Forward.com

The Other Jewish Genetic Diseases

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:10:00 EST

Randall Belinfante was a bit baffled. When he and his wife went to take blood tests in preparation for starting a family in 2003, he discovered that the screening included a panel of tests for Ashkenazic Jewish genetic disorders. But Belinfante is Sephardic.

For Four Decades, a Doctor’s Legacy of Life

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:09:00 EST

Forty years ago, when Dr. Felicia Axelrod began caring for patients with familial dysautonomia at the New York University Medical Center, 50% of parents who had children with the rare genetic disorder could expect to bury them before they reached the age of 5.

In Jewish Genetic History, the Known Unknowns

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:07:00 EST

The Jews have been a continuous feature of human history for at least 3,000 years. As much as perhaps any other group, the Jews have shaped and influenced the Western world, from antiquity to the present.

Gaucher Patients Cope With Drug Shortage, as New Treatments Beckon

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:07:00 EST

For thousands of people with Gaucher disease, the most common genetic disorder affecting Jews, the next few months will be challenging.

Israeli Scientist Adapts Antibiotic That May Fight Genetic Disease

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:07:00 EST

A team of researchers in Israel has made a breakthrough in modifying an until-now highly toxic antibiotic so that it might one day be used to repair defective genes that cause diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Usher syndrome, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and even some cancers.

New Niemann-Pick Mouse Engineered

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:05:00 EST

It is with good reason that Edward Schuchman calls Niemann-Pick Disease type A a “very, very challenging disease.” The neurodegenerative disorder is rare, kills those who have it by age 2 or 3, and has no known cure. But in May, Schuchman and his research team at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York announced a breakthrough in their work on the disease.

In Druze Genes, a Look Back at the Distant Past

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:04:00 EST

Who knew that Israel’s Druze had been holding a key to understanding an important dimension of human history?

After Late-Onset Tay-Sachs Trial Is Pulled, Parents Pull Together

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:03:00 EST

Perhaps it’s the urgency of Tay-Sachs that brought parents to action when a pharmaceutical company allowed a promising clinical trial to languish.

Plaintiffs in Breast Cancer Gene Suit Hope To Overturn Patent Policy

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:03:00 EST

‘If you walk out into the street and tell someone that a company owns their genes, they’ll look at you strangely,” said Barbara Brenner, executive director of Breast Cancer Action. “But that is exactly what has happened.”

Living With LOTS, S.F. Woman Won’t Let Disease Win

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:02:00 EST

Conventional wisdom dictates that runners, like most athletes, improve with experience. A promising freshman cross-country runner might become the school track star by senior year.

New Program Targets Persian Jewish Disorders

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST

The United States recently got its first genetic screening program targeting a non-Ashkenazic Jewish community.

Daughter Inspires Dad’s Quest for Cure

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST

Dakota Jean Bihn started dropping things at age 3. That’s how Ohio accountant Ken Bihn begins telling the story of his daughter, a tale that has led him down the unexpected path of starting his own foundation.

For Author, Memoir Sparks New Conversation

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:43:00 EST

Depending on how you look at it, Masha Gessen’s “Blood Matters” (Harcourt) is either an unusually philosophical memoir of a cancer diagnosis or an unusually personal account of the complex ethical questions surrounding the issue of genetic testing. Gessen writes about the restrictions, official and unofficial, that have been placed on people’s access to information that some believe could destroy them.

Methuselah’s Children

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:56:00 EST

‘It’s important to be calm, not to get excited. It’s not good for the heart,” centenarian Fred Feuerberg said. “And I never ate much. I never overate.”

Milder Canavan Strain Opens New Possibilities

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:55:00 EST

When Carly White was an infant, her parents, Jim and Dolores, noticed that she had trouble controlling the movement of her eyes. Three years later, a ballet teacher observed that Carly did not have much control over her legs. Trips to the pediatrician yielded no answers, but a visit to a neurologist ended in a diagnosis of low muscle tone, a condition that often results in delayed motor skills and trouble with coordination.

Bearing Jacob’s Ladder, Author Climbs the Double Helix

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:53:00 EST

News articles in recent years have brought a steady stream of revelations about genetic studies of Jewish ancestry. The new data indicate that Kohanim (the “priests” among the Jews) are largely descended from a single ancient ancestor; that Jews from far-flung corners of the Diaspora are more closely related to one another than to any other people; that a group of non-Jewish, Bantu-speaking Africans called the Lemba share rare genetic markers with Jewish Kohanim, and that nearly half of the Ashkenazic Jews are descended from four women who probably originated in the Levant.

Web Site Gives Golf Fans the Chance To Caddy for Charity

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:51:00 EST

Last March, after placing a successful bid on the Web site caddyforacure.com, golf lover Jon Huzarsky, a senior vice president of a Manhattan investment bank, was able to spend a day caddying for professional golfer Steve Stricker at the World Golf Championships. The caddying opportunity, which Huzarsky heard about from a friend, was “by far, the greatest golf experience of my life.”

Documentary Offers New Breast Cancer Treatment: Sensitivity

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:50:00 EST

Joanna Rudnick’s poignant new documentary, “In the Family,” opens to soft, sad music and an unlikely story. Joanna, a dark-haired young woman with expressive eyes, is laughing somewhat nervously as she confides in her boyfriend, Jimmy.

Doctors Look To Raise Tay-Sachs Awareness Among Louisiana’s Cajuns

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:47:00 EST

Tay-Sachs disease has been significantly curbed in the Ashkenazic Jewish community, thanks to increased awareness and a comprehensive screening process — which is especially popular in Hasidic communities.

September Named Tay-Sachs Awareness Month

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:44:00 EST

The Senate this July voted unanimously to name September National Tay-Sach’s Awareness Month. The resolution was introduced by Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio and co-sponsored by Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana. At this point, Tay-Sachs, a hereditary degenerative neurological disease, has no cure. The National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association, Inc., the oldest genetic disease organization in America, has endorsed Brown’s resolution.