NHGRI Scientific Director Dan Kastner elected to the Institute of Medicine
Daniel L. Kastner, M.D., Ph.D., scientific director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), has been elected to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine. Read more
President's bioethics commission releases report on genomics and privacy
Genomics and privacy are the focus of a new report released today by the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. The report, which includes a dozen recommendations, concludes that individual interests in privacy must be respected and secured to realize the enormous promise that whole genome sequencing holds for advancing clinical care. Read more
FDA approves crystal-dissolving eye drops, a major milestone for NIH rare disease researchers
Read the heroic story of how an experimental eye-drop solution containing a drug called cysteamine eliminates the painful and destructive crystalline shards in the eyes of patients suffering from a rare, inherited condition called nephropathic cystinosis. Learn how the eyedrop went from clinical trial, to FDA approval and availability for use on Oct. 3, 2012, The research was spearheaded by NHGRI Clinical Director, William Gahl, M.D., Ph.D. Read more
Whole genome sequencing used to track infection's transmission path
Using whole bacterial genome sequencing to trace the transmission of a hospital-acquired infection is this month's Genome Advance of the Month, a potentially important breakthrough for hospital epidemiology. Read more