Archive for March, 2015

The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Pt9 - Meet Belle
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The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Pt9 - Meet Belle - Video

Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 18, 2015

In the vast flow of new scientific research, discoveries, and information, it is not uncommon for important scientific advances to go unappreciated, or even just unnoticed, for surprisingly long periods of time. The Boston stem cell medicine technology start-up company, Asymmetrex is working to make sure that its growing portfolio of adult tissue stem cell technology patents obtains wide notice, appreciation, and investment.

In late 2014, the company started a digital media campaign to achieve greater visibility for its patented technologies that address the major barriers to greater progress in stem cell medicine. These include technologies for identifying, counting, and mass-producing adult tissue stem cells. The two presentations scheduled for the 5th World Congress on Cell and Stem Cell Research in Chicago continue Asymmetrexs efforts to better inform medical, research, and industrial communities focused on advancing stem cell medicine of the companys vision for implementation of its unique technologies.

Asymmetrex holds patents for the only method described for routine production of natural human tissue stem cells that retain their normal function. The company also holds patents for biomarkers that can be used to count tissue stem cells for the first time. The companys most recently developed technology was invented with computer-simulation leader, AlphaSTAR Corporation. In partnership, the two companies created a first-of-its-kind method for monitoring adult tissue stem cell number and function for any human tissue that can be cultured. This advance is the basis for the two companies AlphaSTEM technology for detecting adult tissue stem cell-toxic drug candidates before conventional preclinical testing in animals or clinical trials. Asymmetrex and AlphaSTAR plan to market the new technology to pharmaceutical companies. The implementation of AlphaSTEM technology would accelerate drug development and reduce adverse drug events for volunteers and patients. At full capacity use, AlphaSTEM could reduce U.S. drug development costs by $4-5 billion each year.

About Asymmetrex (http://asymmetrex.com/)

Asymmetrex, LLC is a Massachusetts life sciences company with a focus on developing technologies to advance stem cell medicine. Asymmetrexs founder and director, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert on the unique properties of adult tissue stem cells. The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the two main technical problems production and quantification that have stood in the way of successful commercialization of human adult tissue stem cells for regenerative medicine and drug development. In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing induced pluripotent stem cells for disease research purposes. Currently, Asymmetrexs focus is employing its technological advantages to develop facile methods for monitoring adult stem cell number and function in clinically important human tissues.

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Boston Stem Cell Biotech Start-up Asymmetrex Will Present Essential Technologies for Stem Cell Medical Engineering at ...

HACKENSACK, N.J.and PETACH TIKVAH, Israel, March 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: BCLI), a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that CEO Tony Fiorino, MD, PhD, will present at the 3rd Annual Regen Med Investor Day to be held Wednesday, March 25, 2015 in New York City.

Organized by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) and co-hosted with Piper Jaffray, this one-day investor meeting provides institutional, strategic and venture investors with unique insight into the financing hypothesis for advanced therapies-based treatment and tools. The program includes clinical and commercial experts who are on-hand to address specific questions regarding the outlook for these products, as well as offer insight into how advanced therapies could impact the standard of care in key therapeutic areas. In addition to presentations by more than 30 leading companies from across the globe, the event includes dynamic, interactive panels featuring research analysts covering the space, key clinical opinion leaders and top company CEOs. These discussions will explore themes specific to cell and gene therapy such as commercialization, market access and pricing for breakthrough technologies, gene therapy delivery and upcoming milestones in the adoptive T-cell therapy space.

The following are specific details regarding BrainStorm's presentation:

Event:

ARM's Regen Med Investor Day

Date:

March 25, 2015

Time:

4:20 PM EST

Location:

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BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to Present at 3rd Annual Regen Med Investor Day on March 25 in New York

The human gut is a remarkable thing. Every week the intestines regenerate a new lining, sloughing off the equivalent surface area of a studio apartment and refurbishing it with new cells. For decades, researchers have known that the party responsible for this extreme makeover were intestinal stem cells, but it wasn't until this year that Scott Magness, PhD, associate professor of medicine, cell biology and physiology, and biomedical engineering, figured out a way to isolate and grow thousands of these elusive cells in the laboratory at one time. This high throughput technological advance now promises to give scientists the ability to study stem cell biology and explore the origins of inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal cancers, and other gastrointestinal disorders.

But it didn't come easy.

One Step Forward . . .

When Magness and his team first began working with intestinal stem cells some years ago, they quickly found themselves behind the eight ball. Their first technique involved using a specific molecule or marker on the surface of stem cells to make sure they could distinguish stem cells from other intestinal cells. Then Magness's team would fish out only the stem cells from intestinal tissues and grow the cells in Petri dishes. But there was a problem. Even though all of the isolated cells had the same stem cell marker, only one out of every 100 could "self-renew" and differentiate into specialized cells like a typical stem cell should. (Stem cells spawn cells that have specialized functions necessary for any organ to work properly.)

"The question was: why didn't the 99 others behave like stem cells?" Magness said. "We thought it was probably because they're not all the same, just like everybody named Judy doesn't look the same. There are all kinds of differences, and we've been presuming that these cells are all the same based on this one name, this one molecular marker. That's been a problem. But the only way to solve it so we could study these cells was to look at intestinal stem cells at the single cell level, which had never been done before."

Magness is among a growing contingent of researchers who recognize that many of the biological processes underlying health and disease are driven by a tiny fraction of the 37 trillion cells that make up the human body. Individual cells can replenish aging tissues, develop drug resistance, and become vehicles for viral infections. And yet the effects of these singular actors are often missed in biological studies that focus on pooled populations of thousands of seemingly "identical" cells.

Distinguishing between the true intestinal stem cells and their cellular look-a-likes would require isolating tens of thousands of stem cells and tracking the behavior of each individual cell over time. But Magness had no idea how to accomplish that feat. Enter Nancy Allbritton, PhD, chair of the UNC/NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. The two professors met one day to discuss Magness joining the biomedical engineering department as an adjunct faculty member. And they did discuss it. And Magness did join. But the meeting quickly turned into collaboration. One of Allbritton's areas of expertise is microfabrication -- the ability to squeeze large devices into very small footprints. During their meeting, Allbritton showed Magness her latest creation, a device smaller than a credit card dotted with 15,000 tiny wells for culturing cells.

"It was like a light bulb went off, and I realized I was looking at the answer to a billion of our problems," Magness said.

Micro Magic

Each microwell is as thick as a strand of hair. By placing individual stem cells into the microwells, Magness and postdoctoral fellow Adam Gracz, PhD, could watch the cells grow into fully developed tissue structures known as mini-guts. Each microwell could be stamped with a specific address, which would allow researchers to track stem cells that were behaving as expected and those that weren't.

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A Single-Cell Breakthrough: newly developed technology dissects properties of single stem cells

CAR T-Cell Therapy - Nebraska Medicine
It #39;s the fifth most common type of cancer in U.S. adults. For years, traditional therapies to treat non-Hodgkin #39;s lymphoma (NHL) have included chemotherapy, radiation and a stem cell/bone...

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CAR T-Cell Therapy - Nebraska Medicine - Video

Stem Cell Therapy- Sci Video2
Created using PowToon -- Free sign up at http://www.powtoon.com/join -- Create animated videos and animated presentations for free. PowToon is a free tool that allows you to develop cool...

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Stem Cell Therapy- Sci Video2 - Video

DNA Genetics -- Best people. Best pig. Best genetic option.

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DNA Genetics -- Best people. Best pig. Best genetic option. - Video

Outdoor organic experiment (TGA Genetics)
Had popped some new seeds, didnt have room so I thought I would let them finish outside . . It is not the right time of year to flower here and they only got around 6 hours of sunlight.. In...

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Outdoor organic experiment (TGA Genetics) - Video

Genetics of eating disorders - Video abstract 55776
Video abstract of review paper "Genetics and epigenetics of eating disorders" published in the open access journal Advances in Genomics and Genetics by Yilmaz Z, Hardaway JA, and Bulik CM....

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Genetics of eating disorders - Video abstract 55776 - Video

Janet Rowley (Cancer Genetics)
The following is an interview with Janet D. Rowley, MD, Blum-Riese Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics at The University of Chicago. The interview was conducted by her friend and colleague,.

By: Conversations in Genetics

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Janet Rowley (Cancer Genetics) - Video

DALLAS, March 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new market research report"Global Animal Genetics Market, By Product (Canine, Equine, Poultry, Porcine, Bovine, and Genetic Material), by testing services (DNA Sexing, DNA Typing, Genetic Disease Test, and Others) - Global Forecast to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, The global Animal Genetics Market is estimated to be worth around $2.5 Billion in 2014 and $4 Billion in 2020, to grow at a CAGR of 8-9% during the forecast period of 2014 to 2020.

Browse96market data Tables and27Figures spread through200Pages and in-depth TOC on "Global Animal Genetics Market" http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/animal-genetic-market-12462093.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The Animal Genetics Market witnessed healthy growth during the last decade, primarily attributed to the increasing animal protein consumption by and increasingly urban global population. To cater the rising demand of animal proteins, farmers are increasingly adopting advanced genetic technologies for larger-scale production and quality breeds. In addition, growing awareness about veterinary genetic diseases and disorders; increase in the population of livestock animals, especially in emerging markets; implementation of animal welfare acts in developed countries; and development of cutting-edge technologies in animal genetic testing are further driving this market. However, stringent regulations regarding animal genetic engineering, expensive and time-consuming R&D activities, high cost of animal testing, and insufficient number of skilled professionals in animal genetics are restraining the growth of animal genetics market during the forecast period of 2014 to 2020.

Inquiry before Buying:http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=12462093

In this report, the animal genetics market is segmented by products, testing services, and region. Based on type of product, the market is mainly segmented into live animals and genetic materials. The live animal segment is further subsegmented into canine, equine, poultry, porcine, bovine, and others. On the other hand, the genetic material segment is subsegmented into semen and embryo. Animal genetics market is segmented into various testing services such as DNA sexing, DNA typing, genetic disease tests, and others in the report.

In 2014, the live segment accounted for the largest share of the market. Growing population, increasing urbanization, and rising demand of animal derived products have contributed to the growth of the live animal market. In addition, increase in the population of livestock animals especially in emerging markets and implementation of animal welfare acts are further fueling the growth of live animal market.

North America represented the largest regional market in 2014, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific, and ROW. The Asia-Pacific region represents the fastest-growing market for the animal genetics market, primarily due to the increasing population, rapid urbanization, and rising demand of animal products in this region. In addition, increased awareness towards animal welfare in developing countries and development of cutting-edge technologies in animal genetic testing are further driving the market in this region.

Major players in the global animal genetics market are Animal Genetics, Inc. (U.S.), Genus Plc (U.K.), Topigs (Netherlands), Harlan Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Hendrix Genetics BV (Netherlands), Aviagen Group (U.S.), Neogen Corporation (U.S.), Alta Genetics (Canada), VetGen (U.S.), and Zoetis, Inc.(U.S.) among others.

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Global Animal Genetics Market Worth Around $4 Billion by 2020

Gene Therapy Respiratory Insight: Trends and Challenges Analysed in Research Report
Gene Therapy Respiratory Insight: Pipeline Assessment, Market Trend, Technology and Competitive Landscape provides in depth insights into the Respiratory gene therapy. It has covered 5+...

By: James Jacob

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Gene Therapy Respiratory Insight: Trends and Challenges Analysed in Research Report - Video

SCOAN 15/03/15: Spinal Cord Injury Knee Problem Healed At Prayer Line. Emmanuel TV
SCOAN Live Sunday Service 15 March 2015 Testimony Time Emmanuel TV.

By: Momisi

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SCOAN 15/03/15: Spinal Cord Injury & Knee Problem Healed At Prayer Line. Emmanuel TV - Video

The Ethics of Stem Cells
In this video produced by ConnectEd California, Professor Charis Thompson from UC Berkeley explains the ethics debate surrounding stem cell research and what...

By: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

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The Ethics of Stem Cells - Video

Dr. Nathan Newman - Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Nathan Newman is a Board Certified Dermatologist, a Cosmetic Surgeon, and a pioneer in stem cell therapy and Regenerative Medicine. He is world-renowned for his ground-breaking Stem Cell...

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Dr. Nathan Newman - Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine - Video

Orange, California (PRWEB) March 17, 2015

The top stem cell therapy clinics in California, Telehealth, are now offering treatment for nonhealing wounds at three locations. The stem cell therapy for wound healing is being offered by Board Certified doctors at three separate locations in Orange, La Jolla and Upland. Call (888) 828-4575 for more information and scheduling.

Patients with diabetes, neuropathy and autoimmune disorders often find it difficult to heal even minor wounds. This may lead to diabetic ulcers and infections in the soft tissue and/or bone. At times, even the most rigorous conventional wound care fails to heal wounds sufficiently.

At Telehealth, stem cell therapy for nonhealing wounds has been showing exceptional results. Wounds that had basically been unresponsive to traditional methods have displayed quick results with healing when the procedures are performed. The regenerative medicine treatments involve either bone marrow derived stem cells or amniotic derived stem cells. Additional, PRP therapy is included in the treatment at times when necessary.

Along with helping to heal difficult wounds, stem cell therapy is also available for degenerative arthritis, chronic tendonitis, rotator cuff tears, ligament injuries, migraines and much more. Treatments are offered in Orange, Upland and a new La Jolla location by Board Certified doctors with extensive experience.

Most treatments are partially covered by insurance, which helps considerably to keep cost down. Call (888) 828-4575 for more information and scheduling.

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Stem Cell Therapy Now Being Offered for NonHealing Wounds at Telehealth's Three Regenerative Medicine Clinics

Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) March 17, 2015

Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute is now offering stem cell procedures for the nonoperative treatment of shoulder labral tears. The procedures are outpatient, low risk, and very effective at helping patients avoid the need for surgery. Call Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute at (310) 247-0466 for more information and scheduling.

Injuries to the shoulder may involve rotator cuff tendonitis, tears or labral injury. Stem cell therapy is typically effective for all of these conditions, and Dr. Raj has been having significant success with labral tears. Conventional treatment for labral tears is often unsuccessful, as they typically do not have sufficient blood supply.

Treatment with regenerative medicine offers the potential to avoid surgery and heal the tissues. The stem cell therapy includes either bone marrow or amniotic derived treatment. Both of these are outpatient and very low risk. Small studies have shown the effectiveness of stem cell treatment for joint arthritis, tendonitis, tendon tears, cartilage defects and labral tears.

The treating physician, Dr. Raj, is a Double Board Certified orthopedic surgeon Beverly Hills trusts, and excels in treating all kinds of sports injuries and arthritic conditions. He also serves as a Medical Correspondent for ABC News, along with receiving numerous LA TOP DOC and Top Doctors Southern California Awards.

To receive the best stem cell therapy in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, call the Institute today at (310) 247-0466.

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Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute Now Offering Stem Cell Therapy for Nonoperative Shoulder Labral Tears

Christopher Jewell, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland Fischell Department of Bioengineering, was awarded a three-year, $250,000 grant from the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy to develop gene therapy to promote cancer immunity, the university and the alliance announced Monday.

Jewell's research could create vaccine "depots" among the lymph nodes, specialized tissues that control responses against disease and infection.

The alliance is a nonprofit that sponsors promising research into cell and gene therapies to battle cancer. Jewell is one of two grant recipients this year and among 46 since 2001 from the alliance, which has a goal of replacing radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, while turning cancer into a manageable, treatable disease.

The Stamford, Conn.-based group has handed out more than $25 million in funding for the cause.

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Maryland researcher wins grant to study alternative cancer therapy

Stamford, CT (PRWEB) March 16, 2015

Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) the nations only nonprofit dedicated exclusively to cell and gene therapies for cancer has achieved a major milestone, surpassing $25 million donated to innovative and breakthrough cancer research. ACGT was founded by Barbara Netter and her late husband, Edward, in 2001 with the goal of transforming cancer into a manageable, treatable disease.

Pushing the foundation across the $25 million threshold are a pair of three-year, $250,000 grants to two esteemed scientists: Meenakshi Hegde, MD, of Texas Childrens Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, and Christopher Jewell, PhD, at University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Hegdes work will focus on immunotherapy, specifically adoptive cellular therapy for melanoma. Dr. Jewells research is centered on harnessing intra-lymph node gene therapy to promote tumor immunity. The grantees will develop genetically-modified T cells and cancer vaccines with the potential to stop cancer in its tracks.

Drs. Hegde and Jewell are two outstanding scientists in the vanguard of treating and defeating cancer, said Barbara Netter, ACGTs President. Their work offers tremendous hope to those battling cancer, and also to their loved ones.

ACGT grants are awarded to promising researchers whose work dovetails with the foundations mission: Leveraging cell and gene therapies to supplant the more harrowing cancer treatments like radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. ACGTs $25 million in grants have funded watershed research and trials such as those that activate patients own immune systems to battle cancer cells. These trials have saved the lives of cancer patients otherwise believed to be beyond treatment.

The two most recent grants continue ACGTs mission of equipping innovative scientists with the tools and support to revolutionize the fight against cancer. ACGT grants range from $250,000 to $1 million, and reward both young, promising researchers and their more established colleagues. Past recipients include such pre-eminent scientists as University of Pennsylvanias Dr. Carl June and Memorial Sloan-Ketterings Dr. Michel Sadelain; this past summer, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted breakthrough status to immunotherapy treatments for leukemia developed by each of these scientists for which ACGT provided early funding.

About Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) Established in 2001, ACGT (http://www.acgtfoundation.org) is the nations only not-for-profit dedicated exclusively to cell and gene therapy treatments for all types of cancer. One-hundred percent of contributions go directly to research. ACGT has funded 46 grants in the U.S. and Canada since its founding in 2001 by Barbara Netter, President, and her late husband, Edward, to conduct and accelerate critically needed innovative research. Since its inception, ACGT has awarded 31 grants to Young Investigators and 15 grants to Clinical Investigators, totaling more than $25 million in funding. ACGT is located at 96 Cummings Point Road, Stamford, CT 06902.

ACGT on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ACGTfoundation ACGT on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ACGTfoundation ACGT on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ACGTfoundation

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ACGT Surpasses $25 Million Funding Milestone with Two New Grants

Researchers have identified a new host of gene variants that could make people vulnerable to sporadic motor neurone disease, according to a report published today in the journal, Scientific Reports.

Until recently, it was thought that genetics made little contribution to the disease - also termed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - and that the environment was mostly to blame.

Motor neurone disease (MND) is a group of diseases in which the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord controlling the muscles that enable us to move, speak, breathe and swallow to slowly degenerate and die.

Currently two to three thousand Australians are living with this fatal disease.

Death is caused by respiratory failure, which typically occurs within 2 to 5 years of developing this debilitating condition.

MND is also the subject of a major research program at the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute.

Awareness of MND has spiked in recent times due to the social media campaign supporting the 'Ice Bucket Challenge', and the Oscar winning biopic about cosmologist Stephen Hawking, The Theory of Everything.

"This is an advance in knowledge about the role genetics is likely to play in sporadic forms of motor neurone disease," says the University of Sydney's Associate Professor Roger Pamphlett, a co-author of the new study.

'Sporadic' motor neurone disease accounts for about 90 per cent of cases. It refers to random, isolated cases in which individuals have no known risk factors or family history of the disease.

"The findings indicate that the genetic changes underlying many cases of sporadic motor neurone disease could stem from one of two sources," Associate Professor Pamphlett says.

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Motor Neurone Disease - researchers identify new group of gene suspects

Genetic Engineering: Advantages Disadvantages
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By: Seamus Edwards

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Genetic Engineering: Advantages & Disadvantages - Video

Genetic Engineering: ethical and moral issues
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Genetic Engineering: ethical and moral issues - Video

Genetic Engineering: How does it work
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Genetic Engineering: How does it work - Video

University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

URBANA - University of Illinois scientists have engineered a "jailbreaking" yeast that could greatly increase the health benefits of wine while reducing the toxic byproducts that cause your morning-after headache.

"Fermented foods--such as beer, wine, and bread--are made with polyploid strains of yeast, which means they contain multiple copies of genes in the genome. Until now, it's been very difficult to do genetic engineering in polyploid strains because if you altered a gene in one copy of the genome, an unaltered copy would correct the one that had been changed," said Yong-Su Jin, a U of I associate professor of microbial genomics and principal investigator in the Energy Biosciences Institute.

Recently scientists have developed a "genome knife" that cuts across multiple copies of a target gene in the genome very precisely--until all copies are cut. Jin's group has now used this enzyme, RNA-guided Cas9 nuclease, to do precise metabolic engineering of polyploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains that have been widely used in the wine, beer, and fermentation industries.

The possibilities for improved nutritive value in foods are staggering, he said. "Wine, for instance, contains the healthful component resveratrol. With engineered yeast, we could increase the amount of resveratrol in a variety of wine by 10 times or more. But we could also add metabolic pathways to introduce bioactive compounds from other foods, such as ginseng, into the wine yeast. Or we could put resveratrol-producing pathways into yeast strains used for beer, kefir, cheese, kimchee, or pickles--any food that uses yeast fermentation in its production."

Another benefit is that winemakers can clone the enzyme to enhance malolactic fermentation, a secondary fermentation process that makes wine smooth. Improper malolactic fermentation generates the toxic byproducts that may cause hangover symptoms, he said.

Jin stressed the genome knife's importance as a tool that allows genetic engineers to make these extremely precise mutations.

"Scientists need to create designed mutations to determine the function of specific genes," he explained. "Say we have a yeast that produces a wine with great flavor and we want to know why. We delete one gene, then another, until the distinctive flavor is gone, and we know we've isolated the gene responsible for that characteristic."

The new technology also makes genetically modified organisms less objectionable, he said. "In the past, scientists have had to use antibiotic markers to indicate the spot of genetic alteration in an organism, and many persons objected to their use in foods because of the danger of developing antibiotic resistance. With the genome knife, we can cut the genome very precisely and efficiently so we don't have to use antibiotic markers to confirm a genetic event."

The research was reported in a recent issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

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Jailbreaking yeast could amp up wine's health benefits, reduce morning-after headaches

Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) March 16, 2015

African American women have higher death rates from breast cancer than do white women. Veena Rao, Ph.D., researcher, professor and co-director of the Cancer Biology Program in the department of OB/GYN at Morehouse School of Medicine, has pointed to multiple factors that contribute to the increased vulnerability of African American women, such as barriers to testing and quality of treatment. Leading medical researchers, including University of Washington geneticist and Lasker Laureate Mary-Claire King, highlight additional factors undetected inherited mutations and now recommend offering genetic testing for all women at about age 30. Dr. King will make a free, public address at the Morehouse School of Medicine on March 19, to discuss Inherited Breast Cancer: From Gene Discovery to Public Health.

Dr. Kings discovery in 1990 of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene demonstrated a mechanism of inherited cancer and proved that gene mutations could predict vulnerability to the disease.

A 2013 study of inherited predisposition to breast cancer among African American women by Dr. King and Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade, director of The Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics, at the University of Chicago, found that 22 percent of African American breast cancer patients inherited a damaging mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 or another breast cancer gene. Women carrying a mutation of BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a greater than 80 percent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, as compared with 11% for women without mutations.

Recently, Dr. King showed that women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations had elevated risk for breast cancer, even if they have no family history of the disease. Therefore, she recommends that BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing be made available to all women.

I believe that every woman should be offered testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2 at about age 30 as part of routine medical care, said Dr. King. About half of women who inherit mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes have no family history of breast or ovarian cancer and have no idea that they are carrying cancer-causing mutations. Affordable, accessible early detection is a public health priority for saving lives.

While some within the medical community voice caution that universal screening could lead to anxiety for some women, King and Olopade focus on the benefits. Having a genetic mutation doesnt mean youre definitely going to get cancer, Dr. Olopade told NPR last September. Women at greater risk should work with their doctors closely to make decisions about the best approach to reducing their chances of developing breast cancer.

Within the African American community, access to mammograms and other testing, as well as follow-up care continues to be a challenge. Disparities in availability of breast cancer care is a profound public health concern.

On March 19, Dr. King will give a special lecture, co-sponsored by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation and the Morehouse School of Medicine. In September 2014, the Lasker Foundation awarded Dr. King its prestigious Special Achievement Award in Medical Science for her bold, imaginative, and diverse contributions to medical science and human rights.

For more information on the availability of genetic screening in the Atlanta area, please see:

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Dr. Mary- Claire King to speak at Morehouse School of Medicine on how genetic screening for all women can lower risk ...