Category Archives: Transhuman News

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Sep-2014

Contact: Shane Canning shane.canning@biomedcentral.com 44-203-192-2243 BioMed Central @biomedcentral

Female populations have been larger than male populations throughout human history, according to research published today in the open access journal Investigative Genetics. The research used a new technique to obtain higher quality paternal genetic information to analyse the demographic history of males and females in worldwide populations.

The study compared the paternally-inherited Y chromosome (NRY) with maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of 623 males from 51 populations. The analysis showed that female populations were larger before the out-of-Africa migration and remained so throughout almost all subsequent migrations. The main drivers of this trend are likely to be processes such as polygyny, where one male mates with many females, and the fact that in most societies, women tend to move to live with their husbands. This has resulted in females making a greater genetic contribution to the global population than males.

Previous research on genetic history has used different techniques to analyse NRY and mtDNA, which has led to an ascertainment bias in the results. In this study, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology developed a high-resolution Y chromosome sequencing assay that allowed them to get paternal and maternal histories of similar quality and resolution, so they could make a direct comparison. The results confirmed previous findings that when comparing human populations on a global scale, there are greater genetic differences in paternal NRY than in mtDNA. However, these differences are not as large as previously thought and the authors were surprised to see substantial variation in relative amounts of NRY vs. mtDNA differentiation at the regional level.

The authors argue that using this new technique, greater analysis can be undertaken at a regional level to create a clearer picture of the paternal and maternal influences on specific populations. In the African populations they studied, they saw lower paternal genetic diversity, which may be a direct result of the Bantu expansion into eastern and southern Africa beginning about three thousand years ago. In samples taken from the Americas, initial results suggest higher maternal genetic diversity, indicating that there were fewer males than females among the original colonisers.

Dr. Mark Stoneking, Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute, an author on the paper, said: "Our new sequencing technique removes previous biases, giving us a richer source of information about our genetic history. It allows us to take a closer look at the regional differences in populations, providing insights into the impact of sex-biased processes on human genetic variation."

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Newswise NEW YORK (September 23, 2014) David Goldstein, PhD, will join Columbia University as professor of genetics and development in the College of Physicians and Surgeons and director of a new Institute for Genomic Medicine in partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian, effective January 1, 2015. Dr. Goldstein will be responsible for building a program that comprehensively integrates genetics and genomics into research, patient care, and education at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and NewYork-Presbyterian and that develops programs to prepare students for careers in the expanding field of genomic and personalized medicine.

Dr. Goldsteins role includes serving as an adviser to Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger and Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences Lee Goldman, MD, on the genetic and genomic components of Columbias university-wide initiative in precision or personalized medicine, which was announced in February.

Having a pioneering researcher like David Goldstein join us marks a crucial next step in our initiative to be at the forefront of genomics, data science, and the core science and engineering disciplines essential to this emerging field of truly humanistic medicine, said President Bollinger. The potential for progress in this broad subject encompasses not only new cures for disease, but also virtually every part of the University, including areas that explore fundamental issues of human self-understanding, as well as the legal, policy, and economic implications of revolutionary changes in knowledge and practice.

Dr. Goldsteins research has focused on identifying the relationship between human genetic variations and diseases such as epilepsy, hepatitis C, and schizophrenia, as well as the response of these diseases to pharmacologic treatments. In addition to his leadership of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at CUMC, he will have a faculty appointment at the New York Genome Center, as well as one in neurology at Columbias College of Physicians and Surgeons.

David Goldstein has shown himself to be both an innovative scientist and a visionary leader in genetic, genomic, and personalized medicine, said Dr. Goldman, who is also the Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor of the University and dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine at CUMC. Working with our partners across Columbia and at New York-Presbyterian, Dr. Goldstein will help us establish a fully integrated genetics and genomics research environment to maximize the scientific possibilities and apply them to the frontiers of patient care and public health.

Personalized medicine and targeted therapies represent the future of patient-centered health care, said Steven J. Corwin, MD, CEO, NewYork-Presbyterian. Dr. Goldsteins expertise in genetics will help us not only to tailor individualized treatments for patients, but also to identify diseases before they develop. His work will have a transformative impact on patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian.

Dr. Goldstein comes to Columbia from Duke University, where he has been director of the Center for Human Genome Variation and the Richard and Pat Johnson Distinguished University Professor, with appointments in the departments of molecular genetics & microbiology and biology. He joined Duke in 2005 after six years at University College London, which named him Honorary Professor in 2007. He received his PhD in biological sciences from Stanford University in 1994.

The vision of Columbia University and NYP to create a truly integrated environment for research, clinical application, and student instruction is exactly the right vision, said Dr. Goldstein. Human genomics is creating breathtaking new opportunities to better understand the biology of disease and to provide more effective and more accurately targeted therapies. Capitalizing on these opportunities and ensuring that clinical applications adhere to the highest possible scientific standards requires close collaborations among researchers, the clinical community, and patients and their families. I am thrilled to be joining Columbia University at this pivotal time in my field, and I am honored to participate in Columbias university-wide initiative in precision medicine.

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Dr. David Goldstein to Direct Columbia's Institute for Genomic Medicine as Key Part of University-Wide Initiative