When researchers explore the human genome, they usually look for genetic causes of disease, but a global study being led by scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Sage Bionetworks is looking for genes that might keep people healthy. Their study, the largest genome study to date, seeks to find people with genetic mutations that should have caused rare childhood diseases, but didn’t. Dubbed the Resilience Project, they are looking for clues in these genomes for why these people never became stricken. We spoke to Jason Bobe, associate professor and director of the Sharing Lab at the Icahn Institute and Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, about the study, what’s been learned so far, and how this may lead to new treatments for rare and deadly diseases.
About Daniel Levine
Daniel S. Levine is an award-winning business journalist who has reported on the life sciences, economic development, and business policy issues throughout his 25-year career. He founded Levine Media Group in 2013, which produces The Bio Report and RARECast podcasts. Levine most recently served as managing director of publications for Burrill & Company, a global financial services firm focused exclusively on the life sciences. There he headed corporate communications, served as editor of The Burrill Report, a monthly digital publication focused on the business of the life sciences, and hosted the publication’s weekly podcast. Since 2011, he’s served as the lead editor and writer of Burrill & Company’s acclaimed annual book on the biotech industry. His work with Burrill & Company began through the firm’s joint venture magazine startup The Journal of Life Sciences, where he led the creation of the publication’s website and served as web editor before advancing to editor.
Prior to joining Burrill & Company, Levine worked as special projects editor for the San Francisco Business Times where he won numerous awards for his coverage of the biotechnology industry. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Industry Standard, TheStreet.com, and other national publications. He is also the founder of the online magazine Disgruntled: The Business Magazine for People who Work for a Living and author of Disgruntled: The Darker Side of the World of Work (Berkley/Boulevard). Prior to that, he served as the San Francisco bureau chief for Adweek magazine. His coverage of the biotechnology industry began at the start of his journalism career while a business reporter at The Oakland Tribune. Before entering journalism, Levine spent five years in the investment banking industry and served as a vice president and general principal of Herbert Young Securities in Great Neck, New York. He holds a bachelor’s in English from Vassar College and a master’s in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.
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