The definitions of diseases, especially complex multigenic diseases, are at best blurred. The phenotypic definition of Autism, for example, overlaps with many other disorders. Understanding how diseases relate to one another will not only improve definitions, but will have great impact on our understanding of molecular pathology of disease. This will turn into practical medical application through repurposing of research, and ultimately drugs.

A recent paper by Hidalgo et al helps push this paradigm forward a little further with some added benefits, most notably a marvelous and freely available data set (see http://hudine.neu.edu) that promises to have broad implications and uses. Overall the paper is less of a series of conclusions and more of a launch pad and call to action. I suspect we shall see many new and important findings emerging in the near future that leverage similar thinking.

recently an article about me by Kelly Rae Chi appeared in The Scientist.

Kids with autism express their creativity in 3D. Follow Project Spectrum by Google.

328 genome wide association studies have been published to date according to HuGENavigator

recently CBMI’s videographer, Kerry Foley, captured some righteous skating on film. Check it out.