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Ricki Lewis

Genetic Linkage

Stem Cell Ups and Downs

February 12, 2011
Tags: stem cells, human embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, iPS cells, reprogrammed cells, embryo, fetus, intestine, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome
We expect too much of stem cells. The February 3 issue of Nature reveals both a setback and a stupendous achievement in the field.

An article in the news section takes induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) down  Read More 
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Beauty Genes and Celebrities

November 4, 2010
Tags: Genetics, American Society of Human Genetics, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, Heidi Montag, Cosmetic surgery, scientology, direct-to-consumer genetic testing, Ricki Lewis
I love to roam among the posters at scientific meetings in search of research tidbits that the media miss. I just found a great one at the American Society of Human Genetics conference that is certain to have profound implications for celebrities.

Among the many posters showing  Read More 
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"The Sighted Leading the Sighted"

August 3, 2010
Tags: gene therapy, blindness, animal research, University of Pennsylvania, Foundation for Retinal Research
Normally a 9-year-old boy cavorting with a big, shaggy dog isn’t anything unusual, but when Corey Haas grabbed the leash of 1-year-old Mercury last Saturday, it was a stunning sight. For both Corey and Mercury, a briard sheepdog, were born with the exact same form of hereditary blindness, Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). And  Read More 
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My Microbiome

June 2, 2010
Tags: microbiome, DNA, penis microbiome, oral microbiome, skin microbiome, genome, vaginal microbiome, gut microbiome
My Microbiome

Yesterday I committed a terrible crime. I walked away from a treadmill at the Y without scrubbing the handles.

“Ricki, get back here,” admonished the attendant as I headed for the elliptical. “You forgot to wipe down!”

“But I’m not sweating, and I never get sick. I won’t pass along  Read More 
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Creating Life and Curing Blindness

May 21, 2010
Tags: Venter, DNA, creating life, genome, American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, gene therapy, blindness
I’ve been at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy annual meeting this week, garnering tales for my book, tentatively entitled “The Forever Fix.” It is largely the story of 9-year-old Corey Haas, who was on his way to certain blindness when gene therapy performed at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in September 2008  Read More 
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GeneticsWatch

May 17, 2010
Tags: direct-to-consumer genetic testing, ancestry testing, Walgreen's, DNA, American Society of Human Genetics, bioethics
I met Cynthia in a van from the airport, headed to the annual meeting of familytreedna, where I was to speak about genetic testing. A beautiful blonde who looked decades younger than her 60 years, she’d led a painful life, with type 1 diabetes since childhood, just like her father, brother,  Read More 
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