The Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Project Consortium, led by the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, announced today the generation and analysis of the genome sequence of the honey bee, Apis mellifera. The primary results are presented in today’s issue of Nature, and over 40 companion manuscripts describing further detailed analyses are contained in current issues of Insect Molecular Biology, Genome Research, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), and other journals. The high quality draft sequence covers over 98 percent of the genome. The BCM-HGSC generated the sequence data for the HBGSP. After assembly of the genome at the BCM-HGSC, the genome center led an analysis team of over 170 investigators representing nearly 100 groups from 16 countries. Funding for the HBGSP was largely provided by the National Human Genome Research Institute of the National Institutes of Health with additional …

The solution to some untreatable cases of epilepsy may take the form of a small, implantable electrical stimulation device, say neurologists at Baylor College of Medicine and St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital in Houston participating in a national study on adults with the disorder. The implantable device, called a responsive neurostimulator is designed to detect the onset of seizures and suppress them before any symptoms appear, much like implantable cardiac pacemakers are intended to detect abnormal heart rhythms and then deliver electrical stimulation to correct them. Electrodes are surgically implanted in epileptic regions of the brain and then connected to a small computerized device, the neurostimulator, which is embedded within the skull. The RNS then continuously monitors a patient’s brainwaves. The device is programmed by a neurologist to detect and electrically disrupt abnormal brain activity that may precede a patient’s seizures. The …