Published: Jan. 8, 2013 at 8:28 PM

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 8 (UPI) -- A genetic process that lets some corals withstand high temperatures may hold a key to species survival for organisms around the world, U.S. researchers say.

The finding is important because coral reefs are crucial sources of fisheries, aquaculture and storm protection for about 1 billion people worldwide, Stanford University scientists said.

"If we can find populations most likely to resist climate change and map them, then we can protect them," study co-author Stephen Palumbi said in a university release Tuesday. "It's of paramount importance because climate change is coming."

The researchers studied shallow-reef corals off Ofu Island in American Samoa, using DNA sequencing technology to determine how they survive waters that often get hotter than 90 degrees Fahrenheit during summer-time low tides.

"These technologies are usually applied to human genome screens and medical diagnoses, but we're now able to apply them to the most pressing questions in coral biology, like which genes might help corals survive extreme heat," Stanford researcher Daniel Barshis said.

The findings suggest DNA sequencing can offer broad insights into the differences that may allow some organisms to persist longer amid future changes to global climate, the researchers said.

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Genetics clues to survival of coral reef

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REHOBOTH, Mass. --

A first of its kind procedure is being performed in Massachusetts Monday. Its a stem cell therapy on a dog.

"He can't get comfortable, can't lay down, because of the pain, so he sits up and stares at the wall all night, which is tough to watch," said Bob Cook, Bubbas owner.

Cook of Taunton is talking about his 2-year-old English Bulldog Bubba, who suffers from hip dysplasia.

He said his condition has gotten worse in the last several months. After doing research, he found out about a regenerative stem cell therapy and has been hopeful.

He brought Bubba to the Abbot Animal Hospital in Rehoboth.

"Hopefully we can give these animals relief and increase quality of life and their life span as well, said Dr. Ashraf Gomaa.

Gomaa is the only doctor in our area certified by MediVet America, the company that developed this technology.

After extracting fat from Bubba, it is processed in a machine that basically breaks down the cells to get to the healthy stem cells. The cells are then injected back into Bubba into the area of concern.

"Replacing the bad cells with new cells, pretty advanced technology," Gomaa said.

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Owner hopes stem cell therapy will get dog's life back

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

AMSTERDAM, January 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Official journal of the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) to be published by Elsevier beginning January 2013

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce that the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) has selected Elsevier to publish Cytotherapy: The Journal of Cell Therapy effective January 2013.

"Elsevier presented ISCT with unsurpassed reach into the global medical community, top class publishing services, and significant experience in this field. We are extremely confident that our collaboration with Elsevier will not only help Cytotherapy grow for the benefit of our members and readers, but also for the benefit of all scientists, technologists, regulators, manufacturing experts and others dedicated to translational development of safe and effective cell therapies," said ISCT President, Kurt Gunter, MD, FASCP.

Cytotherapy is a highly influential publication in the mainstream of the rapidly expanding field of cell-based treatments for cancer, degenerative disorders, immunotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Cytotherapy publishes cutting edge findings, clinical trials of cell-based therapies, and news and opinion on all aspects of these disciplines. The journal focuses especially on the practical translation of scientific developments in the laboratory into clinical practice. Cytotherapy is an essential global resource for clinical researchers, oncologists, hematologists, doctors, and regulatory experts involved in cell processing and therapy.

Senior Editor of Cytotherapy, John Barrett, MD, commented, "What matters is ensuring that new peer-reviewed treatments, developments, and studies reach as many specialists working with cell therapies as possible. In this, I believe Elsevier offers an unrivaled opportunity to help the journal achieve this goal."

Glen Campbell, Executive Vice President at Elsevier added, "Cytotherapy is an established and reputable journal and we are honored that the International Society for Cellular Therapy selected Elsevier as their publishing partner. Together, we will ensure that this prestigious title develops further as the leading global forum and resource for developing and supporting innovative cellular therapies."

For more information go to: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/cytotherapy

About ISCT

ISCT is a global association driving the translation of scientific research to deliver innovative cellular therapies to patients. Since 1992, ISCT has been the leading global forum for developing and supporting innovative cellular therapies through communication, education and training. ISCT fosters international translational research, informs national and global regulatory framework development and harmonization, drives commercialization strategies, and educates principal investigators, lab directors, technologists, regulators and commercial stakeholders. http://www.celltherapysociety.org

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Elsevier Selected to Publish Cytotherapy: The Journal of Cell Therapy

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ALLENDALE, N.J. and HACKENSACK, N.J., Jan. 7, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NBS) and its subsidiary, Progenitor Cell Therapy, LLC ("PCT"), an internationally recognized contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), and Hackensack University Medical Center ("HackensackUMC"), part of the Hackensack University Health Network and a hub of healthcare for the Northern New Jersey and New York metropolitan areas, announced today that HackensackUMC has renewed its engagement of PCT's services for processing and storage of a variety of cell types used therapeutically by the hospital.

HackensackUMC will use the services of PCT for processing and storage services for peripheral blood progenitor cells, donor leukocytes, bone marrow and cord blood, as well as for further assays, storage, retrieval and transportation. HackensackUMC was recently voted one of the best hospitals by U.S. News and World Report 2012-2013, placing it fourth out of the 184 hospitals in the New York Metropolitan Area and number 1 in New Jersey. HackensackUMC has grown to be a preeminent cancer treatment facility with one of the largest blood and bone marrow transplant programs in the world.

"We are very excited to continue our relationship with HackensackUMC, whose engagement of PCT began in 1999, thirteen years ago," said Robert A. Preti, PhD, President and Chief Scientific Officer of PCT. "Our agreement with HackensackUMC enables us to continue to play a vital part in patient care for cancers and other hematologic disorders, and to continue to provide cell products to our entire client base. Since its founding, PCT has provided cell therapy products for infusion into over 6,000 patients."

"Our agreement with PCT provides us with a high quality and cost-effective solution to our cell processing and storage needs and supports a range of cell therapy based research and development programs," said Robert C. Garrett, President and Chief Executive Officer of HackensackUMC. Dr. Andre Goy, Chairman and Director of the John Theurer Cancer Center at HackensackUMC, added, "PCT's platform, which is designed under strict cGMP ("Current Good Manufacturing Practices") guidelines, ensures that our research activities will be conducted using the gold standard of our industry. PCT's recognized competencies in cell and tissue processing and storage, as well as cell transportation, make it an ideally suited partner for HackensackUMC."

Dr. Robin L. Smith, NeoStem's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated that, "Our continued partnership with an institution of the calibre of HackensackUMC is a validation of our entire company's focus and commitment to the support and development of the emerging cell therapy industry, as we bring innovative therapies to patients suffering from cancers, autoimmune conditions and other disorders. PCT has shown strong revenue growth in 2012 with an increase of over 90% from the year prior. PCT's exceptional client retention rate validates the management's commitment to Quality and Services as we look forward to future growth with our clients outside of the United States."

About Hackensack University Medical Center

HackensackUMC, a non-profit teaching and research hospital located in Bergen County, New Jersey, is the largest provider of inpatient and outpatient services in the state, and home to the only Level II Trauma Center in the county. This 775-bed facility has gone beyond traditional thinking by creating an entire campus of care, including: the Heart & Vascular Hospital, the John Theurer Cancer Center, the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital, and the Donna A. Sanzari Women's Hospital. As a result of using science and creativity to push medicine further, HackensackUMC was listed as the number one hospital in New Jersey and one of the top four New York metro area hospitals by the U.S. News & World Report, and has received nine national rankings in: Cancer; Cardiology & Heart Surgery; Ear, Nose & Throat; Gastroenterology; Geriatrics; Neurology & Neurosurgery; Orthopedics; Urology; and the Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital ranked as one of the Top 25 Best Children's Hospitals for Neurology and Neurosurgery in the 2012-13 Best Children's Hospitals list. The medical center has also been named one of the Truven Health Analytics 100 Top Hospitals(R) and one of America's 50 Best Hospitals by HealthGrades(R). It is listed among the Leapfrog Top Hospitals List, received 19 Gold Seals of Approval(TM) by the Joint Commission, and is listed as one of the 50 Best Hospitals in America by Becker's Hospital Review. It was the first hospital in New Jersey and second in the nation to become a Magnet(R) recognized hospital for nursing excellence. The medical center is the Hometown Hospital of the New York Giants and the New York Red Bulls, and remains committed to its community through fundraising and community events. To learn more about one of the nation's 50 best hospitals, visit: http://www.HackensackUMC.org.

About NeoStem, Inc.

NeoStem continues to develop and build on its core capabilities in cell therapy, capitalizing on the paradigm shift occurring in medicine. We anticipate that cell therapy will have a significant role in the fight against chronic disease and in lessening the economic burden that these diseases pose to modern society. We are emerging as a technology and market leading company in this fast developing cell therapy industry. Our multi-faceted business strategy combines a state-of-the-art contract development and manufacturing subsidiary, PCT, with a medically important cell therapy product development program, enabling near and long-term revenue growth opportunities. We believe that, with our expertise and research capabilities and collaborations, we will achieve our mission of becoming a premier cell therapy company.

Our contract development and manufacturing service business supports the development of proprietary cell therapy products. NeoStem's most clinically advanced therapeutic, AMR-001, is being developed at Amorcyte, LLC ("Amorcyte"), which we acquired in October 2011. Amorcyte is developing a cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease and is enrolling patients in a Phase 2 trial to investigate AMR-001's efficacy in preserving heart function after a heart attack. Athelos Corporation ("Athelos"), which is 80%-owned by our subsidiary, PCT, is collaborating with Becton-Dickinson in the early clinical exploration of a T-cell therapy for autoimmune conditions. In addition, pre-clinical assets include our VSEL(TM) Technology platform as well as our mesenchymal stem cell product candidate for regenerative medicine. Our service business and pipeline of proprietary cell therapy products work in concert to create a competitive advantage that we believe is unique to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Supported by an experienced scientific and business management team and a substantial intellectual property estate, we are well positioned to succeed.

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NeoStem's Subsidiary, Progenitor Cell Therapy, and Hackensack University Medical Center Enter Into a Cell Processing ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SUNRISE, Fla., Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Bioheart, Inc. (BHRT.QB) will present an update on 12 years of clinical data on MyoCell for treating heart failure at the 8th Annual Conference on Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease January 23-25th, 2013 @ Columbia University Medical Center - http://celltherapy.crf.org/register.html - Course Director, Warren Sherman, M.D.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130107/FL37699LOGO )

Howard J. Leonhardt, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Bioheart, will present data from clinical trials sponsored by the company since 2001.

In Phase II/III clinical trials stage in the U.S. for muscle stem cells for treating advanced heart failure, Bioheart's MyoCell is believed to be the only cell type able to create new contractile muscle in heart scar tissue.Phase II/III Part I interim results demonstrated 95.7 meters improvement in exercise capacity in Bioheart MyoCell patients over placebo (-4 meters) in a double blind randomized study.This compares to -4 meters for CHF drugs, 16 meters for CRT pacers, 53 meters for cardiac stem cells, 52 meters for adipose derived cells and 10 meters allogeneic bone marrow derived cells.

Leonhardt will also provide a look at new generation improvements brought forward to enhance cell transplantation by Bioheart which include:SDF-1 gene transfection, electrical stimulation see http://www.myostimpacers.com, repeat injections, and nutrient hydrogel.

Founded in 1999, Bioheart is one of the original cell therapy companies.Since that time, more than 400 heart failure patients have been enrolled in various myoblast therapy clinical trials worldwide. 84% percent of Bioheart MyoCell treated patients have improved while only 16% have worsened. In placebo and control groups 69% of patients have worsened.

130 more patients are needed to complete the randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled MARVEL trial.MyoCell is a muscle-derived stem cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with new living cells for the intended purpose of improving cardiac function and quality of life in chronic heart failure patients.

About Bioheart, Inc.

Bioheart is committed to maintaining its leading position within the cardiovascular sector of the cell technology industry delivering cell therapies and biologics that help address congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other issues. Bioheart's goals are to cause damaged tissue to be regenerated, when possible, and to improve a patient's quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations.

Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. Its leading product, MyoCell, is a clinical muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com, or visit us on Facebook: Bioheart and Twitter @BioheartInc.

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Bioheart to Present at Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease Conference in New York

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

7 January 2013 Last updated at 00:02 ET

A strong family history of seizures could increase the chances of having severe migraines, says a study in Epilepsia journal.

Scientists from Columbia University, New York, analysed 500 families containing two or more close relatives with epilepsy.

Their findings could mean that genes exist that cause both epilepsy and migraine.

Epilepsy Action said it could lead to targeted treatments.

Previous studies have shown that people with epilepsy are substantially more likely than the general population to have migraine headaches, but it was not clear whether that was due to a shared genetic cause.

The researchers found that people with three or more close relatives with a seizure disorder were more than twice as likely to experience 'migraine with aura' than patients from families with fewer individuals with seizures.

By understanding how genes work, more targeted treatments could be developed in the future.

Migraine with aura is a severe headache preceded by symptoms such as seeing flashing lights, temporary visual loss, speech problems or numbness of the face.

Dr Melodie Winawer, lead author of the study from Columbia University Medical Centre, said the findings had implications for epilepsy patients.

More here:
Epilepsy 'link' to migraine gene

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

* Genetic variant means salmeterol doesn't work as well

* Millions of kids with gene variant likely to be affected

* Gene test could help doctors personalise asthma treatment

By Kate Kelland

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Testing children with asthma for a specific gene could help doctors avoid giving them common inhaler medicines that are unlikely to help and may make their condition worse, scientists said on Tuesday.

British researchers studying why certain asthma drugs taken by millions of children don't appear to benefit some patients said a gene called arginine-16 (Arg16) is key to determining which medicines work for some and not for others.

Having a particular change in this gene means a drug called salmeterol, a generic drug used in GlaxoSmithKline (Other OTC: GLAXF - news) 's (GSK) Advair, Serevent and Seretide treatments, is unlikely to improve the condition and may exacerbate it, the scientists said.

"We have for the first time shown that personalised medicine can work in the field of children's asthma," said Somnath Mukhopadhyay of Brighton and Sussex Medical School, who led the work and presented his findings at a briefing in London.

Asthma affects more than 300 million people globally and is the world's most common children's chronic illness. Symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and chest tightness. Many children are prescribed salmeterol, a long-acting so-called beta-receptor stimulant, to ease symptoms.

But after finding in a large observational study published in 2009 that some children fail to respond to salmeterol, and linking that to the Arg16 gene, Mukhopadhyay's team decided to look closer. They conducted a genotyped study comparing salmeterol with another generic drug called montelukast.

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Gene test for asthmatic kids helps target treatment

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Truman Fellow Anne Ruffing looks at a flask of cyanobacteria with precipitated fatty acid floating on top. She has engineered two strains of cyanobacteria to produce free fatty acids, a precursor to fuels, as she studies the direct conversion of carbon dioxide into biofuels by photosynthetic organisms. Credit: by Randy Montoya

(Phys.org)Sandia National Laboratories Truman Fellow Anne Ruffing has engineered two strains of cyanobacteria to produce free fatty acids, a precursor to liquid fuels, but she has also found that the process cuts the bacteria's production potential.

Micro-algal fuels might be one way to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign energy. Such fuels would be renewable since they are powered by sunlight. They also could reduce carbon dioxide emissions since they use photosynthesis, and they could create jobs in a new industry. President Barack Obama, speaking in February at the University of Miami, advocated for investments in algae fuel development, saying they could replace up to 17 percent of the oil the United States now imports for transportation.

"Even if algae are not the end-term solution, I think they can contribute to getting us there," Ruffing said. "Regardless of however you look at fossil fuels, they're eventually going to run out. We have to start looking to the future now and doing research that we'll need when the time comes."

She has been studying the direct conversion of carbon dioxide into biofuels by photosynthetic organisms under a three-year Truman Fellowship that ends in January. She presented her project at a poster session in August and published her work on one strain, "Physiological Effects of Free Fatty Acid Production in Genetically Engineered Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942," as the cover article in the September 2012 issue of Biotechnology and Bioengineering.

Ruffing considers her studies as proof-of-concept work that demonstrates engineering cyanobacteria for free fatty acid (FFA) production and excretion. She wants to identify the best hydrocarbon targets for fuel production and the best model strain for genetic engineering, as well as gene targets to improve FFA production.

She is using cyanobacteriablue-green algaebecause they are easier to genetically manipulate than eukaryotic algae, the natural "oil"-producing photosynthetic microorganisms more commonly used for algal biofuels, and because cyanobacteria can be engineered to create a variety of target fuels. Genetically engineered cyanobacteria excrete FFA and allow fuel to be collected without harvesting the cyanobacteria. This lowers the requirement for nitrogen and phosphate and reduces costs.

But current yields from engineered strains are too low for large-scale production.

Ruffing favors cyanobacteria because fuel from engineered cyanobacteria is excreted outside the cell, in contrast to eukaryotic algae, in which fuel production occurs inside the cell.

In general, this is how the process works: Eukaryotic algae grow in a pond to the density needed, then producers must get rid of the water, collect the cells and break them open to get the fuel precursor inside. This precursor is isolated and purified, then chemically converted into biodiesel. Cyanobacteria excrete the fuel precursor outside the cell, so a separation process can remove the product without killing the cells. That eliminates the need to grow a new batch of algae each time, saving on nitrogen and phosphate.

Read more:
Engineering alternative fuel with cyanobacteria

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PHILADELPHIA Epigenetics - the science of how gene activity can be altered without changes in the genetic code - plays a critical role in every aspect of life, from the differentiation of stem cells to the regulation of metabolism and growth of cancer cells.

Epigenetic factors act by reworking the structure in which genes reside, called chromatin. Inside chromatin, DNA is wound around proteins called histones. Several new cancer treatments interfere with the function of enzymes that chemically mark the histones to alter the readout of the DNA code and ramp the expression of genes up or down, as if with a dimmer switch. Enzymes called histone deacetylases (HDACs) erase the mark and shut off gene expression.

A team led by Mitchell A. Lazar, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, has been studying HDAC3 for several years. They discovered thatthe enzyme activity of HDAC3 requires interaction with a specific region on another protein, which they dubbed the Deacetylase Activating Domain or "DAD. This nuts and bolts discovery on the epigenetic control of a persons genome has implications for cancer and neurological treatments.

This domain is found only in proteins that are nuclear receptor corepressors (NCoR1 and NCOR2), which assist receptor proteins in the nucleus to downregulate gene expression.

The team showed that HDAC3 enzyme activity is undetectable in mice bearing mutations in the DAD of both NCOR1 and NCOR2, also called SMRT, despite having normal levels of HDAC3 protein. The findings were published this week in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology.

HDAC3 is required for normal mouse development and tissue-specific functions. In cell culture studies, the HDAC3 protein itself has minimal enzyme activity but gains its histone-deacetylation function from stable association with the DAD.

We developed a unique mouse model to directly test whether HDAC3 absolutely requires NCOR1 and/or SMRT to be activated, says Lazar. The answer is yes. The results clearly show that, although tissue levels of HDAC3 are normal in this mouse model, the protein does not have detectable enzyme activity in embryos and various tissues of the engineered mice.

Surprisingly, the engineered mice are born and live to adulthood, whereas genetic absence of HDAC3 is lethal to the mice before they are born. This suggests that HDAC3 may have a deacetylase-independent function which, Lazar says, is potentially of major importance, because HDAC inhibitors are currently used clinically to treat cancer, and are in clinical development for neurological illnesses and other disorders. We are working hard in the lab to sort this out.

Co-authors are Seo-Hee You, Hee-Woong Lim, Zheng Sun, Molly Broache, and Kyoung-Jae Won, all from Penn. The research was supported in part by the National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R37DK43806) and a Mentor Based Fellowship from the American Diabetes Association.

The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.

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Penn Study Details Dimmer Switch for Regulating Cell's Read of DNA Code

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Jan. 7, 2013 A simple, precise and inexpensive method for cutting DNA to insert genes into human cells could transform genetic medicine, making routine what now are expensive, complicated and rare procedures for replacing defective genes in order to fix genetic disease or even cure AIDS.

Discovered last year by Jennifer Doudna and Martin Jinek of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and University of California, Berkeley, and Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine-Sweden, the technique was labeled a "tour de force" in a 2012 review in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

That review was based solely on the team's June 28, 2012, Science paper, in which the researchers described a new method of precisely targeting and cutting DNA in bacteria.

Two new papers published last week in the journal Science Express demonstrate that the technique also works in human cells. A paper by Doudna and her team reporting similarly successful results in human cells has been accepted for publication by the new open-access journal eLife.

"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, a professor of molecular and cell biology and of chemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator at UC Berkeley. "However, the techniques for making these modifications in animals and humans have been a huge bottleneck in both research and the development of human therapeutics.

"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."

"I think this is going to be a real hit," said George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and principal author of one of the Science Express papers. "There are going to be a lot of people practicing this method because it is easier and about 100 times more compact than other techniques."

"Based on the feedback we've received, it's possible that this technique will completely revolutionize genome engineering in animals and plants," said Doudna, who also holds an appointment at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "It's easy to program and could potentially be as powerful as the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)."

The latter technique made it easy to generate millions of copies of small pieces of DNA and permanently altered biological research and medical genetics.

Cruise missiles

Continue reading here:
Cheap and easy technique to snip DNA could revolutionize gene therapy

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Sequenom, Inc. (SQNM), a life sciences company providing innovative diagnostic testing and genetic analysis solutions, today announced preliminary highlights of the Company's 2012 performance and accomplishments.

Initial 2012 Performance Results (unaudited)

"2012 was a year of remarkable progress for Sequenom. The rapid adoption of the Sequenom CMM's MaterniT21 PLUS by the OB/GYN physician community far exceeded the Company's internal goal and the estimates of industry analysts. The joint recommendation by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society of Maternal and Fetal Medicine (SMFM) for the use of noninvasive prenatal tests (NIPT) such as the MaterniT21 PLUS in high risk pregnancies provided an additional validation for this technology. The company also exceeded the majority of its other goals as it established Sequenom CMM as a leader in the prenatal testing market," said Harry F. Hixson, Jr, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Sequenom. "We look forward to the continued growth of the MaterniT21 PLUS LDT in 2013 and the corresponding increase in test capacity. We plan to work with national and regional payors to establish additional contracts facilitating the availability of the MaterniT21 PLUS LDT to high-risk pregnant women throughout the United States."

This press release contains certain unaudited financial results for the Company's fiscal year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012. These unaudited results may change as a result of further review by the Company's management and its independent auditors. The completion of the audit of our financial results for 2012 could result in changes to the unaudited financial results presented in this press release and may identify issues related to the effectiveness of the Company's internal controls over financial reporting.

On Wednesday, January 9th, Chairman and CEO Harry F. Hixson, Jr., Ph.D, and Ronald M. Lindsay, Ph.D., Director and EVP of Strategic Planning, will present at the JP Morgan 31st Annual Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, CA, starting at 11:30 am PT (2:30 pm ET) to provide an overview of and update on the Company.

The presentation is expected to last approximately 30 minutes and will be webcast live through the "Investors" section of the Sequenom website at http://www.sequenom.com. An audio replay will be available for 30 days following the initial presentation webcast. The presentation is currently posted on the Company's website.

About Sequenom

Sequenom, Inc. (SQNM) is a life sciences company committed to improving healthcare through revolutionary genetic analysis solutions. Sequenom develops innovative technology, products and diagnostic tests that target and serve discovery and clinical research, and molecular diagnostics markets. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. Sequenom maintains a Web site at http://www.sequenom.com to which Sequenom regularly posts copies of its press releases as well as additional information about Sequenom. Interested persons can subscribe on the Sequenom Web site to email alerts or RSS feeds that are sent automatically when Sequenom issues press releases, files its reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission or posts certain other information to the Web site.

About Sequenom CMM

Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM), a CAP accredited and CLIA-certified molecular diagnostics laboratory, is developing a broad range of diagnostics with a focus on prenatal and ophthalmological diseases and conditions. Branded under the name SensiGene, RetnaGene, MaterniT21 PLUS these genetic tests provide better patient management alternatives for obstetricians, geneticists and maternal fetal medicine specialists. Sequenom CMM is changing the landscape in genetic disorder diagnostics using proprietary cutting edge technologies.

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Sequenom Announces Preliminary 2012 Operational Highlights

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SUNNYVALE, Calif. & HELSINKI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Labcyte Inc. and the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM) are collaborating to further the development of personalized medicine in cancer treatment. Labcyte acoustic liquid handling technology has already revolutionized small-molecule research. Now, FIMM, a European leader in advanced research for new cancer therapies, will apply the technology extensively in its personalized medicine programs.

FIMMs groundbreaking use of acoustic liquid handling will demonstrate the technologys role in genetic research, said Mark Fischer-Colbrie, CEO of Labcyte. FIMM has successfully used Labcyte acoustic liquid handling technology to generate better data and drive down costs in small-molecule screening for the past three years. This collaboration with such a well-regarded institute will facilitate breakthroughs in personalized medicine.

FIMM uses large sample sets with links to detailed patient records and genetic data to discover personalized treatment options at a faster pace.

We see an enormous potential in expanding our use of Labcyte acoustic dispensing technology to help discover specialized leukemia treatments, said Professor Olli Kallioniemi, director of FIMM. This research is based on high-throughput drug sensitivity and resistance testing of leukemic cells taken from patients. This new initiative will bring us closer to the clinic and closer to patients.

Our aim is to find alternate treatment options for patients who simultaneously undergo treatment in the clinic, said Kallioniemi. We will be doing real-time science, using new scientific insights and technologies to help patients who have failed standard leukemia treatments.

Increasing its throughput enables FIMM to do more rapid and more efficient testing. Researchers at the Institute hope to learn how leukemia cells ex-vivo respond to various types of drugs, and what the resistance mechanisms are. Larger trials with samples from acute myeloid leukemia patients who have relapsed under standard treatment may quickly suggest individualized treatment options using existing cancer drugs, added Kallioniemi. Were not saying we can cure leukemia, but for patients who have run out of options, alternative treatments may be available sooner.

By working with FIMM to utilize acoustic liquid handling in genetics research, Labcyte will continue to expand the application of its technology in bio-marker discovery, single-cell analysis, RT-qPCR, genotyping, siRNA screening, and bio-banking.

We are excited to be an enabling platform for improving patient care with FIMM, said Fischer-Colbrie. It will continue to demonstrate how acoustic liquid handling enhances life science research.

This research may be changing the way new and emerging drugs are introduced for patientsit is truly game-changing, said Kallioniemi. Labcyte technology is a key enabling platform for this drug-sensitivity testing.

Original post:
Labcyte and FIMM Announce a Collaboration Enabling “Real-Time” Science to Advance Personalized Medicine in Cancer ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

By Brett Spiegel

History recounts Alexander the Great's search for a restorative spring, and Hollywood managed to age Brad Pitt backwards in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." But the true fountain of youth may lie in your own genetic code, according to a study published Thursday.

An offshoot of the receptor gene dopamine which has been linked to the pursuit of social, physical, and intellectual activity is more often found in those who live long lives than those who don't, scientists at the University of California, Irvine, and Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York found.

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"Its been well documented that the more youre involved with social and physical activities, the more likely youll live longer. It could be as simple as that," Robert Moyzis, PhD, professor of biological chemistry at UC Irvine, said in a press release. While the genetic variant may not directly influence longevity, it is associated with personality traits that have been shown to be important for living a longer, healthier life," he noted.

The particular genetic trait studied, referred to as the DRD4 7R allele, appears to modify the effect of dopamine, which in turn appears to enhance a person's ability to respond to his or her surroundings, according to the research published in The Journal of Neuroscience. The allele is found predominantly in people over the age of 90 and, separately, associated with with longer life in mice.

Scientists examined the genetic makeup of 310 participants from The 90+ Study, a 2003 body and mind analysis of the oldest of the old in the United States. When compared with those aged 7 to 45, results revealed a 66 percent increase of DRD4 7R presence among the 90+ elderly, which was significantly associated with elevated physical activity. Additionally, mice lacking the genetic relative experienced a 7 to 9.7 percent drop in life expectancy when compared to those with the variant.

Even though a simple chromosomal happenstance can raise your likelihood of long life, if not eternal youth, Dr. Moyziz emphasized the importance of exercise in promoting one's optimal health and longevity. [I]t is clear that individuals with this gene variant are already more likely to be responding to the well-known medical adage to get more physical activity.

"The Fountain of Youth Is Hiding in Your DNA" originally appeared on Everyday Health.

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Dopamine Receptor Genetic Variation, Linked With Active Personality Traits, Could Play Role In Longevity

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BOSTON & SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Partners HealthCare and Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) today announced the GeneInsight-Illumina Founding Network Members, including the ARUP Laboratories, Mount Sinai Genetic Testing Laboratory, New York Genome Center (NYGC), Partners HealthCare, and Illumina. The members represent a diverse and distinguished group of laboratories within leading academic institutions and commercial organizations who are interested in leveraging clinical-grade genomics interpretation and reporting. The members are committed to exploring and sharing knowledge, including variant level content and interpretations, through the formation of inter-laboratory collaborations and knowledge rings. The network will be opened widely later in 2013 to other institutions willing to share clinical genomic data.

Todays announcement reinforces our commitment to establishing a community-based approach to addressing some of the most challenging issues related to clinical next-generation sequencing, said Heidi Rehm, PhD, Chief Laboratory Director, Partners Laboratory for Molecular Medicine. Were excited to bring together such a talented and diverse group of leading institutions who share a common vision and are passionate about the opportunities for collaboration to advance the field of clinical genetics.

Elaine Lyon, PhD, Medical Director, ARUP Laboratories echoes this sentiment and expressed her enthusiasm for a community approach to curating variant knowledge saying, As a user of the GeneInsight application, I look forward to participating in a network of leading genetic testing laboratories and academic institutions to curate genetic variants. This collaborative effort can greatly contribute to improving patient care.

The founding members are serving as initial pilot sites for the deployment and implementation of a combined offering that integrates the functionality of Illuminas MiSeq sequencing system and Partners GeneInsight Suite, an IT platform that streamlines the analysis, interpretation, and reporting of complex genetic test results. As pilot sites, the members have a unique opportunity to represent the community of clinical lab professionals, geneticists and genetic counselors to improve upon the combined GeneInsight-Illumina offering and to prepare it for general release. They also will be instrumental in developing a resource that has the potential to add to the effectiveness of genetic testing.

Another founding member, the New York Genome Center, is an independent, non-profit organization leveraging the collaborative resources of leading academic medical centers, research universities, and commercial organizations to create one of the largest genomics research facilities in North America. As an enterprise focused squarely on fostering a collaborative environment, it believes its involvement in the network will help drive the translation of basic research into clinical care.

The New York Genome Center has brought together leading research, clinical, and technology collaborators in an effort to transform science and healthcare, said Nancy J. Kelley, NYGC Founding Executive Director. Partners HealthCare and Illumina share our vision for innovation through collaboration, so we are privileged to be a Founding Member of the GeneInsight-Illumina Network. We look forward to using these new tools with other members of the network to promote discovery and improve patient care.

In September 2012, Partners HealthCare and Illumina announced their strategic alliance and shared commitment to bringing a broader community of clinical laboratories together to expand and enrich collective knowledge about genetics with the goal of improving patient care.

Todays announcement represents a significant milestone toward achieving GeneInsight and Illuminas shared vision of enabling the market to apply sequencing technology to improve human health. Illumina is excited to be among such reputable founding members and is committed to using GeneInsight in our CLIA-certified, CAP accredited laboratory to support the growing demand for our Understand Your Genome Symposia, said Matt Posard, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Illuminas Translational and Consumer business.

About Partners HealthCare

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Partners HealthCare and Illumina Announce Founding Members of GeneInsight Network

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Public release date: 7-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley

New research reveals a shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and migraine. Findings published in Epilepsia, a journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), indicate that having a strong family history of seizure disorders increases the chance of having migraine with aura (MA).

Medical evidence has established that migraine and epilepsy often co-occur in patients; this co-occurrence is called "comorbidity." Previous studies have found that people with epilepsy are substantially more likely than the general population to have migraine headache. However, it is not clear whether that comorbidity results from a shared genetic cause.

"Epilepsy and migraine are each individually influenced by genetic factors," explains lead author Dr. Melodie Winawer from Columbia University Medical Center in New York. "Our study is the first to confirm a shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and migraine in a large population of patients with common forms of epilepsy."

For the present study, Dr. Winawer and colleagues analyzed data collected from participants in the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP)a genetic study of epilepsy patients and families from 27 clinical centers in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. The study examined one aspect of EPGP: sibling and parent-child pairs with focal epilepsy or generalized epilepsy of unknown cause. Most people with epilepsy have no family members affected with epilepsy. EPGP was designed to look at those rare families with more than one individual with epilepsy, in order to increase the chance of finding genetic causes of epilepsy.

Analysis of 730 participants with epilepsy from 501 families demonstrated that the prevalence of MAwhen additional symptoms, such as blind spots or flashing lights, occur prior to the headache pain was substantially increased when there were several individuals in the family with seizure disorders. EPGP study participants with epilepsy who had three or more additional close relatives with a seizure disorder were more than twice as likely to experience MA than patients from families with fewer individuals with seizures. In other words, the stronger the genetic effect on epilepsy in the family, the higher the rates of MA. This result provides evidence that a gene or genes exist that cause both epilepsy and migraine.

Identification of genetic contributions to the comorbidity of epilepsy with other disorders, like migraine, has implications for epilepsy patients. Prior research has shown that coexisting conditions impact the quality of life, treatment success, and mortality of epilepsy patients, with some experts suggesting that these comorbidities may have a greater impact on patients than the seizures themselves. In fact, comorbid conditions are emphasized in the National Institutes of Health Epilepsy Research Benchmarks and in a recent report on epilepsy from the Institute of Medicine.

"Our study demonstrates a strong genetic basis for migraine and epilepsy, because the rate of migraine is increased only in people who have close (rather than distant) relatives with epilepsy and only when three or more family members are affected," concludes Dr. Winawer. "Further investigation of the genetics of groups of comorbid disorders and epilepsy will help to improve the diagnosis and treatment of these comorbidities, and enhance the quality of life for those with epilepsy."

###

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All in the family: A genetic link between epilepsy and migraine

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BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine has been awarded $50,000 for the David L. Rimoin Memorial Fund from the Los Angeles-based Sports Spectacular organization. This donation will support the David L. Rimoin Lifetime Achievement Award as well as provide for genetics training for up-and-coming medical geneticists. The late Dr. David Rimoin was a world-renowned geneticist whose work was supported by the Cedars-Sinai Sports Spectacular from 1986 until his passing in May 2012.

As a visionary, admired teacher, prolific author, mentor, beloved friend, researcher and skilled and caring physician for five decades, Dr. Rimoin touched the lives of generations of patients as well as trainees and colleagues. Dr. Rimoin was also the founding president of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG).

"Dr. David Rimoin was a pioneer in the field of genetics. He broke medical ground and played a key role in the fight against Tay-Sachs disease," said Sports Spectacular's Executive Committee Member, Beth Moskowitz. "Sports Spectacular started 27 years ago when Dr. Rimoin first arrived at Cedars-Sinai. We have been extremely lucky to be part of his research and even more lucky to be part of his life."

In 2005, Dr. Rimoin was recognized by Sports Spectacular in light of his efforts to help fight genetic diseases across the world. Iconic NBA star Kobe Bryant had the honor of introducing Dr. Rimoin and he said, "What Dr. David Rimoin does, he basically does the impossible, things that he has discovered, technology that he has made improvements on were not even thought of just a few years ago and he works at preventing birth defects."

"A donation this significant can make a tremendous difference to our foundation and to the medical genetics and genomics community," said Bruce Korf, MD, PhD, FACMG, President of the ACMG Foundation. "This organization was in many ways David's brainchild and was nurtured by him for 27 years.This gift shows how much people were touched by his work and the importance of inspiring others to follow his path."

The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine has launched a campaign to endow The David L. Rimoin Lifetime Achievement Award to include a significant monetary prize. To honor Dr. Rimoin's life and work with a donation to The David L. Rimoin Lifetime Achievement Award in Medical Genetics, individuals and organizations may donate online at http://www.acmgfoundation.org/Rimoin.

The ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine (www.acmgfoundation.org), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is a community of supporters and contributors who understand the importance of medical genetics and genomics and genetic counseling in healthcare. Established in 1992, the ACMG Foundation raises funds to promote the profession of medical genetics and genomics to medical students, to fund the training of future medical geneticists, to support best-practices and tools for practicing physicians and laboratory directors, to promote awareness and understanding of genetics in the general public, and much more.

SOURCE ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine

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LA-Based Sports Spectacular Donates $50,000 to the David L. Rimoin Memorial Fund

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Jan. 7, 2013 New research reveals a shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and migraine. Findings published in Epilepsia, a journal of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), indicate that having a strong family history of seizure disorders increases the chance of having migraine with aura (MA).

Medical evidence has established that migraine and epilepsy often co-occur in patients; this co-occurrence is called "comorbidity." Previous studies have found that people with epilepsy are substantially more likely than the general population to have migraine headache. However, it is not clear whether that comorbidity results from a shared genetic cause.

"Epilepsy and migraine are each individually influenced by genetic factors," explains lead author Dr. Melodie Winawer from Columbia University Medical Center in New York. "Our study is the first to confirm a shared genetic susceptibility to epilepsy and migraine in a large population of patients with common forms of epilepsy."

For the present study, Dr. Winawer and colleagues analyzed data collected from participants in the Epilepsy Phenome/Genome Project (EPGP) -- a genetic study of epilepsy patients and families from 27 clinical centers in the U.S., Canada, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. The study examined one aspect of EPGP: sibling and parent-child pairs with focal epilepsy or generalized epilepsy of unknown cause. Most people with epilepsy have no family members affected with epilepsy. EPGP was designed to look at those rare families with more than one individual with epilepsy, in order to increase the chance of finding genetic causes of epilepsy.

Analysis of 730 participants with epilepsy from 501 families demonstrated that the prevalence of MA -- when additional symptoms, such as blind spots or flashing lights, occur prior to the headache pain -- was substantially increased when there were several individuals in the family with seizure disorders. EPGP study participants with epilepsy who had three or more additional close relatives with a seizure disorder were more than twice as likely to experience MA than patients from families with fewer individuals with seizures. In other words, the stronger the genetic effect on epilepsy in the family, the higher the rates of MA. This result provides evidence that a gene or genes exist that cause both epilepsy and migraine.

Identification of genetic contributions to the comorbidity of epilepsy with other disorders, like migraine, has implications for epilepsy patients. Prior research has shown that coexisting conditions impact the quality of life, treatment success, and mortality of epilepsy patients, with some experts suggesting that these comorbidities may have a greater impact on patients than the seizures themselves. In fact, comorbid conditions are emphasized in the National Institutes of Health Epilepsy Research Benchmarks and in a recent report on epilepsy from the Institute of Medicine.

"Our study demonstrates a strong genetic basis for migraine and epilepsy, because the rate of migraine is increased only in people who have close (rather than distant) relatives with epilepsy and only when three or more family members are affected," concludes Dr. Winawer. "Further investigation of the genetics of groups of comorbid disorders and epilepsy will help to improve the diagnosis and treatment of these comorbidities, and enhance the quality of life for those with epilepsy."

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Breakfast at the Barracks - Season 1, Episode 4
Jay A. Tischfield Professor and Chair Department of Genetics Rutgers - New Brunswick Jay A. Tischfield, Ph.D., is a well-known authority in the genetics field. He directs the Rutgers University Cell and DNA Repository, the largest university-based repository in the world. Tischfield has been invited to present at numerous conferences, symposia, and institutions, including the Asia-Pacific Conference on Human Genetics, the Connecticut Health Sciences Education Center, and the Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology in Singapore. He has authored or coauthored over 140 books and articles including "Cognitive Traits Link to Human Chromosomal Regions" for the Behavior Genetics journal, which is in press. Gloria Bonilla Santiago Professor GSC - Grad Public Policy Admin Rutgers - Camden Leading scholar, researcher, speaker, and cross-cultural training consultant, Professor Bonilla-Santiago brings over 15 years of experience in program development, strategic planning, fund-raising, and leadership training. She writes and speaks widely on the areas of community development, policy analysis, migration of women, diversity management, organizational leadership, and public policy. In 1993, she received the Warren I. Susman Award for Excellence in Teaching, the highest recognition for teaching given to Rutgers #39; faculty by the President of the University.

By: Rutgers iTVStudio

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Breakfast at the Barracks - Season 2, Episode 23
Desmond Lun, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Computer Science and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology Desmond Lun is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and a member of the Center for Computational and Integrative Biology at Rutgers University. Prior to his present position, he was an Associate Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics and Director of the Phenomics and Bioinformatics Research Centre at the University of South Australia. From 2006 to 2008, he was a Computational Biologist at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and a Research Fellow in Genetics at Harvard Medical School. He received bachelor #39;s degrees in mathematics and computer engineering from the University of Melbourne, Australia in 2001, and SM and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT in 2002 and 2006, respectively. His research interests are in synthetic biology, systems biology, biological signal processing, and network science. He is co-author, with Tracey Ho, of Network Coding: An Introduction(Cambridge University Press, 2008). Lun is researching how to alter the genetic makeup of E. coli to produce biodiesel fuel derived from fatty acids. Creating renewable energy by making fuels, like making ethanol out of corn, has been a common practice in trying to achieve sustainability. Lun is collaborating with researchers from Harvard University on his E. coli project. He teaches computational and integrative ...

By: Rutgers iTVStudio

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Breakfast at the Barracks - Season 2, Episode 23 - Video

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Breakfast at the Barracks - Season 3, Episode 43
Dr. Nicholi (Nick) Vorsa Director Philip E. Marucci Center for Blueberry and Cranberry Researchand Extension Rutgers -- New Brunswick Nick Vorsa #39;s research interests involve the areas of plant breeding, genetics, germplasm evaluation and reproductive plant biology. A major emphasis of his research program is directed towards broadening the genetic base for the genetic improvement of cranberry and blueberry. Specific areas include germplasm collection and evaluation, interspecific gene transfer, and reproductive biology. Populations of wild Vaccinium species have been collected, and are being maintained. Germplasm is being analyzed for genetic diversity and structure (isozymes and RAPDs), disease and insect resistance, DNA content, fruit biochemistry profiles, and sexual an asexual reproductive characteristics. Another area of interest is interspecific gene transfer through sexual hybridization. Areas of research include: polyploid cytogenetics, 2n gametes, chromosome pairing behavior, trait introgression, and gene tagging with RAPDs. Research is also directed at DNA fingerprinting, using RAPDs, to assess genetic diversity and structure in cranberry. Dr. Lara Delmolino, Ph.D., BCBA Director Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center Professor, Graduate School of Professional and Applied Psychology Lara Delmolino is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University and serves as the Director of the Douglass ...

By: Rutgers iTVStudio

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Good Genetics, Bodybuilding And Powerlifting - BBOD #24
Good Genetics, Bodybuilding And Powerlifting - BBOD #24

By: BeardedBeastofDuloc

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Omaha 80
Omaha 80 The Most Direct Route to the Heart of Show Cattle Genetics I-80 X BRF Beulah Nebraska (Vegas X Angus) Double Registered Maintainer/Shorthorn Plus **Birth Weight 70 lbs** THF PHAF

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Intellectual legacy: the battle for which ideas?
Andrew Keen, entrepreneur; founder, Audiocafe.com; author, Digital Vertigo: how today #39;s online social revolution is dividing, diminishing, and disorienting us Dr Ivan Krastev, chairman, Centre for Liberal Strategies, Sofia, Bulgaria; founding member, European Council on Foreign Relations Dr Ellie Lee, reader in social policy, University of Kent, Canterbury; director, Centre for Parenting Culture Studies Rob Riemen, writer and cultural philosopher; founder president, Netherlands-based Nexus Institute; author, Nobility of Sprit: a forgotten ideal and The Eternal Return of Fascism Chair: Claire Fox, director, Institute of Ideas; panellist, BBC Radio 4 #39;s Moral Maze #39;Ideas are the cogs that drive history, and understanding them is half way to being aboard that powerful juggernaut rather than under its wheels #39;. AC Grayling Society seems woefully lacking in Big Ideas, and we seem to crave new thinking. In Britain, great hopes rest on the legacy of the Olympics, but however inspiring the sporting excellence we all witnessed, is it realistic that a summer of feel-good spectacle can resolve deep-rooted cultural problems, from widespread disdain for competitition to community fragmentation? In America, Mitt Romney has pledged to pit substantial ideas against the empty #39;yes, we can #39; sloganeering of Barack Obama, with his running mate Paul Ryan dubbed the #39;intellectual #39; saviour of the Republican Party, but can they really deliver? Europe, once the home of Enlightenment salons, is ...

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Wonderful Wigs Of Prince Georges County
Sometimes genetics are not always on our side but with the help of Marche Undetectable Hair Systems we will find wigs for you that complement your features.

By: Brenda Simmons

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RESEARCH AWARENESS VIDEO
Copyright Vanderbilt University 2012 Visit us on facebook: http://www.facebook.com In the heart of Tennessee, we are working to heal the hearts of thousands. From the lab bench to a patient #39;s bedside, we are studying new ways to diagnose and treat cardiovascular disease. Studies involving heart failure, valve disease and the effects of chemotherapy on the heart are just some of the types of research we do here every day at the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute, and we want to spend the next few minutes showing you why it is so important to the care we provide. Our Mission: Bring the highest quality and innovative care to our customers by conducting clinical research to the highest ethical, regulatory and scientific standards to advance excellence in cardiovascular patient care. Our Team: Our clinical research team is comprised of passionate and highly-accomplished clinical trials experts dedicated to providing leading publications and services for clinical research professionals and patients. We are regularly involved in continuing education programs to stay current on the latest industry changes. Our informed, result-driven, and interactive approach assures patients/sponsors that Vanderbilt is the place that is committed to treating serious illnesses along with careful observation. VHVI Clinical Trial Areas: At Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute (VHVI), our team of physicians provides the most comprehensive services in cardiology, cardiac surgery and vascular ...

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