quite right.”

 Explore further: Want to eat better? You might be able to train yourself to change your tastes

More information: Chi Thanh Vi et al. Sour Promotes Risk-Taking: An Investigation into the Effect of Taste on Risk-Taking Behaviour in Humans, Scientific Reports (2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-26164-3

https://bit.ly/2JGF4wY

Different angles on suicide

The list of warning factors for suicide reads, in part, like a catalog of everyday modern ills: lagging self-esteem, depression, loss of relationships or economic security, insomnia.

“When you look at those lists,” says Eric Beeson, core faculty member at Northwestern University’s Counseling@Northwestern, “it almost seems like who’s not a candidate for suicide?” And yet, in the wake of highly publicized deaths by suicide like that of fashion designer Kate Spade and television personality Anthony Bourdain, our scrutiny of the act centers on a need to quickly settle on a cause and, on some level, to distance ourselves from it.

Spade’s longtime friend Elyce Arons told The New York Times that when the subject of celebrity suicides came up in their discussions about Spade’s depression, her friend assured her, “‘I would never do that. I would never do that. I would never do that.’ And I believed her.”

“At some point in everyone’s life,” says Beeson, “they have said they would never do that. But I believe we are all just a few life events away from considering it. So for me, we’re all on that continuum.”

National Institute of Mental Health data show that, in 2016, 1 million U.S. adults made plans for death and attempted suicide. Yet most of us lack even the most basic understanding of what leads to these deaths, beyond those well-known risk-factor lists. The picture is much more complicated, says Beeson, and it might be time to take a more nuanced view.

Suicide risk is not as simple as a list of risk factors. “We talk about suicide as this one thing,” says Beeson, “but suicide is really this spectrum of behaviors. You always ask, ‘Are they suicidal?’ and for me that’s really a limiting question.” In assessing whether people might kill themselves, Beeson looks at “key variables that seem to be more related to death.” Those are:

Perceived burdensomeness, “this idea that my death is more valuable than my life.”

Thwarted belongingness, “meaning I try to make meaningful connections, and they just don’t work out.”

Hopelessness, “OK, I have this, and it’s never going to get better.”

Acquired capability, the ability to set aside normal psychological and physical constraints and perform an act that may be painful or horrifying.

With the first two factors, Beeson says, people begin to have ideas about suicide. Adding hopelessness can bring on planning of a suicide. But the final factor is the hardest to discern.

Clinicians like Beeson look for clues that the person might have become more inured to pain, shame or guilt. Past histories of abuse, substance abuse disorders, assaults or even professions such as medicine that make contact with death part of the everyday can constitute a slow wearing away of the mental and physical barriers to self-harm.

“People work along that continuum until they start to overcome the pain, the shame and the guilt,” he says, “and then the value of suicide starts to outweigh the pain, shame and guilt.”

Suicide is not typically an impulsive act. “People talk about it being selfish; people talk about it being irrational,” says Beeson, “but actually I think a lot of suicides are very well-thought out, very well-contemplated. And generally not impulsive.

Generally, this is a long process for an individual that started with a faint idea that gradually took hold as those risk factors mounted and as the capability came into their purview.” Leaving behind a note, as Kate Spade reportedly did, can be interpreted as evidence of the contemplation suicide often entails—it may be an attempt to remove the last psychological barriers to death.

“Some people might say that it’s a last way to cope with some of the guilt,” says Beeson. “The guilt can be a protective factor in a certain way, so some people might say that’s a way to reduce that. There’s something about this that the person is still not OK with, so they are trying to address that.”

The philosophical debate on suicide is more present than ever. In ancient societies, suicide was sometimes interpreted as an available and even noble choice. Today, in countries like Switzerland, where there are euthanasia clinics, assisted suicide is accepted. And five U.S. states and the District of Columbia have “Death With Dignity” laws that allow assisted suicide in cases of terminal illness.

“That gets us into the discussion of whether it is ever OK and under what circumstances,” Beeson says. “Some people would argue that if I have a chronic mental health condition that interferes with my quality of life, is that any different than a fatal medical condition? And that’s a really really hard discussion to have.”

To shift your perspective on suicide, think back to the events of 9/11 and how you felt about the people who chose to jump from the Twin Towers before the burning buildings collapsed. “That analogy is not too different from someone who has a depressive disorder,” says Beeson. “It’s not true flames, but it’s the flames of something.

It’s easier for us to look at the 9/11 example and say, ‘Yeah, I’m not going to judge that person,’ but what if it’s flipped around and these are not real flames, but it’s something that’s very real to that person?” Given any of these circumstances—the burning building, the terminal cancer or the extreme, persistent mood disorder—Beeson points out, none of us really know what we would choose to do.

Condemning suicide might hinder prevention. “I think we run the risk of looking at it as a black and white thing,” says Beeson, “and that’s just not the way it is. I really do view suicide as a continuum and frankly we are all on it in some way. Some of us are just much farther from it than others.”

There is a movement aimed at destigmatizing suicide, including changing the ways in which we talk about it—committed suicide” conjures an image of committing a crime, while more straightforward language—died by suicide” or “killed himself” avoid those punishing overtones. Willingness to view suicide as a part of human behavior, without judgment, may be difficult. But, Beeson says, it can be the key to helping someone who is considering killing herself.

“If we view ourselves as too separate from people and we think that we’ll never be there, then it’s really hard to connect with people in a meaningful way.” Before talking to someone who might be contemplating suicide, he suggests, think about where you’re coming from.

“Have the hard dialogue with yourself: ‘Am I so far removed from this?’ and if I am, I’m probably going to be perceived as coming from a judgmental place. That’s going to make it harder to connect with someone and catch it sooner, if you will.

You want people to be able to be open enough to share with you before it gets to the point where they’ve made the plan, they’re set on this and it’s going to happen.” The goal? To get past the suicidal thoughts and offer an alternative. “We try to find out what they are trying to achieve with this choice,” says Beeson, “and then show them another way to get there.”

 Explore further: Sobering report teases out factors leading to suicides

https://bit.ly/2sI1u74

Depression Treatments Focus of Recent Industry Movement

There are generally two types of antidepressants on the market. They are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Zoloft, or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), like Pristiq or Efexor. But there are still individuals who do not respond well to these drugs and the industry continues to work on developing better and alternative treatments for depression. There has been quite a bit of activity in this area recently. Here’s a look.

VistaGen Therapeutics, headquartered in South San Francisco, announced the initiation on April 5 of its ELEVATE Phase II clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of AV-101 (L-4-chlorokynurenine) as an adjunctive treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in patients that don’t respond to currently approved antidepressants.

AV-101 is an oral N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor glycine B (GlyB) antagonist, a new generation of investigational drugs to treat depression. “Major Depressive Disorder is one of the most common diseases affecting the U.S. population and many patients who suffer from it do not respond adequately to currently available treatments,” stated Maurizio Fava, executive vice chair, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, in a statement. “This is an important clinical study given the properties of AV-101.”

Alkermes, based in Dublin, Ireland, announced on April 16 that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had accepted its New Drug Application (NDA) for ALKS 5461, a novel, once-daily, oral drug for major depressive disorder in patients who didn’t respond to standard antidepressants. The target action date for the drug is January 31, 2019.

ALKS 5461 is a combination of buprenorphine, a partial mu-opioid receptor agonist and kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, and samidorphan, a mu-opioid receptor antagonist. The application was based on results of data from more than 30 clinical trials in more than 1,500 patients with MDD.

SAGE Therapeutics, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced on May 30 that the FDA had accepted its filing of an NDA for its lead product candidate, an intravenous formulation of brexanolone (SAGE-547) to treat postpartum depression (PPD). The NDA was granted Priority Review status and the FDA expects to make a decision by December 19, 2018.

PPD is the most common medical complication of childbirth affecting a subset of women typically commencing in the third trimester of pregnancy or in the months after giving birth. In the U.S., estimates of new mothers identified with PPD each year vary by state from eight to 20 percent, with an overall average of 11.5 percent. There are no approved therapies for PPD.

The drug is an allosteric modulator of both synaptic and extrasynaptic GABA_A receptors. The company’s formulation has also been given PRIority MEdicines (PRIME) designation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Johnson & Johnson announced positive data from two long-term Phase III clinical trials of esketamine nasal spray on June 1 in patients with treatment-resistant depression. They were presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP) held in Miami Beach, Florida. Esketamine is a low dose of ketamine, a drug of abuse sometimes called “Special K” and used as a horse tranquilizer. If the drug were approved by the FDA, it would be the first new pharmacotherapeutic approach to treating refractory major depressive disorder in 50 years. It falls into a newer class of antidepressants that target NMDA receptors.

Safety results were consistent with the previous Phase II and Phase III trials. The most common adverse events were metallic taste, vertigo, dissociation, drowsiness, dizziness, headache, nausea, blurred vision and a diminished sense of touch or sensation. Most adverse events were seen on the first day of dosing and generally resolved the same day.

Akili Interactive, headquartered in Boston, has a different approach. On May 9 it closed on a $55 million Series C financing led by Temasek. Baillie Gifford, Amgen Ventures, M Ventures (the CVC fund of Merck KGaA in Germany), JAZZ Venture Partners, Canepa Advanced Healthcare Fund, and Brooklands Capital Strategies also participated.

The company describes itself as a prescription digital medicine company, whose goal is to treat certain disorders via high-quality video games. Its lead candidate is AKL-T01, which is being developed for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is moving through FDA protocols similar to those for prescription drugs. The company describes it as being designed to “therapeutically treat cognitive deficiency and improve related symptoms with specific sensory stimuli and simultaneous assessment of motor responses to target and activate the prefrontal cortex. In clinical studies to date, AKL-T01 was shown to improve attention, inhibition and working memory in children with ADHD.”

The company also has programs for Autism Spectrum Disorder, major depressive disorder, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, Traumatic Brain Injury, ICU delirium and others. It has an ongoing Phase II trial of its AKL-T03 for cognitive dysfunction in adults with depression, which it expects to report on sometime this year.

https://bit.ly/2MexLLb

Tea tree oil may help replace antibiotics in the fight against infections

Researchers have used the antibacterial properties of tea tree oil to create a bioactive coating that keeps bacteria away from medical devices. The findings may help to stave off millions of infections per year.

Using special techniques, essential oils can now be turned into a hard, antibacterial surface that protects against infection.

The more we use antibiotics, the less effective they become, leading to the appearance of “superbugs” that are resilient to the drugs’ antibacterial properties.

Every year, as many as 2 million people in the United States are infected with a drug-resistant bacterium, and most of these infections occur in hospitals.

Mohan Jacob, the head of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department at James Cook University (JCU) in Queensland, Australia, explains that a large number of these bacteria are found on the “biofilm” that forms on medical devices.

Biofilm infections are a growing health concern in their own right. “Just in the U.S., about 17 millionnew biofilm-related infections are reported annually, leading to approximately 550,000 fatalities each year,” Prof. Jacob says.

“It’s thought about 80 percent of worldwide surgery-associated infections may relate to biofilm formation,” he adds.

So, in the context of antibiotic resistance, is there a way to stop the bacterial biofilms from forming on medical devices without relying on antibiotics?

Researchers believe so. Plants naturally produce antimicrobial molecules, and in recent years, scientists have used nanotechnology to harness the power of these compounds to create antibacterial coatings.

The plant compounds are called plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) as they are not essential to a plant’s survival and functioning.

A central challenge to creating antibacterial coatings from PSMs, however, has been converting the compounds’ natural liquid state into a solid state without losing any of their antibacterial properties.

Now, a team of researchers led by Prof. Jacob found a way to turn PSMs into bioactive coatings for medical devices.

Their findings were published in the journal Polymers.

Turning liquid tea tree oil into a solid coating

Prof. Jacob further explains what PSMs are, saying, “They’re derived from such things as essential oils and herb extracts and they have relatively powerful broad-spectrum antibacterial activities.”

“PSMs are a low-cost renewable resource available in commercial quantities, with limited toxicity, and potentially, different mechanisms for fighting bacteria than synthetic antibiotics,” he adds.

Study co-author Kateryna Bazaka, an adjunct senior research fellow at JCU, explains the procedure through which the scientists were able to tackle the challenge of turning liquid PSMs into a solid coating of polymers.

Polymers — such as the naturally occurring rubber and cellulose, or the man-made Teflon and polyurethane — are characterized by a resistant, “chain-like structure.”

“We used plasma-enhanced techniques within a reactor containing the essential oil vapors. When the vapors are exposed to a glow discharge, they are transformed and settle on the surface of an implant as a solid biologically active coating.”

Kateryna Bazaka

“These have shown good antibacterial properties,” she continues.

Plasma polymerization techniques have been used to create bioactive surfaces for a few decades now. In the new study, the researchers focused on converting the PSMs of tea tree oil, also known as Melaleuca alternifolia.

Bazaka explains just why the plasma technique is particularly useful for converting PSMs into solid, bioactive coatings. She says, “The main advantage of this approach is that we are not using other chemicals, such as solvents, during the fabrication process.”

“As such, there is no threat of potentially harmful chemicals being retained in the coating or them damaging the surface of the material onto which the coating is applied. It also makes the fabrication process more environmentally friendly,” she adds.

If tea tree oil components end up being routinely used to protect the surface of medical devices, millions of infections could be prevented each year.

https://bit.ly/2sY3Qyn

Diabetes ‘technological wave’ has too much upside to ignore: JP Morgan

• The ongoing changes to glucose monitoring are so important, Marcus added, that medical device companies such as Dexcom are set for “significant” upside.
• “The diabetes space is currently experiencing its biggest technological wave of innovation from glucose measurement to insulin dosing,” analyst Robbie Marcus wrote Friday.
• Dexcom’s stock is up more than 62 percent so far this year. Shares extended their 2018 gains Friday, climbing nearly 4 percent.

CNBC | Erin Black

New technologies for diabetes treatment are becoming essential for those who suffer from the disease, according to J.P. Morgan, and that could make companies such as Dexcom compelling investment opportunities.

“The diabetes space is currently experiencing its biggest technological wave of innovation from glucose measurement (continuous glucose monitoring) to insulin dosing (insulin pumps),” analyst Robbie Marcus said in a note to clients Friday. “CGM is becoming an essential tool for patients and is now at the level of sensitivity that it is eliminating the need for fingersticks with blood glucose monitoring.”

Technological advances for glucose checking are so important, Marcus added, that medical device companies such as Dexcom are set for “significant” upside over the next few years. Marcus upgraded shares of Dexcom to overweight and raised his price target on the company to $115 from $80, implying 28 percent upside over the next year.

Dexcom, which produces devices that attach to a patient’s skin to monitor blood-glucose levels continuously, has the potential to crush consensus revenue estimates, the analyst added. He predicts that the San Diego-based company could reach $876 million this year, which would beat expectations of $860 million.

This diabetes monitor can read your blood sugar without any blood

“Treatment is shifting towards integrated pumps where the CGM dictates insulin dosing, and in our view the CGM is the much more valuable component of that equation than the pump,” Marcus explained. “We think the Street is being too conservative on the near-term sustainability of Dexcom’s hardware business (transmitters and receivers) and assuming a significant headwind to both new patient adds and base business patient attrition.”

Dexcom’s stock is up more than 62 percent so far this year. Shares extended their 2018 gains Friday, climbing nearly 4 percent.

“One of the hidden assets of Dexcom is this investment we’ve made in technology,” chief executive Kevin Sayer told “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer in November. “Our system offers features that competitors don’t. We connect to phones. We share data with people who watch patients. We offer performance and accuracy that others don’t.”

https://cnb.cx/2Jyb0QG

Need a little extra money? You'll soon be able to sell and rent your DNA

Feel like earning a little extra money and maybe improving your health at the same time?

 

Consumers will soon be able to sell or rent their DNA to scientists who are trying to fight diseases as different as dementia, lupus and leukemia.
Bio-brokers want to collect everything from someone's 23andMe and Ancestry.com gene data to fully sequenced genomes.
The data would be sold or rented to biomedical institutes, universities and pharmaceutical companies, generating money for consumers who share their genetic secrets.
The roundup is mostly led by LunaDNA of Solana Beach and Nebula Genomics of San Francisco, startups that are still figuring out how much a person would be paid for their contribution.
It's part of the booming bio-economy, where so-called "sequencing subsidies" are starting to emerge.
Scientists say they need enormous amounts of genetic data from across different ethnic, racial and age groups, and different genders, to develop diagnostics and drugs.
The need for new and better therapeutics is deep and broad.
Most people never develop a genetic disorder. But single genes are responsible for causing more than 6,000 human diseases, including cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy. There are also many diseases influenced by multiple genes, notably obesity and type 2 diabetes.
LunaDNA is asking people to share data they've gotten from such direct-to-consumer personal genomics companies as 23andMe and Ancestry.com, both which are highly popular.
A subsidiary of Ancestry.com reportedly sold about 1.5 million saliva test kits last year between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
"That's like 2,000 gallons of saliva—enough to fill a modest above-ground swimming pool with the genetic history of every person in the city of Philadelphia," said Wired.com.
Nebula Genomics wants people to contribute their entire genome, and is prepared to help consumers get sequenced at reduced costs. The consumer could then sell or rent the data on Nebula's data exchange. Consumers would be paid in some form of cryptocurrency that could be converted to dollars.

 

The bio-brokers sense that a grand opportunity is at hand.
The cost of sequencing a person's genome has fallen dramatically over the past 15 years and now stands at about $1,000. The price could drop to $100 within three years.
Scientists also are benefiting from the invention of Crispr, a quick, easy and accurate way to modify DNA for therapeutic purposes.
"Thanks to continuous technological advancement, we have now reached a tipping point where the genomics revolution will spread beyond academic laboratories and affect the lives of millions of people," said Dennis Grishin, co-founder of Nebula Genomics.
"If remaining challenges such as data privacy protection are addressed, the number of people who have their genomes sequenced is going to grow exponentially, possibly more than doubling every year.
"Genomics will become an integral part of personal healthcare. Pharma companies will be buying large genomic data sets and using them to develop new drugs."
The medical, financial, legal and ethical implications of such change will be daunting and, in some cases, hard to fathom. So the San Diego Union-Tribune decided to answer what are likely to be some common questions.
The answers were produced with help from scientists at the University of California, San Diego, the Scripps Translational Science Institute in La Jolla, Nebula Genomics and LunaDNA.
Q: What specific kind of data are scientists seeking from consumers?
A: You, me, the next person—we all have the same genes.
But there's variation in those genes. Some "variants" are neutral; they determine things like our hair color and height. Some are beneficial; they help protect us from illness. And some variants can make us susceptible to disease. We call those mutations.
Scientists are largely interested in the mutations because they can cause diseases and disorders.
23andMe tests the DNA in your saliva for more than 500,000 variants—with an eye for trouble. Last year, the FDA gave the company permission to screen people for genes associated with 10 diseases and disorders, including Huntington's disease and late-onset Alzheimer's disease. More recently, the agency gave 23andMe permission to screen for three genes associated with cancer.
The company uses this data to estimate a person's risk for developing the various diseases.
This is not a diagnosis; it is risk analysis based on an incomplete and changing understanding of human genetics.
"Tests like Ancestry and 23andMe only look at small areas of the genome, and aren't considered to be useful tests for medical care by most genetics experts," said Lisa Madlensky, director of the Family Cancer Genetics Program at UC San Diego.
"However, they can sometimes identify something medically important that needs to be confirmed in a medical genetics laboratory."
The data always has to be put into perspective. The FDA emphasized that point last year when it approved 23andMe's first screening tests, saying, "It is important that people understand that genetic risk is just one piece of the bigger puzzle. It does not mean they will or won't ultimately develop a disease."
Q: If I take one of these tests, do I own the data that's generated from my DNA?
A. Generally speaking, yes. But you have to read the fine print. You should make sure that you say no if you don't want a company like 23andMe selling your data to a pharmaceutical company or some other type of institution.
Nebula Genomics and LunaDNA are trying to build databases that would be of commercial and scientific interest to the bio-pharma industry. There's nothing wrong with that. You just need to be aware that they need your permission to sell your data.
Q: Is it likely that a consumer could make a significant amount of money from either of these two companies?
A: That remains to be seen. They're both startups, so they haven't finalized how they're going to do things. Dawn Barry, the president of LunaDNA, told the Union-Tribune:
"Individuals will be rewarded when proceeds are generated through the sale of access to the data.
"Think of it like a co-op where the value comes from the data set as a whole and dividends are paid out to the individuals that contribute their genomic and health information. The more data you share, the more shares in the database you own, the greater your percentage of the proceeds."
Q: Is Nebula Genomics looking for something different from consumers?
A: The test used by 23andMe offers a very limited look at a person's genes. Nebula wants to get a complete look. So they're asking consumers to undergo so-called whole genome sequencing. As the name implies, this technique maps out a person's entire genetic makeup. Such data is widely used by biomedical researchers. And this kind of sequencing is moving into clinical settings. For example, this test is used to sequence bacteria, which helps hospitals fight infection diseases.
Q: There are many types of genetic testing. How accurate are the results?
A: Mistakes can be made in every type of testing. And it can be difficult to determine overall accuracy, especially with direct-to-consumer DNA tests that involve ethnicity and genealogy.
Some consumers have reported getting different results when they've used the tests marketed by 23andMe and Ancestry.com.
To be fair, Ancestry.com says that it's only providing an estimate when it calculates what percentage of your DNA that comes from different parts of the world.
But the company touts its reach, noting that it maintains "the world's largest online family history resource, which includes millions of family trees and over 20 billion historical records."
Tufts University researcher Sheldon Krimsky studied this kind of testing and told a campus publication, "Companies selling these services—and there are close to 40 of them—don't share their data, and their methods are not validated by an independent group of scientists and there are not agreed-upon standards of accuracy ...
"So you have to look at the percentages you receive back with skepticism."
Consumers also have to be prepared for surprises.
"You may discover things about yourself that trouble you and that you may not have the ability to control or change (e.g., your father is not genetically your father, surprising facts related to your ancestry, or that someone with your genotype may have a higher than average chance of developing a specific condition or disease)," says 23andMe's Terms of Service statement.
"These outcomes could have social, legal, or economic implications."
Sometimes, the outcome is joyful.
"I found my birth family using 23andMe, specifically my mother who had been trying to find me," BreAnne Custodio told the Union-Tribune. "We now talk weekly."
The results can also be jarring.
"You should not assume that any information we may be able to provide to you, whether now or as genetic research advances, will be welcome or positive," 23andMe says in its Terms of Service.
"You should also understand that as research advances, in order for you to assess the meaning of your DNA in the context of such advances, you may need to obtain further services from 23andMe, your physician, a genetic counselor, or other health care provider."
Q: Do most people understand the risk analysis they get from a company like 23andMe?
A: It's difficult to say.
DNA is a popular topic in books, movies, TV and on the web. Basic genetics is taught in school. Most people probably have a rudimentary understanding of DNA testing.
But drawing meaning from DNA is a complex, nuanced, fast-changing field. It can be hard for consumers to keep up.
The public also has to cope with conflicting claims. We saw an example of that in March after the FDA gave 23andMe permission to check to see if a person has any of three specific BRCA gene mutations that are associated with cancer.
The National Society of Genetic Counselors said the test could help reveal undetected mutations, but stressed that "the results may be confusing or misleading without appropriate education."
Such comments reminded Anne Wojcicki, chief executive officer of 23andMe, of how some physicians lobbied against the use of at-home pregnancy tests when they were introduced 40 years ago
"They thought women might not be able to handle such information on their own and claimed that the results might trigger them to make irrational decisions," Wojcicki told Stat News.
"Some went so far as to claim it would lead to suicides. Looking back, it seems unthinkable that we questioned women's ability to access this kind of information."
Q: Should I be worried about the privacy of my data?
A: Barry said, "An individual's data contains no personal identifiers and is combined with the broad population to create the scale and scope necessary to drive medical discoveries."
You hear similar things from other companies, and from the government.
Keep in mind that hackers have stolen data from everyone from the National Security Agency to local hospitals. Anyone can be hacked.
https://bit.ly/2xWXIMb

Relocating its US HQ to Boston, French pharma Ipsen to add 250 jobs

Boston’s biotech hub has attracted yet another HQ, as French pharma company Ipsen said Thursday it will relocate its US operations from New Jersey to Kendall Square.

The company announced the move on the last day of the BIO International Convention, promising to add 250 new jobs with the expansion of its Boston presence. Ipsen, which has a $11.2 billion market cap, already opened two outposts in the city back in 2015: a commercial/manufacturing site at One Kendall Square and an R&D site at 650 East Kendall St. Now, it’s moving all 150 of its Boston employees into the East Kendall location.

The new jobs were part of a deal struck between Ipsen and the Massachusetts Life Science Center, which pledged $1.2 million in state tax incentives to Ipsen. The incentives would be funded by a new life science bill that lawmakers are expected to soon send to Governor Charlie Baker.

“We are entering into a new era of innovation and growth for Ipsen as a leading global biotech company. By bringing our headquarters to Cambridge, we will build a sustainable innovation engine to advance opportunities for our employees and our overall business,” said Richard Paulson, CEO of Ipsen North America, in a statement. “The Massachusetts Life Science Center has been instrumental throughout this process, and we look forward to continuing to partner with them as we grow our footprint even further in Cambridge and ultimately address patient needs.”

Ipsen’s current US headquarters are in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, where the company plans to maintain a core services center. The headquarters will transition to Cambridge over the next 12 months, the company said.

https://bit.ly/2JpZLxX