London researchers have identified a genetic mutation that may open doors to better understand, and potentially treat, Lou Gehrigs disease.

Led by Michael Strong, the dean of Schulich Medicine and Dentistry at Western University, the researchers believe theyve fingered a genetic culprit behind a disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that disrupts motor neurons that connect the brain to muscles and kills its victims, 90% of them within five years of diagnosis.

Ive been working in ALS research for 25 years. Its a tough disease ... But this is a big opening. This is a London discovery, Strong said Tuesday,

Researchers found mutations in a gene that were present in nearly all ALS patients but not in healthy individuals, a gene called ARHGEF28.

The gene is linked to the production of proteins that help to stabilize and repair cells in health people researchers suspect the repair function is compromised by the defects.

Strongs work is published online in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, the official journal of The World Federation of Neurology Research Group on Motor Neuron Diseases.

While there are other genetic defects linked to ALS, including one Strong pinpointed six years ago, he believes those in ARHGEF28 appear to be the common denominator.

His research has already sparked inquiries from labs in Germany, Israel and Italy.

There will be a lot of interest worldwide, Strong said.

No wonder as many as 30,000 Americans and 2,000 Canadians are living with ALS.

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Western University researchers discover genetic mutation linked to Lou Gehrig's disease

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A technique which allows genetic editing has been successfully tested on human cells meaning that genetic medicine -- previously an expensive and complex endeavour -- could become simple and affordable.

The process was discovered in 2012 by Jennifer Doudna and Martin Jinek of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of California, Berkeley working with Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden. Initially it described genomic editing in bacterial cells but has now been tested on human DNA .

"The ability to modify specific elements of an organism's genes has been essential to advance our understanding of biology, including human health," said Doudna. "This is going to remove a major bottleneck in the field, because it means that essentially anybody can use this kind of genome editing or reprogramming to introduce genetic changes into mammalian or, quite likely, other eukaryotic systems."

The editing system uses an enzyme-RNA complex, Cas9, present in some bacteria which conduct genetic editing for self preservation. The bacteria can cut up viral DNA strands and integrate it with their own DNA. They are then able to synthesise working copies of the genetic material in the form of RNA which binds to and inactivates the attacking virus.

"The beauty of this compared to any of the other systems that have come along over the past few decades for doing genome engineering is that it uses a single enzyme," explained Doudna. "The enzyme doesn't have to change for every site that you want to target -- you simply have to reprogram it with a different RNA transcript, which is easy to design and implement."

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Editing tool successfully created for human genome

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How To Gain Weight If You Have Skinny Genetics?
SUBSCRIBE TO MY VERTICAL JUMP CHANNEL! http://www.youtube.com LIKE ON FACEBOOK! http://www.facebook.com MY VERTICAL JUMP PROGRAM theverticaljumptruth.blogspot.com Everyone has the potential to gain weight, even with skinny genes. If you are genetically skinny than it is important for you to stay CONSISTENT. CONSISTENCY IS KEY TO SUCCESS. To gain weight you must eat more calories than you are burning. You also need to focus on compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, bench press and military press,

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Mendelian Genetics Experiment
HSA Euless STEM Project 2012-2013

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Advanced Genetics Athlete Melanie Gardner
Contest Prep for the Arnolds I do not own the rights to the music heard in this video. It belongs to the respective copyright owners. I upload these videos to promote the artists to an audience that may not otherwise take notice of the artist and for nothing more. Do NOT duplicate and/or sell this video at any time or to anyone. No copyright infringement intended. If you would like me to remove this video because of any legal issues, please message me and I will promptly and gladly do so

By: Jason Green

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Daily Weight Loss Weight Loss Quick Weight loss
#9658; #9658;goo.gl #9658; #9658;goo.gl #9658; #9658;goo.gl Watch My Full Video http://www.youtube.com Daily Weight Loss Weight Loss Quick Weight loss Software BLAST Basic Local Alignment Search Tool . Splign Vector Alignment Search Tool VAST . Conserved Domain Search Service CD Search . Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes dbGaP . Map Viewer Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man OMIM . Bookshelf Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes dbGaP . RefSeqGene All Genetics Medicine Resources. Genomes Maps Database of Genomic Structural Variation dbVar . Homology BLAST Basic Local Alignment Search Tool . BLAST Link BLink Conserved Domain Database CDD . Conserved Domain Search Service CD Search . Protein Clusters All Homology Resources. Sequence Analysis BLAST Basic Local Alignment Search Tool . BLAST Link BLink Conserved Domain Search Service CD Search . Variation Database of Genomic Structural Variation dbVar . Database of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms dbSNP . But y,ou s_hould tr,y the alternative ,m+edication! Large a mount of fa,t food -lack #39; of activity i #39;n your lif e can caus #39;e ob_esity. Total Price: Depends on the product properties you select. Place of Origin: Guangdong China Mainland is_customized:. Shipment : You can have your goods shipped by. Please note that buyers are responsible for all other potential fees or taxes, for instance, customs fees, duties, commissions/brokerage, or taxes for the importation. We can not guarantee the delivery time on all international shipments due to the ...

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How to get a flat stomach in a day
#9658; #9658;goo.gl #9658; #9658;goo.gl #9658; #9658;goo.gl Watch My Full Video http://www.youtube.com how to get a flat stomach in a day people with Hashi #39;s www ahsta com is a website that supports people who are using LDN for autoimmune thyroid disease. Hashi #39;s, AI, Celiac, Low Aldo, menopause, MVP, pyroluria. Another possibility is that the doc subscribes to the "the gut is the source" school of thought and will want you on a very strict diet, plus antifungals and probiotics. Thanks everyone! I wish I could post to his website directly, but I don #39;t know if that is allowed since we aren #39;t supposed to drop the names of doctors on here and it is the site for his clinic. He has almost all his alternative therapies listed on there, but none of them seem to target thyroid specifically. I will go back on and look for the ones mentioned here though. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. PubChem Substance All Chemicals Bioassays Resources. DNA RNA BLAST Basic Local Alignment Search Tool . Data Software BLAST Basic Local Alignment Search Tool . Splign Vector Alignment Search Tool VAST . Conserved Domain Search Service CD Search . Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes dbGaP . Map Viewer Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man OMIM . Bookshelf Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes dbGaP . RefSeqGene All Genetics Medicine Resources. Genomes Maps Database of Genomic Structural Variation dbVar . Homology BLAST Basic Local Alignment Search Tool . BLAST Link ...

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Races and Human Genetic Variation
Many people are under the mistaken impression that people from different racial backgrounds have big differences in their DNA instructions. But this is not the case. The entire human race has an incredibly low level of genetic variety. Some biologists have remarked that if you sequenced the DNA instruction of two humans on opposite sides of the globe they #39;d have less change in their DNA than two chimps on the same mountain in Africa. These discoveries have profound implications. Since the human race has relatively low genetic variety that means it must have originated recently. The racial groups have not therefore evolved independently over long periods of time. These discoveries are consistent with the bible #39;s timeframe, whereby the human race originated from a single set of parents, only thousands of years ago and the people groups have originated since then. Related Articles: Noah and Genetics (creation.com Could Adam and Eve have given rise to all races? (creation.com The non-mythological Adam and Eve (creation.com Related Products: Mitochondrial Eve and the Daughters of Noah DVD (creation.com Genetic Entropy and the Mystery of the Human Genome (creation.com

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Farmer Testimonials on GM Alfalfa
Farmers from across Canada describe how genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) alfalfa would affect them. Do farmers need GM alfalfa? This year there is a new industry push to pave the way to introduce GM alfalfa into Canada. The company Forage Genetics wants to sell GM alfalfa seeds in Canada (seeds with Monsanto #39;s Roundup Ready herbicide tolerant trait). Its not legal to sell GM alfalfa seeds in Canada until Forage Genetics gets variety registration. In October 2012, the industry group called the Canadian Seed Trade Association began to push a plan for "co-existence" of GM and non-GM alfalfa, to pave the way to introduce GM alfalfa in Canada via Ontario. However, "co-existence" is not possible - GM alfalfa cannot be controlled but will contaminate farmers #39; fields across the country. Take action today or find out more info at http://www.cban.ca Thank you to the National Farmers Union and the NFU Youth for these testimonials.

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Farmer Testimonials on GM Alfalfa - Video

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learn how to lose weight fast.mp4
find out new stategies for weight loss 2013 a75005stqin2q89--0icj8orv6.hop.clickbank.net get a FREE copy of our "Food Factor" book sent immediately to your email. Dr. Charles DC Licensed Chiropractor, Wellness Professional, and Author of The Fat Loss Factor Being fat is not genetic. True, your entire family may be overweight but it doesn #39;t mean that you have to be. There are success stories all the time of people overcoming their "genetics" and possibly increasing your chances of rapid fat loss. Just watch the TV show "The Biggest Loser" (google it if you #39;ve never seen it) It is full of people who have overcome their "genetics". Want to know a sort of secret? Your genes do not control your weight... your lifestyle does. Your genes are like a light switch, you can turn them on and off depending what you do with your life. Don #39;t be a victim of yourself and everything that you hear! Most over eating is due to STRESS. People will eat when they are nervous, worried, sad, depressed, anxious, scared, etc. This is a very common problem facing our society and there is a simple solution. Manage your stress. We dedicate a giant section of the book to this problem alone. One easy way to lose weight quickly without actually doing ANYTHING physical or to your diet, decrease your stress levels. When your stress levels are high, your stress hormones sky rocket which make you hungry. For many, it can be harder to control your portions, to stop emotional eating, and stop binge eating ...

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color genetics for rabbits

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LDSF Conference 2012 Dr. Bart Loeys
Dr. Bart Loeys, Professor of Medical Genetics, Antwerp University Hospital, and member of the Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Foundation Medical Advisory Council (MAC), present, "Introduction to Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: A Broad overview of genetics and medical features of individuals with Loeys-Dietz syndrome," at the 2012 LDSF Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

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The simple entrance of this oldfield mouse burrow should not mislead you about its architectural complexity.

Vera Domingues/Hopi Hoekstra, Harvard University

Humans engage in a lot of complex behaviors, but many of them are learned. Genetics gives us a nervous system that's flexible enough to incorporate new behaviors, and we pick them up socially. But many animals display highly complex behavior that appears to be instinctual. Which raises the question of how these sorts of behaviors can be programmed into the nervous system genetically.

Pretty simply, if a new study of mice is to be believed. The work compared the architecture of burrows built by two closely related species. The researchers find the design of the animals' burrows is modular, and the two modules are largely controlled by a handful of genesperhaps as few as four in total.

The work relied on two closely related species. One is the deer mouse, which is widespread in North America. This species makes very simple burrows, with a short entry passage leading to a nest. In the southeastern US, however, there's a closely related species, the oldfield mouse, that builds a far more complex home. This includes a much longer entrance passage and a secondary "escape tunnel" from the back of the nest that allows it a safe route out should a predator come in the front door.

Various information, such as the species' geographic ranges and their close similarity, suggest the oldfield mice are offshoots of the more widely ranging deer mouse. If accurate, this would suggest the oldfield's burrowing behavior evolved since its separation from the parent species.

To confirm the burrowing behavior was under genetic control, the authors brought some of each species into the lab and raised offspring in cages that lacked any material for them to dig burrows. Then, when the mice were mature, they were set loose into a larger area filled with a sandy soil. Despite never having seen a parent's burrow, the mice quickly dug one that was similar to those that their fellow species members dig in the wild. You can see an example of how the authors managed to study the burrow's properties in the video below.

The researchers obtained casts of the mice's burrows in order to measure them. (video courtesy of Jesse Weber, Harvard University)

With the importance of genetics established, the authors set about studying it. Because the two species are so closely related, they were able to get the mice to mate, creating an offspring that was a 50/50 mix of the DNA of the two species. They tested these hybrids for behavior, and in all cases, they acted like the oldfield mice, making longer burrows with an escape tunnel. That, in a classic Mendelian way, suggests the genes that control these behaviors are dominant.

At first glance, it also suggested the suite of behaviors might all be inherited together. But the authors did further crosses to test that by mating the hybrids with regular deer mice (which build simple burrows). The burrows made by the animals that resulted tended to be a bit shorter, on average, than those of the oldfield mice, and only some of these offspring made escape tunnels. The presence of an escape tunnel did not correlate with the length of the burrow, suggesting these two traits are unlinked.

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Complex behaviors driven by remarkably simple genetics

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Public release date: 16-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jean-Franois Hupp jean-francois.huppe@dc.ulaval.ca 418-656-7785 Universit Laval

This press release is available in French.

Quebec City, January 16, 2013Genetics plays a major role in peer rejection and victimization in early elementary school, according to a study recently published on the website of the journal Child Development by a team directed by Dr. Michel Boivin, a research professor at Universit Laval's School of Psychology.

To come to this conclusion, Boivin and his team tested over 800 twins at three time points: when they were in kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 4. This sample consisted of 41% monozygotic twins"true" twins who share 100% of their genesand 59% "false," or fraternal twins who share an average of 50% of their genes. Each subject, their classmates, and their teacher were asked questions relating to peer rejection and victimization.

The research revealed that pairs of twins presented significant similarities with respect to relationship problems. Their analyses determined that these similarities were over 73% attributable to genetic factors. "Certain genetically transmissible traits that underlie physical appearance or behaviorparticularly aggressive, impulsive, and hyperactive behaviorsincrease the risk of rejection or victimization," asserts Michel Boivin, holder of the Canada Research Chair in Child Development.

Researchers also noted that relationship problems persisted between kindergarten and Grade 4, largely due to genetic factors.

"The good news is that it is possible, in kindergarten if not earlier, to identify children who might have trouble relating to their peers and quickly intervene," stresses Boivin. "We have to keep the personal characteristics that make them less popular with other kids from creating a vicious circle of rejection and victimization."

Between 5 and 10% of children experience chronic rejection or victimization in elementary school. These relationship difficulties can lead to academic problems, health issues, and a series of mental health complications like depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. "That's why it's so important to know when and how these problems appear and develop," concludes Dr. Boivin.

###

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Genetics plays major role in victimization in elementary school

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SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc. (MYGN) today announced that it will issue financial results for the second fiscal quarter 2013 following the close of market on Tuesday, February 5, 2013.

The Company will also host a conference call on Tuesday, February 5, 2013 at 4:30 P.M. Eastern to review the financial results. Participating on the call will be: Peter Meldrum, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Capone, President of Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc. and Jim Evans, Chief Financial Officer.

To listen to the call, interested parties within the U.S. may dial 800-732-6870, or +1 212-231-2900 for international callers. All callers will be asked to reference reservation number 21645936.

The conference call will also be available through a live webcast at http://www.myriad.com.

A replay of the call will be available two hours after the end of the call for seven days and may be accessed by dialing 800-633-8284 within the U.S. or +1 402-977-9140 for international callers, and entering reservation number 21645936.

About Myriad Genetics

Myriad Genetics is a leading molecular diagnostic company dedicated to making a difference in patients' lives through the discovery and commercialization of transformative tests to assess a person's risk of developing disease, guide treatment decisions and assess risk of disease progression and recurrence. Myriad's portfolio of molecular diagnostic tests are based on an understanding of the role genes play in human disease and were developed with a commitment to improving an individual's decision making process for monitoring and treating disease. Myriad is focused on strategic directives to introduce new products, including companion diagnostics, as well as expanding internationally. For more information on how Myriad is making a difference, please visit the Company's website: http://www.myriad.com

Myriad, the Myriad logo, BRACAnalysis, Colaris, Colaris AP, Melaris, TheraGuide, Prezeon, OnDose, Panexia and Prolaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myriad Genetics, Inc. in the United States and foreign countries. MYGN-F, MYGN-G

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Myriad Genetics to Announce Second Fiscal Quarter 2013 Results on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

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The Sea Slug That Eats The Sun: Sidney Pierce at TEDx TampaBay (The Future of Stories)
Dr. Sidney Pierce is currently a professor at the University of South Florida #39;s Department of Integrative Biology. His current research involves photosynthetic animals, especially the molecular biology behind the intracellular symbiosis between the digestive cells of a sea slug (Elysia chlorotica) and algal (Vaucheria litorea) chloroplasts, with applications in medicine mdash;gene therapy. Dr. Pierce #39;s work has been featured on radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, and even Weekly Reader, internationally as well as domestically. In fact, his research was recently featured in a French documentary, "The Power of Plants" on the France 5 network in France.

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Washington, January 16 (ANI): In a preliminary study in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), researchers have shown a giant leap using gene therapy to treat muscular dystrophy.

Muscular dystrophy occurs when damaged muscle tissue is replaced with fibrous, bony or fatty tissue and loses function. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common type of muscular dystrophy predominantly affecting boys.

Patients with DMD have a gene mutation that disrupts the production of dystrophin, a protein essential for muscle cell survival and function. Absence of dystrophin starts a chain reaction that eventually leads to muscle cell degeneration and death.

For years, scientists have been working to find the key to restoring dystrophin, but they have faced many challenges.

One of the largest hurdles in DMD gene therapy is the large size of the gene. Dystrophin is the largest gene in the human genome, containing approximately 4,000 amino acids.

To fit the dystrophin gene into a vehicle that could deliver the gene to the appropriate site in the body, one has to delete 70 percent of the gene. The highly abbreviated gene is known as the "micro-dystrophin" gene.

Previous studies suggest that micro-dystrophin can effectively stop muscle disease in mice that are missing dystrophin. However, mice that are missing dystrophin show minimal DMD symptoms, and results from mice often do not predict what will happen in humans.

In contrast to mice, loss of dystrophin results in severe muscular dystrophy in dogs. If micro-dystrophin can work in dystrophic dogs, it will likely work in human patients. Unfortunately, when micro-dystrophin was tested in dogs in previous studies, it was not successful.

To overcome these hurdles, a team led by Dongsheng Duan, the Margaret Proctor Mulligan Professor in Medical Research at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, engineered a new micro-dystrophin gene that carries an important functional region missing in previously tested micro-dystrophins.

"We placed the new microgene into a virus and then injected the virus into dystrophic dogs' muscles," Duan said.

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Experts take quantum leap in gene therapy to treat muscular dystrophy

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Sleep problems and sleep apnea in persons with spinal cord injury
In this video you will learn about the causes and consequences of sleep problems, including a detailed discussion of sleep apnea, and treatments that can improve your health and well-being. Presented by Don Fogelberg, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, and Stephen Burns, MD, associate professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington and director, SCI Service, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, Washington. Sleep problems are common in persons with SCI.

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#33 - Tissue regeneration, stem cells, regenerative medicine
The ability of tissues to repair themselves is influenced by their capacity to regenerate the missing tissue and their ability that is inherent for them to divide and undergo mitosis. In most continuously dividing tissues the mature cells are terminally differentiated and short-lived. As mature cells die the tissue is replenished by the differentiation of cells generated from stem cells. Thus, in these tissues there is a homeostatic equilibrium between the replication and differentiation of stem cells and the death of the mature, fully differentiated cells. Regenerative medicine is the "process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function".

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SILVER SPRING, Md., Jan. 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nuvilex, Inc. (NVLX), an international biotechnology company providing natural products and cell and gene therapy solutions for the treatment of human diseases, announced today its subsidiary, KnockOut Technologies, Ltd., has filed a patent in Thailand for all-natural product formulations and their potential use in preventing and treating infections caused by influenza viruses.

The initial patent application was filed in January of 2008 and after a lengthy review process it was resubmitted to patent officials in Thailand by our counsel this week. The all-natural formulations described in the patent have the potential to impact upon outbreaks of influenza virus infections. Thailand was chosen for submission of this patent in 2008 as a result of endemic influenza in that region.

"Seasonal" influenza (flu) is an acute viral infection that can affect all age groups, but children under two years of age, adults over 65, and those with weakened immune systems or with other serious illnesses such as diabetes, chronic heart, lung, and liver diseases, are at the highest risk. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), annual epidemics of seasonal flu result in about 3-5 million cases of severe illness and about 250,000-500,000 deaths worldwide.

The natural patent formulations contain a mixture of orange oils. In standard laboratory tests used to determine antiviral activity, our formulations containing these ingredients were shown to be effective in killing these flu viruses.

We believe acceptance of this patent represents an important step in the development of all-natural anti-viral formulations that will ultimately lead to approval by regulatory authorities for the sale of one or more products. Nuvilex has been planning to continue to expand its present work with groups in Thailand to aid in combating viruses particularly in Southeast Asia. The Company hopes to receive approval of the patent within 90-180 days.

About Nuvilex

Nuvilex, Inc. (NVLX) has been a provider of all-natural products for many years and has expanded its company to become an international biotechnology provider of live, therapeutically valuable, encapsulated cells and services for research and medicine. In the biotechnology area of Nuvilex, our company's clinical offerings will include cancer, diabetes and other treatments using the company's cell and gene therapy expertise and live-cell encapsulation technology.

The Nuvilex, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=13494

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements described within the 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act involving risks and uncertainties including product demand, market competition, and meeting current or future plans which may cause actual results, events, and performances, expressed or implied, to vary and/or differ from those contemplated or predicted. Investors should study and understand all risks before making an investment decision. Readers are recommended not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Nuvilex is not obliged to publicly release revisions to any forward-looking statement, reflect events or circumstances afterward, or disclose unanticipated occurrences, except as required under applicable laws.

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Nuvilex's Subsidiary Files International Patent for All-Natural Flu Virus Treatment

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Associate Professor David Harrich, who works in the QIMR's Molecular Virology Laboratory on HIV. PIC: Liam Kidston. Source: The Courier-Mail

A QUEENSLAND researcher has developed a gene therapy for HIV which has the potential to stop the virus from turning deadly.

Queensland Institute of Medical Research scientist David Harrich will begin animal trials this year, with experiments in humans are still five years away.

Associate Professor Harrich has manipulated an HIV protein involved in gene expression, known as Tat, and turned it into a weapon against the virus.

Using human immune system cells, known as T cells, in the laboratory, he's shown the mutant protein prevents HIV replication.

At the same time, Prof Harrich said the modified protein, dubbed Nullbasic, did not appear to adversely affect the human cells.

"So far we haven't found that Nullbasic causes toxicity in the cells we've tested," he said.

"I'm excited. Every test I've done with this agent has succeeded. It makes me optimistic it will work in humans. At the same time, I'm a sceptical scientist and I'm going to require proof it can jump every hurdle." QIMR researchers will soon begin testing the protein in mice.

"Before you can trial it on humans, it's going to have to go through rigorous testing in animals for safety," Professor Harrich said.

In order for human cells to make the HIV-inhibitory protein in the laboratory, he had to insert a new gene - a process known as gene therapy.

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Researcher has HIV control in sight

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A gene has been uncovered that may help to create born leaders.

The leadership gene, known as rs4950, is an inherited DNA sequence associated with people taking charge.

Scientists accept that leadership skills are also learned. But the gene may provide the vital push needed to make someone into a manager rather than a minion.

Researchers found the gene after analysing DNA samples from around 4,000 individuals and matching them to information about jobs and relationships. Workplace supervisory roles were used as a measurement of leadership behaviour.

The study showed that a quarter of the observed variation in leadership traits between individuals could be explained by genetics.

Lead scientist Dr Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, from University College London, said: "We have identified a genotype, called rs4950, which appears to be associated with the passing of leadership ability down through generations.

"The conventional wisdom - that leadership is a skill - remains largely true, but we show it is also, in part, a genetic trait."

The findings appear online in the journal Leadership Quarterly.

Some of the greatest leaders in recent history include Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and Sir Winston Churchill. The new research suggests at least the possibility that some of these historic figures were blessed with the leadership gene.

Despite the importance of the gene, acquiring a leadership position still mostly depends on developing the necessary skills, said the researchers.

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Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, has retired. He'll start working with the Center for American Progress, a progressive research and policy organization, on issues of faith and gay rights.

Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, has retired. He'll start working with the Center for American Progress, a progressive research and policy organization, on issues of faith and gay rights.

For many years, it didn't occur to Bishop Gene Robinson the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church that he might retire before age 72, the mandatory retirement age for Episcopal bishops. But then, in 2010, Mary Glasspool, who is also openly gay, was elected bishop suffragan in the Diocese of Los Angeles and, for the first time, Robinson reconsidered his retirement plans.

"I thought, you know, I don't have to keep doing this," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "There is an openly gay voice in the House of Bishops, and is there something else that I would really like to do and perhaps that God is calling me to do? And that answer came back 'yes.' And so ... I announced that I would retire at the end of 2012."

Robinson, 65, retired from his position as bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire on Jan. 5. He and his husband, Mark, will be leaving the state where Robinson has lived and worked since 1975 for Washington, D.C. There, Robinson will be working with the Center for American Progress, a progressive research and policy organization, on issues of faith and gay rights.

"I've long been really intrigued with what is the ... proper role of faith and religion in public life," he says. "How do we address the issues that face us as a nation, and what might the church, the synagogue, the mosque have to say to those issues, and what's the proper way of making that input into this larger discussion?"

Robinson, whose most recent book, God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage, was published in September, is an outspoken advocate of LGBT rights, the fight he likens to the civil rights movement.

"Gay is not something we do," he says. "It's something we are. I'm not just gay when I'm making love to my husband. I'm gay all the time. I'm gay right this minute talking to you, and it ... affects how I relate to the world, how I relate to people."

On whether the death threats he and his husband have received contributed to his decision to retire early

"That's really not the reason, although I would be lying if I said that wasn't an extra burden that my husband, Mark, and I have endured during this time. The death threats were plentiful, almost daily for a couple of years. And then more recently ... I prayed the invocation at the opening inaugural event at President Obama's inauguration in 2009, and it was about two weeks later I got a call from the Vermont State Police who had almost accidentally arrested a guy who had been driving through this small Vermont town and was in such a rage that he shot the windows out of an empty parked police cruiser. And when they caught up to him, he had in his passenger's seat, right next to him, he had MapQuest maps right to our house. He had pictures of me and Mark, and he had scrawled across them, 'Save the church. Kill the bishop.' And he had a sawed-off shotgun and tons of ammunition."

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Retired Bishop Gene Robinson On Being Gay And Loving God

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

Contact: Jennifer Brown jennifer-l-brown@uiowa.edu 319-356-7124 University of Iowa Health Care

Scientists from the University of Iowa and Brigham Young University (BYU) have identified a gene that may be a target for overcoming drug resistance in cancer. The finding could not only improve prognostic and diagnostic tools for evaluating cancer and monitoring patients' response to treatment but also could lead to new therapies directed at eradicating drug-resistant cancer cells.

Drug resistance is a common problem in many metastatic cancers. It leads to failure of chemotherapy treatments and is associated with poor patient outcomes, including rapid relapse and death.

The research team, including Fenghuang (Frank) Zhan, M.D., Ph.D., and Guido Tricot, M.D., Ph.D., from the UI, and David Bearss, Ph.D., from BYU, initially focused on identifying genes linked to the development of drug resistance in multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer that affects more than 20,000 Americans and causes almost 11,000 deaths annually.

Working with serial biopsied cells from 19 myeloma patients, the researchers analyzed genetic changes in the cells that occurred over the course of treatment with very intensive chemotherapy drugs. This approach identified a gene called NEK2 that is strongly associated with increased drug-resistance, faster cancer growth, and poorer survival for patients. The study was published Jan. 14 in the journal Cancer Cell.

Having established the relationship between high expression of the NEK2 gene and poor patient outcome in myeloma, the team then examined the relationship in other common cancers -- including breast, lung, and bladder cancer -- by analyzing gene expression profiles from 2,500 patients' cells with eight different cancers in Zhan's lab.

"In all cases, an increase in the NEK2 gene was associated with rapid death of the patient," says Tricot, who is director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center's Bone Marrow Transplant and Myeloma Program at UI Hospitals and Clinics. "So this finding was not unique to myeloma; this is basically seen in every single cancer we looked at."

Taking the findings back to the lab, the team then examined the effect on cancer cells of either enhancing or blocking the expression of the NEK2 gene.

"Our studies show that over-expression of NEK2 in cancer cells significantly enhances the activity of drug efflux proteins to pump chemotherapy drugs out of cells, resulting in drug resistance. Furthermore, silencing NEK2 in cancer cells potently decreased drug resistance, induced cell-cycle arrest, cell death, and inhibited cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo," says Zhan, UI professor of internal medicine.

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Team finds gene that promotes drug resistance in cancer

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

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

Contact: John Ascenzi ascenzi@email.chop.edu 267-426-6055 Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Genetics researchers have identified 25 additional copy number variations (CNVs)missing or duplicated stretches of DNAthat occur in some patients with autism. These CNVs, say the researchers, are "high impact": although individually rare, each has a strong effect in raising an individual's risk for autism.

"Many of these gene variants may serve as valuable predictive markers," said the study's corresponding author, Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Genomics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "If so, they may become part of a clinical test that will help evaluate whether a child has an autism spectrum disorder."

Hakonarson collaborated with scientists from the University of Utah and the biotechnology company Lineagen, Inc., in the study, published today in the journal PLOS ONE.

The current study builds on and extends previous gene research by Hakonarson and other scientists on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), a group of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders that cause impairments in verbal communication, social interaction and behavior. Estimated by the CDC to affect as many as one in 88 U.S. children, ASDs are known from family studies to be strongly influenced by genetics.

In the current study, the researchers first analyzed DNA from 55 individuals from Utah families with multiple members diagnosed with ASDs. Study co-author Mark Leppert, Ph.D., of the University of Utah, had collected the data from these high-risk families. The team identified 153 CNVs as potentially specific to autism.

To investigate these CNVs in a broader ASD population, the study team custom-designed a DNA array with probes for those 153 CNVs, as well as for another 185 CNVs previously reported to be associated with autism. They then analyzed the actual prevalence of all the CNVs in a larger sample set of 3,000 ASD cases and 6,000 control subjects previously gathered in studies by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

The researchers found that 15 of the CNVs found in the family studies, in addition to nine other CNVs found by their custom array, all had odds ratios greater than 2.0, meaning that subjects with those variants had at least two-fold increased risk of having an ASD, compared to controls. Another 31 CNVs previously reported to be associated with autism also had odds ratios above 2.0.

These findings, said Hakonarson, could be incorporated into clinical tests for evaluating children for ASDs. "These high-impact variants could be most useful in advising parents who already have one child with an ASD," said Hakonarson. "If a second child has delays in reaching developmental milestones, testing for these CNVs could help predict whether that child is also likely to develop an ASD." He added that the newly identified variants would need to be added to the existing commercially available diagnostic array in current use.

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New autism-related gene variants discovered

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith