DNA Genotek's Sample Collection Blog

This week, I interviewed Scott Rabuka, Director of the Genomics Program at DNA Genotek for our podcast, Molecules, Microbes and Multiomics. Scott joined DNA Genotek in 2008 as the product manager for Oragene and successfully expanded the product into a complete family of solutions for global genomic research and clinical use. He is responsible for the launch of the company's first FDA 510(k) cleared product in 2011 as well as multiple new products designed to address evolving global market opportunities. In this podcast, Scott speaks about saliva as a DNA sample type, who’s using it today and how it compares to other sample types in the field, the clinic and in the lab.

We recently introduced readers of The Microbiome Snapshot to our sister company, CoreBiome, a privately-held, Minnesota-based microbiome analysis company that accelerates discovery for customers in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, environmental and research communities. We are continuing this story via a podcast with CoreBiome co-founder, Dr. Dan Knights. In this new podcast, Dr. Knights speaks to us about why the microbiome is so different from the human genome, what answers microbiome research can provide for wellness and disease that we can’t find elsewhere, and what advice he would give an epidemiologist who is looking to add a microbiome component to their project.

One of the things I like most about my job at DNA Genotek is the opportunity to speak with customers who are breaking new ground in the fields of genomics and microbiome. In the past 9 years, I’ve spoken with hundreds of customers and written blogs about dozens of them. I recently had a chance to speak with Sergey Musienko, CEO of Atlas Biomed. Atlas Biomed, based in the UK, is defining a new market by offering direct-to-consumer products for both genomic and microbiome analysis within the European market. I wanted to share the conversation I had with Sergey about how Atlas Biomed is defining this new market, the challenges he faces and what he is learning along the way.

The issue of concussions has attracted considerable media coverage in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 153 people in the United States die every day from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) that include concussions. Those who survive can face effects that last a few days, or the rest of their lives. Effects of concussions can include impaired thinking or memory, movement, sensation (e.g., vision or hearing), or emotional functioning (e.g., personality changes, depression). In 2013,^[1] about 2.8 million TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths occurred in the United States.

At DNA Genotek, we are continually being introduced to new and exciting research projects through the innovative work of our customers. I recently came across a particularly interesting study which is known as one of the largest metastatic breast cancer studies to date. The study, led by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, is called the Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) Project. This project caught my attention because of their unique approach to patient recruitment and engagement which is garnering media coverage across the country.

There are few subjects that have received as much coverage in the genetics space in recent months as precision medicine. The conversation about precision medicine began many years ago but the recent launch of the Precision Medicine Initiative in the United States and similar projects in many other countries around the world has brought this topic to the main stream. There remain many questions about the implementation of precision medicine with people looking to doctors and clinicians as the first and most obvious choice as the point of contact for patients. However, one group in British Columbia, Canada is looking to local community pharmacists to bring precision medicine closer to those who can benefit most. 

A year or so ago, Nature Communications published an article that highlighted how researchers in the Department of Genetics at the University of Leicester successfully used DNA from saliva to help identify the remains of King Richard III and solved a 500 year old mystery[1]. The story behind the recovery of the remains and their subsequent identification as those of the missing king is an interesting one that combines ancient DNA analysis with modern DNA from saliva.

Front Line Genomics is a new company with a mission to help bring the benefits of genomics to patients faster. DNA Genotek interviewed Richard Lumb, CEO of Front Line Genomics about the company, its social mission and their upcoming Festival of Genomics in Boston.