Category Archives: Transhuman News

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Mar-2014

Contact: Kara Gavin kegavin@umich.edu 734-764-2220 University of Michigan Health System

ANN ARBOR, Mich. Scientists have discovered a previously unrecognized gene variation that makes humans have healthier blood lipid levels and reduced risk of heart attacks -- a finding that opens the door to using this knowledge in testing or treatment of high cholesterol and other lipid disorders.

But even more significant is how they found the gene, which had been hiding in plain sight in previous hunts for genes that influence cardiovascular risk.

This region of DNA where it was found had been implicated as being important in controlling blood lipid levels in a report from several members of the same research team in 2008. But although this DNA region had many genes, none of them had any obvious link to blood lipid levels. The promise of an entirely new lipid-related gene took another six years and a new approach to find.

In a new paper in Nature Genetics, a team from the University of Michigan and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology report that they zeroed in on the gene in an entirely new way.

The team scanned the genetic information available from a biobank of thousands of Norwegians, focusing on variations in genes that change the way proteins function. Most of what they found turned out to be already known to affect cholesterol levels and other blood lipids.

But one gene, dubbed TM6SF2, wasn't on the radar at all. In a minority of the Norwegians who carried a particular change in the gene, blood lipid levels were much healthier and they had a lower rate of heart attack. And when the researchers boosted or suppressed the gene in mice, they saw the same effect on the animals' blood lipid levels.

"Cardiovascular disease presents such a huge impact on people's lives that we should leave no stone unturned in the search for the genes that cause heart attack," says Cristen Willer, Ph.D., the senior author of the paper and an assistant professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics and Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics at the U-M Medical School.

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Novel gene-finding approach yields a new gene linked to key heart attack risk factor

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Eugene Gene Schroeder Fick died March 8, 2014, in Clearwater, Fla.

Gene was born Aug. 19, 1924, to George A. and Josephine J. Fick in Tomah, Wis. His father was killed by lightning while trout fishing.

His family moved to La Crosse, Wis., where Gene attended German Lutheran School, graduating from Logan High School. Genes physical size and strength helped him become a star football and basketball player, which earned him a college scholarship. However, World War II intervened; he served in Company C Signal Corps in France, Germany and Japan.

After being honorably discharged, Gene enrolled in college now known as the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where he excelled in football and basketball. Sports did not consume all of Genes interest, as fellow student, Mary Noble, won his heart. On Aug. 20, 1949, they were married at the Methodist Church.

Gene, fatherless from age 4, and Marys father, Harrison Noble, easily connected. While still in college, Noble offered Gene the position of managing the Noble Hatchery. Gene gladly accepted.

Daughters, Terrie and Mary, and son, George, were born. George was diagnosed with Downs syndrome, so the familys focus changed with his birth. Gene worked long days at the Noble Hatchery, sharing time with his children at night as Mary re-entered the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to study speech therapy.

Gene was instrumental in creating the Sheltered Workshop in Stevens Point, which evolved into Community Industries Corp. under his guidance as president and director. He and Mary helped to develop a local preschool for handicapped children; Gene served as president of the Portage County Handicapped Childrens Association. He was active in the Evening Lions Club, Izaak Walton League and ELKS. He was president and member of the Stevens Point South Side Business Association.

Gene had a deep love for conservation and outdoors activities. Beginning in 1962, he camped with his family each summer, discovering the Snowy Range in 1965. They returned each year, making many friends in Centennial. For 20 years, Gene and Mary volunteered as campground hosts in Medicine Bow National Forest. They eventually built a home in Centennial to comfortably enjoy Genes passion: hunting and fishing. Since 2007, Genes health had declined and the family enjoyed warmer winters in Oldsmar, Fla.

Gene is survived by Mary, his wife of 64 years; daughters, Terrie (husband Randy) Groshek and Mary Fick Monteith; son George Fick; grandchildren, Steven Groshek and Allison (husband Ahren) Schaefer; great-grandson Kayden Schaefer; and sister Joanne (husband Raymond) Zimmerman. He was preceded in death by his father; mother; and sister Shirley Linhart.

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Eugene Gene Schroeder Fick