May 29, 2013 Experimental genetic techniques may one day provide plastic and reconstructive surgeons with an invaluable tool -- the ability to promote growth of the patient's own tissues for reconstructive surgery. A review of recent progress toward developing effective gene therapies for use in "regenerative surgery" appears in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Over the past ten years, researchers have developed several promising gene therapy techniques to grow skin, bone, and other tissues for reconstructive surgery. But they still face many challenges in developing gene-based approaches that can make the leap from the research lab to the operating room, according to the review by Dr. Giorgio Giatsidis and colleagues of Padua University Hospital, Italy.

Gene Therapy Approaches Studied for 'Almost Every Tissue'

Dr. Giatsidis and coauthors reviewed the state of the art in research on gene therapy techniques for treatment of local disorders and injuries -- the first such review in more than a decade. They found studies using gene therapy to promote the growth of "almost every different tissue" for use in regenerative surgery. "Gene therapy may represent a leading strategy to develop more efficient regenerative surgical treatments for numerous clinical needs," they write.

Gene therapy has the potential to provide reconstructive surgeons with a new approach to solving one of their most difficult problems: the lack of adequate tissues to correct deformities of a specific area or structure. For example, in patients with relatively small burns, plastic and reconstructive surgeons have designed a wide range of skin flaps for use in transferring healthy tissue to the burned area.

But for patients with burns involving larger areas, the lack of suitable tissues for coverage may severely limit the reconstructive options. Using gene techniques to promote growth of specific types of tissues would be a major step forward in the ability to perform truly regenerative surgery.

But Translation from Lab to OR Poses Many Challenges

Several research groups are pursuing gene therapy approaches to regenerate skin, such as using genes to control expression of growth factors involved in skin healing. One small study reported promising results with tissue-engineered products to promote healing of diabetic skin ulcers.

Researchers are also targeting growth factors involved in new bone formation, with promising results in techniques using transplantation of genetically modified donor bone. One study reported clinical benefits using gene therapy to regenerate joint cartilage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Techniques to promote healing of tendons, regeneration of injured nerves, and growth of skin flaps for reconstructive surgery are all being explored.

But despite progress in all of these areas, translating experimental gene therapy methods into regenerative surgery techniques for use in the operating room will remain a difficult challenge. Even after the technical problems are addressed, more work will be needed to develop regenerative surgery techniques that are productive and cost-effective.

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Gene therapies for regenerative surgery are getting closer

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

In bed with Lucy and Dolly, Act One 1998, D.Fried (on genetic engineering and cloning)
( see transcript below ) Cast of characters: Lucy (the early hominid "Mother"), to Us ( Eve the "Myth" ), and to Dolly-the-Sheep (what Fried ironically refer...

By: Kinetic Interactive Sculpture

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In bed with Lucy and Dolly, Act One 1998, D.Fried (on genetic engineering and cloning) - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 29-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

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

New Rochelle, NY, May 29, 2013YouTube has more than 10 million unique users a month who are younger than 18 years of age, making it an ideal online environment in which to study the impact of various media content and peer feedback on adolescents. A series of experiments were designed to test the effectiveness of using YouTube to present controlled media content and peer comments to teens, and to measure their preferences and moral judgments. The results are presented in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

In "YouTube as Research ToolThree Approaches," Elly Konijn, Jolanda Veldhuis, and Xanthe Plaisier, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands, developed experimental materials to post on YouTube. For example, they presented content related to female models and body weight and included prepared peer comments. They then measured how the teens in the study reacted to and interacted with the content. The aim of this experiment was to study the influences of peer feedback and body perception and to identify possible ways to counteract negative influences.

"The authors have done a good job in demonstrating how YouTube can be utilized for systematic research," says Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCIA, Editor-in-Chief of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, from the Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, CA. "This research can also be extended to other topics as well as to other social networking tools, such as Facebook and Twitter."

###

About the Journal

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is a peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies, plus cybertherapy and rehabilitation. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Games for Health Journal, Telemedicine and e-Health, and Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's over 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

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Is YouTube an effective research tool?

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 29-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, May 29, 2013A novel, targeted approach to chemotherapy that makes ovarian cancer cells more susceptible to the cytotoxic effects of an antitumor drug may offer a safer, more effective treatment option for this often deadly form of cancer. The research and results are published in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com). The article is available on the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics website (http://www.liebertpub.com/nat).

Ovarian cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage of disease, and although most patients initially respond to conventional chemotherapeutic agents, the cancer typically recurs and the overall survival rate is poor. Furthermore, current chemotherapeutics for ovarian cancer are nonspecific and generally toxic causing debilitating side effects. More effective and specific agents are needed that target ovarian cancer cells and inhibit their ability to reproduce.

Sibaji Sarkar and Douglas Faller, Boston University School of Medicine (Boston, MA), successfully advanced their research to develop anti-tumor drugs comprised of nucleic acids, the building blocks of DNA. They had previously shown that so-called "GT-oligos" (which target and bind to nucleic acid sequences present in regions found at the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres) can trigger cell death in certain types of cancer cells, including ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate cancer. However not all cancer cells in these and other tumor types are susceptible to the effects of GT-oligos.

In the current study the authors take this work a step further and demonstrate a novel method to sensitive resistant ovarian cancer cells to this targeted chemotherapeutic approach. They describe the details of this strategy and the potential to apply this technique more broadly to treat other types of epithelial cancers in the article " Telomere-Homologous G-rich Oligonucleotides Sensitize Human Ovarian Cancer Cells to TRAIL-Induced Growth Inhibition and Apoptosis." (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/nat.2012.0401)

"The devastating mortality rate from ovarian cancer has not changed since the 'War on Cancer" was declared in 1971," says Executive Editor Fintan Steele, PhD, SomaLogic, Inc., Boulder, CO. "We need to improve both early diagnosis and find novel treatments. The work by Sarker and Faller provides a new and promising approach for treatment of this particularly difficult form of cancer."

###

Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is under the editorial leadership of Co-Editors-in-Chief Bruce A. Sullenger, PhD, Duke Translational Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, and C.A. Stein, MD, PhD, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA; and Executive Editor Fintan Steele, PhD (SomaLogic, Boulder, CO).

About the Journal

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New method to sensitize human ovarian cancer cells to a targeted cytotoxic drug

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

In one of the first successful attempts at genetically engineering mosquitoes, HHMI researchers have altered the way the insects respond to odors, including the smell of humans and the insect repellant DEET. The research not only demonstrates that mosquitoes can be genetically altered using the latest research techniques, but paves the way to understanding why the insect is so attracted to humans, and how to block that attraction.

The time has come now to do genetics in these important disease-vector insects. I think our new work is a great example that you can do it, says Leslie Vosshall, an HHMI investigator at The Rockefeller University who led the new research, published May 29, 2013 in the journal Nature.

By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans. Leslie B. Vosshall

In 2007, scientists announced the completion of the full genome sequence of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits dengue and yellow fever. A year later, when Vosshall became an HHMI investigator, she shifted the focus of her lab from Drosophila flies to mosquitoes with the specific goal of genetically engineering the insects. Studying mosquitoes appealed to her because of their importance as disease carriers, as well as their unique attraction to humans.

Vosshalls first target: a gene called orco, which her lab had deleted in genetically engineered flies 10 years earlier. We knew this gene was important for flies to be able to respond to the odors they respond to, says Vosshall. And we had some hints that mosquitoes interact with smells in their environment, so it was a good bet that something would interact with orco in mosquitoes.

Vosshalls team turned to a genetic engineering tool called zinc-finger nucleases to specifically mutate the orco gene in Aedes aegypti. They injected the targeted zinc-finger nucleases into mosquito embryos, waited for them to mature, identified mutant individuals, and generated mutant strains that allowed them to study the role of orco in mosquito biology. The engineered mosquitoes showed diminished activity in neurons linked to odor-sensing. Then, behavioral tests revealed more changes.

When given a choice between a human and any other animal, normal Aedes aegypti will reliably buzz toward the human. But the mosquitoes with orco mutations showed reduced preference for the smell of humans over guinea pigs, even in the presence of carbon dioxide, which is thought to help mosquitoes respond to human scent. By disrupting a single gene, we can fundamentally confuse the mosquito from its task of seeking humans, says Vosshall. But they dont yet know whether the confusion stems from an inability to sense a bad smell coming from the guinea pig, a good smell from the human, or both.

Next, the team tested whether the mosquitoes with orco mutations responded differently to DEET. When exposed to two human armsone slathered in a solution containing 10 percent DEET, the active ingredient in many bug repellants, and the other untreatedthe mosquitoes flew equally toward both arms, suggesting they couldnt smell the DEET. But once they landed on the arms, they quickly flew away from the DEET-covered one. This tells us that there are two totally different mechanisms that mosquitoes are using to sense DEET, explains Vosshall. One is whats happening in the air, and the other only comes into action when the mosquito is touching the skin. Such dual mechanisms had been discussed but had never been shown before.

Vosshall and her collaborators next want to study in more detail how the orco protein interacts with the mosquitoes odorant receptors to allow the insects to sense smells. We want to know what it is about these mosquitoes that makes them so specialized for humans, she says. And if we can also provide insights into how existing repellants are working, then we can start having some ideas about what a next-generation repellant would look like.

Photo: Zach Veilleux (The Rockefeller University)

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Genetic Engineering Alters Mosquitoes’ Sense of Smell

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Let #39;s Play The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Episode 11
I stopped because I was/am angry - I cut out an entire section where I showed my frustration and anger - I felt is was best left out. My Sims 3 Page: http://...

By: Llandros09

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Let's Play The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Episode 11 - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

MEP: The Puzzle Collection (1997, PC) - 02 of 10: Mixed Genetics [720p]
The rule of this game is more complicated to explain - you group 3 different animal where you will try breed pure offsprings which you will rescue to clear a...

By: Rubycored #39;s Gaming Madhouse!

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MEP: The Puzzle Collection (1997, PC) - 02 of 10: Mixed Genetics [720p] - Video

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MUSE Spotlight Interns at Dr. Abels Genetics Lab
"My U Signature Experience" Spotlight Silvia Hu and Jeffery Lei talk about their signature experience as interns at Dr. Abels Genetics Lab through the Underg...

By: UMUSEProject

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MUSE Spotlight Interns at Dr. Abels Genetics Lab - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - May 29, 2013) - Atossa Genetics, Inc.

WHAT: Based on true events, Decoding Annie Parker follows a 15-year war waged on both scientific and emotional fronts by a pair of women demonstrating extreme bravery under pressure. Annie Parker (Samantha Morton), who lost her mother and sister to breast cancer is diagnosed with the disease, displaying a force of spirit that belies the odds. Elsewhere, geneticist Mary-Claire King (Helen Hunt) is researching the idea of an undiscovered link between DNA and cancer, a process that finds her scrambling for both funding and the support of her disbelieving colleagues.

WHO: Atossa Genetics, Inc., The Breast Health Company, is sponsoring two screenings of the new film Decoding Annie Parker at the Seattle International Film Festival on June 6 and 8, 2013.The company is offering free tickets to members of the media who wish to attend.

WHERE: The Seattle International Film Festival's showing of Decoding Annie Parker will be at the Egyptian Theater, 801 E. Pine Street in Seattle, WA. The showing on June 6th is at 7:00 PM PDT and the showing on June 8th is at 1:30 PM PDT.

WHY: Seattle-based Atossa Genetics is focused on preventing breast cancer through the commercialization of patented diagnostic medical devices and patented laboratory developed tests (LDT) that can detect precursors to breast cancer up to eight years before mammography, and through research and development that will permit it to commercialize treatments for pre-cancerous lesions.The company has developed the patented ForeCYTE Breast Health Test, a risk assessment test for women ages 18 to 73 akin to the Pap Smear.

For additional information, please visit http://www.atossagenetics.com. You can also view a video about the ForeCYTE test here: https://vimeo.com/62365818

HOW: Dr. Steven Quay, Chairman, CEO & President of Atossa Genetics, is available to discuss the company and its sponsorship of the film.

CONTACT: For tickets, please contact Cami Mahan of Atossa Genetics at 1-800-351-3902 or cami.mahan@atossagenetics.com. To Interview Dr. Quay, please contact Jules Abraham, 917-885-7378 or jabraham@jqapartners.com

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Media Alert: Atossa Genetics to Sponsor Screenings of Decoding Annie Parker at the Seattle International Film Festival ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

AMES, Iowa, May 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --NewLink Genetics Corporation (NLNK), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel immunotherapeutics to improve treatment options for patients with cancer, announced today that Charles J. Link, Jr., M.D., NewLink's Founder and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present at the Jefferies 2013 Healthcare Conference in New York on Wednesday, June 5, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. ET. Interested parties may access a live webcast of the presentation by visiting the NewLink website at http://www.linkp.com. The webcast will be archived on the NewLink website following the event.

About NewLink Genetics Corporation

NewLink is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel immunotherapeutic products to improve treatment options for patients with cancer. NewLink's portfolio includes biologic and small molecule immunotherapy product candidates intended to treat a wide range of oncology indications. NewLink's product candidates are designed to harness multiple components of the immune system to combat cancer without significant incremental toxicity, either as a monotherapy or in combination with other treatment regimens. For more information please visit http://www.linkp.com. Patient information is available at http://www.pancreaticcancer-clinicaltrials.com.

Contact:

Gordon Link Chief Financial Officer 515-598-2925 glink@linkp.com

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NewLink Genetics to Present at the Jefferies 2013 Healthcare Conference

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 29-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Connie Hughes connie.hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health

Philadelphia, Pa. (May 29, 2013) Experimental genetic techniques may one day provide plastic and reconstructive surgeons with an invaluable toolthe ability to promote growth of the patient's own tissues for reconstructive surgery. A review of recent progress toward developing effective gene therapies for use in "regenerative surgery" appears in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Over the past ten years, researchers have developed several promising gene therapy techniques to grow skin, bone, and other tissues for reconstructive surgery. But they still face many challenges in developing gene-based approaches that can make the leap from the research lab to the operating room, according to the review by Dr. Giorgio Giatsidis and colleagues of Padua University Hospital, Italy.

Gene Therapy Approaches Studied for 'Almost Every Tissue'

Dr. Giatsidis and coauthors reviewed the state of the art in research on gene therapy techniques for treatment of local disorders and injuriesthe first such review in more than a decade. They found studies using gene therapy to promote the growth of "almost every different tissue" for use in regenerative surgery. "Gene therapy may represent a leading strategy to develop more efficient regenerative surgical treatments for numerous clinical needs," they write.

Gene therapy has the potential to provide reconstructive surgeons with a new approach to solving one of their most difficult problems: the lack of adequate tissues to correct deformities of a specific area or structure. For example, in patients with relatively small burns, plastic and reconstructive surgeons have designed a wide range of skin flaps for use in transferring healthy tissue to the burned area.

But for patients with burns involving larger areas, the lack of suitable tissues for coverage may severely limit the reconstructive options. Using gene techniques to promote growth of specific types of tissues would be a major step forward in the ability to perform truly regenerative surgery.

But Translation from Lab to OR Poses Many Challenges

Several research groups are pursuing gene therapy approaches to regenerate skin, such as using genes to control expression of growth factors involved in skin healing. One small study reported promising results with tissue-engineered products to promote healing of diabetic skin ulcers.

Link:
Gene therapies for regenerative surgery are getting closer, says review in PRS

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL--(Marketwired - May 29, 2013) - Experimental genetic techniques may one day provide plastic and reconstructive surgeons with an invaluable tool -- the ability to promote growth of the patient's own tissues for reconstructive surgery. A review of recent progress toward developing effective gene therapies for use in "regenerative surgery" appears in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Over the past ten years, researchers have developed several promising gene therapy techniques to grow skin, bone and other tissues for reconstructive surgery. But they still face many challenges in developing gene-based approaches that can make the leap from the research lab to the operating room, according to the review by Dr. Giorgio Giatsidis and colleagues of Padua University Hospital, Italy.

Gene Therapy Approaches Studied for 'Almost Every Tissue'Dr. Giatsidis and coauthors reviewed the state of the art in research on gene therapy techniques for treatment of local disorders and injuries -- the first such review in more than a decade. They found studies using gene therapy to promote the growth of "almost every different tissue" for use in regenerative surgery. "Gene therapy may represent a leading strategy to develop more efficient regenerative surgical treatments for numerous clinical needs," they write.

Gene therapy has the potential to provide reconstructive surgeons with a new approach to solving one of their most difficult problems: the lack of adequate tissues to correct deformities of a specific area or structure. For example, in patients with relatively small burns, plastic and reconstructive surgeons have designed a wide range of skin flaps for use in transferring healthy tissue to the burned area.

But for patients with burns involving larger areas, the lack of suitable tissues for coverage may severely limit the reconstructive options. Using gene techniques to promote growth of specific types of tissues would be a major step forward in the ability to perform truly regenerative surgery.

But Translation from Lab to OR Poses Many Challenges Several research groups are pursuing gene therapy approaches to regenerate skin, such as using genes to control expression of growth factors involved in skin healing. One small study reported promising results with tissue-engineered products to promote healing of diabetic skin ulcers.

Researchers are also targeting growth factors involved in new bone formation, with promising results in techniques using transplantation of genetically modified donor bone. One study reported clinical benefits using gene therapy to regenerate joint cartilage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Techniques to promote healing of tendons, regeneration of injured nerves, and growth of skin flaps for reconstructive surgery are all being explored.

But despite progress in all of these areas, translating experimental gene therapy methods into regenerative surgery techniques for use in the operating room will remain a difficult challenge. Even after the technical problems are addressed, more work will be needed to develop regenerative surgery techniques that are productive and cost-effective.

"After two decades, regenerative surgery is an adolescent looking forward to growing up," Dr. Giatsidis and coauthors write. "Despite extensive preclinical approaches, translation of gene therapy strategies into clinical trials is still a difficult and expensive process."

So far, the studies of diabetic ulcers and rheumatoid arthritis mentioned above are the only methods to show evidence of clinical effectiveness in human patients. "Even so," the authors add, "cutting-edge gene therapy-based strategies in reconstructive procedures [are close] to setting valuable milestones for development of efficient treatments in a growing number of local diseases and injuries."

The rest is here:
Gene Therapies for Regenerative Surgery Are Getting Closer, Says Review in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Scientists may have discovered a new weapon in the war against influenza, according to a study.

Researchers in the US used a gene therapy technique which worked well against the H5N1 and H1N1 flu virus. Gene therapy is a new technique in which doctors can tackle a disorder by inserting a gene into a patient's cells instead of using drugs or surgery.

Investigators at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, used a liquid to place a gene replicating an antibody known to be effective against flu into the noses of mice and ferrets, and found it gave them protection against lethal strains of the virus.

In the study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the strains were isolated from samples associated with an infamous flu pandemic in 1918 and another in 2009.

One of the scientists, James Wilson, said: "The experiments described in our paper provide critical proof-of-concept in animals about a technology platform that can be deployed in the setting of virtually any pandemic or biological attack for which a neutralising antibody exists or can be easily isolated.

"Further development of this approach for pandemic flu has taken on more urgency in light of the spreading infection in China of the lethal bird strain of H7N9 virus in humans."

The technique establishes broad-based efficacy against a wide range of flu strains.

The treatment was tested in mice that were exposed to lethal quantities of three strains of H5N1 and two strains of H1N1, all of which have been associated with historic human pandemics (including the infamous H1N1 1918).

The flu virus rapidly replicated in untreated animals all of which needed to be put down. However, pre-treatment with the liquid containing the gene virtually shut down virus replication and provided complete protection against all strains of flu in the treated animals.

One of the scientists, Maria Limberis, said: "The novelty of this approach is that we're ... delivering the prophylactic vaccine to the nose in a non-invasive manner, not a shot like conventional vaccines that passively transfer antibodies to the general circulation."

Read more from the original source:
Gene therapy boost in flu battle

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Study found coaxing cells in the nose to make super antibodies protected mice and ferrets from pandemic strains

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Brenda Goodman

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- Gene therapy that turns cells in the nose into factories that crank out super antibodies against the flu protected mice and ferrets against lethal doses of several pandemic strains of the virus.

If the approach works in humans, it could offer several important advantages over flu vaccines, said study author Dr. James Wilson, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia.

Because the therapy can be made ahead of time and fights many different strains, it might give doctors a faster way to thwart flu pandemics.

Currently, doctors race to identify dangerous new types of flu. They then have to develop a vaccine that targets the new strain. The vaccine is then grown in chicken eggs and tested for safety. It takes between three and six months to manufacture large quantities of vaccines against the flu.

"By the time we realize it's a potential pandemic, it's too late," Wilson said. "The timeliness of deploying the seasonal flu vaccine approach for pandemics is not the best way to go."

Vaccines, which prime the body to remember to attack incoming pathogens, also don't do the best job of protecting people who have diminished immune function, such as seniors and those with chronic health problems.

The rest is here:
Gene Therapy May Protect Against Flu Pandemics

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PHILADELPHIA Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania have developed a new gene therapy to thwart a potential influenza pandemic. Specifically, investigators in the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, directed by James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, demonstrated that a single dose of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing a broadly neutralizing flu antibody into the nasal passages of mice and ferrets gives them complete protection and substantial reductions in flu replication when exposed to lethal strains of H5N1 and H1N1 flu virus. These strains were isolated from samples associated from historic human pandemics one from the infamous 1918 flu pandemic and another from 2009.

Wilson, Anna Tretiakova, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Maria P. Limberis, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, all from the Penn Gene Therapy Program, and colleagues published their findings online this week in Science Translational Medicine ahead of print. In addition to the Penn scientists, the international effort included colleagues from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg; the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg; and the University of Pittsburgh. Tretiakova is also the director of translational research, and Limberis is the director of animal models core, both with the Gene Therapy Program.

The experiments described in our paper provide critical proof-of-concept in animals about a technology platform that can be deployed in the setting of virtually any pandemic or biological attack for which a neutralizing antibody exists or can be easily isolated, says Wilson. Further development of this approach for pandemic flu has taken on more urgency in light of the spreading infection in China of the lethal bird strain of H7N9 virus in humans.

Influenza infections are the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and result in almost 500,000 deaths worldwide per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The emergence of a new influenza pandemic remains a threat that could result in a much loss of life and worldwide economic disruption.

There is also interest by the military in developing an off-the-shelf prophylactic vaccine should soldiers be exposed to weaponized strains of infectious agents in biologic warfare.

Human antibodies with broad neutralizing activity against various influenza strains exist but their direct use as a prophylactic treatment is impractical. Now, yearly flu vaccines are made by growing the flu virus in eggs. The viral envelope proteins on the exterior, namely hemagglutinin, are cleaved off and used as the vaccine, but vary from year to year, depending on what flu strains are prevalent. However, high mutation rates in the proteins result in the emergence of new viral types each year, which elude neutralization by preexisting antibodies in the body (specifically specific receptor binding sites on the virus that are the targets of neutralizing antibodies).

This approach has led to annual vaccinations against seasonal strains of flu viruses that are predicted to emerge during the upcoming season. Strains that arise outside of the human population, for example in domestic livestock, are distinct from those that normally circulate in humans, and can lead to deadly pandemics.

These strains are also not effectively controlled by vaccines developed to human strains, as with the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The vaccine development time for that strain, and in general, was not fast enough to support vaccination in response to an emerging pandemic.

Knowing this, the Penn team proposed a novel approach that does not require the elicitation of an immune response, which does not provide sufficient breadth to be useful against any strain of flu other than the one for which it was designed, as with conventional approaches.

The Penn approach is to clone into a vector a gene that encodes an antibody that is effective against many strains of flu and to engineer cells that line the nasal passages to express this broadly neutralizing antibody, effectively establishing broad-based efficacy against a wide range of flu strains.

More:
New Gene Therapy Shows Broad Protection in Animal Models to Pandemic Flu Strains, including the Deadly 1918 Spanish ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

May 29, 2013 Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania have developed a new gene therapy to thwart a potential influenza pandemic. Specifically, investigators in the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, directed by James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, demonstrated that a single dose of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing a broadly neutralizing flu antibody into the nasal passages of mice and ferrets gives them complete protection and substantial reductions in flu replication when exposed to lethal strains of H5N1 and H1N1 flu virus. These strains were isolated from samples associated from historic human pandemics -- one from the infamous 1918 flu pandemic and another from 2009.

Wilson, Anna Tretiakova, PhD, Senior Research Scientist, Maria P. Limberis, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, all from the Penn Gene Therapy Program, and colleagues published their findings online this week in Science Translational Medicine ahead of print. In addition to the Penn scientists, the international effort included colleagues from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg; the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg; and the University of Pittsburgh. Tretiakova is also the director of translational research, and Limberis is the director of animal models core, both with the Gene Therapy Program.

"The experiments described in our paper provide critical proof-of-concept in animals about a technology platform that can be deployed in the setting of virtually any pandemic or biological attack for which a neutralizing antibody exists or can be easily isolated," says Wilson. "Further development of this approach for pandemic flu has taken on more urgency in light of the spreading infection in China of the lethal bird strain of H7N9 virus in humans."

At the Ready Influenza infections are the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and result in almost 500,000 deaths worldwide per year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The emergence of a new influenza pandemic remains a threat that could result in a much loss of life and worldwide economic disruption.

There is also interest by the military in developing an off-the-shelf prophylactic vaccine should soldiers be exposed to weaponized strains of infectious agents in biologic warfare.

Human antibodies with broad neutralizing activity against various influenza strains exist but their direct use as a prophylactic treatment is impractical. Now, yearly flu vaccines are made by growing the flu virus in eggs. The viral envelope proteins on the exterior, namely hemagglutinin, are cleaved off and used as the vaccine, but vary from year to year, depending on what flu strains are prevalent. However, high mutation rates in the proteins result in the emergence of new viral types each year, which elude neutralization by preexisting antibodies in the body (specifically specific receptor binding sites on the virus that are the targets of neutralizing antibodies).

This approach has led to annual vaccinations against seasonal strains of flu viruses that are predicted to emerge during the upcoming season. Strains that arise outside of the human population, for example in domestic livestock, are distinct from those that normally circulate in humans, and can lead to deadly pandemics.

These strains are also not effectively controlled by vaccines developed to human strains, as with the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. The vaccine development time for that strain, and in general, was not fast enough to support vaccination in response to an emerging pandemic.

Knowing this, the Penn team proposed a novel approach that does not require the elicitation of an immune response, which does not provide sufficient breadth to be useful against any strain of flu other than the one for which it was designed, as with conventional approaches.

The Penn approach is to clone into a vector a gene that encodes an antibody that is effective against many strains of flu and to engineer cells that line the nasal passages to express this broadly neutralizing antibody, effectively establishing broad-based efficacy against a wide range of flu strains.

Go here to see the original:
Gene therapy gives mice broad protection to pandemic flu strains, including 1918 flu

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India.
Improvement seen in just 3 months after Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. After Stem Cell Therapy...

By: NeuroGen Brain And Spine Institute

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Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. - Video

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Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Becker Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India.
Improvement seen after Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Becker Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. Stem Cell Therapy done at Dr Alok Sharma N...

By: NeuroGen Brain And Spine Institute

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Stem Cell Therapy Treatment for Becker Muscular Dystrophy by Dr Alok Sharma, Mumbai, India. - Video

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Dina Firchmin - Cell Therapy Foundation #39;Rejuvenate Breakfast #39;
Dina Firchmin speaks at the Cell Therapy Foundation #39;s #39;Rejuvenate Breakfast #39;

By: Ryan Alan Petti

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Dina Firchmin - Cell Therapy Foundation 'Rejuvenate Breakfast' - Video

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Traci Runge - Cell Therapy Foundation #39;s #39;Rejuvenate Breakfast #39;
Traci Runge speaks at the Cell Therapy Foundation #39;s #39;Rejuvenate Breakfast #39;

By: Ryan Alan Petti

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Traci Runge - Cell Therapy Foundation's 'Rejuvenate Breakfast' - Video

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Dr. Bruce Van Natta - Cell Therapy Foundation #39;s #39;Rejuvenate Breakfast #39;
Dr. Bruce Van Natta speaks at the Cell Therapy Foundation #39;s #39;Rejuvenate Breakfast #39;

By: Ryan Alan Petti

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Dr. Bruce Van Natta - Cell Therapy Foundation's 'Rejuvenate Breakfast' - Video

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Dr Keith March - Cell Therapy Foundation #39;s #39;Rejuvenate Breakfast #39;
Dr Keith March speaks at the Cell Therapy Foundation #39;s #39;Rejuvenate Breakfast #39;

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Dr Keith March - Cell Therapy Foundation's 'Rejuvenate Breakfast' - Video

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GM Salmon, Genetic Engineering of Farm Animals to Arrive in Summer 2013 Despite Public Opposition
By summer of 2013, US governing bodies, or, the alphabet soup of corruption (USDA, FDA, etc.) are expected to grant permission for scientists to roll out gen...

By: Love one and be loved one

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GM Salmon, Genetic Engineering of Farm Animals to Arrive in Summer 2013 Despite Public Opposition - Video

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Public release date: 26-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Keith Shearwin keith.shearwin@adelaide.edu.au 61-883-135-361 University of Adelaide

A simpler and faster way of producing designer bacteria used in biotechnology processes has been developed by University of Adelaide researchers.

The researchers have developed a new one-step bacterial genetic engineering process called 'clonetegration', published in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology.

Led by Dr Keith Shearwin, in the University's School of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, the research facilitates faster development of designer bacteria used in therapeutic drug development, such as insulin, and other biotechnology products.

Designer bacteria are produced by integrating extra pieces of genetic material into the DNA of bacteria, in this case E. coli, so that the bacteria will make a desired product.

"E. coli strains are commonly used workhorses for biotechnology and metabolic engineering," Dr Shearwin says.

"For example, new genes or even the genetic material for whole metabolic pathways are inserted into the bacteria's chromosome so that they produce compounds or proteins not normally produced. Insulin is an example of a therapeutic product produced in this way."

"The existing process for integrating new genes is inefficient, taking several days. Our new process can be completed overnight."

As well as speeding up the process, 'clonetegration' enables multiple rounds of genetic engineering on the same bacteria, and simultaneous integration of multiple genes at different specific locations.

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New 1-step process for designer bacteria

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Public release date: 28-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Raquel Maurier rmaurier@ualberta.ca 780-492-5986 University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have pinpointed a genetic marker for sporadic breast cancer one of a handful identified to date in Caucasians.

Researchers have identified many genetic markers for familial breast cancers, but not for sporadic breast cancer which accounts for 80 per cent of all cases. Sambasivarao Damaraju, a professor with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and a researcher at the Cross Cancer Institute, worked with his team to scan the DNA of about 7,200 Alberta women, including those who have had sporadic breast cancer and those who have not had cancer. Their genomes were scanned from DNA isolated from blood.

The results? Women who had sporadic breast cancer frequently had a genetic marker on chromosome 4 a marker that has never been associated with familial breast cancer cases.

"The frequency of this marker occurring was statistically significant," says Damaraju, who works in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology. "Genetic factors that predispose women to breast cancer is a subject of intense investigation in the research world. While 60 to 70 genetic risk factors have been identified for familial breast cancer, we don't know much about the genetic risk factors for sporadic breast cancer. So this finding is exciting, and shows us more research is needed in this area."

The team's findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed journal, PLoS One. Damaraju noted the team, which included co-author John Mackey and PhD student Yadav Sapkota, was multi-disciplinary, including basic scientists, medical oncologists, biostatisticians and epidemiologists. He also acknowledged the initial contributions to this work from previous trainees, Malinee Sridharan and Badan S. Sehrawat. Overall, he collaborated with colleagues from the U of A's School of Public Health, the Department of Oncology, and the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, as well as colleagues from the Cross Cancer Institute and Alberta Health Services.

Damaraju and his team are continuing their work in this very young field (the first genetic marker for breast cancer predisposition was reported in 2007). He says more research is needed to identify genetic markers for sporadic breast cancer, but that large scale screening to identify those at risk is still years away.

Lifestyle factors account for two-thirds of the risk associated with breast cancer, while the remaining one-third of the risk is attributed to genetics, Damaraju noted.

The research was funded by the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation Prairies/NWT region.

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U of A medical researchers ID genetic marker for sporadic breast cancer

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