Genetics


New Technology Identifies Genes Behind Rare Eye Disorder

By Talia Bloch

Scientists are using a revolutionary technique to pinpoint genetic problems that cause a rare eye disorder. It could transform treatments and prevent blindness.Read More

Genes Tell Tale of Jewish Ties to Africa

By Gianna Palmer

Jewish lore tells of trade and other exchanges with sub-Saharan Africa. A new scientific paper uses DNA to prove an ancient genetic link between Jews and Africans.Read More

Could Kashrut Be Partly To Blame for Crohn's Disease?

By Talia Bloch

Jews are much more likely than others to contract Crohn’s disease, leading scientists to suspect a genetic link. Could kosher diet and an urban lifestyle be the real cause?Read More

For Henry’s Sake: Pioneering a Genetic Frontier

By Laurie Strongin

Ten years ago, the first-ever bone-marrow transplant was performed using the umbilical cord blood of a baby deliberately selected and implanted through a combination of in-vitro fertilization and genetic testing to save the life of his older sibling.Read More

Laurie Strongin Discusses Her Fight To Save Her Son

By Nate Lavey

In this audio slideshow, author Laurie Strongin speaks with the Forward’s Nate Lavey about her efforts to save her son Henry, who was diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia — a genetic disease most common in Ashkenazic Jews.Read More

The Ties That Bind

By Debra Nussbaum Cohen

What is the essence of Jewish identity? Is it revealed in the choices we make, like giving tzedakah or observing the Sabbath, or is it in our genetic code? Is it a matter of faith, or a matter of heritability? Is it something we can choose, or is it a biological imperative embedded in nearly every cell of our body?Read More

Discovering the Newest Jewish Genetic Disease

By Talia Bloch

One day, about four years ago, a young couple came to Dr. Alan Shanske’s office looking for help. They had already been to numerous doctors, but none of them was able to diagnose their 4-year-old son.Read More

Sick Texas Sheep May Aid Tay-Sachs Fight

By Lauren F. Friedman

Fred and Joan Horak have been ranchers since 1985, so 11 years ago, when Joan noticed that two lambs from her flock had tilted heads and wobbly legs, she knew something was amiss. Little did the Horaks know that their discovery of these two sick lambs would end up providing new hope in the search for a treatment for a deadly genetic disease that afflicts humans.Read More

Intermarriage Spurs Tay-Sachs Advisory

By Lauren F. Friedman

Citing rising Jewish intermarriage rates, the leading organization devoted to combating Tay-Sachs is urging doctors to encourage the use of more comprehensive testing methodology to identify carriers of the deadly genetic disease.Read More

Improve FDA’s Rare Disease Review Process

By Jonathan Jacoby

The Jewish community has long been a leader in supporting medical research and education efforts, especially with regard to those diseases that disproportionately afflict people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Creating coalitions with other patient advocates in the rare disease community would give American Jews an opportunity to advance efforts to fight diseases that disproportionately affect Jews, as well as to participate in an important public policy debate involving millions in this country.Read More


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