This release contains only the music track from Base by Base Episode 10.
Song title: Five Tiers of Light
Original Base by Base episode: 10: Assessing DNA variants for antisense oligonucleotide therapy
Article metadata:
Article title: Consensus guidelines for assessing eligibility of pathogenic DNA variants for antisense oligonucleotide treatments
Journal: The American Journal of Human Genetics
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2025.02.017
Reference: Cheerie D, Meserve MM, Beijer D, et al. Consensus guidelines for assessing eligibility of pathogenic DNA variants for antisense oligonucleotide treatments. Am J Hum Genet. 2025;112:975-983. doi:10.1016/j.ajhg.2025.02.017
Lyrics:
Verse 1
On a late-night screen, the letters rearrange,
One tiny typo, and a whole life can change.
But we’re learning the rules in a language so small,
To find which threads can answer the call.
Pre-Chorus
Not every break can be mended the same,
You have to name the mechanism, trace the flame.
From splice to skip to turning down the noise,
We measure the maybes, we sharpen the choice.
Chorus
Five tiers of light in the dark of the code,
A map for the moments where hope can be owed.
Eligible, likely—then we slow the pace,
Unlikely, not—when the fit’s out of place.
And when we can’t tell, we keep asking “why,”
’Cause tomorrow’s evidence teaches us to try.
Verse 2
Some cuts want stitching, some lines want to fold,
Some messages soften when silence is told.
Knock down the wrong note, lift up what is true,
Bring the wild-type signal back into view.
Bridge
So we train our eyes with examples that hold,
Decision trees branching like stories retold.
A calculator humming, a steady refrain,
Prioritize patients, don’t gamble with pain.
And year after year, as the field gets new sight,
We’ll rewrite the guide by the data’s light.
Final Chorus
Five tiers of light in the dark of the code,
A compass for rescue on a hard-won road.
Eligible, likely—let the pathway align,
Unlikely, not—let the boundary be kind.
And when we can’t tell, we don’t call it goodbye,
We call it the start of a better “why.”