SAN FRANCISCO--Genetic engineering could hold the key to artificially creating semiconductors in a lab. According to technology news site Ars Technica, a team of academics at the University of California, Santa Barbara is looking at ways to create synthetic proteins that could form new structures of silicon dioxide to make computer chips with.

These chips would then be used in all kinds of electronics.

The proteins could also form titanium dioxide, used in solar cells.

The process is a bit different from regular genetic engineering because it uses synthetic cells made of the randomly combined genes of two related silicateins replete with random mutations, surrounded by a nucleus of minute plastic beads.

The artificial cells are put through the proverbial wringer, killing many along the way. Those that survive the process have their genes cherry picked by the scientists from either the silicon or titanium dioxide-forming proteins.

The results were somewhat surprising, with researchers finding not just the original silicateins used to form the artificial cell in the first place, but also another, different gene.

Tests on the new gene found it contained a silica-forming protein which has been dubbed silicatein X1, which may prove useful in the making of folded sheets of silica-protein fibers.

Silica skeletons of radiolaria in false color

Now that scientists know its possible to create entirely different silica proteins, the next step will be to change the conditions in order to achieve things like semiconductor performance.

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Genetic engineering for synthetic semiconductors

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Patients who have genetic testing done to detect their risk for multiple health conditions do not use more health services after testing than those who elect not to be checked, says a study published online May 17 in Genetics in Medicine.

Genetic tests increasingly are being marketed directly to patients, raising concerns among some physicians that they could cause a spike in patients requesting unnecessary screening and procedures, said Robert J. Reid, MD, PhD, lead study author and associate investigator with Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.

Certainly, there is a lot of concern in the country that doing indiscriminate testing of individuals around their genetic susceptibility will alarm them and increase demand, he said.

Researchers studied 1,599 insured patients between age 25 and 40 from the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit. Of those, 217 opted to get genetic tests. Patients who received the tests had more specialty physician visits before the checks than the untested group, but the study found no change in overall use of health care services among those who had the evaluations done and those who did not (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22595941/).

Researchers analyzed health care usage by participants for 12 months before and 12 months after genetic testing. Dr. Reid said the study took a conservative approach. It looked only at screening and procedures associated with four of eight conditions whose risk could be detected from the multiplex genetic susceptibility tests: type 2 diabetes mellitus, atherosclerotic coronary heart disease, colorectal cancer and lung cancer. Also, the tests were thoroughly explained to all study participants something that doesnt necessarily happen in everyday practice, Dr. Reid said.

They certainly had a fair amount of material on which to base their decision, and they had follow-up to help them understand the results, he said. In most cases there is not a lot of counseling beforehand or a lot of explanation afterward.

One surprising factor was how few patients opted to have the testing done, Dr. Reid said.

Blacks were significantly less likely than whites to choose testing, as were those with just a high school education or less. The age group studied could be a factor, as younger individuals may feel that such tests offer little value at that stage in their lives, he said.

More research needs to be done to determine how genetic tests impact behavior in larger groups of patients. Such tests may have a positive impact by motivating some patients to make healthier lifestyle choices.

If someone is told they are at risk for heart disease or diabetes, it might prompt them to maintain a healthy body weight, try to lower their cholesterol or stop smoking, Dr. Reid said. I think that is the next stage to see if it promotes positive health behavior.

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Genetic testing doesn’t drive up demand for more health services

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/3lsg2r/forwardtime_popul) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new book "Forward-Time Population Genetics Simulations: Methods, Implementation, and Applications" to their offering.

The only book available in the area of forward-time population genetics simulationsapplicable to both biomedical and evolutionary studies

The rapid increase of the power of personal computers has led to the use of serious forward-time simulation programs in genetic studies. Forward-Time Population Genetics Simulations presents both new and commonly used methods, and introduces simuPOP, a powerful and flexible new program that can be used to simulate arbitrary evolutionary processes with unique features like customized chromosome types, arbitrary nonrandom mating schemes, virtual subpopulations, information fields, and Python operators.

The book begins with an overview of important concepts and models, then goes on to show how simuPOP can simulate a number of standard population genetics modelswith the goal of demonstrating the impact of genetic factors such as mutation, selection, and recombination on standard Wright-Fisher models. The rest of the book is devoted to applications of forward-time simulations in various research topics.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Basic concepts and models

2. Simulation of population genetics models

3. Ascertainment bias in population genetics

4. Observing properties of evolving populations

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Research and Markets: Forward-Time Population Genetics Simulations: Methods, Implementation, and Applications

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SAN FRANCISCO Scientists at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes have for the first time transformed skin cells with a single genetic factor into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells.

The research offers new hope in the fight against many neurological conditions because scientists expect that such a transformation orreprogramming of cells may lead to better models for testing drugs for devastating neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimers disease.

This research comes at a time of renewed focus on Alzheimers disease, which currently afflicts 5.4 million people in the United States alone a figure expected to nearly triple by 2050. Yet there are no approved medications to prevent or reverse the progression of this debilitating disease.

In findings appearing online today inCell Stem Cell, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone investigator Yadong Huang, M.D., Ph.D., describe how they transferred a single gene called Sox2 into both mouse and human skin cells. Within days the skin cells transformed into early-stage brain stem cells, also called induced neural stem cells (iNSCs). These iNSCs began to self-renew, soon maturing into neurons capable of transmitting electrical signals. Within a month, the neurons had developed into neural networks.

Many drug candidates especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases fail in clinical trials because current models dont accurately predict the drugs effects on the human brain, said Huang, who also is an associate professor of neurology at UCSF. Human neurons derived from reengineered skin cells could help assess the efficacy and safety of these drugs, thereby reducing risks and resources associated with human trials.

Huangs findings build on the work of other Gladstone scientists, starting with Gladstone investigator Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D. In 2007, Yamanaka used four genetic factors to turn adult human skin cells into cells that act like embryonic stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells.

Also known as iPS cells, these cells can become virtually any cell type in the human body just like embryonic stem cells. Then last year, Gladstone senior investigatorSheng Ding, PhD, announced that he had used a combination of small molecules and genetic factors to transform skin cellsdirectlyinto neural stem cells. Today, Huang takes a new tack by using one genetic factor Sox2 to directly reprogram one cell type into another without reverting to the pluripotent state.

Avoiding the pluripotent state as Drs. Ding and Huang have done is one approach to avoiding the potential danger that rogue iPS cells might develop into a tumor if used to replace or repair damaged organs or tissue.

We wanted to see whether these newly generated neurons could result in tumor growth after transplanting them into mouse brains, said Karen Ring, UCSF Biomedical Sciences graduate student and the papers lead author. Instead we saw the reprogrammed cells integrate into the mouses brain and not a single tumor developed.

This research has also revealed the precise role of Sox2 as a master regulator that controls the identity of neural stem cells. In the future, Huang and his team hope to identify similar regulators that guide the development of specific neural progenitors and subtypes of neurons in the brain.

Originally posted here:
Scientists reprogram skin cells into brain cells

Recommendation and review posted by sam

By Rob Waugh

PUBLISHED: 11:00 EST, 7 June 2012 | UPDATED: 11:01 EST, 7 June 2012

A single genetic tweak is all that is needed to turn ordinary skin cells into functioning brain cells, scientists have shown

A single genetic tweak is all that is needed to turn ordinary skin cells into functioning brain cells, scientists have shown.

The research could help to treat Alzheimers, Parkinsons and other brain diseases.

Working in the laboratory, US scientists transferred a single gene called Sox2 into both mouse and human skin cells.

Within days the cells transformed themselves into early-stage brain stem cells.

These induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) then began to self-renew and mature, eventually becoming neurons capable of transmitting electrical signals.

In less than a month the cells had developed neural networks. Transplanted into mouse brains, they functioned without any adverse side effects, such as tumour growth.

Lead researcher Dr Yadong Huang, from the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, California, said: Many drug candidates, especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases, fail in clinical trials because current models dont accurately predict the drugs effects on the human brain.

Go here to read the rest:
New hope for Alzheimer's sufferers as breakthrough allows scientists to grow new brain cells from normal skin

Recommendation and review posted by sam

June 8, 2012

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com

For the first time, scientists at Gladstone Institute have changed skin cells, imbued with a single genetic factor, into cells that can become a group of interconnecting, functional brain cells. The findings show that there may be options in combating neurological conditions. This transformation of cells would pave the way for better methods in testing drugs for neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimers disease.

The research follows increased interest in Alzheimers disease. Currently, the disorder affects 4.5 million people in the U.S. and, by 2050, the number will have tripled. There are no medications to prevent or reverse Alzheimers Disease at this time.

The findings are published online at Cell Stem Cell and describe how the team of researchers transfer a single cell, known as Sox2, into mouse and human skin cells. Shortly, the skin cells became early-stage brain stem cells called induced neural stem cells (INSCs). The INSCs were able to self-renew and transmit electrical signals. The neurons were able to become neural networks within a month.

Many drug candidates especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases fail in clinical trials because current models dont accurately predict the drugs effects on the human brain, commented Gladstone Investigation Dr. Yadong Huang, who is also an associate professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), in a prepared statement. Human neuronsderived from reengineered skin cellscould help assess the efficacy and safety of these drugs, thereby reducing risks and resources associated with human trials.

Huangs study was based off work done by Gladstone Investigator Dr. Shinya Yamanaka. Yanaka had four genetic factors become adult human skin cells then into embryonic stem cells, otherwise known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells). The cells can become almost any type of cell in the body. As well, last year, Gladstone Senior Investigator Dr. Sheng Ding found a combination of small molecules and genetic factors that could change skin cells into neural stem cells. These days, Huang uses one genetic factor, Sox2, to directly reprogram cell types without having to resort back to a pluripotent state.

We wanted to see whether these newly generated neurons could result in tumor growth after transplanting them into mouse brains, explained Karen Ring, UCSF Biomedical Sciences graduate student and the papers lead author, in the statement. Instead we saw the reprogrammed cells integrate into the mouses brainand not a single tumor developed.

The findings of the project have shown that Sox2 acts as a master regulator that maintains the identity of neural stem cells. In the future, Huang and his fellow researchers hope that they can identify similar regulators that can help the development of particular neural progenitors and subtypes of neurons in the brain.

If we can pinpoint which genes control the development of each neuron type, we can generate them in the petri dish from a single sample of human skin cells, noted Huang. We could then test drugs that affect different neuron typessuch as those involved in Parkinsons diseasehelping us to put drug development for neurodegenerative diseases on the fast track.

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Scientists Reprogram Skin Cells To Brain Cells

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PerkinElmer (NYSE:PKI), a provider of life sciences tools and services, is launching a new Personalized Health Innovation Center of Excellence at an existing facility in Hopkinton, Mass. The creation of the center will add 100 workers to the Hopkinton operation, to a total of 350, through both new hires and relocating some existing personnel from other facilities. The Center will focus on accelerating scientific discoveries to help biotechnology researchers working on both personalized medicine drugs and diagnostic tools that help determine which patients will benefit most from which drugs. The center will be fully up and running before the end of the year, PerkinElmer executives said. The Hopkinton facility was previously the headquarters of Caliper Life Sciences, which was acquired by PerkinElmer last year for $600 million. The facility now houses the headquarters for the PerkinElmer Life Sciences and Technology business. We are delighted to establish our new Center of Excellence, which will serve as an exciting example of PerkinElmers commitment to, and culture of, innovation, Kevin Hrusovsky, President, Life Sciences & Technology, PerkinElmer, said. It will act as a foundation and catalyst for future advances in personalized health, as it concentrates the knowledge of our life sciences R&D and commercial leaders for greater scientific collaboration.

The center will bring together researchers from several teams including chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology and reagent development.

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PerkinElmer to open new Personalized Medicine Center

Recommendation and review posted by sam

Mike Schroeder had the opportunity to meet and visit with Larry the Cable Guy. Larry and his wife are big contributors to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital at Lincoln, Neb. where Mike is currently going through rehab for his spinal cord injuries.

A spinal cord injury which occurred early this spring has left Mike paralyzed. He nor his family will ever give up hope that someday he will walk again.

Currently he is at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Neb. where he is working extremely hard to learn things he once took for granted. Madonna is one of the nation's foremost facilities for medical rehabilitation and research. Specializing in traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury and pediatric rehabilitation, Madonna offers hope and healing to thousands of patients from throughout the country each year.

Madonna's team of highly specialized physiatrists, therapists, rehabilitation nurses and clinicians work with the most advanced technology and equipment to help each person achieve the highest level of independence.

Mike has come a long way.

He was on a ventilator for a few days following the accident and had slight movement in his arms when he arrived; now he is able to use his hands and has some sensation in his feet and legs.

He spends several hours a day working with an occupational therapist, physical therapist and recreational therapist. He works hard. Very hard. He is determined to make his life the best it can be.

He is learning how to do things such as putting on shoes and socks, relearning how to eat and shave and how to shower, things he has always taken for granted that he knew how to do without assistance.

He also works on his balance - something that has come a long way. "You take for granted that you are going to be able to sit without falling," he said, explaining that he toppled over many times at first because his muscles no longer do the job for him. He is building up his arm muscles - and hoping for football lineman arms - which are used in many ways including in the transferring process.

His recreational therapist is showing Mike that he can go out in public in his wheelchair and still enjoy fun activities (they have gone bowling and fishing.)

Follow this link:
'It is what it is'

Recommendation and review posted by sam

by Claude Solnik Published: June 8, 2012 Tags: Long Island, Multiple sclerosis, New York, NextStep Fitness, paralysis, spinal cord injuries, Stony Brook University

NextStep Fitness founder Janne Kouri (seated)

Stony Book is collaborating with Los Angeles-basedNextStep Fitness to build the organizations first fitness and wellness facility in New York for people with paralysis and spinal cord injuries.

Stony Brooks School of Health Technology and Management is helping the California firm develop the facility, which would be located at and connected to the university.

The Stony Brook facility will be the first NextStep location linked to an academic research center, which has the expertise to quickly disseminate important research findings related to fitness and wellness facilities, Stony Brook President Samuel Stanley said.

NextStep, a nonprofit founded by Janne Kouri, a former Georgetown University football player paralyzed in a swimming accident in 2006, hopes to raise $1.5 million to launch the facility at Stony Brook, to be named NextStep Fitness Center at Stony Brook Medicine.

Stony Brook estimates there are 80,000 people with spinal cord injuries nationwide, with 600 injuries a year occurring in New York. There are another 9,000 people with multiple sclerosis.

There are no acute spinal cord rehabilitation facilities located in New York state, said Craig Lehman, dean of the School of Health Technology and Management. People with spinal cord injuries must travel to Manhattan or New Jersey to get the level of rehabilitative care they need.

The NextStep facility at Stony Brook be the only one of its kind in the state and the first planned in addition to the original Los Angeles facility. The nonprofit, which hopes to open locations around the country, also is planning a facility for the Washington, D.C., area.

More here:
Stony Brook to build spinal cord injury rehab center

Recommendation and review posted by sam

CLEARWATER, FL--(Marketwire -06/08/12)- Biostem U.S., Corporation, (HAIR) (HAIR) (Biostem, the Company), a fully reporting public company in the stem cell regenerative medicine sciences sector, today reported that it has engaged Acropolis Inc. http://www.acropolisinc.com, a full-service advertising agency located in Orlando, Florida, to lend their expertise in brand building, marketing, and advertising development and placement.

Biostem Chief Executive Officer Dwight Brunoehler stated, "After several months of interviewing prospective agencies, we have come to the conclusion that Acropolis is the one to assist us in executing our plans. Their notable work in multiple media areas is impressive, to say the least. Their client list including The University of Florida, Arby's Restaurants, and the City of Orlando, speaks for itself."

Acropolis Principal, Scott Major, said, "This is a great fit for Acropolis. Our entire team loves the Biostem business approach in the incredible field of regenerative medicine. The hair re-growth field in which we will be marketing the Biostem technology is enormous. We are pleased to be a part of Biostem's expansion."

About Biostem U.S. CorporationBiostem U.S., Corporation is a fully reporting Nevada corporation with offices in Clearwater, Florida. Biostem is a technology licensing company with proprietary technology centered on providing hair re-growth using human stem cells. The company also intends to train and license selected physicians to provide Regenerative Cellular Therapy treatments to assist the body's natural approach to healing tendons, ligaments, joints and muscle injuries by using the patient's own stem cells. Biostem U.S., Corporation is seeking to expand its operations worldwide through licensing of its proprietary technology and acquisition of existing stem cell related facilities. The company's goal is to operate in the international biotech market, focusing on the rapidly growing regenerative medicine field, using ethically sourced adult stem cells to improve the quality and longevity of life for all mankind.

For further information, contact Fox Communications Group at 310-974-6821, or view the Biostem website at http://www.biostemus.com.

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Biostem U.S., Corporation Engages Acropolis Agency to Assist in Implementing Its International Marketing Plan

Recommendation and review posted by sam

LEUVEN, BELGIUM--(Marketwire -06/08/12)- TiGenix (EURONEXT:TIG)

TiGenix obtains national reimbursement in the Netherlands for breakthrough cartilage therapy ChondroCelect

TiGenix (EURONEXT:TIG) announced today that its innovative cartilage repair therapy ChondroCelect has obtained national reimbursement in the Netherlands. The Dutch National Health Authority (NZa) has formally announced that ChondroCelect is to receive national reimbursement retroactively per January 1, 2012. Previously ChondroCelect was made available in the Netherlands under a risk-sharing scheme.

"We are delighted with the decision of the NZa to reimburse ChondroCelect, and look forward to working with Dutch orthopedic centers of excellence and health insurers to routinely make this breakthrough therapy available to the right patients in the Netherlands," said Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "Dutch clinicians and scientists have been instrumental in ChondroCelect's development and four Cartilage Expert Centers in the Netherlands have already gained extensive experience with the procedure. After having obtained national reimbursement in Belgium last year, this constitutes another major step in improving patient access to this innovative therapy. We remain optimistic that we can obtain national reimbursement in other European countries later this year."

About TiGenix

TiGenix NV (EURONEXT:TIG) is a leading European cell therapy company with a marketed product for cartilage repair, ChondroCelect, and a strong pipeline with clinical stage allogeneic adult stem cell programs for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. TiGenix is based out of Leuven (Belgium) and has operations in Madrid (Spain), and Sittard-Geleen (the Netherlands). For more information please visit http://www.tigenix.com.

About ChondroCelect

ChondroCelect is the first and currently only cell therapy that has been granted market authorisation by the European Union in accordance with the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product regulation EC1394/2007. For more information, including the European Public Assessment Report (EPAR), prescribing information, and the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) please visit the European Medicines Agency (EMA) website at http://www.ema.europa.eu.

Forward-looking information

This document may contain forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of TiGenix and the market in which it operates. Certain of these statements, forecasts and estimates can be recognised by the use of words such as, without limitation, "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "plans", "seeks", "estimates", "may", "will" and "continue" and similar expressions. They include all matters that are not historical facts. Such statements, forecasts and estimates are based on various assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable when made but may or may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict and may depend upon factors that are beyond TiGenix' control. Therefore, actual results, the financial condition, performance or achievements of TiGenix, or industry results, may turn out to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements, forecasts and estimates. Given these uncertainties, no representations are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates. Furthermore, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates only speak as of the date of the publication of this document. TiGenix disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statement, forecast or estimates to reflect any change in TiGenix' expectations with regard thereto, or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement, forecast or estimate is based, except to the extent required by Belgian law.

Original post:
TiGenix: National Reimbursement in the Netherlands Obtained for Breakthrough Cartilage Therapy ChondroCelect(R)

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

7 June 2012

Bone Marrow Transplant Milestone

Today is a big day for the Waikato Hospital Haematology Department and equally big for consultant haematologist Dr Humphrey Pullon who established the transplant service there 20 years ago.

The first autologous bone marrow transplant was carried out at Waikato Hospital on 25 June 1992 and was today celebrated with a patient afternoon tea, which about 120 transplant recipients attended.

By the end of the month we will have performed 317 transplants in 301 patients over the past 20 years, said Dr Pullon.

The first patient went down to Wellington to have her stem cells collected and they were then driven back up to be stored here She is still alive, but was unable to attend today.

We did the stem cell collection of the second patient, who is sadly no longer alive, and our third patient was cured of Lymphoma as a result of his transplant.

The third patient was Lloyd Given of Tauranga who attended todays afternoon tea.

I would like to extend my thanks to Waikato Hospital, Humphrey and the oncologist at the time, Grant Trotter, he said.

The autologous bone marrow transplant process is a long and involved one.The cancer patient is treated and goes into remission or gets to a point where the cancer is well controlled.

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Bone Marrow Transplant Milestone

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

07-06-2012 07:39 Cell being the smallest part of any organism, is a building block of life. Cell therapies often focus on the treatment of hereditary diseases, with methods of gene therapy. The journal describes biology of a cell and the process of pioneering new cells into a tissue in order to negotiate a disease.

Originally posted here:
OMICS Group :: Journal of Cell Science

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Regulated information June 8, 2012

TiGenix obtains national reimbursement in the Netherlands for breakthrough cartilage therapy ChondroCelect

Leuven (BELGIUM) - June 8, 2012 - TiGenix (NYSE Euronext: TIG) announced today that its innovative cartilage repair therapy ChondroCelect has obtained national reimbursement in the Netherlands. The Dutch National Health Authority (NZa) has formally announced that ChondroCelect is to receive national reimbursement retroactively per January 1, 2012. Previously ChondroCelect was made available in the Netherlands under a risk-sharing scheme.

"We are delighted with the decision of the NZa to reimburse ChondroCelect, and look forward to working with Dutch orthopedic centers of excellence and health insurers to routinely make this breakthrough therapy available to the right patients in the Netherlands," said Eduardo Bravo, CEO of TiGenix. "Dutch clinicians and scientists have been instrumental in ChondroCelect`s development and four Cartilage Expert Centers in the Netherlands have already gained extensive experience with the procedure. After having obtained national reimbursement in Belgium last year, this constitutes another major step in improving patient access to this innovative therapy. We remain optimistic that we can obtain national reimbursement in other European countries later this year."

For more information: Eduardo Bravo Chief Executive Officer eduardo.bravo@tigenix.com

Claudia D`Augusta Chief Financial Officer claudia.daugusta@tigenix.com Hans Herklots Director Investor & Media Relations hans.herklots@tigenix.com +32 16 39 60 97

About TiGenix

TiGenix NV (NYSE Euronext Brussels: TIG)is a leading European cell therapy companywith a marketed product for cartilage repair, ChondroCelect, and a strongpipeline with clinical stage allogeneic adult stem cell programsfor the treatment ofautoimmune and inflammatory diseases.TiGenixis based out of Leuven (Belgium) and has operations in Madrid (Spain), and Sittard-Geleen (theNetherlands). For more information please visitwww.tigenix.com.

About ChondroCelect

See the original post:
TiGenix : national reimbursement in the Netherlands obtained for breakthrough cartilage therapy ChondroCelect®

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

06-06-2012 19:15 A research team led by Dr. Seung Hoon Lee took part in a multinational genome research project, consisting of researchers from fifty different nations. The project's findings identifying 56 genes involved in osteoporosis and fracture risk were published on April16th in Nature Genetics. In the largest-scale genetic research project to date, genetic testing was done on 210000 individuals from around the world. The study included clinical data from Korea, such as bone density measures and DNA samples from fourteen hundred patients. The study was able to identify 56 genetic variants, including WNT16, that influence bone density, of which 14 were associated with fracture risk. Dr. Seung Hoon Lee / Dept. of Endocrinology/Metabolism If individuals with high fracture risk can be identified by detecting this kind of high-risk gene, in addition to other clinical risk factors and bone density measurements in accordance with current treatment standards, the study suggests that prevention and treatment using individually-tailored drugs will be possible. Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease of increased risk of fracture due to weakened bone strength. Although this age-related disease is silent and asymptomatic until fractures occur, it has a high incidence and devastating consequences. By identifying genes related to osteoporosis and fracture risk, this multinational genetic study is expected to lead to new breakthroughs in the treatment of osteoporosis.

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Genes associated with osteoporosis and fracture risk identified - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 7-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jim Fessenden james.fessenden@umassmed.edu 508-856-2000 University of Massachusetts Medical School

WORCESTER, MA Degeneration of the axon and synapse, the slender projection through which neurons transmit electrical impulses to neighboring cells, is a hallmark of some of the most crippling neurodegenerative and brain diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's disease and peripheral neuropathy. Scientists have worked for decades to understand axonal degeneration and its relation to these diseases. Now, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are the first to describe a gene dSarm/Sarm1 responsible for actively promoting axon destruction after injury. The research, published today online by Science, provides evidence of an exciting new therapeutic target that could be used to delay or even stop axon decay.

"This discovery has the potential to have a profound impact on our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, much like the discovery of apoptosis (programmed cell death) fundamentally changed our understanding of cancer," said Marc R. Freeman, PhD, associate professor of neurobiology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and lead investigator on the study. "Identification of this gene allows us to start asking exciting new questions about the role of axon death in neurodegenerative diseases. For example, is it possible that these pathways are being inappropriately activated to cause premature axon death?"

For more than a century, scientists believed that injured axons severed from the neuron cell body passively wasted away due to a lack of nutrients. However, a mouse mutation identified in the early 1990s called slow Wallerian degeneration (Wlds) was able to suppress axon degeneration for weeks. This finding forced scientists to reassess Wallerian degeneration, the process through which an injured axon degenerates, as a passive process and consider the possibility that an active program of axon auto-destruction, akin to apoptotic death, was at work instead.

If Wallerian degeneration was an active process, hypothesized Dr. Freeman, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist, then it should be possible through forward genetic screens in Drosophila to identify mutants exhibiting Wlds-like axon protection. Freeman and colleagues screened more than 2,000 Drosophila mutants for ones that exhibited long-term survival of severed axons. Freeman says this was a heroic effort on the part of his colleagues. The screen took place over the next two and a half years, and involved seven students and post-docs in the Freeman labJeannette M. Osterloh, A. Nicole Fox, PhD, Michelle A. Avery, PhD, Rachel Hackett, Mary A. Logan, PhD, Jennifer M. MacDonald, Jennifer S. Zeigenfusswho performed the painstaking and labor-intensive experiments needed on each Drosophila mutant to identify flies that suppressed axonal degeneration after nerve injury.

Through these tests, they identified three mutants (out of the 2,000 screened) where severed axons survived for the lifespan of the fly. Next generation sequencing and chromosome deficiency mapping techniques were then used to isolate the single gene affected in all three dSarm. These were loss-of-function alleles, meaning that Drosophila unable to produce the dSarm/Sarm1 molecule exhibited prolonged axon survival for as many as 30 days after injury. Freeman and colleagues went on to show that mice lacking Sarm1, the mammalian homolog of dSarm, also displayed remarkable preservation of injured axons. These findings provided the first direct evidence that Wallerian degeneration was driven by a conserved axonal death program and not a passive response to axon injury.

"For 20 years people have been looking for a gene whose normal function is to promote axon degeneration," said Osterloh, first author on the study. "Identification of the dSarm/Sarm1 gene has enormous therapeutic potential, for example as a knockdown target for patients suffering from diseases involving axonal loss."

The next step for Freeman and colleagues is to identify additional genes in the axon death pathway and investigate whether any have links with specific neurodegenerative diseases. "We're already working with scientists at UMMS to understand the role axon death plays in ALS and Huntington's disease," said Freeman. "We are very excited about the possibility that these findings could have broad therapeutic potential in many neurodegenerative diseases."

###

Originally posted here:
Scientists identify first gene in programmed axon degeneration

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ScienceDaily (June 7, 2012) A team of UC Davis investigators has found that a genetic mutation may play an important role in the development of prostate cancer. The mutation of the so-called p53 (or Tp53) gene was previously implicated in late disease progression, but until now has never been shown to act as an initiating factor. The findings may open new avenues for diagnosing and treating the disease.

The study was published online in the journal Disease Models & Mechanisms and will appear in the November 2012 print edition in an article titled, "Initiation of prostate cancer in mice by Tp53R270H: Evidence for an alternate molecular progression."

"Our team found a molecular pathway to prostate cancer that differs from the current conventional wisdom of how the disease develops," said Alexander Borowsky, associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and principal investigator of the study. "With this new understanding, research can go in new directions to possibly develop new diagnostics and refine therapy."

Prostate cancer is the leading cancer diagnosis in men in the United States. Although it is curable in about 80 percent of men with localized disease, the rate is much lower if the cancer is highly virulent and has spread beyond the prostate gland.

The investigators developed a mouse model genetically engineered to have a mutation in the "tumor suppressor" gene, p53, specifically in the cells of the prostate gland. These mice were significantly more likely to develop prostate cancer than control mice without the mutation, and provided the first indication that the p53 mutation could be involved in the initiation of prostate cancer. They also note that the mutation of p53 in the prostate differs from loss or "knock-out" of the gene, which suggests that the mechanism is more complicated than simply a "loss of tumor suppression" and appears to involve an actively oncogenic function of the mutant gene.

The p53 gene encodes for a protein that normally acts as a tumor suppressor, preventing the replication of cells that have suffered DNA damage. Mutation of the gene, which can occur through chemicals, radiation or viruses, causes cells to undergo uncontrolled cell division. The p53 mutation has been implicated in the initiation of other malignancies, including breast, lung and esophageal cancers.

Other studies have associated p53 mutation with disease progression in prostate cancer, but this is the first to find that it can have a role in the early initiation of prostate cancer, as well.

Until now, understanding of the role of p53 was that mutation occurred exclusively as a late event in the course of prostate cancer. Based on the findings in the new mouse model that the researchers developed, p53 mutation not only can initiate prostate cancer but might also be associated with early progression toward more aggressive forms of the disease.

Genetic mutations can initiate cancers in a variety of ways. Those include promotion of uncontrolled cell growth and loss of the gene's normal cell growth-suppressor functions. Exactly how the p53 mutation promotes the initiation and progression of prostate cancer remains to be clarified and is a focus of current research by the UC Davis team. They also are trying to gain an understanding of how the p53 mutation affects the effectiveness of standard treatments for prostate cancer, such as radiation and hormone therapy.

Another application of the discovery could be the development of a new diagnostic test for prostate cancer based on the presence of the p53 mutation as a biomarker.

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New role for p53 genetic mutation -- initiation of prostate cancer

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Scientists map babys genetic code in womb

By John von Radowitz

Friday, June 08, 2012

An unborn babys whole genetic code has been mapped in the womb using DNA taken from its parents.

The technique could in future make it possible to swiftly scan for some 3,500 genetic disorders before birth, without physically disturbing either foetus or mother.

But scientists acknowledge the ability to sequence a babys whole genome in the womb has as yet unresolved ethical implications.

It could produce a wealth of data relating to a babys future health. At the same time, difficult questions may be raised about the moral case for termination.

Most pre-natal genetic screening currently involves tapping fluid from the foetal sac, or taking placental samples. Such invasive methods can only identify a small number of birth defects including Downs syndrome, and spina bifida.

They also pose risks for both mother and child. But there are thousands of rarer genetic conditions that are seldom spotted until they start producing symptoms.

The new research involved analysing DNA shed by the foetus and floating in the mothers bloodstream. Blood sample DNA from the mother was also studied as well as DNA extracted from the fathers saliva.

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Scientists map baby’s genetic code in womb

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BACKGROUND: Tooth loss, although often associated with a diet high in sugar, has been a problem for as long as mankind has existed. Before the widespread use of refined sugar in food, tooth loss was often a result of disease and malnutrition, although dietary practices also contributed to the problem. Several studies have documented the negative aspects of not having teeth or dentures including impaired nutritional intake, lower self-confidence and self-esteem and reduced quality of life. The three most common tooth replacement options are dental implants, fixed bridges and removable appliances. (Source: perio.org)

STEM CELLS: Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell. (Source: The National Institutes of Health resource for stem cell research)

CLONING TEETH: Nova Southeastern Universitys dental researchers at the College of Dental Medicine are growing and harvesting human dental stem cells in the lab. The cells normally grow in flat layers of single cells in Petri dishes. To get them to form a 3-D tissue structure, researchers seed the cells on tissue engineering scaffolds made from the same polymer material as bio-resorbable surgical sutures. The scaffolds function like those you see around buildings under construction. They provide mechanical support and control the size and shape of a tissue. Once the stem cells are seeded on the scaffolds, researchers add growth factors to signal to the stem cells what type of tissue to grow. The combination of dental stem cells, tissue engineering scaffolds and growth factors allows researchers to engineer new tooth tissues. NSU scientists are working, similar tooth research labs, to create fully functional replacement teeth.

Dental researchers have been successful at regenerating teeth in the laboratory and in animals. They have developed a stem cell therapy for growing new teeth following root canal treatment, and also for replanting teeth that have been knocked out of the mouth. In NSUs technique for regenerating teeth, the pre-clinical trial subjects were able to eat and chew normally. No current studies have examined the ability of animals to eat using completely regenerated teeth because no one has yet regenerated all the teeth in an animal. In NSUs technique, the soft tissue, or pulp, inside teeth was removed and regenerated. The monkey subjects were able to use their teeth normally to eat and chew.

NSU is in the process of patenting a "regeneration kit" that will allow dentists to deliver stem cell therapies to replace dead tissue inside a tooth. In addition, several companies are collecting baby teeth to harvest stem cells through dental offices. The stem cells are being stored for future regenerative therapies, including growing new teeth or growing other replacement organs. (Source: NSU, Sun Sentinel)

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Cloning Teeth: Medicine’s Next Big Thing?

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06-06-2012 13:09 Mesenchymal stem cell homing to tissue damage, umbilical cord stem cells historically used for anti-aging, mesenchymal stem cells role in immune system modulation, inflammation reduction and stimulating tissue regeneration, donor stem cell safety and testing, the role of HLA matching in donated umbilical cord-derived stem cells, umbilical cord blood safety data and historical use in blood transfusions, allogeneic stem cell persistence in human mothers. Treatment information at More information on Dr. Riordan at

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Neil Riordan PhD - Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury (Part 3 of 5) || Stem Cell Treatments - Video

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SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire -06/07/12)- Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc. (BMSN) (BMSN) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary Regen BioPharma, Inc. has executed an exclusive option agreement which grants Regen BioPharma an option to license Patent #6,821,513 which patents methods of stimulating blood production in patients with deficient stem cells. The patent, as well as data licensed with the patent, covers methods of stimulating the bone marrow to generate new blood cells. The patent and option agreement are disclosed in the Company's most recent 8K filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on June 6, 2012.

"The technology has broad applicability to help cancer patients recover faster following chemotherapy, as well as for recipients of bone marrow and cord blood transplants. Currently, new blood cell production is stimulated by expensive drugs such as Neupogen and Neulasta which replicate the body's growth factors but can cause side effects and rely upon the diminished recuperative powers of an immune compromised patient," stated J. Christopher Mizer, President of Regen BioPharma.

David Koos, Chairman & CEO of Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, added, "We are excited to get this therapy into the clinic. Based on peer-reviewed published animal data, it has the potential to restore immune function faster and more effectively than the existing standard of care."

The licensed technology covers the use of a naturally-occurring cell type for stimulation of bone marrow stem cells. By utilizing cells as opposed to drugs, Regen BioPharma believes it possesses a substantial advantage to existing approaches in terms of safety and economics of production. Currently the market for growth factors that stimulate blood making stem cells is more than $4.84 billion per year (www.wikinvest.com/stock/Amgen).

About Bio-Matrix Scientific Group Inc. and Regen BioPharma, Inc.:Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc. (BMSN) (BMSN) is a biotechnology company focused on the development of regenerative medicine therapies and tools. The Company is focused on human therapies that address unmet medical needs. Specifically, Bio-Matrix Scientific Group Inc. is looking to increase the quality of life through therapies involving stem cell treatments. These treatments are focused in areas relating to cardiovascular, hematology, oncology and other indications.

Through Its wholly owned subsidiary, Regen BioPharma, it is the Company's goal to develop translational medicine platforms for the rapid commercialization of stem cell therapies. The Company is looking to use these translational medicine platforms to advance intellectual property licensed from entities, institutions and universities that show promise towards fulfilling the Company's goal of increased quality of life.

Disclaimer

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition and other material risks.

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Bio-Matrix Scientific Group's Regen BioPharma Subsidiary Executes Option Agreement to License Stem Cell Intellectual ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

By Anne Holden on June 7, 2012

Scientists at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes have for the first time transformed skin cells with a single genetic factor into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells.

The research offers new hope in the fight against many neurological conditions because scientists expect that such a transformation or reprogramming of cells may lead to better models for testing drugs for devastating neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimers disease.

Yadong Huang, MD, PhD

This research comes at a time of renewed focus on Alzheimers disease, which currently afflicts 5.4 million people in the United States alone a figure expected to nearly triple by 2050. Yet thereare no approved medications to prevent or reverse the progression of this debilitating disease.

In findings appearing online today in Cell Stem Cell, researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Investigator Yadong Huang, MD, PhD, describe how they transferred a single gene called Sox2 into both mouse and human skin cells. Within days the skin cells transformed into early-stage brain stem cells, also called induced neural stem cells (iNSCs). These iNSCs began to self-renew, soon maturing into neurons capable of transmitting electrical signals. Within a month, the neurons had developed into neural networks.

Many drug candidates especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases fail in clinical trials because current models dont accurately predict the drugs effects on the human brain, said Huang, who is also an associate professor of neurology at UCSF. Human neurons derived from reengineered skin cells could help assess the efficacy and safety of these drugs, thereby reducing risks and resources associated with human trials.

Huangs findings build on the work of other Gladstone scientists, starting with Gladstone Investigator, Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD. In 2007, Yamanaka used four genetic factors to turn adult human skin cells into cells that act like embryonic stem cells called induced pluripotent stem cells.

Also known as iPS cells, these cells can become virtually any cell type in the human body just like embryonic stem cells. Then last year, Gladstone Senior Investigator Sheng Ding, PhD, announced that he had used a combination of small molecules and genetic factors to transform skin cells directly into neural stem cells. Today, Huang takes a new tack by using one genetic factor Sox2 to directly reprogram one cell type into another without reverting to the pluripotent state.

Avoiding the pluripotent state as Drs. Ding and Huang have done is one approach to avoiding the potential danger that rogue iPS cells might develop into a tumor if used to replace or repair damaged organs or tissue.

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Gladstone Scientists Reprogram Skin Cells into Brain Cells

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Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Sarah Chang chang_kai_chen@a-star.edu.sg 65-682-66442 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore

Scientists at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) uncovered the origin of a group of skin-deep immune cells that act as the first line of defence against harmful germs and skin infections. SIgN scientists discovered that these sentry cells of the skin, called the Langerhans cells (LCs), originate from two distinct embryonic sites - the early yolk sac and the foetal liver.

LCs are dendritic cells (DCs) found in the outermost layer of the skin. DCs are a critical component of the immune system because they are the only cells able to 'see' and 'alert' other responding immune cells to initiate a protective response against harmful foreign invaders. Like sentries of the immune system, DCs are strategically positioned where they are likely to encounter harmful pathogens. Identifying the source of these specialised immune cells may hold exciting possibilities to novel strategies for vaccination and treatment of autoimmune diseases and inflammatory skin disorders.

In contrast to other DCs which are constantly replaced by a circulating pool of bone marrow-derived precursors, LCs has the interesting ability to maintain themselves throughout life. While it is established that these long-lived sentry cells of the skin arise from precursors that are recruited to the skin prior to birth, this is the first time that the exact origin of the precursors of LCs is revealed through advanced fate-mapping technique (a method of tracing cell lineages to their embryonic origin).

In this study, published in the June issue of Journal of Experimental Medicine, Dr Florent Ginhoux, and his team demonstrated that adult LCs originate from two distinct embryonic lineages in two succeeding waves. The first wave of precursor cells from the yolk sac 'seed' the skin before the onset of the foetal liver. Interestingly, the team discovered that at the later stage of development, the yolk-sac precursors are largely replaced by a type of white blood cells from the foetal liver.

Said Dr Ginhoux, Principal Investigator of SIgN, "Whether this unique dual origin of Langerhans cells influences their ability to maintain skin integrity or dictate their specialised immune functions in response to microbes and vaccines needs to be examined. But having identified their origin surely opens new possibilities of using them as novel vaccination strategies or as therapeutic tool for treating inflammatory skin diseases like psoriasis."

Scientific Director of SIgN, Professor Paola Castagnoli said, "This discovery sheds light on understanding the complexities of the immune system, in particular the relationship between immune responses and human diseases. It will bring us closer to our goal of discovering novel ways of treating and preventing a range of immune diseases that will impact healthcare."

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Mystery to the origin of long-lived, skin-deep immune cells uncovered

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By Rob Waugh

PUBLISHED: 11:00 EST, 7 June 2012 | UPDATED: 11:01 EST, 7 June 2012

A single genetic tweak is all that is needed to turn ordinary skin cells into functioning brain cells, scientists have shown

A single genetic tweak is all that is needed to turn ordinary skin cells into functioning brain cells, scientists have shown.

The research could help to treat Alzheimers, Parkinsons and other brain diseases.

Working in the laboratory, US scientists transferred a single gene called Sox2 into both mouse and human skin cells.

Within days the cells transformed themselves into early-stage brain stem cells.

These induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) then began to self-renew and mature, eventually becoming neurons capable of transmitting electrical signals.

In less than a month the cells had developed neural networks. Transplanted into mouse brains, they functioned without any adverse side effects, such as tumour growth.

Lead researcher Dr Yadong Huang, from the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, California, said: Many drug candidates, especially those developed for neurodegenerative diseases, fail in clinical trials because current models dont accurately predict the drugs effects on the human brain.

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New hope for Alzheimer's sufferers as breakthrough allows scientists to grow new brain cells from normal skin

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

News | Mind & Brain

A unique form of carbon dating, made possible by the Cold War, suggests that new neurons rarely survive in the human olfactory bulb after birth

By Ferris Jabr | June 7, 2012

BOMBSHELL FINDINGS: A new study relying on radioactive carbon from Cold War nuclear tests argues that the adult human brain rarely weaves new neurons into the olfactory bulb, but not everyone is convinced. Image: Adapted from Wikimedia Commons images

In this groundbreaking adventure into the worlds of psychopaths, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton argues that there is a fine line between a brilliant...

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The human body is a tireless gardener, growing new cells throughout life in many organsin the skin, blood, bones and intestines. Until the 1980s most scientists thought that brain cells were the exception: the neurons you are born with are the neurons you have for life. In the past three decades, however, researchers have discovered hints that the human brain produces new neurons after birth in two places: the hippocampusa region important for memoryand the walls of fluid-filled cavities called ventricles, from which stem cells migrate to the olfactory bulb, a knob of brain tissue behind the eyes that processes smell. Studies have clearly demonstrated that such migration happens in mice long after birth and that human infants generate new neurons. But the evidence that similar neurogenesis persists in the adult human brain is mixed and highly contested.

A new study relying on a unique form of carbon dating suggests that neurons born during adulthood rarely if ever weave themselves into the olfactory bulb's circuitry. In other words, peopleunlike other mammalsdo not replenish their olfactory bulb neurons, which might be explained by how little most of us rely on our sense of smell. Although the new research casts doubt on the renewal of olfactory bulb neurons in the adult human brain, many neuroscientists are far from ready to end the debate.

In preparation for the new study, Olaf Bergmann and Jonas Frisn of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and their colleagues acquired 14 frozen olfactory bulbs from autopsies performed between 2005 and 2011 at the institute's Department of Forensic Medicine. To determine whether the neurons were younger than the people they came fromwhich would mean the cells were generated after birththe researchers needed to isolate the cells' DNA. First, they dissolved the brain tissue into a kind of soup, which they spun at high speeds so that the dense cell bodies and nuclei containing DNA sank to the bottom of the flasks. Using Y-shaped proteins called antibodies, which were hitched to fluorescent markers, the researchers tagged nuclei from both neurons and from glia, non-neuronal brain cells. After a laser-equipped cell-sorting machine identified and separated the nuclei, the researchers isolated and purified the DNA within.

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How Nuclear Fallout Casts Doubt on Renewal of Some Adult Brain Cells

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith