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Researchers from the Ó³»­´«Ã½ have been working with a team of international collaborators to collect samples, rapidly sequence genomes, and share data in order to accelerate response efforts to the ongoing outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. The team’s efforts culminate with a paper published online in the journal , but the story of their research and collaboration stretches back many years.

A major endeavor in genomics research, at the Ó³»­´«Ã½ and beyond, is to identify the variations in the human genetic code that may be associated with disease. Such variations can point to potential drug targets or shed light on the biological mechanisms underlying a disease.

On Tuesday, July 22, the Ó³»­´«Ã½ announced an unprecedented commitment of $650 million from philanthropist Ted Stanley to support psychiatric research. Stanley’s gift – the largest ever in psychiatric research and among the largest for scientific research in general – generated a great deal of coverage in the media.

By scouring the DNA of thousands of patients, researchers at the Ó³»­´«Ã½ and Massachusetts General Hospital and their colleagues have discovered four rare mutations in the gene APOC3 that lower triglycerides and reduce a person’s risk of coronary heart disease — dropping it by 40 percent.