The Genetics Podcast

Get to know a little bit more about our new scientific advisor Dr Paul Wicks. Paul has dedicated much of his career to patient-centric research and building patient communities, particularly in rare disease. Paul has spent 17 years in the digital health and online community space, 13 of which were spent as a senior leader at PatientsLikeMe.

This week on our podcast, we speak to Xing Xu from Dash Genomics and Renee George from HealthLytix about Alzheimer's disease. Dash Genomics has partnered with HealthLytix to produce a new model that helps you understand your individual risk of Alzheimer's disease. All you have to do is upload your DNA data from a consumer DNA test like Ancestry.com or 23andme. They then use research from two major universities to estimate your personalised risk for the condition.

In this episode Patrick Short speaks with Allison Watson the co-founder and secretary of Ring20 Research and Support UK patient organisation and the co-chair of EpiCARE’s patient advisory group. Allison discusses the Ring Chromosome 20 syndrome and the work of Ring20 Research and Support UK.

This episode was originally recorded for CUTalks, the podcast of the Cambridge University Technology & Enterprise club. In this podcast, CEO and Co-founder Dr Patrick Short discusses the personalised genomics industry, as well as his journey from PhD to founder and some important lessons he learnt along the way.

Our guest this week is Elin Haf Davies, who is the CEO of Aparito - a technology company that focuses on patient-generated health data. Elin is also an inspirational speaker, trans-atlantic rower and pediatric nurse. In this episode we discuss clinical trials, the use of technology in patient-centric studies and the work of Aparito.

Last week, the shocking story that sick migrants undergoing lifesaving care can now be deported hit the NY times - but what effect will it have on clinical trials in America? Find out in this episode of our podcast, where we discuss the top four genetic news stories from September 2019. Also featured in this episode: A 500,000 genome wide study into the genetics of homosexuality, the FDA getting stricter on pharmacogenomic tests and new epigenetic signatures in Alzheimers.

This week on our podcast, we speak to Alastair Kent, a world leader in policy development and patient engagement for rare disease. In this episode, we discuss how research is changing in rare conditions and what part DNA sequencing and data sharing are playing in this.

This week on our podcast we speak to Kira Dineen, a genetic counsellor in training and host of DNA Today. We ask Kira what she’s learned from more than 200 hours of conversation with leading doctors and researchers in genetics, as well as some questions about genetic counselling and her experience. This is part one of a special two-part episode. The other half of the podcast will be featured on DNA Today so make sure you head over to DNA Today for the rest!

In this episode, we cover the latest genetics news stories including; 1) 23andMe’s plan to start collecting health data 2) New research that’s sounding alarm bells about the accuracy of genotyping tests 3) The largest-ever study of genetics and PTSD  4) A new $160 million round of funding for a SanFrancisco-based company working on the early detection of cancer 5) A breakthrough cure for another rare disease, amyloidosis, that’s just been approved in the UK

Dr. Alicia Martin, a researcher at the Massachusets General Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, discusses the issues surrounding Eurocentricity in genetics studies.