Archive for the ‘Gene Therapy Research’ Category

Adoptive Cell Therapy for Cancer
Presented by Jeffrey Weber, MD February, 2012.

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Stemlogix Stem Cell Therapy Heals Angie the Chimp!
A year ago Stemlogix donated its stem cell technology to veterinarians in Florida to treat a rescue chimpanzee at the "Save The Chimps" facility named Angie. Angie was suffering from an ACL...

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And of course, the human gene.

The human gene?

How is that even possible? Could you patent a cat's whiskers? A cloud formation? A comb-over for a balding man? (Ah, well, yes, there is a comb-over patent out there somewhere.)

The idea that the essence of our biology could be patented in the manner of an alarm clock or windshield wiper, however, came as a shock to the many of us who don't follow the legal struggles of the biotech world. Yet gene patents have existed for 30 years.

Until, that is, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously declared last week that the natural human gene cannot be commercially owned.

Many of us were unaware that this was even a thing until last month, when Angelina Jolie announced that she had opted for a double mastectomy after discovering she carries a genetic mutation that gave her an 87% chance of developing breast cancer and a 50% chance of ovarian cancer at some point in her life. She had discovered her risk after taking an expensive test developed by Myriad Genetics, the Utah firm whose gene patents were the subject of the Supreme Court decision.

"The cost of testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, at more than $3,000 in the United States, remains an obstacle for many women," Jolie wrote in the New York Times.

Her mild critique unleashed a whiff of unseemliness about the cost of the BRACAnalysis test, as many women especially the uninsured came forward to say they were at risk but could not afford to take it.

Why is the test so expensive? There's no competition; Myriad has a zealously enforced monopoly.

After Jolie's bombshell essay ran, Myriad went into something of a defensive crouch, insisting the great majority of its tests are covered by health insurance. The company said it has provided financial assistance to 5,000 women who could not afford the fee.

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Human gene patenting is a thing most of us aren't ready for

Washington, June 16 (ANI): Researchers have identified two gene variants that may predict which women are likely to benefit from a long-term drug treatment that can cut the risk of developing the disease in half.

The work represents a major step toward truly individualized breast cancer prevention in women at high risk for the disease based on their age, family history of breast cancer, and personal medical history.

The study's lead scientist, James N. Ingle, M.D., professor of oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, said that their study reveals the first known genetic factors that can help predict which high-risk women should be offered breast cancer prevention treatment and which women should be spared any unnecessary expense and risk from taking these medications.

He said that they also discovered new info about how the drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene work to prevent breast cancer.

Ingle and Mayo-based colleagues in the NIH Pharmacogenomics Research Network (PGRN) conducted the study in collaboration with PGRN-affiliated researchers at the RIKEN Center for Genomic Medicine in Tokyo.

Data and patient DNA came from the long-running National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), supported by the National Cancer Institute.

The scientists analyzed the genomic data by focusing on more than 500,000 genetic markers called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Each SNP represents a single variation in the DNA sequence at a particular location within the genome.

To determine whether any SNPs were associated with breast cancer risk, the researchers computationally searched for SNPs that occurred more commonly in women who developed breast cancer during the trial than in women who remained free of the disease. The analysis identified two such SNPs-one in a gene called ZNF423 and the other near a gene called CTSO.

Neither ZNF423 nor CTSO-nor any SNPs related to these genes-had previously been associated with breast cancer or response to the preventive drugs. The scientists' work revealed that women with the beneficial version of the two SNPs were 5.71 times less likely to develop breast cancer while taking preventive drugs than were women with neither advantageous SNP.

Using a variety of biochemical studies, the scientists learned that ZNF423 and CTSO act by affecting the activity of BRCA1, a known breast cancer risk gene. Healthy versions of BRCA1 reduce disease by repairing a serious form of genetic damage. Harmful versions of BRCA1 dramatically increase a woman's chance of developing breast cancer.

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Gene variants to predict women benefitting from breast cancer prevention drugs

From an editorial in Fridays Washington Post:

No, a unanimous Supreme Court ruled Thursday, genes cannot be patented, no matter how much effort a company expends in finding them. It is the right call but cant be the last word. Congress must explore how to encourage useful genetic research while allowing the fruits of that inquiry to be used as freely as possible.

At issue before the court was a series of patents that the biotechnology firm Myriad Genetics obtained on two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. Certain mutations of these genes are associated with a much higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The company sorted through the massive strand of genetic code to find them and determine what they look like normally. This knowledge allows doctors and medical researchers to determine whether a persons genes look different in ways that indicate that higher risk of illness. With the patents in place, only Myriad or those to whom the company gave permission were allowed to isolate and examine the genes.

The problem with that, according to the court, is that Myriad did not create anything.

Groundbreaking, innovative, or even brilliant discovery does not by itself warrant patent exclusivity, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court, if the resulting discovery is a naturally occurring thing. Isaac Newton couldnt have patented the apple he watched fall off that tree, nor the theory of gravity he subsequently developed.

Supporters of the courts stand say that unwarranted patent barriers will no longer impede valuable genetic research or the practice of individualized medicine. Since patent claims have been made on something like 4,000 of the 23,000 human genes, it could have been extremely costly to sort through a patients genetic code to determine the particular medical risks that person faces. Following the ruling, doctors and researchers wont face a thicket of gene patents, and patients will now be able to get second opinions from different genetic-analysis firms.

Those benefits are compelling. But policymakers must also keep in mind the extensive effort, as Thomas put it, of companies such as Myriad that has enabled doctors and researchers to know what to look for. The company can rightly claim its work has advanced womens health.

Congress should examine whether government-funded research and persisting market opportunities are enough to motivate genetic research, or whether it should offer more narrowly drawn patents, prize money or other new incentives for companies to continue sorting through the genome.

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Court makes right call, but encourage genetic research

DNA Genetics Hash Plant Haze More 2013 Outdoor Premiere!!!
Quick 2 minute vids will be made with this series, Dna genetics Hashplant Haze, 2 females, 68 days from seed and 4 feet tall!!! Also a few other re-vegging p...

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DNA Genetics Hash Plant Haze

Pride, Prejudice and Molecular Genetics
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KANDY KUSH X LA CON Voyagers Coffeeshop (DNA Genetics) Amsterdam Weed Review
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The Genetics of NF2
The NF Network is pleased to present an all new captioned webinar "The Genetics of NF2", presented by renowned UK Geneticist, Dr. Gareth Evans. Dr. Evans pra...

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NEW YORK, June 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing. To receive these updates by email, send a note to profnet@profnet.com with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition.

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EXPERT ALERTS:

Supreme Court Decision on Human Gene Patents Lori Andrews Professor IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law "The Supreme Court has liberated human genes. This decision is great news for patients, doctors, and scientific researchers. Half of geneticists were impeded in their research by gene patents. Now they can begin the search for cures." In Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., the U.S. Supreme Court held that human genes were not patentable since they are products of nature and not inventions. Andrews filed amicus briefs in the trial court, appellate court and the U.S. Supreme Court representing medical organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Society of Human Genetics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She argued that a patent on genes was not only legally inappropriate, but also a threat to public health. For the past 10 years, Andrews has studied the impact of gene patents on health care and scientific research, receiving grants from the federal Department of Energy Human Genome Project and from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Expert Contact: landrews@kentlaw.iit.edu Media Contact: Gwendolyn Osborne, gosborne@kentlaw.iit.edu

SCOTUS Gene Patent Case Barbara Evans Co-director, Health Law & Policy Institute University of Houston Law Center "The decision makes sense, but it is a major change that has the potential to upset business expectations of biotech firms that have structured their businesses on the assumption that genes are patentable. One hears dire forecasts that invalidating gene patents will put a halt to biotechnology investment and innovation. Frankly, those fears seem overblown." Evans is available to explain the issues involved in the case, as well as what it means for research companies and the average citizen after the U.S. Supreme ruled that companies cannot patent human genes. Media Contact: Carrie Criado, cacriado@central.uh.edu

Unanimous Supreme Court Decision on Patent Case Sapna Kumar Assistant Professor of Law University of Houston Law Center "We expected there to be a divided opinion from the Supreme Court on this issue. At oral argument, there wasn't a consensus regarding how to promote innovation while prohibiting something from nature to be patented. Instead, the Supreme Court issued a decisive opinion, where it unanimously held that isolated DNA is not to be patentable under the Patent Act. I think that several of us were expecting the court to use a fuzzy balancing test instead." Kumar is available to speak about the Supreme Court's decision in the gene patent case. Media Contact: John T. Kling, jtkling@central.uh.edu

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ProfNet Experts Available on Gene Patent Case, Lactation Discrimination

Public release date: 14-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Oihane Lakar Iraizoz o.lakar@elhuyar.com 34-943-363-040 Elhuyar Fundazioa

In a piece of work carried out by the Carbohydrate Metabolism Research Team of the Institute of Agrobiotechnology (a centre jointly owned by the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre, the Spanish National Scientific Research Council-CSIC, and the Government of Navarre), the discovery has been made of the way in which the glgS gene (now renamed as the "surface composition regulator", scoR) acts in bacteria and how the mechanisms involved in bacterial infection can be altered by manipulating this gene, which indirectly affects glycogen production. The finding has been protected through the application for a patent and the exploiting of it is now pending a response from institutions or companies prepared to develop it. Thanks to this discovery, the researchers received the top prize in the 9th International Medical Congress in the category of "Genetics and Molecular Biology" held in Warsaw recently.

As Javier Pozueta, director of the Carbohydrate Metabolism Research Team that carried out the work, explained, "We can say that we may have found an additional way of combating bacterial infections and contamination by encouraging the formation of glycogen in bacteria. Now we know that by altering the glycogen producing machinery, we can in turn alter the capacity of the bacteria to move, stick to a cell or to the surfaces of tubes, catheters, etc."

The 9th International Medical Congress held in Warsaw from 9 to 12 May drew 1,400 researchers from all over the world and 700 pieces of work were presented. The researcher Mehdi Rahimpour attended on behalf of the research team of the Institute of Agrobiotechnology (IdAB). Together with Dr Manuel Montero, he was the main architect of the winning piece of research. The research has recently been published in the Biochemical Journal and is based on the PhD thesis that Rahimpour read last February at the NUP/UPNA-Public University of Navarre and for which he was awarded the maximum grade. This researcher, who is of Iranian origin, has studied the mechanism of the action of the glgS gene in Escherichia coli bacteria and in various Salmonella species, which in certain cases can cause diseases and acute symptoms in humans.

Glycogen is a reserve material that bacteria can avail themselves of. The team's researchers led by Prof Pozueta had previously identified and characterised the genes directly involved in glycogen production in E. coli. Contrary to what was believed, they were able to prove that the glgS gene did not play a part in this process. So what was it for? This was the subject of Mehdi Rahimpour's PhD thesis.

To immobilise bacteria

To understand the way in which the glgS gene acts, you have to bear in mind the structure of bacteria. As the researcher points out, bacteria have something akin to oars or arms (flagella) that are used for moving; they also have some appendices called fimbriae which enable them to stick or adhere to the cells which host them; and a protective capsule or shield made up of polysaccharides. To create all these elements and to enable the bacteria to move, they need energy (provided by the ATP molecule) and sugar. "GlgS acts as a brake," points out Rahimpour. We realised that by altering the expression of the glgS, the creation of these structures is altered and, indirectly, the production of glycogen because it also needs sugar and energy. In circumstances in which the creation of flagella and components of the capsule is boosted, the bacteria consume large quantities of energy to move as well as sugars, so they will not have sufficient raw material available to produce glycogen. And vice versa: in circumstances in which the creation of flagella, fimbriae and components of the capsule is repressed, the bacteria will lose their capacity to move and become adhered to surfaces, and the surplus of energy and sugar will be devoted to producing glycogen.

In short, the research team has discovered that there is an inverse correlation between glycogen production and the production of structures involved in bacterial pathogenicity. "In our case we found that the alteration in the expression of glgS, which is only present in the group of enterobacteria (E. coli, species of the Salmonella genus, Yersinia pestis, etc.), has an effect on the production of structures involved in bacterial pathogenicity which, indirectly, affects the capacity to produce glycol gen. "The finding may provide clues to future strategies for combating bacterial infections by modulating glycogen production, a substance that many bacteria of all kinds can accumulate.

Resistance to antibiotics

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Discovery of how a gene that regulates factors involved in bacteria pathogenicity acts

A new study has pinpointed a single gene that appears to both strengthen the heart without exercise and halt the spread of breast cancer.

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University found that the gene HEXIM1, discovered in 2012, not only suppressed the spread of breast cancer in mouse models, but also made the mices hearts healthier. with respect to enhanced strength and size.

Normally, exercise helps to strengthen the heart and increase its size. However, researchers found that when the HEXIM1 gene was re-expressed in adult mouse hearts, their hearts grew in weight and size - without exercise. Researchers say this discovery has the potential to help treat people with cardiovascular disease.

"Our Cleveland-based collaborative research teams revealed that increasing HEXIM1 levels brought normal functioning hearts up to an athletic level, which could perhaps stand up to the physical insults of various cardiovascular diseases," said Michiko Watanabe, professor of pediatrics, genetics, and anatomy at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and director of Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Research at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.

Common cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and heart failure create a shortage of both oxygen and necessary nutrients in the heart muscles, preventing blood from circulating at a satisfactory rate. This ultimately results in a distended heart, which can continually grow weaker and has the potential to stop at any given moment.

However, researchers showed that the artificial enhancement of HEXIM1 led to increased blood vessel growth and enhanced overall functionality of the heart. In essence, HEXIM1 could potentially serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of heart disease.

Researchers also found that HEXIM1 increased the number and density of blood vessels in the heart, decreased the animals resting heart rates and allowed the transgenic heart to circulate more blood per heartbeat. The study also demonstrated that untrained genetically altered mice with the HEXIM1 gene were capable of running twice as long compared to unaltered mice.

Lead researcher Monica Montano, associate professor of pharmacology, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center member, and creator of the mice for the heart and breast cancer research, was very proud of the researchs findings.

"Our promising discovery reveals the potential for HEXIM1 to kill two birds with one stone potentially circumventing heart disease as well as cancer, the country's leading causes of death," Montano stated.

The studys results add to previous findings from the teams research, which revealed last year that increasing levels of HEXIM1 expression led to the inhibition of breast cancer metastasis. Given the discovery of the genes two therapeutic benefits, the researchers are currently developing a more potent version of the drug hexamethylene-bisacetamide, which is meant to enhance HEXIM1 expression.

Read more here:
Newly discovered gene strengthens heart, fights breast tumors

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers have found a gene they say can help identify patients facing aggressive liver cancer, and may prove key to their future treatment.

This is good news in a field "that has not had big advances before this and has not been the beneficiary of genomic medicine," said Dr. Richard Goldberg, a professor of medicine at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The new laboratory study focused on hepatocellular carcinoma, a type of cancer that originates in the liver, particularly in people who have sustained liver damage from diseases such as hepatitis or cirrhosis, said Goldberg, who was not involved in the research. The findings open the possibility of targeted drugs that would outperform the standard drug treatment in use now, he said.

Some patients with hepatocellular carcinoma -- the most common form of liver cancer -- appear to have overactivity of a gene that is most often linked to embryonic stem cells and early human development, according to the study, published June 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Those patients had a worse prognosis than other patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, wrote the lead authors from the National University of Singapore.

Further, blocking the gene -- called SALL4 -- appeared to help stop the cancer's spread, the researchers said.

Dr. Snorri Thorgeirsson, chief of the Laboratory of Experimental Carcinogenesis with the Center for Cancer Research at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, considers the new findings significant. "They found that if they inhibited SALL4, they were able to slow the growth of the cancer quite drastically," said Thorgeirsson. "They did this in lab cultures and in animal testing. It's pretty impressive they were able to show this."

Liver cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. More than 700,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer each year throughout the world, and it accounts for more than 600,000 deaths annually, according to the American Cancer Society. Overall, the five-year survival rate from liver cancer is about 15 percent.

SALL4 has previously been linked to leukemia and other types of cancer, according to the study authors.

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Scientists ID Gene Linked to Aggressive Liver Cancer

June 14, 2013

April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Many students are not diagnosed with dyslexia and other learning disabilities until high school, making treatments less effective. A new study of the genetic origins of these conditions by the Yale School of Medicine could allow for earlier diagnoses and more successful interventions.

The research team, led by Jeffrey R. Gruen, MD, professor of pediatrics, genetics and investigative medicine at Yale, analyzed data from more than 10,000 children born in 1991-1992. The children were part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) conducted by investigators at the University of Bristol in the UK.

The ALSPAC data was used to unravel the genetic components of reading and verbal language. During this process, the team identified genetic variants that can predispose children to dyslexia and language impairment. Understanding this predisposition increases the likelihood of earlier diagnosis and more effective treatments.

The development of reading and verbal language skills is difficult with dyslexia and language impairment, which are both common learning disabilities. Both of these disabilities are known to have significant genetic components, but until now determining the root cause had been difficult.

Prior research by Gruen and his team revealed that dopamine-related genes ANKK1 and DRD2 are involved in language processing. Further studies showed prenatal exposure to nicotine has a strong negative effect on both reading and language processing, as well as identifying a gene called DCDC2 that is linked to dyslexia.

The current study looked deeper within the DCDC2 gene, attempting to pinpoint the specific parts of the gene responsible for dyslexia and language impairment. Within the DCDC2 gene, the team found that some variants of a gene regulator called READ1 (regulatory element associated with dyslexia1) are associated with problems in reading performance while other variants are strongly associated with problems in verbal language performance.

According to Gruen, these variants interact with a second dyslexia risk gene called KIAA0319. When you have risk variants in both READ1 and KIAA0319, it can have a multiplier effect on measures of reading, language, and IQ, he said. People who have these variants have a substantially increased likelihood of developing dyslexia or language impairment.

These findings are helping us to identify the pathways for fluent reading, the components of those pathways; and how they interact, said Gruen. We now hope to be able to offer a pre-symptomatic diagnostic panel, so we can identify children at risk before they get into trouble at school. Almost three-quarters of these children will be reading at grade level if they get early intervention, and we know that intervention can have a positive lasting effect.

Excerpt from:
Unraveling The Mystery Of Dyslexia Through Genetic Research

Washington, June 14 (ANI): Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered genetic variants that can predispose children to dyslexia and language impairment, increasing the likelihood of earlier diagnosis and more effective interventions.

Many students now are not diagnosed until high school, at which point treatments are less effective.

Senior author Jeffrey R. Gruen, M.D., professor of pediatrics, genetics, and investigative medicine at Yale, and colleagues analyzed data from more than 10,000 children born in 1991-1992 who were part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) conducted by investigators at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

Dyslexia and language impairment are common learning disabilities that make reading and verbal language skills difficult. Both disorders have a substantial genetic component, but despite years of study, determining the root cause had been difficult.

In previous studies, Gruen and his team found that dopamine-related genes ANKK1 and DRD2 are involved in language processing. In further non-genetic studies, they found that prenatal exposure to nicotine has a strong negative affect on both reading and language processing. They had also previously found that a gene called DCDC2 was linked to dyslexia.

In this new study, Gruen and colleagues looked deeper within the DCDC2 gene to pinpoint the specific parts of the gene that are responsible for dyslexia and language impairment. They found that some variants of a gene regulator called READ1 (regulatory element associated with dyslexia1) within the DCDC2 gene are associated with problems in reading performance while other variants are strongly associated with problems in verbal language performance.

Gruen said these variants interact with a second dyslexia risk gene called KIAA0319.

"When you have risk variants in both READ1 and KIAA0319, it can have a multiplier effect on measures of reading, language, and IQ. People who have these variants have a substantially increased likelihood of developing dyslexia or language impairment," he said.

Gruen hopes that the finding will allow them to offer a pre-symptomatic diagnostic panel, so they can identify children at risk before they get into trouble at school.

The study is published online and in the July print issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics. (ANI)

Original post:
Genetic origins of dyslexia and language impairment unraveled

OMICS Group Incorporation Acquires Journal of Molecular and Genetic Medicine from LibPubMedia

OMICS Group Incorporation announces acquisition of Journal of Molecular and Genetic Medicine (JMGM) from the Library Publishing Media.

The deal was signed between Dr. Srinu Babu Gedela, CEO, OMICS Group Inc., and Dr. Muhammad Sohail, CEO, Library Publishing Media. Both organizations are working together to strengthen bonds for long-term future relationship.

Journal of Molecular and Genetic Medicine (JMGM) offers its scholarly publishing to PubMed and PubMed Central. The journal stands as one of its own kind by publishing high quality articles and exploring the vast discipline of Genetics and Molecular Biology. Started in 2005, it fosters communication between academic research and interdisciplinary commerce of medicine. Burgeoning the Open Access publishing, JMGM enumerates OMICSs vision of dissemination of scientific and healthcare knowledge.

Journal of Molecular and Genetic Medicine (JMGM) will particularly focus on biomedical issues of the developing world, centralizing research on malaria, HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and microbial diseases. OMICS Group like its other publishings will continue using peculiar Peer-review methodologies and using Editorial Manager System for the same.

JMGM is available online and freely accessible over the internet under the running Open Access Policy of OMICS Group. Dr. Muhammad Sohail continues to be the Editor in Chief of the respective journal and offer his timely presence and attention for amplifying this collaboration.

I am extremely happy and delighted to have JMGM join OMICS family wherein the journal will add value to our readers and I am confident that it is not very far that I can abolish the knowledge barriers, says Dr. Srinu Babu Gedela.

More about OMICS Group Incorporation: OMICS Group Inc. was founded in 2007, by Dr. Srinu Babu Gedela. With a vision of making healthcare and scientific information Open Access, OMICS hosts more than 300 journals under its vast umbrella. To support the scientific information and vice versa, OMICS organizes around 100 conferences worldwide each year. With more than 22,000 editorial board members being a structural backbone of the organization, OMICS is running on a path of continuous evolution since then. OMICS has started new initiatives: SciTechnol, E-Books, Scholars Central, Clinical and Expert Database, Biosafety Protocols, and E-BABE.

More about Library Publishing Media: Library Publishing Media was started in 2005 by Dr. Muhammad Sohail. Being an Open Access Publisher LibPubMedia Ltd hosts two Open Access and Peer-reviewed journals excluding JMGM: Journal of Venom research and Journal of RNAi and Gene Silencing. To support various scientific information published under their syndicate, they organize conferences in Oxford University with the idea and objective of strengthening communication between the eminent scientists, academic researchers and business conglomerates.

Contact To learn more about this merger, please contact- Name: John Benson Email: contact.omics@omicsonline.org

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OMICS Group Incorporation Acquires Journal of Molecular and Genetic Medicine from LibPubMedia

GENESIS/ FOXTROT interpretado por Genetics (ex Rael).
Genetics plays Foxtrot (Genesis), show completo en ND Ateneo, 22 de noviembre 2012. Buenos Aires, Argentina.

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GENESIS/ FOXTROT interpretado por Genetics (ex Rael). - Video

Savage Genetics Silent Hill Dubstep Remix) MEP (REDDRAGONSTUDIOZ) - My part (REUPLOAD)
REUPLOAD OF MY OLD AMV ON MY NEW CHANNEL. This is my part of REDDRAGONSTUDIOZ Silent Hill (Dubstep Remix) MEP Band: Savage Genetics Song: Silent Hill (Dubstep Remix) Anime: Sword of...

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Savage Genetics Silent Hill Dubstep Remix) MEP (REDDRAGONSTUDIOZ) - My part (REUPLOAD) - Video

Joel Garreau on Genetics and Robotics
Joel Garreau, Journalist of The Washington Post and Author of Radical Evolution, talks about the genetics and robotics of the GRIN Technologies.

By: csisdc

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Joel Garreau on Genetics and Robotics - Video

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Myriad Genetics upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities

The Smithsonian's 'Genome: Unlocking Life's Code' exhibit.

When the National Institutes of Health approached the Smithsonian Institute about doing a human genome exhibit at the Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. in 2011, the NIH thought it had good timing: 2013 marks the 10th anniversary of the sequencing of the human genome, and the 60th anniversary of James Watson and Francis Crick's discovery of DNA's structure.

Little did the people behind the exhibit know that when they decided to open the it, genomics would be a topic of national conversation and DNA-based ancestry projects. Visitors in Washington will get a chance to see the 29,000-square-foot exhibit starting today.

In the past few weeks, the Supreme Court has ruled on two landmark cases involving human genetics: On June 3, the court ruled that law enforcement could take DNA swabs of anyone who has been arrested, a decision that could open the door for the creation of a national DNA criminal database. On Thursday, the court ruled that naturally occurring human DNA is inherently not patentable.

[READ: Supreme Court: Human Genes Can't Be Patented]

"Genomics raises a lot of really interesting social questions in people's minds," says Kirk Johnson, director of the museum. "It's a regular drumbeat in the news. We're trying to arm people with the basic understanding of this so they can understand the challenges and make their own decisions."

Some of those challenges include the moral implications of human cloning, genetic engineering, prenatal genetic testing and the creation of genetically modified organisms.

But creating an engaging museum exhibit about genetics isn't exactly easy: Even when magnified to hundreds of times its microscopic size, DNA is, at its heart, a series of bonded chemicals. The best visual representation of it is a bunch of A's, C's, T's and G's (for adenine, cytosine, thymine and guanine, respectively, the four "nucleic acids" that make up every single living thing on Earth).

"It's not quite looking at a dinosaur," says Eric Green, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH, which headed the Human Genome Project. "We had to bring it to life; we had to make it engaging for the middle school visitor."

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Smithsonian Opens Genetics Exhibit

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida (VGTI Florida) has launched its new and innovative website and invites visitors to explore and learn more about how the Institute is Translating Research Into Health.

The new website, at http://www.vgtifl.org, features vibrant graphics, informative and heartwarming videos, in-depth information on VGTI Florida researchers and their laboratories, and features news and events occurring at the Institute.

We are so excited to be able to have our website visitors virtually meet our principal investigators and learn of their individual research focus, showcase our scientific capabilities in genomics and bioinformatics, and share our community outreach activities with the public, said Catherine E. Vorwald, Executive Director of Marketing and Business Development at VGTI Florida. Our philanthropic donation section streamlines giving and makes it more convenient to participate in the improvement of global health through supporting VGTI Florida research."

Each page highlights the Institute with short videos that offer insight into important research at the Institute by the world-class principal investigators working towards cures for infectious diseases including influenza and HIV/AIDS, the effect of advancing age on the human immune system, and cancer immunotherapies.

The debut of this new website is an important step in the growth of VGTI Florida because it tells our story in a meaningful way, said Mel Rothberg, COO at VGTI Florida. We are really thrilled to have this new conduit of information showcasing the work being done at the Institute.

VGTI Floridas new website will be routinely updated, offering fresh new information for repeat visitors. The site will host a myriad of ways to get involved with the Institute - from community outreach and educational programs, such as the VGTI Florida student programs, Speaker Seminar Series, Symposia, and large community events like BioBall.

Pioneering the design and functionality of the new website was FCEdge, located in Port St. Lucie, FL. The West Palm Beach-based company Ko-Mar Productions filmed the video content mainly on-site at VGTI Florida.

About VGTI Florida:

VGTI Florida is an independent immunological research institute that is on an urgent mission to transform scientific discoveries into novel treatments and cures for existing and emerging infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS and influenza, cancer, and the aging immune system. VGTI Florida is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization located in the Tradition Center for Innovation in Port St. Lucie, Florida. For more information, please visit http://www.VGTIFL.org. VGTI Florida, Translating Research Into Health, and BioBall are Registered Trademarks of the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida.

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VGTI Florida Announces the Launch of Its New Website

Findings may contribute towards improving treatment for other types of cancers such as leukemia, ovarian, endometrial, gastric, breast and lung cancers

Newswise Singapore, 13 June 2013 Latest research findings by scientists at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) could enable early screening of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a major form of liver cancer, for more aggressive treatment to improve survival rate. The researchers have also proposed a way to inactivate SALL4 - a stem cell gene - to kill HCC cells and block tumour formation.

The NUS research group was led by Professor Daniel Tenen, Director of CSI Singapore, and the study was conducted in collaboration with the Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, the National University Health System (NUHS), Queen Mary Hospital Hong Kong, Queens University Belfast and Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Two patent applications have been filed for this work and the group's findings were reported in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine on 13 June 2013.

The findings may lead to the development of personalised treatments and targeted therapeutics for HCC. As SALL4 is also with associated other types of cancers such as leukaemia and other solid tumors including ovarian, endometrial, gastric, breast and lung cancers, the findings could contribute towards improving the treatment of such diseases.

High Mortality Rate of Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. In Singapore, it is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer. As most liver cancer cases are diagnosed at a late stage, treatment remains abysmal, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10 percent.

Current treatment of liver cancer is based solely on its clinical features. Recognising the need to understand the molecular pathogenesis of the fatal disease, Prof Tenen and his team investigated the molecular characteristics of tumours.

Commenting on the significance of their work, Prof Tenen said, Surgical resection is the most viable treatment option for liver cancer. However, only early stage liver tumors are resectable, and most HCCs present at late stage and are not resectable. Combination chemotherapy has been used for the treatment of liver cancer for many years, yet the overall survival rate has not seen much improvement. What urgently needs to be addressed is the development of more effective targeted therapies, and this is where our research comes in.

SALL4 - Genetic Marker for Prognosis of HCC

SALL4 is a stem cell gene that is expressed abundantly in the livers of human fetuses, but is inactive in non-cancerous adult livers. In particular, the expression of SALL4 is associated with a more aggressive subgroup of HCC.

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New Discoveries Pave the Way for Early Screening of Liver Cancer Patients for Targeted Therapy

The Supreme Court unanimously agreed that companies can't own natural DNA, but Thursday's ambiguous yet far-reaching ruling also said manipulated genes could be patented.

The case, Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics (MYGN), challenged Myriad's patenting of genes it isolated and turned into its BRACAnalysis test, which estimates susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer.

The case was closely watched by companies eager to protect products based on genetic research. Some doctors and scientists have argued gene patents would restrict competition and drive up costs for patients.

The court ruled that the original genes BRCA1 and BRCA2, are "products of nature" and can't be owned. But to turn the genes into usable products, Myriad synthesized them in a form called complementary DNA. The court ruled cDNA patents are valid due to the degree of manipulation involved.

Analyst Jose Haresco of JMP Securities told IBD that cDNA patent protection was likely why investors initially sent Myriad shares to a four-year high.

"That's the stuff that actually matters," he said. "It's the bridge between the naturally occurring gene and the actual product.

Rival Tests Loom

Haresco said the decision removed uncertainty over the stock since the suit was filed in 2009. Many JMP clients liked Myriad's business model and growth its EPS Rank is a strong 90 but couldn't "pull the trigger" due to the patent issue.

But competition immediately surfaced. Bio-Reference Laboratories (BRLI) said Thursday that in August it will offer "a suite of comprehensive genetic tests for inherited cancers including BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.

The tests involve next-generation gene sequencing, which Morningstar analyst Charlie Miller has flagged as a threat to Myriad's more old-school tests.

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Gene Patent Ruling Leaves Key Questions For Industry