DNA Genotek's Sample Collection Blog

Russell Schachar, MD, FRCP(C), gave an engaging and inspiring talk at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) conference this year titled: ADHD and OCD genetics: Populations, endophenotypes and quantitative traits. 

The talk featured some of the exciting results gained from the large-scale Spit for Science project. Partnered with the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada, the Spit for Science project was initiated to accelerate discovery and further understanding of the nature of neurodevelopmental disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), in children. These types of disorders continue throughout life and can be extremely impairing.

In this blog, we want to discuss the various genetic testing options available with respect to fertility and reproductive health; highlighting the sample collection methods often used to collect DNA. Genetic screening can be used to determine whether a person and/or their partner can successfully conceive a child or whether their infant is at risk to develop certain genetically-based conditions. Genetic risk factors can be passed through the DNA of either one or both parents during conception, and genetic screening helps identify abnormalities in the DNA or chromosomes that may be linked to unwanted health conditions.¹ Genetic testing for fertility and reproductive health is being offered by a growing number of commercial companies and can be summarized into four main categories:

Our knowledge of science is constantly changing and improving as new discoveries drive us forward in the modern world. Genomics is no exception. We witness these trends all around us either within the publications we read about new studies, in the news, or perhaps even through blogs such as this one.  For example, I recently attended the American Society of Human Genetics conference in San Diego where I picked up a copy of Cell Press’s Trends Limited Edition High-Impact Genomics, Vol. 3 (link to document) which highlights particularly impactful genomics reviews. It captured my interest and I wanted to share a few highlights with you.

Every second over 8000 tweets are sent out on Twitter¹ and, in the United States, 90% of adolescents and 65% of adults use some form of social media to curate, share and/or communicate information.² The rise of social media has transformed how scientists conduct research, communicate findings, and aggregate information. In this issue of The Genetic Link, we explore how science is harnessing social media, where it is being best-used and what this means for you.

The past decade of genetic advancements has proven DNA from saliva is reliable and effective for both research and diagnostics applications.  The benefits of collecting DNA from saliva are clear:

Genetic epidemiology, the study of how genetics contribute to health and disease in families and populations, seeks to derive a statistical analysis of how genetics works in large groups. It therefore requires enough DNA samples from a given population to reduce the effect of outliers and ultimately, determine objective truths.  

With the importance of human genomic research, the rise in popularity of precision medicine, as well as the inclusion of a genetic component in many interdisciplinary studies, it is clear that genetics is incredibly valuable. But - are some genes more interesting and, therefore, studied more often than others?

Recently DNA Genotek had the pleasure of speaking with Matías Butti, one of the co-founders of an innovative genomic medicine company located in Argentina named genomIT SA (genomit.com.ar). genomIT SA has a strong and experienced scientific, machine learning & biotechnology team and offers a host of genetic tests under the Zoigen brand, many of which are of their own design. From our discussion, we learned how precision medicine is evolving in Latin America, the challenges the Zoigen brand has encountered while designing and implementing their products and services, as well as how Oragene saliva kits have simplified their collection process.

In the open discussion webinar hosted by Frontline Genomics, Joshua Burgess Ph.D., Manager Scientific Research, R&D at Illumina and Rafal Iwasiow, Ph.D., Vice President, R&D at DNA Genotek explain how the Nextera DNA Flex and Oragene DNA from saliva kits are complementary technologies shifting the paradigm by enabling direct saliva input in the creation of high-quality libraries for whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker of age, longevity and age-related disease. If you are an avid follower of our blog, The Genetic Link, you’ll notice that we’ve posted about TL previously (you can find the links here and here), because we find this area of research fascinating.