Archive for the ‘Gene Therapy Research’ Category

Officials from the Centre for Food Safety take chickens out from cages on a truck from mainland China at a border checkpoint in Hong Kong April 11, 2013. New rapid tests for the H7N9 bird flu strain have come into effect on Thursday at the border on live poultry being brought into Hong Kong, according to a government radio report. ( Bobby Yip / Reuters)

CHICAGO -- Even as U.S. officials this week awaited the arrival of a sample of the new bird flu virus from China -- typically the first step in making a flu vaccine -- government-backed researchers had already begun testing a "seed" strain of the virus made from the genetic code posted on the Internet.

This new, faster approach is the result of a collaboration among the U.S. government, vaccine maker Novartis and a unit of the J. Craig Venter Institute, which is using synthetic biology -- in which scientists take the genetic code of the virus and use it as a recipe to build the virus from scratch.

It was an idea born in the aftermath of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, in which production delays and poor-quality seed strain slowed delivery of the vaccine until October, late enough that people were already sick with swine flu.

The new method has shaved two weeks off the vaccine-making process. It will take five to six months to ramp up production, but even weeks could make a difference in the case of a potentially deadly flu pandemic, said Robin Robinson, director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority or BARDA.

"We'll take it," said Robinson, whose agency handles pandemic preparedness as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "If the virus turns out to be a tough one, that could be very important."

At least 33 people have been infected and 10 have died from the strain of bird flu known as avian influenza A (H7N9) first found in humans last month. So far, the strain does not appear capable of being passed from person to person.

But Chinese researchers, in a report published online on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, warned that the sudden emergence of this strain of flu "may pose a serious human health risk" and said "appropriate counter measures were urgently required."

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An especially deadly strain of bird flu in 2003 known as H5N1 had already raised the threat of a global pandemic, spurring more than $2 billion in government contracts to shore up U.S. flu vaccine manufacturing capabilities.

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Genetic code used to speed progress on bird flu vaccine

Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

The new bird flu strain that has so far killed 11 people in China has been showing signs that it is quickly adapting to mammalian (particularly human) hosts, according to a new study led by Masato Tashiro of the Influenza Virus Research Center at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) in Japan, along with Yoshiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWMadison) and the University of Tokyo.

Despite the growing fears that humans are readily being affected by this new strain, with at least 40 confirmed cases of sickness, the researchers maintain that it is still too early to predict potential for a global pandemic. The research was published April 11 in the journal Eurosurveillance.

The findings were drawn from genetic analysis of the new H7N9 virus strain. Samples of the strain had been deposited into an international database by Chinese researchers hoping to get a grip on the virus early. The research results are significant, as the first cases were seen less than three weeks ago the first human cases were reported on March 31 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The research group examined the genetic sequences of H7N9 isolates from four human victims as well as samples from birds and environs of the Shanghai market where the birds were being sold.

Study coauthor Kawaoka, an avian influenza expert, said: The human isolates, but not the avian and environmental ones, have a protein mutation that allows for efficient growth in human cells and that also allows them to grow at a temperature that corresponds to the upper respiratory tract of humans, which is lower than you find in birds.

When the research news broke four days ago, human cases were at 33 illnesses with nine deaths. Todays figures confirm that cases are growing steadily, but still do not facilitate fears that a pandemic is in the making. Kawaoka said, however, that gaining access to the genetic information in the virus will help researchers understand how the virus is evolving and allowing for the development of a vaccine to prevent further infection.

Influenza depends on its ability to attach and take control of living cells in order to replicate and spread effectively. Avian bird flu rarely infects humans, but can pose a significant health risk if and when it does adapt.

These viruses possess several characteristic features of mammalian influenza viruses, which likely contribute to their ability to infect humans and raise concerns regarding their pandemic potential, Kawaoka and his colleagues said in the report.

The majority of the viruses the researchers examined in the study those that derived from both human and birds have been found to display mutations in the surface protein hemagglutinin, which the virus uses to bind to host cells. Kawaoka explained that those mutations allowed the pathogen to easily adapt to infect human cells.

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Genetic Analysis Of H7N9 Bird Flu Strain Reveals Easy Adaptation To Humans

By Pete Williams, Justice Correspondent, NBC News

In a Supreme Court test of whether a company can be granted a patent on the genes in the human body, a majority of the justices indicated during Monday's oral arguments that the court is likely to rule that a human gene cant be patented.

It would be one thing, several of the justices said during Mondays oral arguments, for a company to seek a patent on a test for breast cancer that was developed by analyzing a human gene, but it would be going too far to be awarded a patent on the gene itself.

"What's the difference between snipping off a piece of the liver or kidney, and seeking a patent on that, and seeking a patent on a piece of a gene?" asked Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Justice Samuel Alito made a different analogy, to someone seeking a patent on a plant found in the Amazon rain forest that bore leaves containing a cancer cure. "You could patent the process used to get the chemical out and the use of the result, but you cannot patent the plant," he said.

Stelios Varias / Reuters file photo

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington

The case, Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, involves a test that has helped guide more than a million women in their medical decisions. The test can determine whether the composition of their genes makes them more likely to get breast or ovarian cancer.

Myriad Genetics, a Utah company, owns patents on two parts of human genes known as BRCA 1 and BRCA 2, named for the first two letters of the words breast and cancer.

Women with mutations in those genes face up to an 85 percent risk of getting breast cancer and up to a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. Because of the patents, Myriad has a monopoly on performing all diagnostic tests related to BRCA 1 and BRCA 2.

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Can human genes be patented? Supreme Court weighs genetic test

Labrador CNM Genetic Marker Test Animal Genetics Tallahassee Fl
http://www.animalgenetics.us/

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Labrador CNM Genetic Marker Test Animal Genetics Tallahassee Fl - Video

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - Apr 15, 2013) - Atossa Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATOS), The Breast Health Company, today announced the launch of a new National Awareness Program, including a video to educate women and health care providers on the prevention of breast cancer by early testing for pre-cancerous breast conditions using The ForeCYTE Breast Health Test. The video is available on Atossa's home page at http://www.atossagenetics.com and is being distributed directly to healthcare providers nationwide.

As the first step in the awareness program, Atossa has released the new video to inform women and their doctors about Atossa's "Pap smear for the breast" for early detection of cancerous cells and pre-cancerous conditions. While mammograms can detect cancer, Atossa's test detects treatable pre-cancerous conditions in the breast up to eight years before cancer arises. In women with certain pre-cancerous changes, breast cancer incidence can be reduced by as much as 86 percentwith existing medical treatments.

In addition, women with dense breasts, whom research shows may be at a higher risk for breast cancer and for whom mammograms are often less reliable, can be tested easily with the ForeCYTE test in their healthcare providers' office.

"Early testing for certain pre-cancerous conditions of the breast that, if left untreated, can lead to breast cancer, is immensely valuable to patients and their loved ones," said Chris Destro, Vice President. "Our video(s), website, blog and interactive National Awareness Program are designed to be a new source of information for consumers and healthcare providers seeking to learn about new, non-invasive detection options, like the ForeCYTE test."

In the video, Kathryn J. Wood, M.D., F.A.C.O.G, a Board Certified OB/GYN who now uses Atossa's ForeCYTE Breast Health Test in her practice in the Dallas area, notes that early detection is key to saving lives and encourages her patients to be tested for pre-cancerous changes, which Atossa believes is important in reducing the incidence of breast cancer.

Updates to the Atossa National Awareness Program will be announced periodically and on CEO Dr. Steven Quay's blog, which can be accessed through Atossa's website at http://atossagenetics.com/blog/.

About the ForeCYTE Breast Health Test

The ForeCYTE Breast Health Test, intended for the 110 million women in the U.S. ages 18 to 73, is a painless, quick and non-invasive procedure that can be done in a physician's office. A small sample of fluid, aspirated from the nipple of each breast with the Company's modified breast pump, can provide vital early detection of cancer or pre-cancerous conditions that may progress to cancer over an approximately eight year period and before cancer can be detected by mammography or other means and without the risks of radiation, especially in women younger than age 50. No invasive biopsy needles or open surgical incisions are used in the Atossa test and the test is painless.

Just as the Pap smear has reduced cervical cancer rates by over 70 percent, becoming the most successful screening test in medicine, the goal of Atossa Genetics is to reduce the stubbornly high rate of breast cancer through the early detection of the precursor changes that can lead to breast cancer and the treatment of those early changes.

About Atossa Genetics, Inc.

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Atossa Genetics Launches Nationwide Awareness Program for Breast Cancer Prevention Test

Washington, April 14 (ANI): Some sexual assault victims who report having severe pain across multiple body regions, experience stress-induced hyperalgesia, resulting from release of endogenous opioids.

Now, a new study has shown that the presence of a genetic variant could significantly reduce pain severity associated with assault.

An initial period of analgesia is followed by delayed onset of persistent and widespread hyperalgesia. Gene variants have been associated with the u-opioid receptor and the most common variant is the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) A118G. Individuals with one or more copies of variant gene (allele) at the A118G have shown poor analgesic response to opioids.

A research team at the University of North Carolina hypothesized that activation of u-opioid receptors causes stress-induced hyperalgesia after a sexual assault and survivors with one or more copies of the variant gene at the A118G receptor would experience less receptor-mediated hyperalgesia and less pain in the initial weeks following the assault.

Women 18 years and older presenting for treatment by sexual assault nurse examiners working in ten different health systems were recruited for the study. The women were interviewed after one week and six weeks for evaluation of their pain symptoms. Genotyping was performed on all 52 study participants. The gene variant was found in 12 women (23%) and all were Caucasian.

The study results showed that the women with the gene variant resulting in reduced response to u-opioid receptor binding had clinically relevant reductions in pain severity.

The findings suggest that women with one of more alleles at A118G may experience both a reduced analgesic response to endogenous opioids and a reduction in delayed-onset, more long-lasting opioid mediated hyperalgesia.

The finding suggests that endogenous opioid-mediated hyperalgesia may contribute to pain symptoms after sexual assault.

The study has been published in The Journal of Pain. (ANI)

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Gene predicts pain recovery after sexual assault

A team of researchers, led by a UC Davis plant scientist, has identified a lettuce gene and related enzyme that put the brakes on germination during hot weather -- a discovery that could lead to lettuces that can sprout year-round, even at high temperatures.

The study also included researchers from Arcadia Biosciences and Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India.

The finding is particularly important to the nearly $2 billion lettuce industries of California and Arizona, which together produce more than 90 percent of the nation's lettuce. The study results appear online in the journal The Plant Cell.

"Discovery of the genes will enable plant breeders to develop lettuce varieties that can better germinate and grow to maturity under high temperatures," said the study's lead author Kent Bradford, a professor of plant sciences and director of the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center.

"And because this mechanism that inhibits hot-weather germination in lettuce seeds appears to be quite common in many plant species, we suspect that other crops also could be modified to improve their germination," he said. "This could be increasingly important as global temperatures are predicted to rise."

Most lettuce varieties flower in spring or early summer and then drop their seeds -- a trait that is likely linked to their origin in the Mediterranean region, which, like California, characteristically has dry summers. Scientists have observed for years that a

In the California and Arizona lettuce industries, lettuce seeds are planted somewhere every day of the year -- even in September in the Imperial Valley of California and near Yuma, Ariz., where fall temperatures frequently reach 110 degrees.

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Gene discovery may yield hot weather lettuce, according to UC Davis research

Scientists have identified a group of patients with a genetic predisposition to mental illness, opening up for the first time the prospect of personalised medicine in psychiatry.

Personalised medicine involves identifying groups of patients whose genes make them susceptible to certain diseases and responsive to certain drugs.

Researchers from University College, London (UCL) studied 1,000 patients with bipolar disorder and found 1.7 per cent carried a mutation in an important brain receptor gene putting them at increased risk of the disease.

The findings suggest the patients with the mutation, called GRM3, could be treated with existing drugs which are not currently used for bipolar disorder.

Hugh Gurling, a molecular psychiatry professor at UCL, who led the study published in JAMA Psychiatry, said many different genes were involved in causing bipolar disorder. These were the first mutations increasing susceptibility to the illness to be identified.

Examining the underlying genetics of the disease enabled psychiatrists to predict who would respond to different drugs. Two drugs trialled for schizophrenia and anxiety disorder could be effective in bipolar disorder, Professor Gurling said.

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Genetic tests may help bipolar disorder patients

Genetics of Bitter Taste Perception
Holiday Lectures On Science 2011 Genetics of Bitter Taste Perception Afternoon Discussino with Sarah Tishkoff and Michael Campbell.

By: FloatingJetsam

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Genetics of Bitter Taste Perception - Video

Vaults of Terra - (Space Marine) Chapters - Blood Angels Pt.2 - Genetics and Culture
The second Blood Angels Chapter video detailing the nature of their genetic quirks and how it has and effect on their culture, As always, votes below or via ...

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Vaults of Terra - (Space Marine) Chapters - Blood Angels Pt.2 - Genetics and Culture - Video

2012-06-19T190639Z_1_LOVE85I1H329J_RTRMADV_STREAM-700-16X9-FLV_TAIWAN-GENE-THERAPY-TRACKED-O
2012-06-19T190639Z_1_LOVE85I1H329J_RTRMADV_STREAM-700-16X9-FLV_TAIWAN-GENE-THERAPY-TRACKED-O.

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2012-06-19T190639Z_1_LOVE85I1H329J_RTRMADV_STREAM-700-16X9-FLV_TAIWAN-GENE-THERAPY-TRACKED-O - Video

GC NEWS Gene Therapy Newscast
G.COMM. Blk. 1.

By: Eileen Flood

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GC NEWS Gene Therapy Newscast - Video

PISCATAWAY, N.J., April 11, 2013 /CNW/ - This week the World Health Organization reported three cases in which humans were infected with Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Virus in China . These are the first reports of the H7N9 strain infecting humans. Currently, it is unclear whether or not the virus can be spread via human-to-human contact, however genetic sequences for the virus have been published, and the Center for Disease Control has reported the start of vaccine development for the virus.

The foundation of vaccine development is often the identification and re-construction of the parts of the viral genome sequence that encode for antigens capable of eliciting the necessary immune response to fight the live virus. Gene synthesis is a powerful tool for vaccine development, enabling the rapid construction of any vector expressing an antigen capable of eliciting the necessary immune response.

GenScript is committed to arming researchers with the necessary custom bioreagents, such as synthetic DNA, to accelerate research to prevent the spread of disease. As proof of this commitment, GenScript recently became the fastest global biotech company to complete synthesis of a key H7N9-related gene on April 5th , in only four days, using our Rush Gene Synthesis Service. In the effort to accelerate critical research, GenScript has now synthesized over 30 crucial H7N9-related genes in our collaborations with prestigious institutions including the NIH, CDC, and Chinese Academy of Science, as well as leading vaccine centers in the United States and research organizations in Hong Kong and Japan .

Whether or not an H7N9 outbreak will occur remains to be seen, but at GenScript, we know that the best way to prevent the spread of disease is to be prepared.

*GenScript follows strict regulatory compliance procedures when synthesizing and delivering any type of DNA sequence known to encode for infectious disease. End users of these sequences must have appropriate regulatory clearances.

About GenScript

Founded in 2002, GenScript is a leading biology CRO specializing in the delivery of customized, biology research services including gene and peptide synthesis, protein expression, antibody generation and drug discovery/development. GenScript is headquartered in Piscataway, NJ, has subsidiaries in Europe , Japan , and China , and has over 1,300 employees, who are dedicated to providing biology research services and products to 86 countries worldwide.

SOURCE: GenScript USA, Inc.

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Avian Influenza A (H7N9) Threatens, GenScript Supports Researchers in Impending Battle with Rush Gene Service

For 30 years, biotechnology innovators have secured thousands of U.S. patents on genes, defining the legal rights to medical and agricultural products worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Now the U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether that was all a big mistake. The court next week will debate whether human genes can be patented, hearing arguments from doctors, patients and scientists who say patents are stifling clinical testing and research. The group is challenging Myriad Genetics Inc. (MYGN)s patents on genes linked to breast and ovarian cancer.

A decision against gene patenting would ripple across a host of industries -- including biotechnology, agriculture, industrial microbiology and pharmaceuticals. The case has implications for the growing field of personalized medicine and efforts to map the human brain and discover new uses for embryonic stem cells.

It potentially could bar patents on discoveries outside the DNA context.

The intellectual framework that comes out of the decision could have an impact on other patents, said Robert Cook- Deegan, a public-policy professor at Duke University and its Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy. Beyond medicine, this could affect agricultural biotechnology, environmental biotechnology, green-tech, the use of organisms to produce alternative fuels and other applications.

The case, which the court will decide by June, is splitting the medical community. Trade groups for the biotechnology, agriculture and drug industries are siding with Myriad. They say gene patents have led to valuable treatments, including Amgen Inc. (AMGN)s Epogen anemia drug and synthetic insulin developed by Genentech Inc., now part of Roche Holding AG.

Doctor groups such as the American Medical Association are backing the challengers to the patents. They have partial support from the Obama administration, which is urging the court to uphold parts of Myriads patents and void other aspects.

The administrations stance marks a rejection of the longstanding policy of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which has been awarding human gene patents since 1982.

The dispute comes to the court in an emotionally charged package, with patient advocates accusing Myriad of standing in the way of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The company at one point demanded that the University of Pennsylvania stop clinical testing of cancer patients. Breast cancer patient advocates are planning a demonstration outside the court.

Critics say Myriads patents effectively give the company ownership rights over a part of the human body.

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Biotech Industry at Stake in Human Gene Patent Decision

North Korea Warns Foreigners to Evacuate, Still Crazy
SOURCEFED SHIRTS!!! http://dft.ba/-4EpA North Korea #39;s state TV has warned foreigners in South Korea to make an evacuation plan, should a war break out. Also,...

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North Korea Warns Foreigners to Evacuate, Still Crazy - Video

DNA Genetic Engineering

By: Josh Mercado

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DNA Genetic Engineering - Video

Twelve years after the completion of the Human Genome Project, its successor made a big splash with one big number: Around 80 percent of the human genome is "functional," the researchers leading the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project said. Their claim drew immediate criticism from biologists, many of whom said it is evolutionarily impossible for so much of the genome to truly function for human health.Seven months later, the controversy continues. Several journals and countless blogs have published opinion pieces about it. Current Biology published its second essay about it April 8. And in late February the journal Genome Biology and Evolution published an unusually harsh takedown that got some attention for zingers comparing ENCODE to Apple Maps, which had a troubled launch with the iPhone 5. How could the meaning of one wordfunctionbe so divisive?Funded by the National Institutes of Healths National Human Genome Research Institute, ENCODE was designed to tackle the data generated by the NIHs Human Genome Project, which determined the sequence of chemical basesadenine, cytosine, thymine and guanine, the A, C, T and G sequencesthat make up human DNA. Some groupings of bases spell out a code to make specific proteins, which do much of the work in cells, but scientists do not know what the lions share of base sequences do.The 98 percentSo ENCODE tested nearly every part of the genome, particularly the 98 percent that is not involved in encoding proteins, looking for clues to what roles they play in the body. This next step was important because scientists were sure that some portions of that 98 percent served as regulators, telling protein-makers when, where and how much to produce. Such a job is critical for normal cellular behavior, yet scientists understood only some specific examples. They did not know if there were more regulators than they had already found or, if others existed, how they worked. Such regulatory regions may help explain the basis of many diseases that seem to be genetically inherited but escape straightforward correlations to particular protein-coding genes.In September 2012 ENCODE's leaders formally ended the project's main phase of research. They published dozens of peer-reviewed papers, including the lead paper in Nature that said 80 percent of the genome is functional. At the same time they published a database that annotated most of the nonprotein-coding genome with notes on its chemistry. The notes essentially said things such as: "This part binds a protein"; "This part is often tagged with methyl groups"; and "This part is usually tucked away, wound around a protein called a histone." (Scientific American is part of Nature Publishing Group.)Much of the backlash isn't in response to the database of functional parts that ENCODE created. "The ENCODE project gave the scientific community a huge amount of useful data that is being used around the world," says Chris Ponting, a genomics researcher at the University of Oxford who disagrees with some of the conclusions about functional DNA that came from ENCODE. Instead, the major criticism is that the project's lead scientists overstepped in their conclusions, especially in publicizing the idea that much of the human genome was potentially necessary to human life. Such determinations aren't supported by the science ENCODE did, critics say, and offer the public an inaccurate idea of how genetics and evolution work. The problem comes from the fact that ENCODE looked for chemically active parts in the DNA and called those parts "functional." Not all of that activity is necessarily important for human life, however. For example, ENCODE scientists looked for DNA regions that bind to proteins, because such binding is essential to opening, reading and bookmarking DNA. But a region can also bind proteins without affecting human health. The human genome is full of DNA picked up from viruses in our evolutionary past. Sequences that don't harm or help their hosts may still contain regions that bind to proteins or do other things without affecting cell function.Regulatory revelationsENCODE inevitably ended up recording certain regions as active and functional that likely don't do anything important in the body. ENCODE's definition of functional does not have anything to do with why certain regions might be important or what exactly the regions are doing for human health, says John Stamatoyannopoulos, a genomics researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle and one of ENCODE's senior scientists.Nevertheless, he and some other biologists think ENCODEs 80 percent conclusion could offer a new view of the human genome. The fact that so much of the genome was biochemically active suggests that much more of the genome may be regulatory than previously believed, Stamatoyannopoulos says. Even some sequences that originally came from a virus or another parasite may have been co-opted to do something useful for the human body. "I just think that the sophistication of this regulatory network is just going to continue to increase and expand our minds," says Eric Schadt, a geneticist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who was not involved in ENCODE. "I think we will see that the vast majority of the genome can play a role in that."Active but not importantCritics emphasize that ENCODE was not designed to test how much of the nonprotein-coding genome is doing something important for human health. They say that without first performing experiments that show exactly how the newly discovered "functional" regions impact the body, it's irresponsible to say science has learned something new and revolutionary.ENCODE's leaders have painted a picture of the human genome in which most of the parts are efficiently put to use, and that's not the right way to see it, critics say. "It's important to distinguish between: Is the human genome a perfect machine? The best of all possible genomes? Or is it a mess?" says Sean Eddy, a genomics researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Janelia Farm Research Campus in Virginia who helped plan ENCODE. "What we know about genomes is far more compatible with its being a glorious mess."By mess, Eddy is referring to conclusions from mathematical models of evolution, which suggest at least 85 to 90 percent of the genome must not be critical to human health, even if it is chemically active. Part of the reasoning is that so many random mutations arise over time, humans would have died off if most of the genome were so critical that mutating it would have a major effect on health. On the other hand, Stamatoyannopoulos and Schadt say that those models, some of which rely on simple equations that have been around since the 1960s, could have gotten their numbers wrong. That's possible, Eddy says, but scientists should develop better arguments against the models before discounting them.Don't bet on a resolution anytime soon. After all, discerning what counts as essential and nonessential DNA for the human body is difficult. Any change to the genome, no matter how small, would likely make some difference to the overall organisma kind of butterfly effect for DNA, Eddy says. Function lies on a continuum, and different scientists will likely define it differently for years to come.Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs.Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news. 2013 ScientificAmerican.com. All rights reserved.

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Friction over Function: Scientists Clash on the Meaning of ENCODE s Genetic Data

FAIRFAX NZ

Sarah Lee, left, discovered she had an Alzheimers risk of 75 per cent, inherited from both her dad and mum, Eileen Smith.

Imagine if a test tube of spittle and $205 could mine your past to foretell your future. Would you want to know if your genetic compass pointed toward cancer, or if you carried a silent coding quirk that put your children at risk of cystic fibrosis?

And what if the horoscope foretold a devastating and incurable disease such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's?

"Are you ready to take that on?" asks 26-year-old Danielle Lambermon, who found out in 2007 that she was one of 43 Auckland Hospital patients with a tiny risk of contracting brain disease Creuzfeldt-Jacobs Disease through contaminated instruments. | "I truly believe people don't see what the consequences could be. They think, 'It will be really good because then I'll know'. But will that make you live your life in a box? Would you do what you normally do? If you're not a strong personality it will mess up your life."

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genomic testing, which uses genetic markers gleaned from a saliva sample to predict disease risk, has been widely available for five years. Once the sample is analysed - typically in a United States lab - test subjects access an online personalised risk profile for over 100 diseases, from brain aneurysm to restless legs syndrome, and find out if they are carriers for genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis and breast cancer.

Initially costing about US$1000 (about NZ$1180) it was only ever going to be a niche service. But, for the first time last year, the controversial tests edged within reach of the average curious Kiwi, when major player 23andme, owned by Anne Wojcicki (partner of Google founder Sergey Brin) slashed its price to US$99 (US$173.95 for international customers).

About 180,000 people have already tested with 23andme, and an insurance industry study last March predicted US genetic testing demand would quintuple over the next decade.

It's not known how many Kiwis are spitting to map their genetic disease risks. But it's common enough that the courier collecting my test sample nodded at the paperwork: "Oh, it's one of those 23andme things."

The tests have been banned in Germany and some US states, and debate continues to rage about whether catch-all genomic tests provide empowering knowledge or meaningless - even dangerous - noise liable to obsess the worried well.

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Unveiling your genetic compass

Lisa SchnirringStaff Writer

Apr 12, 2013 (CIDRAP News) A new analysis of H7N9 genetic sequences from the first Chinese patients infected with the virus and from poultry markets found more signals that the virus can attach and replicate efficiently in the airways of humans and other mammals, raising concerns about the virus's pandemic potential.

The new findings, published late yesterday in Eurosurveillance, are the first detailed comparison of both the human and market sequences. Results are similar to the genetic details of samples from the first three cases reported by Chinese scientists yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The new results also affirm early observations from some experts that the novel virus has adapted to infect mammals, yielding more information that health officials need to gauge the pandemic threat from the new virus.

The research team from Japan includes Yoshihiro Kawaoka, DVM, PhD, who heads a group at the University of Wisconsin that has done extensive genetic studies on the H5N1 virus, and Masato Tashiro, MD, PhD, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Reference and Research on Influenza at Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Tokyo.

Their look at sequences from influenza databases included human samples from the first two patients from Shanghai, as well as from a woman from Anhui province and a man from Hangzhou province. All of the patients died.

Samples from a market in Shanghai include isolates from a pigeon, a chicken, and an environmental sample.

Phylogenetic analysis of the four human samples suggest they have a common ancestor, with the hemagglutinin (HA) gene part of the Eurasian avian influenza lineage and closely resembling HA genes of low-pathogenic H7N3 viruses detected in 2011 in Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai. The group reported that the neuraminidase (NA) gene closely resembles a low-pathogenic H11N9 virus found in the Czech Republic in 2010.

Internal genes of the H7N9 virus were closely related to H9N2 avian flu viruses that recently circulated in poultry in Shanghai, as well as Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, according to the report. Researchers said the findings strongly suggest that the new viruses are reassortants that got their HA and NA genes (the H7 and N9) from avian influenza viruses and the rest of their genes from recent H9N2 poultry viruses.

When they compared the nucleotides from the four human specimens, they found that one of the Shanghai samples and the ones from Anhui and Hangzhou were 99% similar, despite the fact that they came from cities that were several hundred kilometers apart. They found differences between the two Shanghai samples and noted other patterns with the human and market samples that suggest five of the viruses came from a closely related infection source, while one of the Shanghai samples and the one from the pigeon came from different sources.

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H7N9 genetic analysis raises concern over pandemic potential

Human genetics project 2013, Andy Tran Yasmin Ghagariyeh
Yasmin.

By: John Abbott

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Human genetics project 2013, Andy Tran

VAL-DE-REUIL, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

ANGANY Genetics, a biotechnology company specialising in the development and production of recombinant allergens for the diagnosis and treatment of allergies, plans to start its new production unit at the PharmaParc II activities park in Val-de-Reuil (Eure) in May.

Until now, the company has been using a prototype-scale production facility but the new functional unit will enable industrial-scale production of a series of purified and optimised allergens starting in the second half of the year. The allergens in question are in particular Der p 1 and Der p 2, which affect 80% of patients with house dust mite allergies, allergens Der p 4 and Der p 7, also for house-mite allergies, and allergens inducing pollen and animal allergies.

These purified and high quality allergens will be made available to pharmaceutical manufacturers for the development of allergen-specific immunotherapy for the treatment of house dust mite and pollen allergies, and later, food and animal dander allergies. As from September 2013 we will be able to meet their requirements in accordance with partnership agreements, indicated Dr Loc Faye, CEO of ANGANY Genetics.

The new manufacturing platform will allow ANGANY Genetics to produce recombinant allergens having a structure identical to that of natural allergens rapidly (12 days) while keeping down costs. Production yields will be at least 5 to 10% of total proteins and may even be as much as 15%, noted Scientific Director, Vronique Gomord.

ANGANY Genetics enjoys the support of the NBA (Normandy Business Angels). Our business angels network was won over both by the scientific expertise of ANGANY Genetics founders, Loc Faye and Vronique Gomord, and by the ability of their scientific platform to deliver an authentic therapeutic solution to the major healthcare issue currently posed by allergies, explained Jacques Gerriet, representative of the Normandy Business Angels and President of the ANGANY Genetics Strategic Committee.

About ANGANY Genetics

ANGANY Genetics is a biotechnology company specialising in the development and production of high quality recombinant allergens for the diagnosis and treatment of allergies. This spin-off from the CNRS and Rouen University was created in April 2010 by two CNRS researchers, Loc Faye and Vronique Gomord, in order to develop applications for their work concerning the production of therapeutic proteins in plants. The company applies its expertise in the fields of plant-based production of biopharmaceuticals and protein engineering to the production of recombinant allergens optimised for use in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies.

About allergies and allergen immunotherapy

Data published by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) indicate that over 150 million people in Europe are affected, with 30% of Europeans presenting allergic rhinitis or conjunctivitis and 20% suffering from allergic asthma. The prevalence of allergies is thus growing considerably. Data presented by the EAACI to the European Parliament in the spring of 2012 emphasised that by 2040, 40% of the European population will exhibit a predisposition to allergies. Management of allergies focuses primarily on symptomatic treatments that address the associated manifestations (asthma, rhinitis) but do not tackle the actual source of the problem. The only effective treatment is desensitisation (also termed allergen immunotherapy), which is designed to reduce the patients sensitivity to specific allergens by administering gradually increasing doses of extracts containing the causative allergens administered through subcutaneous injections or sublingual formulations. The quality of the products developed by ANGANY Genetics will allow more specific and more effective desensitisation with a view to personalised treatment of allergies.

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ANGANY Genetics Announces the Launch of Its New Production Unit and Gears up for Supply of Its First Allergens for the ...

DUBLIN, April 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Transfection (Gene Delivery, DNA Delivery, Protein Delivery, SiRNA Delivery) Technologies (Lipofection, Calcium Phosphate, Electroporation, Nucleofection, Magnetofection, Gene Gun, Viral) Market (2012 - 2017)" report to their offering.

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Transfection is an enabler technology used for many cell based research activities with applications spanning production of recombinant proteins and recombinant cell lines, gene therapy, delivery of therapeutics and also drug discovery. This research report provides a brief description on transfection technologies, its evolution, comparative analysis, market landscape analysis, competitive scenario and emerging technology and application trends. Global research and development Network, Innovation and Spin offs have been discussed. The report tracks regional adoption and development trends, providing strategic recommendation to stay active and compete in the market space. An impact analysis of major drivers and restraints influencing the growth of the market is mapped for five year period.

Key Driver:

Advances in cell research and therapeutic delivery

Cell research is a major driving factor for transfection market, as more than 60% of the users are of academic institutions and researchers. Research in gene transfer is being performed in in vivo conditions for different therapeutic applications; there is a growing demand for new transfection technologies to address unmet needs for therapeutic delivery which is driving the transfection market.

Key Restraint:

Home brew Reagents restricts sale of commercial kits

Home brew reagents are still the preferred choice of reagents for transfection by researchers all over the world. Most of the researchers prepare their own reagents from their laboratory to conduct their research. This is true for most of the reagent based transfection reactions. This allows them to reduce cost involved in purchasing commercial kits.

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Global Transfection (Gene Delivery, DNA Delivery, Protein Delivery, SiRNA Delivery) Technologies Market Report 2012 ...

SOURCE: Cell Gene Therapeutics

The Creation of Gene Therapy International Consortium Aims to Speed Up Results That Will Change the Lives of These Patients

QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Apr 12, 2013) - Due to the progress in genomics, we now know the cause of over 10,000 inherited diseases attributed to the malfunction of a single gene. The next step is to develop gene therapies. "If we have adequate financial support for research on gene therapy for rare diseases, you can develop effective treatments for most of them during the next ten years," says Professor Jacques Tremblay, Professor of the Molecular Medicine department of Laval University (Canada), President of the Quebec Association of Gene Therapy, President of Cell Gene Therapeutics Quebec, a company located in Quebec city, Canada and the founder of the International Consortium of Gene Therapy.

The main problem at present is that there is a considerable decrease in funding for research in this area. "Especially when it comes to research focused on certain rare diseases such as Friedrich's Ataxia and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which most pharmaceutical companies would not be interested in attributing resources because the financial return is very low. Therefore, these disorders are said to be orphan diseases. Essentially, the funding for such research comes from small foundations set up by relatives of patients,"says the expert and member of theResearch Center of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Qubec, Canada.

What you may not yet realize is that, when put together, rare diseases affect a huge portion of the world population, i.e., eight percent of humanity. "These are staggering numbers and what is important is that when you do a research to correct a particular monogenetic disease, the knowledge acquired may be applied to many other hereditary diseases. Therefore a consortium for gene therapy will permit to accelerate the research, the obtention of results and the commercialisation of the treatments. Note that these treatments would benefit to approximately 560 million peoples," commented the scientist.

To change the scenario, Professor Tremblay mobilized 50 other renowned researchers who have published along with him, in the latest issue of the journal Molecular Therapy, a letter of intent for the creation of the International Consortium of Gene Therapy that aims to overcome these difficulties of the development of treatments. "The creation of the Consortium will be equivalent in the medical field, as was Project Apollo to the space race. Our hope is that, in a short time, we could improve the health of patients. Likewise, we expect that the technologies developed during this huge project will become economically viable for biotechnology companies. Accordingly, our hope is that the resulting treatments will be available for the whole world population."

Gene therapy has already begun to show significant results, he assures. Patients with hemophilia and hereditary blindness were cured after the application of this type of therapy. The same success was achieved with children suffering from hereditary immune deficiency and needing to live within bubbles, to avoid dying following an infection.

Some of these treatments are currently performed by removing some stem cells from the patient himself, the cells are then genetically corrected in culture and transplanted back to the same patient. Other techniques are also being developed in order to repair the defective gene.

Currently, we cannot expect investment by pharmaceutical companies, the governments of developed countries need to support such research so that the project could become more attractive to biotechnology companies. Professor Tremblay suggests. "Canada should increase funding targeting gene therapy research, as it already does since a few years to stimulate the development of the Genome Project aiming to sequence the genome of different species and identify mutations."

The authors of the intent letter and other researchers interested in this cause, will meet next May 17th in Salt Lake City, United States. There will be a workshop during the annual meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. This event will set the foundation of this Consortium.

Continued here:
Hope for 560 Million Patients Suffering From Rare Diseases

BOGOTA, Colombia, April 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Startup biotechnology company Neuralgene (http://neuralgene.com) has announced that it will begin animal studies in May to evaluate the efficacy of PRCN-829, its new gene therapy agent for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). PRCN-829 is the first gene therapy for sporadic ALS.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130412/PH93428-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130412/PH93428-b )

Neuralgene's neurotropic AAV-based gene therapy platform for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is based on the stem cell work performed by Jason Williams, M.D., founder and CEO of Neuralgene. "This technology addresses several key aspects of the underlying pathology of ALS," said Leonardo Gonzalez, M.D., clinical researcher for Neuralgene. "In his stem cell work, Dr. Williams had identified that production of Factor H by fat-derived mesenchymal stem cells may be a key mode of action."

The gene therapy is based on Dr. Williams' discovery that certain proteins produced by stem cells inhibit the attack of ALS. During the development of the gene therapy, he added new targets: neural growth factors and a protein implicated in ALS named TDP-43. "When Dr. Williams demonstrated the concept behind stem cells and how to address the treatment of ALS using gene therapy, we immediately knew that this was a revolutionary new concept," said Dr. Gonzalez.

The PRCN-829 gene therapy is designed to not only target gene delivery to the brain and spinal cord, but also to genetically engineer stem cells. The AAV9 viral vector delivers multiple genes, which include Factor H (a regulator of complement activity), neural growth factors and regulators of TDP-43, to the neural cells. Initial animal studies have demonstrated the safety of the gene therapy platform.

"The problem with stem cell therapy for ALS is that the results are generally partial and temporary," stated Dr. Williams. "This is because the stem cells produce the growth factors and other proteins for a short period, but then cease. Several stem cell studies have confirmed this. Now with gene therapy, we can increase those factors by a millionfold or greater so that recuperation lasts for many years or maybe is even lifelong."

"ALS is a complex disease with many different underlying causes," continued Dr. Williams. "Our gene therapy will target several of the main underlying mechanisms related to ALS with the hopes of getting a good response in a larger group of patients. However, our platform is versatile, allowing us to change and add different target genes. We expect that soon we will be able to perform a detailed genetic analysis of the patient, identifying their exact underlying cause of ALS. Then we will be able to tailor the therapy to each individual patient."

The company has partnered with several labs for the development of its patent-pending neurotropic AAV-based gene therapy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS. In fact, Neuralgene partnered with Dr. Williams' imaging and image guided treatment facility, Precision StemCell in Bogota, to begin studies using image-guided administration of gene therapy to the spinal cord.

"This is a completely new therapy for ALS, and the groundwork for this technology will lead to the treatment of many other diseases," said Dr. Williams. Neuralgene has several other AAV gene therapies in its research and development pipeline for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). After initial testing of PRCN-829 in Colombia, Neuralgene plans to seek approval from the FDA for trials in the United States.

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Gene Therapy Developed for ALS Treatment: New Biotech Company Neuralgene Enters Evaluation Phase

Stem Cell Therapy - Blue Horizon Stem Cells

By: Michael McDermott

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Stem Cell Therapy - Blue Horizon Stem Cells - Video