Genomics Biotechnology & Emerging Medical Technologies Institute e-News

Angelina Jolie, genetic testing and the ACA

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

Dr. Otis Brawley, the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, is on the record with a quick post on Angelina Jolie's startling announcement in a New York Times op-ed that she has had a prophylactic double mastectomy to cut her inherited risk of breast cancer. Jolie found through genetic testing that she carries the BRCA1 gene. Brawley, who has been an outspoken critic of overtesting, answers many important questions that Jolie's decision raises. Should all women have the genetic test? No, says Brawley, but they should all have a conversation with their doctors.

A closer look at keratoconus

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

In keratoconus, the normally round cornea becomes thin and irregular or cone-shaped. When this occurs, the abnormal shape prevents the light entering the eye from being focused correctly on the retina, resulting in distortion of vision. The risk of developing keratoconus may be higher in individuals who have certain inherited diseases or genetic conditions, such as Down syndrome, Leber's congenital amaurosis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or osteogenesis imperfecta. Over the last several years, significant progress has been made in identifying genetic risk factors for keratoconus.

Cancer treatment — It's personal now

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

The human genome was fully sequenced about a decade ago, and since that time, personalized medicine has taken off, not only in oncology practice but in other treatment areas as well. Gone are the days of "one-size-fits-all" treatments, when tissue pathology dictated what treatment would be administered to all of the people who happened to have the same type of cancer and stage of disease.

Human embryonic stem cells are cloned

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

Stem cell researchers have reached a long-sought milestone in "regenerative" medicine that seeks to provide rejection-free replacement transplant tissues to patients.

New biomaterial can improve implant success

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

Expensive, state-of-the-art medical devices and surgeries often are thwarted by the body's natural response to attack something in the tissue that appears foreign. Now, University of Washington engineers have demonstrated in mice a way to prevent this sort of response.

Telestroke program looks to robots to boost quality

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

Telestroke programs already have been proven to be able to improve access and care quality for patients, while also helping to save hospitals money. Now, five hospitals in California plan to use robots to boost such care efforts even further.

4 strategies for managing hospitalists

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

Increasingly, hospitalists are gaining more responsibilities in areas such as monitoring patients day to day, ordering tests, performing surgeries, handling specialized care, or taking on leadership roles.A new therapeutic approach for lazy eye, also known as amblyopia, uses good old Tetris to train the eyes to work together.

Breast cancer genetic testing gets covered by healthcare reform

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

Genetic testing for breast cancer will be covered under the Affordable Care Act, potentially saving women who need the test thousands of dollars.

Toddler born without a windpipe get artificial trachea

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

In a groundbreaking feat of science and surgery, a Korean toddler born without a windpipe received an artificial trachea made from her own stem cells.

Hospitals, testing companies face questions about value of community screenings

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

Hospitals hoping to attract patients and build their brands are teaming up with medical-screening companies to promote tests aimed at consumers worried about potentially deadly heart disease or strokes. What their promotions don't say is that an influential government panel recommends against using many of the tests on people without symptoms or risk factors.

Doctors transform how they practice medicine

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

Dr. Thomas Bellavia transformed his traditional medical practice in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., into a so-called medical home where patients are seen by teams of doctors and nurses. He says it has paid off in better, more coordinated care for his patients and healthier income for the nurse practitioners and physicians in his group.

Is the FDA's caution hazardous to our health?

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

When it comes to approving new medical treatments, the Food and Drug Administration is balancing the need for patient safety against the urgency of making important new treatments available as quickly as possible.

FDA approves new drug to fight advanced prostate cancer

15 May 2013 12:28:12 CDT

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it has approved a drug to help men with advanced prostate cancer whose disease has spread to the bones.