linkstream2 microblog

Cell division

.@NatureNews on WI-38, a cell line w/ tricky ethics (like #HeLa), from an aborted fetus, but essential for vaccines
http://www.nature.com/news/medical-research-cell-division-1.13273

Interesting discussion of another cell line other than Hela called WI-38 that has some challenging ethical issues. This cell line was taken from a fetus and used to develop important viral medications. The person who originally did this — Hayflick — identified four stakeholders that should really be compensated: the estate of the unborn child, the scientists, the institution and the funders.

In 1962, Leonard Hayflick created a cell strain from an aborted fetus. More than 50 years later, WI-38 remains a crucial, but controversial, source of cells.

http://www.nature.com/news/medical-research-cell-division-1.13273

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23925245

Contains a personal-genome like construction for HeLa
with 100X shotgun and then paired ends used for variant discovery and sequencing of pools of fosmid clones for haplotype resolution. Finally, low-freq. somatic and passage variants layered onto this.

Haplotype-resolved genome… of #HeLa: Has mapping of #ENCODE RNA- & chIP-seq against a personal genome
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12213 via @aemonten

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the Sequel – NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/24/opinion/sunday/the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-the-sequel.html

NIH makes privacy agreement with Henrietta Lacks’ family
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/sciencefair/2013/08/07/henrietta-lacks-nih/2627923

Blood ties : Nature News & Comment
http://www.nature.com/news/blood-ties-1.13513

A Family Consents to a Medical Gift, 62 Years Later – NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/science/after-decades-of-research-henrietta-lacks-family-is-asked-for-consent.html

Deal done over HeLa cell line
http://www.nature.com/news/deal-done-over-hela-cell-line-1.13511

http://www.nature.com/news/nih-director-explains-hela-agreement-1.13521

http://preview.reuters.com/2013/8/7/for-henrietta-lacks-famous-cells-new-and-unique-1

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/07/us-science-hela-idUSBRE9760YD20130807

QT:"

The decision applies only to researchers funded by NIH, which said it
"encourages" other scientists to abide by the agreement. Because
DNA-sequencing technology is cheap and ubiquitous in genetics labs,
the HeLa genome has been partly sequenced many times, and can easily
be fully sequenced again.

"Sequencing" refers to determining the precise order of the chemical
letters on a person’s genome, which is the full library of his or her
genetic information. Bits and pieces of that sequence spell out, for
instance, whether someone is at risk of diabetes or Alzheimer’s or
other genetic traits, as well as personal traits like the consistency
of ear wax.

These loopholes in the access agreement significantly weaken the NIH
move, said Mark Gerstein, a computational biologist at Yale University
who has raised concerns about threats to genetic privacy. "I doubt NIH
will get blanket agreement from scientists in every country" to follow
its protocol, "so it’s not clear what the agreement will be able to
accomplish."

"

http://preview.reuters.com/2013/8/7/for-henrietta-lacks-famous-cells-new-and-unique-1

QT:”

The decision applies only to researchers funded by NIH, which said it “encourages” other scientists to abide by the agreement. Because DNA-sequencing technology is cheap and ubiquitous in genetics labs, the HeLa genome has been partly sequenced many times, and can easily be fully sequenced again.

“Sequencing” refers to determining the precise order of the chemical letters on a person’s genome, which is the full library of his or her genetic information. Bits and pieces of that sequence spell out, for instance, whether someone is at risk of diabetes or Alzheimer’s or other genetic traits, as well as personal traits like the consistency of ear wax.

These loopholes in the access agreement significantly weaken the NIH move, said Mark Gerstein, a computational biologist at Yale University who has raised concerns about threats to genetic privacy. “I doubt NIH will get blanket agreement from scientists in every country” to follow its protocol, “so it’s not clear what the agreement will be able to accomplish.”

“

http://www.genomesunzipped.org/2013/03/henrietta-lackss-genome-sequence-has-been-publicly-available-for-years.php

related to the Hela genome controversy
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/512966/the-dawn-of-genome-trolling/#comments
Putting genome data into the public domain advances science, but nearly all of it can be linked to someone.
Last week European scientists were shamed into cutting off public access to a genome sequence. As far as I know, it’s the first instance of a genome pulled from the public record….