Public release date: 30-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Ueli Schibler ueli.schibler@unige.ch 41-223-796-175 Universit de Genve

Most of our physiological functions fluctuate throughout the day. They are coordinated by a central clock in the brain and by local oscillators, present in virtually every cell. Many molecular gearwheels of this internal clock have been described by Ueli Schibler, professor at the Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland. To study how the central clock synchronizes subordinate oscillators, the researcher's group used a variety of genetic and technological tools developed in collaboration with a team of UNIGE physicians. In this way, the scientists were able to directly observe the bioluminescence emitted by 'clock genes' in mice for several months. This biotechnology is applicable to numerous sectors of biomedical research, which attracted the attention of the editors from the journal "Genes & Development".

In mammals, there are many behaviors and biological functions that are regulated by internal clocks. Most of our cells have one, made from a family of 'clock genes', whose cyclic activity reaches a specific peak in 24 hours. These local oscillators are synchronized by a central 'pacemaker' in the brain which adjusts to light.

The firefly lights the way

The use of genetic engineering techniques enabled the study of molecular mechanisms that activate clock genes directly in cultured mammalian cells: 'We have coupled several of these genes to that of luciferase, the enzyme used by the female firefly for producing green light to attract males,' explained Ueli Schibler, member of the National Research Center Frontiers in Genetics. When a specific clock gene is activated in a cell that was transformed in this way, the light signal emitted can be measured using a highly sensitive bioluminescence detector. However, this device, which is capable of detecting signals on the order of a few photons, cannot be used for studying whole organisms. The contribution of Andr Liani's mechanical workshop, along with Jean-Pierre Wolf's and Luigi Bonacina's teams from UNIGE's Group of Applied Physics, was thus essential. These scientists developed a customized device that can accommodate mice for several months: 'We equipped it with reflective walls to deflect photons toward a highly sensitive photomultiplier tube to capture bioluminescence,' says Andr Liani.

Follow the daily expression of clock genes live

In collaboration with the University of Ulm and the Center for Integrative Genomics (CIG) of Lausanne, the biologists studied how the central clock synchronizes subordinate oscillators in mice. Various clock genes, coupled with the luciferase gene for light emission, were inserted into liver cells using a molecular vector. The time these rodents spent in the bioluminescent device allowed to demonstrate that the central clock generates signals, some of which act directly on the liver oscillators, and others which synchronize them indirectly by controlling the cycles of food intake.

or the effect of a medication in mice

'This technology enables a drastic reduction in the number of mice needed for this type of experiment, and furthermore, it is applicable to many areas of biomedical research,' says Camille Saini, researcher in the Department of Molecular Biology at UNIGE and first author of this article. These complementary genetic and engineering technology tools could be used to directly follow certain biochemical effects of metabolites like cholesterol or glucose, as well as the response to potential treatments of diseases such as hypercholesterolemia or diabetes. Monitoring the response to various hormones, neurotransmitters and other biochemical messengers is also part of this application range.

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Observing live gene expression in the body

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June 30, 2013 What allows certain plants to survive freezing and thrive in the Canadian climate, while others are sensitive to the slightest drop in temperature? Those that flourish activate specific genes at just the right time -- but the way gene activation is controlled remains poorly understood.

A major step forward in understanding this process lies in a genomic map produced by an international consortium led by scientists from McGill University and the University of Toronto and published online today in the journal Nature Genetics.

The map, which is the first of its kind for plants, will help scientists to localize regulatory regions in the genomes of crop species such as canola, a major crop in Canada, according to researchers who worked on the project. The team has sequenced the genomes of several crucifers (a large plant family that includes a number of other food crops) and analyzed them along with previously published genomes to map more than 90,000 genomic regions that have been highly conserved but that do not appear to encode proteins.

"These regions are likely to play important roles in turning genes on or off, for example to regulate a plant's development or its response to environmental conditions," says McGill computer-science professor Mathieu Blanchette, one of the leaders of the study. Work is currently underway to identify which of those regions may be involved in controlling traits of particular importance to farmers.

The study also weighs in on a major debate among biologists, concerning how much of an organism's genome has important functions in a cell, and how much is "junk DNA," merely along for the ride. While stretches of the genome that code for proteins are relatively easy to identify, many other 'noncoding' regions may be important for regulating genes, activating them in the right tissue and under the right conditions.

While humans and plants have very similar numbers of protein-coding genes, the map published in Nature Genetics further suggests that the regulatory sequences controlling plant genes are far simpler, with a level of complexity between that of fungi and microscopic worms. "These findings suggest that the complexity of different organisms arises not so much from what genes they contain, but how they turn them on and off," says McGill biology professor Thomas Bureau, a co-author of the paper.

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Genomic atlas of gene switches in plants provides roadmap for crop research

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27 June 2013 Last updated at 21:45 ET

Research into the genetic risks for asthma could lead to a test which predicts which children will never grow out of it, says a study in The Lancet.

Scientists found that those at higher genetic risk of asthma were 36% more likely to develop serious, life-long asthma than those with lower risk.

But they said it was too soon to be used as a reliable clinical test.

Asthma UK says the findings could help identify people whose asthma could become severe.

Earlier studies had linked several genes to small increases in asthma risk.

This study, led by researchers from Duke University in North Carolina, identified 15 separate locations in the human genome which are associated with asthma.

Using this knowledge combined with data from a major New Zealand health study of more than 1,000 people since birth, the researchers were able to calculate the genetic risk score for 880 individuals.

They then tracked the development and progression of their asthma from early childhood through to their late 30s.

Genetic risk prediction for asthma is still in its infancy.

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Asthma research in gene test hope

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30 June 2013

Federated Farmers should back local farmers

Federated Farmers are backing the wrong side with their decision to support Environment Minister Amy Adams intention to block local councils from being able to regulate for genetic engineering in their local communities, the Green Party said today.

By supporting the Minister, Federated Farmers is misrepresenting rural New Zealand, many of its own members, and the majority of New Zealanders who do not want genetic engineering (GE) in their farming systems, environment or food supply, said Green Party GE spokesperson Steffan Browning.

Instead of protecting the best interests of local farming families, Federated Farmers is supporting a move that flies in the face of the international experience of GE, litigation, lower yields and unnecessary herbicide use.

Local councils need to represent their communities in the absence of government regulation. Its currently up to councils to ensure a genuinely precautionary approach to the risks of contamination, litigation, economic loss, and environmental damage from GE.

Government legislation, such as the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act and agencies such as the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry for the Environment, consistently fail. GE proponents seem very happy to see inept legislation and compliance as a means towards the introduction of GE, regardless of the effects on New Zealand's clean green 100% Pure brand.

Federated Farmers has also discouraged suspension of the neonicitinoid poisons that threaten the important pollination activity of honey bees and other insects.

It is vital that spokespeople for primary production in New Zealand, like Federated Farmers, represent the best interests of family farmers and sustainable farming systems, not the corporate interests of the life sciences and agrichemical industry giants.

Federated Farmers grains council has previously been concerned at the risks of GE contamination in exports to Japan and elsewhere, and the honey industry knows that the EU and other markets don't want GE in a speck of their pollen or honey products.

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Federated Farmers should back local farmers

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Federated Farmers are backing the wrong side with their decision to support Environment Minister Amy Adams intention to block local councils from being able to regulate for genetic engineering in their local communities, the Green Party said today.

"By supporting the Minister, Federated Farmers is misrepresenting rural New Zealand, many of its own members, and the majority of New Zealanders who do not want genetic engineering (GE) in their farming systems, environment or food supply," said Green Party GE spokesperson Steffan Browning.

"Instead of protecting the best interests of local farming families, Federated Farmers is supporting a move that flies in the face of the international experience of GE, litigation, lower yields and unnecessary herbicide use.

"Local councils need to represent their communities in the absence of government regulation. Its currently up to councils to ensure a genuinely precautionary approach to the risks of contamination, litigation, economic loss, and environmental damage from GE.

"Government legislation, such as the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act and agencies such as the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry for the Environment, consistently fail.

"GE proponents seem very happy to see inept legislation and compliance as a means towards the introduction of GE, regardless of the effects on New Zealand's clean green 100% Pure brand.

"Federated Farmers has also discouraged suspension of the neonicitinoid poisons that threaten the important pollination activity of honey bees and other insects.

"It is vital that spokespeople for primary production in New Zealand, like Federated Farmers, represent the best interests of family farmers and sustainable farming systems, not the corporate interests of the life sciences and agrichemical industry giants.

"Federated Farmers grains council has previously been concerned at the risks of GE contamination in exports to Japan and elsewhere, and the honey industry knows that the EU and other markets don't want GE in a speck of their pollen or honey products.

"GE contamination has had a significant cost on rural communities world wide. The Environment Minister and Federated Farmers should stop pretending that New Zealand legislation can prevent the same here.

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Federated Farmers should back local farmers - Green Party

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Asthma Health Home>>Asthma>>Health news Written by: QMI Agency Jun. 29, 2013 A child uses an inhaler. Image from Fotolia

A genetic test might be able to predict whether children with asthma are likely to grow out of it by the time they become adults, new research says.

The study, led by researchers from Duke University in North Carolina, was published Friday in the online issue of The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

The researchers say they looked at the results of a huge genetic study of asthma, drafted a profile of asthma risk genes and tested it against a leading asthma research database of individuals that have been followed from birth to their 30's.

The team says individuals who had the highest genetic risk scores were the ones most likely to develop asthma, developed it earlier, and tended to have more severe asthma.

Another important result from the study was that "the genetic risk profile was able to give more information about asthma risk than you could get from looking at family history of the disease," the researchers said.

They emphasized that although the study shows it is possible to use a genetic risk profile to predict which children with asthma will grow out of it and which will have the persistent form of the disease, "more work needs to be done before it can be used with patients."

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Genetic test may predict who'll outgrow asthma

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Jennifer Estep has never been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer. Yet, the 37-year-old mother of two has had her breasts and ovaries surgically removed.

Estep, of Cooper City, is one of many women who have had preventive, or prophylactic, surgery after a test showed they carried a genetic mutation that significantly increased their risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer.

Indeed, a study of 2,677 women in nine countries who tested positive for BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations that significantly increase a womans risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer showed that many American women chose to have their breasts or ovaries removed once they learned they carried the genes.

Genetic testing and the BRCA gene mutations were thrust into the spotlight after actress Angelina Jolie revealed in a May 14th op-ed column in The New York Times that she had a preventive double mastectomy because she carried the BRCA 1 mutation. Jolie, 38, like many other BRCA-positive women, has a family history of breast and ovarian cancer. Her mother died in 2007 of ovarian cancer and her aunt recently passed away from breast cancer.

That genetic test made all the difference in the world for me, Estep said. Without it, I would be sitting and waiting to get breast cancer.

Maxine Chang-Chin, a cancer risk assessment counselor at Memorial Healthcare System in Broward, said Jolies choice has increased awareness about genetic testing.

It opens up that conversation. Some patients heard about it and now called and said they want to have genetic testing done, said Chang-Chin, who said at least five patients called recently to talk about genetic testing. They are also saying, You know what, I am more comfortable removing my breasts than I was before. Its making them feel more comfortable because Angelina Jolie is young as well.

Dr. Olaf Bodamer, medical director at the Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said his laboratory has been getting a number of calls by women seeking genetic testing.

I think there was an immediate spike following the story in The New York Times, Bodamer said.

But, Chang-Chin and Bodamer noted, genetic testing is not for everyone.

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Opening up the conversation about BRCA genetic testing

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FRIDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- People with more genetic risks for asthma are not only more likely to develop the disease in childhood, but also more likely to continue to have asthma into adulthood, according to a new study.

Previous studies have linked several genes to increased asthma risk, so the researchers wanted to investigate the cumulative effect of those genes.

For the study, they analyzed data from 880 people in New Zealand who have been followed since they were born in 1972 or 1973. Those with more genetic risks for asthma developed asthma earlier in life than those with fewer genetic risks. Among study participants who developed asthma in childhood, asthma that persisted into adulthood was more likely in those with more genetic risks.

These patients also had more allergic reactions associated with severe and persistent asthma and developed lung function problems. Their quality of life also suffered because they missed work and school more often and were admitted to hospital more often due to asthma.

The study appears June 28 in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

"We've been able to look at how newly discovered genetic risks relate to the life course of asthma at an unprecedented level of resolution," Daniel Belsky, a postdoctoral fellow at the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy and the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, said in a university news release.

However, much more research is needed before it may be possible to use genetic risk scores for asthma in patients, he noted.

"It will be important to explore how these genetic risks play out in environments that differ in terms of air pollution or other important, modifiable factors," Belsky said.

He added that the study could lead to a better understanding of the biology of asthma and help efforts to develop new ways to prevent and treat asthma, which affects 26 million people in the United States.

-- Robert Preidt

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Genetic Risks for Asthma May Persist Into Adulthood

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Health segment 5: Possible results from your genetic screen from Paw Print Genetics
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Bloat Genetics (6/29/13)
Megan Rolf tells us how cattle genetics may impact bloat.

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Genetics in Cancer Prevention: Cancer Registries Clinical Trials
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Genetic Therapies for Genetic Diseases: Results and Lessons from Recent Successes
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Punto por Punto: Phil Medical Association, nagbabala sa iligal na pagsasagawa ng stem cell therapy
MANILA - Punto por Punto host Anthony Taberna discusses the possible dangers of illegal stem cell therapy.

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63 year old stroke victim was greatly improved through stem cell therapy

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63 year old stroke victim was greatly improved through stem cell therapy - Video

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Foreign doctors behind illegal stem cell therapy
The Philippine Medical Association wants to go after foreign doctors who are reportedly conducting unauthorized stem cell procedures in the country.

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Foreign doctors behind illegal stem cell therapy - Video

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Paralyzed German Shepard Receives Revolutionary Stem Cell Therapy!

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MANILA - As stem cell treatment begins to gain traction among Filipinos, a surgeon believes the country is now entering a new phase in medicine.

Dr. Levi John Lansangan, one of the founding members of the Philippine Stem Cell Society, said there is much promise in stem cell therapy because of the hope it gives to ailing patients.

"Before it was only physiologic, then it became pathologic, which deals with diseases. Then it became pharmacologic, wherein we give medicine. But now it is regenerative, wherein the body heals by itself," Lansangan told ANC's "Prime Time" on Wednesday.

Stem cell treatment involves harvesting stem cells, processing them, and injecting them back to the body.

Lansangan said the autologous treatment, which harvests stem cells from the patients own system, is the safest type of stem cell procedure.

The procedure may last for up to 4 hours, depending on the patients health. It may cost up to P1.6 million.

Stem cell treatment is believed to have the potential to cure illnesses including diabetes, heart ailments, brain damage such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers, osteoarthritis, stroke, baldness and even sports injuries.

The hardest thing to say to a patient is hopelessness. If you say there is no hope for the disease, it is very unacceptable for the patient. But with stem cell, were giving hope. Not hope in the sense that we are just giving placebo but hope that there is really something into it thats really big, Lansangan said.

But Lansangan warned that there are also risks involved in the process, particularly if stem cells are derived from animals such as rabbits and black sheep.

There are a lot of sources for stem cell. But the only stem cell sources approved by the DOH [Department of Health] come from the bone marrow, fats and blood of the patient itself. We dont recognize xenograph, or from animals. That is where the problem lies, he said.

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Giving hope: The promise of stem cell therapy

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By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com June 29, 2013 6:55 PM

A scientist working on stem cells in a laboratory. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines -- The Food and Drug Administration has asked hotels to guard against allowing stem cell therapy to be performed in their premises.

FDA acting director Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go said hotels may be held liable for guests found performing or undergoing stem cell therapy in their rooms.

Go pointed out that performing medical procedures like stem cell therapy in a non-health facility is illegal.

Under Republic Act 9711 or the Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009, violators face a fine of up to P500,000 plus closure of the establishment and jail terms.

In FDA Advisory 2013-012 issued May 15, the agency warned the pubic against "receiving unapproved stem cell preparations in non-health facilities."

"Patients who might receive stem cell preparations and therapy without prior FDA-Department of Health approval run the risks of contracting infectious diseases and severe complications which may lead to permanent disabilities, physical deformities, serious iatrogenic harm, autoimmune diseases and worst death, and without the benefit of health insurance coverage," the advisory said.

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FDA urges hotels to guard vs stem cell therapy

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MALACAANG warned Friday the public from seeking stem cell therapy following the complaint by a government official of feeling weaker after undergoing this kind of treatment.

In a press briefing, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the Department of Health (DOH) will issue an administrative order regarding the stem cell treatments in the country.

"The DOH received several reports regarding the stand-alone clinics which are offering (stem cell therapies) for skin rejuvenation to make you look younger. That's why the DOH has already acted on it. It just happened that there was an incident that was highlighted," she said.

Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Antonio Villar has admitted of undergoing recently stem cell therapy in an upscale hotel in Makati City in the hope to cure bone pains. He claimed of spending around P900,000 for the treatment. But he said he only felt weaker after the therapy.

Valte said that the public should be aware that stem cell therapies are only being undertaken in the DOH-accredited hospitals and not in any hotel or stand-alone clinics.

She also said that those being accredited are the hospitals and not the doctors.

"Come August 31, hospitals should file their accreditation requirements for them to continue to offer this treatment, if they offer that (treatment). So there's an accreditation process," she explained.

Valte said that she was also told that stem cell treatment is geared toward a certain purpose and not "cure all" ailments.

There are also certain sources that are only allowed by the DOH, in particular, the Food and Drug Administration, she said.

The official also urged the public to inform the authorities of any establishments or medical practitioners who have been violating the law.

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Palace warns public on stem cell therapy

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By Michael Lim Ubac Philippine Daily Inquirer

Hospitals offering stem cell therapy have until Aug. 31 to seek or renew their accreditation from the Department of Health (DOH), a Palace official said Friday.

For the information of the public, the DOH is accrediting hospitals for this kind of treatment, and come Aug. 31, these hospitals should file their accreditation requirements (with DOH) for them to continue to offer this treatment, said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte.

The government is eyeing stricter regulation of hospitals offering stem cell therapy amid speculations that the recent deaths of three politicians were due to the xenogenic (animal-based stem cell) treatment they had received in Germany last year.

Dr. Leo Olarte, president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) and spokesperson of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine, said the groups were still trying to determine whether the politicians had died due to their illness or due to hypersensitivity reaction from the xenogenic stem cells.

Last week, the PMA also warned of a possible scam involving German doctors coming over to perform stem cell therapy on patients in five-star hotels at around P1 million per shot.

Valte echoed a similar warning from the DOH against doctors offering the procedure in their clinics, saying that hospitals, not (individual) doctors, nor stand-alone clinics, are the ones being accredited.

Not a cure all

The Palace official also cautioned the public against claims that stem cell therapy was a cure all (for diseases).

There is no treatment that will cure all of your ills. Much less your love problems, Valte said.

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Gov’t to tighten rules on stem cell therapy

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2013 05 28 1 LS From Human Genome to Personalized Medicine the promise of science and the reality of

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