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Human sequencing pioneer George Church wants to give you the power to sell your DNA on the blockchain
The blockchain is the buzziest thing on the internet these days and now MIT professor and godfather of the Human Genome Project George Church wants to put your genes on it. His new startup Nebula Genomics plans to sequence your genome for less than $1,000 and then add your data to the blockchain through the purchase of a “Nebula Token.” Read More
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This company will tell you which vitamins and supplements to take based on your DNA
Nutrigene believes your genes may hold the secret to what you might be missing in your diet. The company will send you tailor-made liquid vitamin supplements based on a lifestyle quiz and your DNA. Read More
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NIH study links cell phone radiation to cancer in male rats
New studies from the National Institutes of Health — specifically the National Toxicology Program — find that cell phone radiation is potentially linked with certain forms of cancer, but they’re far from conclusive. The results are complex and the studies have yet to be peer-reviewed, but some of the findings are clearly important enough to warrant public discussion. Read More
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Watch a thought race across the surface of the brain
Although neuroscientists have a general idea of what parts of the brain do what, catching them in the act is a difficult proposition. But UC Berkeley researchers have managed to do it, visualizing based on direct measurement the path of a single thought (or at least thread) through the brain. Read More
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It’s surprisingly easy to program living tissue to form new 3D shapes
The boundary between biology and technology blurs further and further as researchers discover more and more parallels between the two. Today they have found that it’s relatively simple to essentially hack living tissue by programming a pattern into cells, making them grow and fold on their own into a desired shape. Read More
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GE Ventures unveils new blood collection startup Drawbridge Health
Drawbridge Health wants to make it easier for doctor’s offices and clinics to collect small samples of your blood for testing on site with a handheld device. The device uses proprietary technology to collect and stabilize just a few drops of blood for various tests like hormone levels, genetic testing, monitoring disease and other things patients normally have to get done at an outside… Read More
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The top 10 tech companies with the best fertility benefits
Thinking of starting a family but need a little help from science? IVF costs alone can be exorbitant, ranging from $12,000 to $20,000 per cycle, depending on where you live — and most couples will need to do two or three cycles just to get a baby. The good news is, Facebook, Apple and Google paved the way for fertility perks a couple of years ago in an effort to entice more women to… Read More
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uBiome launches an at-home women’s health test for HPV, STI’s and bacterial vaginosis
SmartJane is a new women’s health test out from uBiome today that promises to check for 23 vaginal flora as well as 19 strains of the human papilloma virus and a string of sexually transmitted diseases like Chlamydia and gonorrhea from the comfort of your own home. uBiome, which launched in 2012 to sequence and study the human microbiome, is best known for its at-home gut health test… Read More
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CRISPR’d pigs could produce low-fat bacon
We truly live in amazing times. Chinese scientists just made skinnier pigs using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Do you know what this means? Low-fat bacon! I know, I know, for some, bacon without the fat does not sound that appealing. But for those watching their weight and missing the crispy taste of sizzled pig slices, there’s this brand new development. Read More
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This smart bandage releases meds on command for better healing
Taking care of a cut or scrape usually means swapping out the bandage a few times, and maybe putting a little healing cream or hydrogel on there. But what if the dressing could dispense that stuff on its own? That’s the idea behind a smart bandage now being tested by engineers from the University of Nebraska, Harvard and MIT. Read More
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Drug discovery startup Recursion raises $60 million in Series B from Data Collective
Recursion, a drug discovery startup out of Salt Lake City, Utah has announced a $60 million Series B round, led by Data Collective (DCVC). Recursion started out in 2014 on a mission to identify 100 new treatments in 10 years. That’s a lofty goal, considering the discovery for just one drug can traditionally take decades and tens of millions of dollars, with a high rate of failure… Read More
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The FDA has approved a blood sugar monitor that doesn’t require a finger prick
Further proof the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been warming up to modern technology — it has just approved the first continuous blood sugar monitor that doesn’t require the user to prick themselves over and over for a blood sample. Today, the FDA cleared Abbot’s FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System, a device that uses a small sensor wire inserted… Read More
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Facebook drops no-vote stock plan, Zuck will sell shares to fund philanthropy
Mark Zuckerberg has gotten so rich that he can fund his philanthropic foundation and retain voting control without Facebook having to issue a proposed non-voting class of stock that faced shareholder resistance. Today Facebook announced that it’s withdrawn its plan to issue Class C no-vote stock and has resolved the shareholder lawsuit seeking to block the corporate governance overhaul. Read More
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Fertility startup Carrot raises $3.6 million to make IVF and egg-freezing more affordable
Two years ago, at the age of 34, Tammy Sun decided to freeze her eggs. Though larger tech companies like Apple and Facebook had started offering this service as a perk to retain female talent, it was not something Evernote, whom Sun worked for at the time, provided. So several shots, doctors visits and $30,000 out of her own pocket later she got the idea to make the process easier and more… Read More
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23andMe’s second act sits squarely in drug research and development
The company first began making moves early in 2015, forging a partnership with Pfizer to conduct a bit of drug research using 23andMe’s genetic data. The pact was formed in the midst of orders from the Food and Drug Administration that 23andMe cease sales of its consumer health report product, which drove a major portion of both 23andMe’s revenue and brand awareness at the… Read More
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WuXi NextCODE aims for the genomics database “gold standard” with new $240 million
A lot of money is being poured into genomics lately, including the genomic information company WuXi NextCODE (WXNC), which just announced it has closed on $240 million in Series B financing, led by Sequoia. We tend to hear very little about this company in the tech industry but Chinese tech billionaire Jack Ma is one of its many backers and WXNC is counted among the largest genetic… Read More
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23andMe is raising about $200 million, led by Sequoia
23andMe, the Mountain View-based genetic testing and analysis company, is raising close to $200 million in a funding round led by Sequoia Capital, multiple sources tell us. Sources say that Fidelity is also looking to participate. We’re now hearing that this round is being done at a $1.5 billion pre-money valuation. This is about 50% higher than the roughly $1 billion valuation from the… Read More
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