In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a reproductive technology used to overcome infertility, an inability to become pregnant that affects 1 in 6 couples. Dr. Nathan Treff is Chief Science Officer of Genomic Prediction in North Brunswick, New Jersey. He discusses the technology behind preimplantation genetic screening (PGS), a genetic test that may improve IVF success rates.

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the death of brain tissues. The causes are unknown, and no effective therapies are available. These diseases can lead to dementia, a medical and economic challenge for society. The UK Dementia Research Institute and Illumina recently hosted a panel of experts to discuss the genetics of dementia, and we feature highlights in this episode.

Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is a skin inflammation disorder that affects nearly 20% of people. The causes are unknown, but it has been associated with changes in the human skin microbiome. Dr. Julie Segre is Chief of the Translational and Functional Genomics Branch at the NHGRI, in Bethesda, MD. She discusses how NGS is used to study the human skin microbiome and eczema.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder leading to elevated cholesterol and early cardiovascular disease. Globally, about 1 in 250 people are affected, but only 10% have been diagnosed. Dr. Guillaume Paré is Professor of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He discusses how genetics can help identify people at risk of heart attack.

African populations migrated out of Africa between the 15th and 19th centuries. Understanding the genetics of this African diaspora is providing important insights in human history, health, and disease - especially in populations of African ancestry. Dr. Charles Rotimi of the NHGRI in Bethesda, MD, discusses his research in the genomics of the African diaspora.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. Cancer is driven by DNA sequence errors in genes, or by gene expression changes without DNA sequence errors. This latter process is called epigenetics, and we discuss epigenetics and epigenomics of cancer with Dr. Peter Scacheri, Professor of Genetics and Genome Sciences at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.

Up to 30 million Americans and 30 million Europeans are currently living with a rare disease. Most are caused by changes in genes but identifying these causative gene sequences can be extremely difficult. Dr. Charis Eng, Chair of Cancer Genomic Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, discusses the genomics of Cowden's Syndrome, cancer risk, and precision medicine.

The National Human Genome Research Institute, or NHGRI, has launched a new round of strategic planning to establish a 2020 vision for genomics. In a celebration of National DNA Day 2018, Dr. Eric Green, the Director of the NHGRI, joins us for a discussion of the Human Genome Project, the state of genomics today, and where genomics is likely headed in the future.

Complex diseases are associated with genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Genome-wide association studies, or GWAS, use arrays to identify DNA variants associated with traits or diseases. Professors Struan Grant and Andrew Wells of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia discuss how they use NGS to map variants to causal genes.

Eukaryotic cells and their membrane bound organelles evolved from the uptake of a prokaryotic cell into another cell - a process called endosymbiosis. Professors Bebashish Bhattacharya and Dana Price of Rutgers University discuss how single-cell genomics of algae can help unravel the mystery of endosymbiosis and its impact on our health and the environment.