Archive for the ‘Gene Therapy Research’ Category

Genetics includes the study of heredity, or how traits are passed from parents to offspring. The topics of genetics vary and are constantly changing as we learn more about the genome and how we are influenced by our genes.

Mendel & Inheritance powerpoint presentation covering basics of genetics

Heredity Simulation use popsicle sticks to show how alleles are inherited Penny Genetics flip a coin to compare actual outcomes versus predicted outcomes from a punnett square Heredity Wordsearch fill in the blank, find words

Simple Genetics Practice- using mendelian genetics and punnett squares

Genetic Crosses with two traits basic crosses, uses Punnet squares Genetic Crosses with two traits II- basic crossses, uses Punnett squares Dihybrid Crosses in Guinea Pigs(pdf)- step through on how to do a 44 punnett square

Codominance & Incomplete Dominance- basic crosses involving codominance

Genetics Practice Problems includes codominance, multiple allele traits, polygenic traits, for AP Biology Genetics Practice Problems II- for advanced biology students, includes both single allele and dihybrid crosses, intended for practice after students have learned multiplicative properties of statistics and mathematical analysis of genetic crosses

X-Linked Traits practice crosses that involve sex-linkage, mainly in fruitflies

X Linked Genetics in Calico Cats more practice with sex-linked traits Multiple Allele Traits practice with blood type crosses and other ABO type alleles Multiple Allele Traits in Chickens shows how combs are inherited (rrpp x RRpp) Inheritance and Eye Color uses a simulation to show how multiple alleles can influence a single trait (eye color)

The Genetics of Blood Disorders a worksheet with genetics problems that relate to specific disorders: sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, and Von Willebrand disease.

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Genetics | The Biology Corner

Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) January 06, 2014

The top stem cell clinic in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, Beverly Hills Institute of Cellular Therapy, is now offering revolutionary stem cell facelift procedures with a New Years pricing special. The procedure involves a nonoperative technique with amniotic stem cells performed by licensed providers. No incisions are necessary, and the outpatient procedures are being offered at 20% off regular price. Call (424) 253-5577 for more information and scheduling.

Traditional facelift procedures involve anesthesia, incisions and significant healing time. A stem cell facelift procedure is performed as an outpatient with no incisions or systemic anesthesia necessary. The Beverly Hills Institute utilizes amniotic stem cells, which are processed at an FDA regulated lab and have been used over 10,000 times without adverse events.

Stem cells have the capability to eliminate wrinkles and provide the skin with a more youthful, glowing appearance. The procedure allows patients to avoid the risks of infection and no stitches are necessary. It costs considerably less than a traditional facelift and now at 20% off is a great option for those desiring to look younger without going through separate procedures for each facial area.

As individuals age, the skin tone in the facial area and texture begin to decline. Stem cells are able to rejuvenate collagen deficient areas and have the capability to change into all types of cells in a procedure that is natural, affordable and safe.

Amniotic fluid is extremely rich in stem cells, growth factors, hyaluronic acid and anti-inflammatory cells. The combination works extremely well for the stem cell facial procedure, with results that are often noticeable quickly and long lasting.

This new technology is performed by licensed aestheticians, nurses and Double Board Certified physicians at the Institute. The procedure takes less than an hour to complete. In addition to the stem cell facelift, the Institute also offers stem cell injections for numerous musculoskeletal conditions including tendon and ligament injury along with degenerative arthritis. This includes stem cell therapy for knees, shoulders and hips.

For more information and scheduling to discuss options with stem cell procedures for looking and feeling younger while avoiding surgery, call the Beverly Hills Institue for Cellular Therapy at (424) 253-5577.

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Beverly Hills Institute for Cellular Therapy Now Offering Revolutionary Stem Cell Face Lift Procedure at Special New ...

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Contact: Ellen Goldbaum goldbaum@buffalo.edu 716-645-4605 University at Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. Researchers at the University at Buffalo have found a way to change alcohol drinking behavior in rodents, using the emerging technique of optogenetics, which uses light to stimulate neurons.

Their work could lead to powerful new ways to treat alcoholism, other addictions, and neurological and mental illnesses; it also helps explain the underlying neurochemical basis of drug addiction.

The findings, published in November in Frontiers in Neuroscience, are the first to demonstrate a causal relationship between the release of dopamine in the brain and drinking behaviors of animals. Research like this, which makes it possible to map the neuronal circuits responsible for specific behaviors, is a major focus of President Obama's Brain Research for Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies initiative, known as BRAIN.

In the experiments, rats were trained to drink alcohol in a way that mimics human binge-drinking behavior.

First author Caroline E. Bass, PhD, assistant professor of pharmacology and toxicology in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences explains: "By stimulating certain dopamine neurons in a precise pattern, resulting in low but prolonged levels of dopamine release, we could prevent the rats from binging. The rats just flat out stopped drinking," she says.

Bass's co-authors are at Wake Forest University, where she worked previously.

Interestingly, the rodents continued to avoid alcohol even after the stimulation of neurons ended, she adds.

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Stimulating brain cells stops binge drinking, animal study finds

Current ratings for: Single faulty gene causes major type 2 diabetes symptom in mice

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New research from the US reported in the journal Diabetes, shows that the loss of just one gene in mice is enough to cause fasting hyperglycemia - a major symptom of type 2 diabetes.

In their paper, researchers from the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) explain how malfunctions in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells is a common feature of type 2 diabetes.

Lead author Bellur S. Prabhakar, professor and head of microbiology and immunology at UIC, says they found that when a gene called MADD is not working properly, insulin is not released into the bloodstream. Lack of insulin means the body is unable to regulate blood sugar or glucose - a major feature of diabetes.

About 8% of Americans and more than 360 million people around the world have type 2 diabetes, a disease that in turn can lead to more serious conditions like cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, blindness, and loss of limbs.

In healthy people without diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas release insulin into the bloodstream to help regulate blood sugar levels which rise after eating.

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Single faulty gene causes major type 2 diabetes symptom in mice

As scientists get closer to using embryonic stem cells in new treatments for blindness, spinal cord injuries and heart disease, a U.S. legal debate could determine who profits from that research.

Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit advocacy group, wants an appeals court to invalidate a University of Wisconsin-Madisons patentfor stem cells derived from human embryos, saying its too similar to earlier research. The Santa Monica, California, group also says the U.S. Supreme Courts June ruling limiting ownership rights of human genes should apply to stem cells, a potentially lucrative field for medical breakthroughs.

The challenge to Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the universitys licensing arm, is about whether patents help or hinder U.S. stem-cell research, which has been stymied by political debate. The consumer group says it drives up the cost of research by requiring companies and some academics to pay a licensing fee to the university.

What were asking the government to do is say WARF has no right to the patent, said Dan Ravicher, executive director Public Patent Foundation in New York, which is handling the challenge for Consumer Watchdog. Its like the government sent a check to WARF they didnt deserve.

Consumer Watchdog lost a challenge at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in January 2013. It wants the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington to review that decision and consider new arguments based on the Supreme Courts finding that genes -- like stem cells -- are a natural material that cant be patented. Beyond the science question, the case has become a flashpoint over how far members of the public can go to invalidate patents on policy grounds.

While the patent expires in April 2015 and the university has other stem-cell-related patents, Consumer Watchdog is continuing a six-year battle to invalidate it because stem-cell research is starting to get some traction into therapeutic uses, Ravicher said.

The promise of embryonic stem cells is to create or repair tissues and organs using material taken from eggs fertilized in the laboratory. The cells created can be replicated indefinitely, and with the right biological cues, may aid in treating damaged heart tissue and spinal cords, or generate therapies for diabetes and cancer. Companies like StemCells Inc. (STEM) and Advanced Cell Technology Inc. are testing therapies to treat macular degeneration, a cause of blindness.

The next paradigm shift in medicine will be advances in cell therapy -- its under way, said Jason Kolbert, senior biotechnology analyst with Maxim Group LLC in New York. He said pharmaceutical makers such as Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) of Petach Tikva, Israel, and Pfizer (PFE) Inc. of New York are working with stem-cell researchers on new therapies.

Stem-cell science in the U.S. was curbed in 2001 when then-President George W. Bush issued an executive order limiting research to existing cell lines amid controversy over human embryo destruction, even though they were never in a womans uterus. President Barack Obama reversed that order in 2009.

Some scientists have avoided the public debate by using adult cells to find the unlimited potential they have in embryonic cells.

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Gene Patent Case Fuels U.S. Court Test of Stem Cell Right

Mysterious episodes of genetic duplication in our great ape ancestors may have paved the way for human evolution

By Emily Singer and Quanta Magazine

SRGAP2: Whereas chimps and orangutans have only one, humans have multiple copies of the gene SRGAP2 which is believed to be involved in the development of the brain. Image: Dennis/Cell/Quanta

From Quanta Magazine (find original story here).

About 8 million to 12 million years ago, the ancestor of great apes, including humans, underwent a dramatic genetic change. Small pieces of DNA replicated and spread across their resident chromosomes like dandelions across a lawn. But as these dandelion seeds dispersed, they carried some grass and daisy seeds additional segments of DNA along for the ride. This unusual pattern, repeated in different parts of the genome, is found only in great apes bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and humans.

I think its a missing piece of human evolution, said Evan Eichler, a geneticist at the University of Washington, in Seattle. My feeling is that these duplication blocks have been the substrate for the birth of new genes.

Over the past few years, scientists have begun to uncover the function of a handful of genes that reside in these regions; they seem to play an important role in the brain, linked to the growth of new cells, as well as brain size and development. In September, Eichlers team published a new technique for analyzing how these genes vary from person to person, which could shed more light on their function.

Much about the duplication process and its implications remains a mystery. Eichler and others dont know what spurred the initial rounds of duplications or how these regions, dubbed core duplicons, reproduced and moved around the genome.

Despite the duplication-linked genes potential importance in human evolution, most have not been extensively analyzed. The repetitive structure of the duplicated regions makes them particularly difficult to study using standard genetic approaches the most efficient methods for sequencing DNA start by chopping up the genome, reading the sequence of the small chunks and then assembling those sections like one would a puzzle. Trying to assemble repetitive sections is like trying to put together a puzzle made of pieces with almost the same pattern.

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A Missing Genetic Link in Human Evolution

Clinical Chemistry Womens Health Issue Explores the Ethics of Genetic Testing for Reproduction

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2014 /Emag.co.uk/ Jodi Picoults 2004 novel My Sisters Keeper became a bestseller by exploring the fate of a young girl who is genetically engineered to be a donor match for her cancer-stricken older sister. My Sisters Keeper is fiction, but it is based on the reality of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). A new Q&A in the Advancing Womens Health issue of Clinical Chemistry, the journal of AACC, explores the ethics of PGD, a form of genetic testing that has already made it possible for parents to conceive a child who is a donor match for a sick relative, who shares their minor disability (such as deafness), or to select gender.

(Photo:Listen to a podcast with Q&A moderator Ann M. Gronowski, PhD, and bioethicist Arthur L. Caplan, PhD.

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PGD was developed after the invention of in vitro fertilization and the ability to culture embryos in vitro, and in many respects, it is similar to the prenatal diagnosis used to screen fetuses for genetic diseases before birth. Its advantage is that it allows parents to choose which embryos to implant in the uterus, thereby avoiding selective pregnancy terminations. For older mothers or couples who are carriers of a genetic disease, the ability to screen for embryos free of certain genetic mutations can play a critical role in ensuring their child is healthy. The more recent and nonstandard uses of PGD listed above, however, have raised ethical concerns, particularly that PGD is veering into the realm of eugenics.

In this Q&A, PGD laboratory director Richard T. Scott, Jr., MD, of Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey, Morristown, N.J.; bioethicist Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, of the New York University Langone Medical Center, New York; and attorney Lawrence J. Nelson, PhD, of Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, Calif., discuss their views on the ethical challenges PGD presents. Former AACC President Ann M. Gronowski, PhD, of the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, acts as moderator.

I think many infertility clinics will be offering PGD for eugenic purposes and there will be plenty of demand for such services, said Caplan, when asked where he thinks the field will be in 20 years. I think there will be a huge ethical controversy concerning the practice, in that competent counseling may not be an essential part of what many clinics are offering. There will also be keen ethical concerns about the equity of access to such services, in that the rich will have far greater access than the poor.

Scott tempers this alarm by pointing out that extensive research is still needed to fully understand which mutations in our genetic code cause disease. By extension, it could be a long time before we grasp the human genomes complexities well enough to optimize traits by rewriting it. Until then, the Clinical Chemistry Q&A aims to raise greater awareness and spark further debate about this complicated issue.

For more, follow us on Twitter at @_AACC and @Clin_Chem_AACC.

Twitter ChatTo add your voice to the conversation, join Dr. Gronowski (@Clin_Chem_AACC) for a Twitter chat on maternal-fetal medicine and reproductive health.

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Designing Genes Through Diagnosis

Cancer Genetics, a Rutherford-based clinical diagnostic center that specializes in difficult-to-diagnose cancers, said on Monday its board appointed John Pappajohn as chairman, effective immediately.

Pappajohn, a shareholder of Cancer Genetics, has been involved with more than 100 start-up companies and served as a director of more than 40 public companies, according to a Cancer Genetics news release.

Pappajohn will replace Cancer Genetics founder Raju S.K. Chaganti as chairman. Chaganti will still "play an important role" at Cancer Genetics and will continue to manage the company's scientific advisory board, the news release said.

""The contributions of Dr. Chaganti and his world-class research team in developing the technology behind our unique personalized oncology tests, matched with the disciplined and focused leadership of our CEO Panna Sharma, has positioned the Company for strong future growth," Pappajohn said in the news release. "Our 2013 double-digit revenue growth, our joint venture with Mayo Clinic, and the commercial roll out of five proprietary tests, has already put CGI in an industry-leading position. I plan to help the Company build upon that success."

Cancer Genetics shares rose 39 cents, or 2.89 percent, to $13.89 at 2:56 p.m. in intraday trading Monday on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The company went public in April.

Email: wyrich@northjersey.com Twitter: @AndrewWyrich

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Rutherford-based Cancer Genetics appoints new chairman

Regenocyte Adult Stem Cell Therapy - Peter Holler
Patient Peter Holler discusses his health after receiving adult stem cell therapy.

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Regenocyte Adult Stem Cell Therapy - Peter Holler - Video

Regenocyte Adult Stem Cell Therapy-Neim Malo

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Regenocyte Adult Stem Cell Therapy-Neim Malo - Video

A fight over whether to require genetically modified foods to be labeled in New Hampshire is coming before the House this month.

Supporters argue New Hampshire residents have a right to know whether their food is produced with genetic engineering, but critics say the federal Food and Drug Administration has not mandated the labeling because it determined the foods are safe.

The House Environment and Agriculture Committee split in its recommendation on the bill, with a majority favoring killing it. But a minority is arguing its time for states like New Hampshire to lead, regardless of the federal position on the issue.

While we have concerns about the lack of safety and health testing by parties independent of the bio-tech industry, we are not opposed to the use of (genetic engineering) technology per se. We simply feel that people should have the freedom to make their own choices about food, and since knowledge is essential to the proper exercise of that freedom, information about genetically engineered content should be available on food labels, state Rep. Peter Bixby wrote to the House.

But state Rep. Robert Haefner countered in his message to the House on the bill that a label would in effect serve as a skull and crossbones, suggesting to the consumer that there is something dangerous in the product when in fact science has shown there is not.

Haefner said the bill would be difficult and expensive for the state to enforce.

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GMO bill to go before the House this month

Lets play the sims3 Perfect Genetics challenge pt 8 Birthdays
Read Me See me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Simmerlover3 Instagram: http://instagram.com/simmerlover3 Sims3 site: http://mypage.thesims3.com/mypage/sha......

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Advanced Genetics, Mod 1.6.4. Review
Muy buenas a todos soy MrSkeletonFull y hoy les traigo un nuevo Mod de minecraft esta vez de la version 1.6.4 Mod: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/198882...

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Advanced Genetics, Mod 1.6.4. Review - Video

Structure of DNA | Molecular Genetics | Biology
Structure of DNA Topic: Molecular Genetics Class XII - Biology Board - CBSE Visit http://www.toptrigger.com.

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Structure of DNA | Molecular Genetics | Biology - Video

Sultans of Swing - Gene Therapy and the Chromosomes
Cover of Dire Straits #39; classic #39;Sultans of Swing #39;, performed by Gene Therapy and the Chromosomes at Hayfield Con Club on Saturday 28th Dec, 2013.

By: Josh Cooper

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Sultans of Swing - Gene Therapy and the Chromosomes - Video

A new biotech company with formidable founders and funding has joined a lawsuit that accuses the University of Pennsylvania of misappropriating key technology behind its breakthrough therapy for leukemia.

The company, Juno Therapeutics Inc., was launched early last month by three major cancer institutes - including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center - with a massive $120 million investment from leading venture capital firms.

Juno's debut ups the ante in the high-stakes race to commercialize novel therapies that use the patient's immune "T cells" to fight cancer. While the approach is still highly experimental - it has worked primarily against certain blood malignancies - results of early clinical testing at Penn and other leading centers have electrified researchers, the biopharma industry, and patients.

Indeed, Penn entered a much-publicized partnership with the global pharmaceutical giant Novartis in 2012, based on results from just the first three leukemia patients.

Penn's T-cell therapy and its development deal are at the heart of the lawsuit that Juno Therapeutics has joined.

Juno, based in Seattle, is a partnership of Sloan-Kettering, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Seattle Children's Research Institute. Last month, Juno signed a licensing agreement to commercialize T-cell technology patented by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, according to legal papers.

The technology involves a "chimeric antigen receptor," or CAR - a synthetic genetic structure that programs the patient's T cells to target and attack cancer.

St. Jude is suing Penn, accusing the university of breaching an agreement to share St. Jude's CAR and infringing on St. Jude's patent.

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Biotech firm joins suit against Penn's cancer therapy

MF3 Placenta Extracts Softgels Swiss Cell Therapy made by MFIII Switzerland Labdom
For more information visit: http://mf3shop.com AUTHORIZED WEBSITE MF3 (MFIII) of Switzerland is the leader in Swiss cell therapy for over 20 years and has th...

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Among the many stents, surgical clamps, pumps and other medical devices that have recently come before the Food and Drug Administration for clearance, none has excited the widespread hopes of physicians and researchers like a machine called the Illumina MiSeqDx.

This compact DNA sequencer has the potential to change the way doctors care for patients by making personalized medicine a reality, experts say.

"It's about time," said Michael Snyder, director of the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine.

Physicians who rely on genetic tests to guide their patients' treatment have had to order scans that reveal only small parts of a patient's genome, as if peeking through a keyhole, Snyder said: "Why would you study just a few genes when you can see the whole thing?"

Back in 2000, when the Human Genome Project completed its first draft of the 3 billion base pairs that make up a person's DNA, the effort took a full decade and cost close to $100 million. The Illumina MiSeqDx can pull off the same feat in about a day for less than $5,000 and the results will be more accurate, two of the nation's top physicians gushed in the New England Journal of Medicine.

That confluence of "faster, cheaper and better" is likely to accelerate the use of genetic information in everyday medical care, Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the FDA, wrote last month. DNA sequencing should guide physicians in choosing the best drug to treat a specific patient for a specific disease while risking the fewest side effects.

The Illumina MiSeqDx platform works by breaking down, rebuilding and recording the entire sequence of a person's DNA in a massively parallel fashion, completing the job in a matter of hours. The company intends to market the machine to diagnostic labs, medical centers and private practices, at a price slightly more than $125,000.

Now that MiSeqDx has been approved, several other whole-genome sequencers are likely to seek the FDA's blessing in the coming months, agency officials say.

Right away, the technology is poised to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cystic fibrosis. Two new assays for the chronic lung condition both developed by Illumina for use on the MiSeqDx were approved in November by the FDA. Instead of checking for the six mutations most commonly linked to the disease, the new tests are able to discern a total of 139 genetic variations that give rise to cystic fibrosis. They will also tell doctors whether a patient is among the 4% who has a mutation that's targeted by a specific, costly drug.

Whole-genome sequencing has begun to reshape the way physicians diagnose and treat cancer as well. For a growing number of patients, treatment is guided by a DNA scan that reveals which mutation gave rise to the malignancy, not the organ in which the cancer manifests itself.

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DNA sequencer raises doctors' hopes for personalized medicine

Bohemia, NY (PRWEB) January 03, 2014

Colle Farmers Market, an organic food advocate, responds to an article published by Surfer Magazine on December 18th, which discusses the protests involving genetic engineering on Hawaiian soil.

According to the Surfer Magazine article titled Surfers Say No to GMOs, Hawaiian citizens and organic advocates were protesting against the genetic engineering experiments happening in Hawaii. The article says Kamehameha Schools leased 1000 acres of land to Monsanto, the company that has been performing the genetic modification experiments.

Most developed countries have banned this type of experimentation, mainly because of the potential environmental harm these experiments could have. However, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered foods are still legal in the United States.

The article says, "This push came on the heels of the recently passed Kauai Bill 2491legislation requiring companies to disclose their use of GMOs, pushed through after the city council overturned the mayors veto weeks before the opening of Hawaiis legislature."

A representative from Colle Farmers Market, an organic food advocate, says if more people adopted an organic lifestyle, the amount of GMO foods will decrease. We should be eating food the way nature intended, he says. Organic food is all natural, and free from preservatives, chemicals, and pesticides. Humans were not designed to eat food made in a lab or developed with chemicals. We were made to eat fresh food. GMOs are genetically engineered organisms that are produced in a lab and have the potential to significantly harm our bodies and environment.

The Colle rep says organic food also helps to keep the soil healthy. GMOs and conventional farming can have horrible affects on the ground soil, he says. By advocating and adopting an organic lifestyle, farmers and consumers can ensure help keep the environment healthy. We applaud these Hawaiians and surfers for standing up for what they believe in and raising awareness.

Colle Farmers Market is an E-Commerce enabled farmers market community that is passionate about sustainable consumption and responsible conservation. The Colle movement is dedicated to connecting natural product vendors, organic farmers and all people who are living an organic and natural lifestyle.

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Organic Food Advocate, Colle Farmers Market, Comments on Hawaiian Surfers Protesting Genetic Engineering

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Margaret Smith is a professor of plant breeding and genetics who leads a Cornell University program to help farmers and the public understand plant breeding and genetic engineering. She says the recent move by General Mills to eliminate genetically modified organisms from its Cheerios cereal might please GMO-shy consumers, but it won't alter the iconic cereals make up one bit.

Smith says:

Corn starch and sugar are highly refined products, so they contain no DNA (which is what is introduced into a genetically engineered organism) and no protein (which is what the new DNA would produce in a genetically engineered organism). Because of that, corn starch and sugar from a genetically engineered corn variety are nutritionally and chemically identical to corn starch or sugar from a non-genetically engineered variety.

This means that the new version of Cheerios that is being made without use of genetically engineered varieties will be nutritionally and chemically identical to the previous version. So it will not offer anything new to consumers other than to give them the option to buy a product that does not support planting more acres to genetically engineered crop varieties.

Cornell University has television, ISDN and dedicated Skype/Google+ Hangout studios available for media interviews.

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Plant Genetics Expert - in the Bowl, GMO-Free Cheerios Identical to Current Crop

Gene therapy introduces or alters genetic material to compensate for a genetic mistake that causes disease. It is hoped that gene therapy can treat or cure diseases for which no other effective treatments are available. However, many unique technical and ethical considerations have been raised by this new form of treatment, and several levels of regulatory committees have been established to review each gene therapy clinical trial prior to its initiation in human subjects. Ethical considerations include deciding which cells should be used, how gene therapy can be safely tested and evaluated in humans, what components are necessary for informed consent, and which diseases and/or traits are eligible for gene therapy research.

Germ Line Versus Somatic Cell Gene Therapy

Virtually all cells in the human body contain genes, making them potential targets for gene therapy. However, these cells can be divided into two major categories: germ line cells (which include sperm and eggs) and somatic cells. There are fundamental differences between these cell types, and these differences have profound ethical implications.

Gene therapy using germ line cells results in permanent changes that are passed down to subsequent generations. If done early in embryologic development, such as during preimplantation diagnosis and in vitro fertilization, the gene transfer could also occur in all cells of the developing embryo. The appeal of germ line gene therapy is its potential for offering a permanent therapeutic effect for all who inherit the target gene. Successful germ line therapies introduce the possibility of eliminating some diseases from a particular family, and ultimately from the population, forever. However, this also raises controversy. Some people view this type of therapy as unnatural, and liken it to "playing God." Others have concerns about the technical aspects. They worry that the genetic change propagated by germ line gene therapy may actually be deleterious and harmful, with the potential for unforeseen negative effects on future generations.

Somatic cells are nonreproductive. Somatic cell therapy is viewed as a more conservative, safer approach because it affects only the targeted cells in the patient, and is not passed on to future generations. In other words, the therapeutic effect ends with the individual who receives the therapy. However, this type of therapy presents unique problems of its own. Often the effects of somatic cell therapy are short-lived. Because the cells of most tissues ultimately die and are replaced by new cells, repeated treatments over the course of the individual's life span are required to maintain the therapeutic effect. Transporting the gene to the target cells or tissue is also problematic. Regardless of these difficulties, however, somatic cell gene therapy is appropriate and acceptable for many disorders, including cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, cancer, and certain infectious diseases. Clinicians can even perform this therapy in utero, potentially correcting or treating a life-threatening disorder that may significantly impair a baby's health or development if not treated before birth.

Research Issues

Scientific and ethical discussions about gene therapy began many years ago, but it was not until 1990 that the first approved human gene therapy clinical trial was initiated. This clinical trial was conducted on a rare autoimmune disorder called severe combined immune deficiency. This therapy was considered successful because it greatly improved the health and well-being of the few individuals who were treated during the trial. However, the success of the therapy was tentative, because along with the gene therapy the patients also continued receiving their traditional drug therapy. This made it difficult to determine the true effectiveness of the gene therapy on its own, as distinct from the effects of the more traditional therapy.

Measuring the success of treatment is just one challenge of gene therapy. Research is fraught with practical and ethical challenges. As with clinical trials for drugs, the purpose of human gene therapy clinical trials is to determine if the therapy is safe, what dose is effective, how the therapy should be administered, and if the therapy works. Diseases are chosen for research based on the severity of the disorder (the more severe the disorder, the more likely it is that it will be a good candidate for experimentation), the feasibility of treatment, and predicted success of treatment based on animal models. This sounds reasonable. However, imagine you or your child has a serious condition for which no other treatment is available. How objective would your decision be about participating in the research?

Informed Consent

A hallmark of ethical medical research is informed consent. The informed consent process educates potential research subjects about the purpose of the gene therapy clinical trial, its risks and benefits, and what is involved in participation. The process should provide enough information for the potential research subjects to decide if they want to participate. It is important both to consider the safety of the experimental treatment and to understand the risks and benefits to the subjects. In utero gene therapy has the added complexity of posing risks not only to the fetus, but also to the pregnant woman. Further, voluntary consent is imperative. Gene therapy may be the only possible treatment, or the treatment of last resort, for some individuals. In such cases, it becomes questionable whether the patient can truly be said to make a voluntary decision to participate in the trial.

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Gene Therapy: Ethical Issues: Information from Answers.com

San Jose, California (PRWEB) January 02, 2014

Follow us on LinkedIn DNA Gene chips or DNA microarrays are small chips that are engrafted with DNA molecules. This advanced approach allows researchers to compare gene expressions in multiple cell types, identify active or switched-off genes, and compare various active genes under different settings. The growing focus on genetic testing and screening against a backdrop of increasing popularity of personalized medicine, is expected to drive demand for DNA gene chips. Growing popularity of preventive healthcare practices is also expected to help expand the use of DNA gene chips in preventative genetic diagnostics.

The trend report titled DNA Gene Chips announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., is a focused research paper which provides cursory insights into the technology, its evolution, applications, and future prospects, in addition to providing coverage on corporate initiatives of key companies worldwide. The report also provides global market estimates and projections for DNA & Gene Chip (Microarray) in US dollars for years 2012 through 2017. Also covered are companies such as Affymetrix Inc., Agilent Technologies Inc., Illumina Inc., and Sequenom Inc., among others.

For more details about this trend report, please visit http://www.strategyr.com/TrendReport.asp?code=146088.

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a leading publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide. Annually, GIA publishes more than 1300 full-scale research reports and analyzes 40,000+ market and technology trends while monitoring more than 126,000 Companies worldwide. Serving over 9500 clients in 27 countries, GIA is recognized today, as one of the world's largest and reputed market research firms.

Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Telephone: 408-528-9966 Fax: 408-528-9977 Email: press(at)StrategyR(dot)com Web Site: http://www.StrategyR.com/

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Increasing Investments in Molecular Biology Research Drives the Market for DNA Gene Chips, According to a New Trend ...

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2-Jan-2014

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, January 2, 2014Minority women tend to be less aware of the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) they face by being overweight or obese. The results of a study that compared Hispanic and non-Hispanic white women based on their knowledge of heart disease risk factors and their perceptions of their own weight is published in Journal of Women's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Women's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jwh.

Elsa-Grace Giardina, MD and coauthors, Columbia University Medical Center (New York, NY), report that although awareness of CVD and recognition that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the U.S has increased, knowledge of these risk factors still remains low among minority women, making prevention efforts more difficult. The authors compared how women estimate their weight and view their risk of heart disease and present their findings in the article "Cardiovascular Disease Knowledge and Weight Perception Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Women."

"Based on these findings, prevention strategies need to target CVD knowledge and awareness among overweight and obese Hispanic women," says Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women's Health, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women's Health, Richmond, VA, and President of the Academy of Women's Health.

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About the Journal

Journal of Women's Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women. The Journal covers the latest advances and clinical applications of new diagnostic procedures and therapeutic protocols for the prevention and management of women's healthcare issues. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Women's Health website at http://www.liebertpub.com/jwh. Journal of Women's Health is the Official Journal of the Academy of Women's Health and the Society for Women's Health Research.

About the Academy

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Hispanic women are less aware of weight and heart disease risk

Jan. 1, 2014 A novel breast-cancer therapy that partially reverses the cancerous state in cultured breast tumor cells and prevents cancer development in mice, could one day provide a new way to treat early stages of the disease without resorting to surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, a multi-institutional team led by researchers from the Wyss Institute of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University reported January 1 in Science Translational Medicine.

The therapy emerged from a sophisticated effort to reverse-engineer gene networks to identify genes that drive cancer. The same strategy could lead to many new therapies that disable cancer-causing genes no current drugs can stop, and it also can be used to find therapies for other diseases.

"The findings open up the possibility of someday treating patients who have a genetic propensity for cancer, which could change people's lives and alleviate great anxiety," said Don Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., Wyss Institute Founding Director. "The idea would be start giving it early on and sustain treatment throughout life to prevent cancer development or progression." Ingber is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Between breast self-exams, mammograms, MRIs, and genetic tests, more women than ever are undergoing early tests that reveal precancerous breast tissue. That early diagnosis could potentially save lives; however, few of those lesions go on to become tumors and doctors have no good way of predicting which ones will. As a result, many women currently undergo surgery, chemotherapy and radiation who might never develop the disease. What's more, some women with a high hereditary risk of breast cancer have chosen to undergo preemptive mastectomies.

A therapy that heals rather than kills cancerous tissue could potentially help all these patients, as well as men who develop the disease. But to date the only way to stop cancer cells has been to kill them. Unfortunately, the treatments that accomplish that, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, often damage healthy tissue, causing harsh side effects.

The Wyss Institute researchers thought they could do better by spotting new genes that drive breast cancer and developing targeted genetic therapies to block them. First they had to identify the culprit genes among the thousands that are active in a cell at any moment. Molecular biologists typically convict these culprits through guilt by association; for example, when looking for cancer-causing genes, they search for individual genes that become active as cancer develops. But because genes in cells work in complex networks, that approach has led to some false convictions, with innocent genes being fingered for crimes they did not commit.

To improve the odds of finding the real culprits, Ingber teamed up with Wyss Institute Core Faculty member Jim Collins, Ph.D., a systems biology expert who has developed a sophisticated mathematical and computational method to reverse-engineer bacterial gene networks. Collins is a Core Faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the William F. Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University, where he leads the Center of Synthetic Biology.

First, Hu Li, Ph.D. a former Wyss Institute postdoctoral fellow who is now an Assistant Professor of Systems Pharmacology at the Mayo Clinic, honed the computational network to work for the first time on the more complex gene networks of mice and humans. The refined method helped the scientists spot more than 100 genes that acted suspiciously just before milk-duct cells in the breast begin to overgrow. The team narrowed their list down to six genes that turn other genes on or off, and then narrowed it further to a single gene called HoxA1 that had the strongest statistical link to cancer.

The researchers wanted to know if blocking the HoxA1 gene could reverse cancer in lab-grown cells from mouse milk ducts. Amy Brock, Ph.D., a former Wyss Institute postdoctoral fellow who is now an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin, grew healthy mouse or human mammary-gland cells in a nutrient-rich, tissue-friendly gel. Healthy cells ensconced in the gel formed hollow spheres of cells akin to a normal milk duct. But cancerous cells, in contrast, packed together into solid, tumor-like spheres.

Brock treated cancerous cells with a short piece of RNA called a small interfering RNA (siRNA) that blocks only the HoxA1 gene. The cells reversed their march to malignancy, stopping their runaway growth and forming hollow balls as healthy cells do. What's more, they specialized as if they were growing in healthy tissue.

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Novel non-invasive therapy prevents breast cancer formation in mice

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