The final version of the Common Rule, also known as the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, strengthens protections for people who volunteer to participate in research. At the same time, it ensures that the oversight system does not add inappropriate administrative burdens, particularly to low-risk research. The final rule was published January 19, 2017. Federally funded research must comply with the changes beginning on January 19, 2018.
Data gathered from the Newborn Sequencing In Genomic medicine and public HealTh (NSIGHT) Consortium, co-funded by NHGRI and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, addresses the clinical and ethical questions that arise from newborn genome sequencing. Their paper in Pediatrics examines these issues and describes research concerning parental decision-making, clinical utility and the psychosocial impact of generating genomic information from newborns.
This month, the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) celebrates 20 years as an NIH institute! The milestone highlights the transition from the center known as the National Center for Human Genome Research, to our current status as a full-fledged NIH institute. Those 20 years encompassed a host of research accomplishments, from the completion of The Human Genome Project, to DNA sequencing technology development, to bringing genomic medicine to the clinic. Happy Birthday, NHGRI! Here's to another 20 great years!
In this month's The Genomics Landscape, we reflect on the career of Jeffery Schloss, Ph.D., who led the DNA sequencing technology development and the $1,000 Genome programs. We also feature the new dbGap Data Browser; the "Your DNA, Your Say" survey from the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health; Dr. Diana Bianchi's new NHGRI laboratory; and the applications for the 2017 ASHG/NHGRI policy and education fellowships.
In a perspective published in the journal Trends in Microbiology, NHGRI researchers and their colleagues call for health disparities research that focuses on the microbiome. Health disparities and the microbiome are influenced by people's environments and social interactions. According to the researchers, the microbiome and health differences experienced by diverse people may be a two-way street, with biological and environmental factors influencing each other.
