Precision Genomics Collaboratory

Few things make us happier than being able to fund young scientists. We are so excited to announce the winners of the Fall 2024 Biomedical Ph.D. Student Research Pilot Grants. These grants provide $2,000 of support for graduate students to apply to research needs, conferences, trainings, and more. Congratulations Awardees! Kayla Wilhoit, Hana Wasserman, Rachel Keener, Micah Dailey, Min Jin Lee, Aditya Mohan, Elliot Yi-Hsin Lin, Bushangqing Liu, Nora Madaras Duke Integrative Immunobiology Duke Dermatology, Cell Biology at Duke School of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine https://lnkd.in/e9z78kvH

“We know that women’s health encompasses much more than reproductive and maternal health and the disproportionate impact that cardiovascular health has on women is something that must not be ignored. There is a significant opportunity to expand research and investment in women’s health to help mitigate the negative outcomes of cardiovascular disease we’re seeing in the U.S.” -- Svati Shah https://lnkd.in/eJBTPW2w

Were you at the American Society of Human Genetics annual meeting? Did you see all the Duke researchers there? Here's a rundown of who was there and what they did: https://lnkd.in/eek4cQWh

Conferences and symposia can be invigorating -- listening to strong keynote speakers and presenters, having a chance to network, and seeking out new collaborations are just some of the perks. But they can also feel stuffy, predictable, maybe even rigid? Tim Reddy, Shannon Clarke, and Schuyler Melore set out to design a new kind of conference, an "Unconference" that could match the highly collaborative nature of genetic/genomic research and spark creativity and innovation. “Our goal was to create an environment where scientists could think unconventionally and share perspectives in a way that traditional conferences don’t always allow,” Reddy said. https://lnkd.in/enh2RY7m Duke Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine

Spinocerebellar ataxias are a family of neurodegenerative disorders affecting muscle coordination and control. Because the brain is such a complex organ, these disorders have been poorly understood.?Duke researchers, led by Craig Lowe and postdoc Luke Bartelt, PhD are using single cell RNA sequencing technologies to better understand how these diseases form, which may lead to better treatment options for patients. https://lnkd.in/evR7_53A Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Cell Biology at Duke School of Medicine, Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies, Duke University #genetics #genomics

CRISPR has been all the rave for a while now, and with good reason -- the ability to edit our genome and epigenome has huge potential in our ability to treat and cure diseases. But CRISPR is not the only genomic technology out there with the ability to change how we care for patients and manage health. The Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies is helping shine a spotlight on other genomic technologies that could change the face of healthcare as we know it: https://lnkd.in/eHS-Srec

Duke researchers led efforts in a collaborative case control and cohort study in Ghana and Nigeria on the prevalence of genetic risk factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD). They found that having just one risk variant in the APOL1 gene can significantly increase the risk of developing CKD. https://lnkd.in/eg3f2UDb

Genetic testing can provide valuable results to patients, but it doesn't always pick up on everything, leaving some patients without a clear diagnosis or path forward for treatment. A team at Duke led by Megan Ramaker and Svati Shah could help increase the number of patients receiving positive test results, providing them with valuable information that could guide treatment decisions. https://lnkd.in/e_8wr__2

We partnered with the Center for Precision Health in the Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute to fund pilot grants to advance genomic science at Duke by leveraging and enhancing the OneDukeGen?study infrastructure. https://lnkd.in/eGia4hjM

Let's talk about poop ?? ! Specifically, fecal particle sizes, which can provide valuable information about your microbiome and overall health. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e55rNQfS Lawrence David, Jeffrey Letourneau, Duke University Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine