End of the year. The final weeks of the year are always a time when my curiosity for bioinformatics takes over. Four years ago, I was trying to teach myself sufficient command line and bioinformatics to run Denovogear on my computer. Now the field has moved on, from command line language to solutions that aim at bringing data closer to researchers. I hijacked a platform that was initially built for cancer research, CHOP’s Cavatica platform that was developed with Seven Bridges Genomics. In the same way as a few years ago, I started out with a simple question: Can I take an exome completely apart and then re-analyze it to find the SCN1A mutation in DRA1? Continue reading
Monthly Archives: December 2016
FOXG1 – an epilepsy gene involved in brain development
Forkhead. In our Epilepsiome series we are reviewing all major epilepsy genes. This week, we discuss FOXG1, a gene previously described as the cause for a congenital variant of Rett Syndrome. However, since its initial discovery in 2008, a much broader spectrum has been recognized. FOXG1 syndrome typically includes developmental delay and microcephaly. Many patients have severe, early-onset epilepsy and a prominent hyperkinetic movement disorder. In addition, some patients have brain malformations. Here is a brief introduction to our Epilepsiome review of FOXG1, an epilepsy gene that stands out from other causes of genetic epilepsies given its prominent role in forebrain development.
Launching the Global Genetic Epilepsy Registry
Houston 2016. Tomorrow, December 2, 2016 will commence the 70th meeting of the American Epilepsy Society Meeting. What sets this meeting apart is that, as never before, researchers and families from around the world are working together to develop individualized treatments that cure epilepsy–a dream of “precision medicine” in epilepsy. Continue reading
