Perfect Genetics Challenge - Part 38 - First official wedding party
Open for info links -- Thumbs up if you enjoyed this part and Subscribe for more! No more private wedding or ghetto backyard style, we are throwing a special wedding party at a nice venue/lot...

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Perfect Genetics Challenge - Part 38 - First official wedding party - Video

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The Sims 4: Perfect Genetics Legacy [Part 12]
We are back with the Holmes clan, and with their baby on the way Marshall and Kaydence are spending quality time together. They are working on new skills and just enjoying each others company....

By: Connor K Games

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The Sims 4: Perfect Genetics Legacy [Part 12] - Video

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Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): Symptoms And Treatments
http://veinsurgerydoctors.com/-Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): Symptoms And Treatments! Many people who have peripheral artery disease (PAD) don #39;t have symptoms. If you do have symptoms,...

By: Personalized Medicine

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Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD): Symptoms And Treatments - Video

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Make-up Transformation Photo Shoot | S.C.I. Artist Model
Mariam Pare #39; is a visual artist and mouth-painter. For more info about her work and life with spinal cord injury go to w http://www.mariampare.com Facebook Art Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages...

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Make-up Transformation & Photo Shoot | S.C.I. Artist Model - Video

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Personal Injury Attorney Albuquerque
Personal Injury Attorney Albuquerque http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHmj0HMXzRc Albuquerque accident and injury lawyers Albuquerque accident injury attorney Albuquerque auto accident injury ...

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Personal Injury Attorney Albuquerque - Video

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The Promise of Regenerative Medicine
Biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey has famously predicted that the first person to live to a thousand has already been born. He explains that the key ma...

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The Promise of Regenerative Medicine - Video

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Portable Laminar Flow Hood for Stem Cell Analysis and Regenerative Medicine
Sentry Air Systems #39; ISO Class 5 Portable Clean Room Hood [Laminar Flow Hood] uses ductless technology and high quality HEPA filtration to create a positive p...

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Portable Laminar Flow Hood for Stem Cell Analysis and Regenerative Medicine - Video

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The potential of SCs to replace dead or damaged cells in any tissue of the body heralds the advent of a new field of medicine that is delivering cures for diseases now thought to be untreatable

Stem cell therapy represents a promising avenue for the treatment of disorders like

Q1: What are stem cells? Answer: Stem cells are class of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialized cell types .They have the unique properties of self renewal and differentiation. Differentiation property of stem cells help them to form another type of cell with more specialized function such as brain cell, red blood cell or muscle cell and also the entire organ. During the foetal development, cells divide, migrate, specialize and form the organ. After birth, stem cells are also present in bone marrow which can be used to treat various diseases.

Q2: Which disorders can be treated using Stem Cells? Answer: Currently stem cells are being used successfully to treat various (disorders) diseases like Cerebral palsy, Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic brain injury, Paralysis, Brain Stroke Osteoarthritis, Autism etc. Apart from this, stem cells can be used to treat liver disorders and Diabetes.

Q3: How is Stem Cell Therapy carried out? Answer: Stem Cell therapy is a very simple and painless process.Mesenchymal stem cells are injected directly into the synivial fluid in the knee. The whole process is carried out very carefully under sterile conditions.

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Stem Cell Therapy in Pune | Stem Cell Treatment | Inamdar ...

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Global Regenerative Medicine Market to grow at a CAGR of 20 16% by 2019
Global Regenerative Medicine Market 2015-2019 report says Global Regenerative Medicine market can be segmented into the following based on the type of applic...

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Global Regenerative Medicine Market to grow at a CAGR of 20 16% by 2019 - Video

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Opening a new chapter in the use of genomic science to fight cancer, the Food & Drug Administration on Friday approved olaparib, a medication for advanced ovarian cancer associated with a defective BRCA gene.

The new drug, to be marketed under the commercial name Lynparza, was found in a preliminary clinical trial to shrink or eliminate ovarian tumors in women whose cancers bore a specific genetic fingerprint and who had undergone at least three prior lines of chemotherapy.

Based on Lynparza's "existing objective response rate and duration of response data," the drug safety agency granted the medication's maker, Astra-Zeneca, an "accelerated" approval. Roughly a third of women with the genetic mutation targeted by Lynparza saw partial shrinkage or complete disappearance of their ovarian tumors over an average of eight months.

At the same time, the FDA granted marketing approval for a "companion diagnostic" that will help identify women whose advanced ovarian cancer is likely to respond to the drug. That test, BRACAnalysis CDx, is made by Myriad Genetics Inc. To be a candidate for Lynparza, a patient must take the test and show positive for a specific mutation of the BRCA gene, which confers a high risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.

"Today's approval constitutes the first of a new class of drugs for treating ovarian cancer," Dr. Richard Pazdur, director of the Office of Hematology and Oncology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in the news release.

Pazdur called Lynparza "an example of how a greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms of disease can lead to targeted, more personalized treatment."

Lynparza is the first of a new class of drugs called poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, which work by blocking the action of an enzyme that helps repair DNA. In certain tumor cells, such as those seen in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, blocking this enzyme can lead to cell death.

"Its really opening a whole new avenue of therapy," said Dr. M. William Audeh, a medical oncologist and geneticist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Samuel Oschin Cancer Institute in Los Angeles. "This drug is working in a fundamentally different way than chemotherapy: This is a cancer treatment thats been designed to hit this kind of inherited genetic weakness in the cancer itself."

Because PARP inhibitors such as Lynparza target a cancer's genetic Achilles' heel, they appear to hold out the particular promise of driving some patients' cancer into remission entirely, said Audeh, an investigator on the Astra-Zeneca-sponsored trial assessed by the FDA.

"All of us whove done these trials over seven years have some patients whove been in long-term remission. Thats not something you see very often with chemotherapy," he added.

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FDA approves new ovarian cancer drug

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FRIDAY, Dec. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The intestinal bacteria that cause inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, may be inherited, researchers report.

The findings, published recently in the journal Genome Medicine, could help in efforts to prevent the disease and treat the 1.6 million Americans with Crohn's or colitis, the study authors added.

"The intestinal bacteria, or 'gut microbiome,' you develop at a very young age can have a big impact on your health for the rest of your life," lead author Dan Knights, an assistant professor in the department of computer science and engineering and the Biotechnology Institute at the University of Minnesota, said in a journal news release.

"We have found groups of genes that may play a role in shaping the development of imbalanced gut microbes," he explained.

The study of 474 adults with inflammatory bowel disease who live in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands found a link between the participants' DNA and their gut bacteria DNA. The Crohn's and colitis patients also had less variety of gut bacteria and more opportunistic bacteria than the general population.

The findings are an important step in creating new drugs for the treatment of Crohn's and colitis, the researchers said.

The investigators also found that antibiotics can worsen the imbalances in intestinal bacteria associated with inflammatory bowel disease.

"In many cases, we're still learning how these bacteria influence our risk of disease, but understanding the human genetics component is a necessary step in unraveling the mystery," Knights said.

Previous research has identified associations between gut bacteria and increased risks for health problems such as diabetes, autism, heart disease and some types of cancer, the researchers said.

-- Robert Preidt

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Crohn's, Colitis May Have Genetic Underpinnings, Study Finds

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The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge Ep.62 Vincent #39;s Birthday
Come join me on my latest journey into the complex world of sims 3 genetics, as I try to get perfect foals and perfect children. Will I succeed in getting pe...

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The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge Ep.62 Vincent's Birthday - Video

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Keeping Your Dairy Herd Health: Donagh Berry, Genetics
Genetics Current research on the role of genetics in herd health Donagh Berry, Teagasc.

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Genetics and mutations 12 true-false questions
Types of mutations: There are many different ways that DNA can be changed, resulting in different types of mutation. Here is a quick summary of a few of these: Substitution A substitution...

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Genetics and mutations 12 true-false questions - Video

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Defend Your Right to Affordable Regenerative Medicine
The FDA is trying to regulate how a doctor can use the cells and tissues from your own body. We have safely practiced Regenerative Medicine using PRP and stem cells for years, and have healed...

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This treatment will only be allowed under carefully defined conditions, however, so that the outcomes can be carefully monitored to see if the treatment works and doesnt have any unexpected side-effects.

Stem cells can act as a repair system for the body.

Limbal stem cells are located in the eye at the border between the cornea the clear front part of the eye - and the sclera the white of the eye.

Physical or chemical burns can cause loss of these stem cells, resulting in limbal stem cell deficiency, LSCD, a condition that is estimated to affect about 3.3 out of 100,000 people in the European Union and around 650 people in Britain.

Symptoms include pain, sensitivity to light, inflammation, excessive blood vessel growth, clouding of the cornea, and eventually blindness.

In LSCD the limbal stem cells become so diminished that they eyes can no longer make new cells to repair damage.

The new treatment takes a small sample of the patients healthy cornea, removes the stem cells and grows them until there are sufficient numbers to put back into the eye. The cells themselves then repair the damage.

Moorfields Eye Hospital in London has successfully treated around 20 people with Holocar so far in trials.

Prof Chris Mason, from University College London, told the BBC: "This move would enable far more people to access it, you could now prescribe this."

The EMA decision to approve Holoclar will now be sent to the European Commission for market authorization. It will then be up to Nice to decide whether to approve the therapy for use on the NHS.

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First stem-cell therapy approved for medical use in Europe

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SOUTH BEND, Ind.--- Mike and Katie have been a couple since college, but they've known each other much longer.

"We've been together forever," said Mike.

"I've actually known Mike since I was 5-years-old," said Katie.

A marriage and three kids later they've been through good times, and bad. The worst came nine-years-ago when Mike found out he had Huntington's disease.

Huntington's is a deadly, inherited disease that affects about 30,000 Americans; 150,000 more are at risk.

Until now there has been no hope for these patients, who typically die of the disease within 15 years of diagnosis.

"My father had it, said Mike. He died from it."

Huntington's causes uncontrollable movements and mental decline, there is no cure.

"Unfortunately, it ends in death, said Dr. Vicki Wheelock, a neurologist at UC Davis Health System. It's a fatal disease."

Now researchers are gearing up for a new trial in humans.

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Doctors think stem cell injections could provide hope for Huntington disease patients

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A LITTLE boy faces his third bone marrow transplant before his second birthday.

Jack Kleinberg has battled against two life-threatening conditions as he suffers from familial mediterranean fever and WiskottAldrich syndrome, which affects one in 10 million children and means he has to live in virtual isolation.

His parents, Rob and Vicki, live with the knowledge that any part of his body can stop working at any time from a simple fall or infection.

The couple, of St James Gardens, Westcliff, spend much of their time travelling to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Jack to receive treatment to keep him alive.

The family includes Robs children from a previous relationship, Oliver, 14 and Sophia, ten.

Vicki, 28, said: Its a 24/7 job, but we wouldnt change it for the world. Oliver and Sophia didnt see Jack for the first year because he was in hospital. Its become normal for them to come home and wash and change into sterile clothes before they can see Jack, because of the danger of infection for him. Jack has had one full transplant and a top-up transplant and is waiting for a potential donor for a possible third transplant.

Vicki said: People think it is a painful process, but these days it is a stem cell transplant where if a donor is found to be suitable, they are given an injection the week before, which makes the body release bone marrowcells into the blood stream which are then taken like a normal blood donation. It takes just 20 minutes of someones time and saves so many lives. The transplants have given Jack 25 per cent of the cells he needs. Without them, he wouldnt have lived past his first birthday.

We are trying to get through Christmas and then we will decide on whether, if a donor is found, Jack has another full stem cell transplant or whether we let him live his life, with all its restrictions, for a while because he has spent so much time in hospital.

For more information about becoming a donor, visit http://www.anthonynolan.org

Rugby club is pitching in

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People urged to donate bone marrow as tot faces third transplant

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Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) and Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (IMCB) have identified a genetic pathway that accounts for the extraordinary size of the human brain. The team led by Dr Bruno Reversade[1] from A*STAR in Singapore, together with collaborators from Harvard Medical School, have identified a gene, KATNB1, as an essential component in a genetic pathway responsible for central nervous system development in humans and other animals.

By sequencing the genome of individuals of normal height but with a very small head size, the international team revealed that these individuals had mutations in the KATNB1 gene, indicating that this gene is important for proper human brain development. Microcephaly (literally meaning "small head" in Latin) is a condition often associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Measured at birth by calculating the baby's head circumference, a diagnosis of microcephaly is given if it is smaller than average.

Microcephaly may stem from a variety of conditions that cause abnormal growth of the brain during gestation or degenerative processes after birth, all resulting in a small head circumference. In general, individuals with microcephaly have a reduced life expectancy due to reduced brain function which is often associated with mental retardation.

The team also carried out further experiments to determine the function of KATNB1, whose exact mode of action was previously unknown in humans. Using organisms specifically designed to lack this gene, they realised that KATNB1 is crucial for the brain to reach its correct size. Zebrafish and mice embryos without this gene could not live past a certain stage and showed dramatic reduction in brain and head size, similar to the human patients. Their results were published in the 17 December 2014 online issue of Neuron.

Sequencing and screening for this particular gene before birth or at birth might also help to detect future neurocognitive problems in the general population. Dr Reversade said, "We will continue to search for other genes important for brain development as they may unlock some of the secrets explaining how we, humans, have evolved such cognitive abilities."

Prof Birgit Lane, Executive Director of IMB, said, "This is one of a small number of genes that scientists have found to be vital for brain development. The work is therefore an important advance in understanding the human brain. The team's findings provide a new platform from which to look further into whether -- and how -- this gene can be used for targeted therapeutic applications."

Prof Hong Wanjin, Executive Director of IMCB, said, "This coordinated effort shows the increasingly collaborative nature of science. As the complexity and interdisciplinary nature of research evolves, so do the networks of collaborations between research institutes at A*STAR and across continents."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by A*Star Agency for Science, Technology and Research. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Gene critical for proper brain development discovered

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

18-Dec-2014

Contact: Vithya Selvam vithya_selvam@a-star.edu.sg 656-826-6291 Biomedical Sciences Institutes (BMSI) @astarhq

Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) and Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (IMCB) have identified a genetic pathway that accounts for the extraordinary size of the human brain. The team led by Dr Bruno Reversade from A*STAR in Singapore, together with collaborators from Harvard Medical School, have identified a gene, KATNB1, as an essential component in a genetic pathway responsible for central nervous system development in humans and other animals.

By sequencing the genome of individuals of normal height but with a very small head size, the international team revealed that these individuals had mutations in the KATNB1 gene, indicating that this gene is important for proper human brain development. Microcephaly (literally meaning "small head" in Latin) is a condition often associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Measured at birth by calculating the baby's head circumference, a diagnosis of microcephaly is given if it is smaller than average.

Microcephaly may stem from a variety of conditions that cause abnormal growth of the brain during gestation or degenerative processes after birth, all resulting in a small head circumference. In general, individuals with microcephaly have a reduced life expectancy due to reduced brain function which is often associated with mental retardation.

The team also carried out further experiments to determine the function of KATNB1, whose exact mode of action was previously unknown in humans. Using organisms specifically designed to lack this gene, they realised that KATNB1 is crucial for the brain to reach its correct size. Zebrafish and mice embryos without this gene could not live past a certain stage and showed dramatic reduction in brain and head size, similar to the human patients. Their results were published in the 17 December 2014 online issue of Neuron, the most influential journal in the field of Neuroscience.

Sequencing and screening for this particular gene before birth or at birth might also help to detect future neurocognitive problems in the general population. Dr Reversade said, "We will continue to search for other genes important for brain development as they may unlock some of the secrets explaining how we, humans, have evolved such cognitive abilities."

Prof Birgit Lane, Executive Director of IMB, said, "This is one of a small number of genes that scientists have found to be vital for brain development. The work is therefore an important advance in understanding the human brain. The team's findings provide a new platform from which to look further into whether - and how - this gene can be used for targeted therapeutic applications."

Prof Hong Wanjin, Executive Director of IMCB, said, "This coordinated effort shows the increasingly collaborative nature of science. As the complexity and interdisciplinary nature of research evolves, so do the networks of collaborations between research institutes at A*STAR and across continents."

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A*STAR scientists discover gene critical for proper brain development

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Millie Forbes died after battling Acute Myleoid Leukaemia 10 years ago She was just 21 when she passed away after a bone marrow transplant Her sister Annabella, now 29, embarked on a campaign in honour of Millie #InspiredbyMillie features 24 celebrities urging people to sign up to the Anthony Nolan bone marrow donation register Richard Branson, Sienna Miller, Dominic West, Richard E. Grant, Clare Balding, Emeli Sande, Binky Felstead and more have joined the campaign

By Lizzie Parry for MailOnline

Published: 01:00 EST, 18 December 2014 | Updated: 12:21 EST, 18 December 2014

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Millie Forbes was an inspiration to her family. And she loved Christmas.

That is why 10 years after the 21-year-old lost her life to leukaemia, her younger sister embarked on a campaign to raise awareness in her memory.

Annabella Forbes has made it her mission to save as many lives as possible, in honour of her beloved big sister.

And this Christmas the 29-year-old from London has enlisted the support of celebrities across the world.

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Celebrities urge YOU to donate bone marrow in memory of Millie Forbes

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How does CDI's technology work? A human biological sample, for example blood or skin, is obtained, and the cells within the sample are grown under appropriate cell culture conditions. In the episomal reprogramming method, vectors containing multiple reprogramming genes are introduced into the cells.

While the vectors turn genes in the cell on and off, reprogramming them to a stem cell state, they do not integrate into the genome itself. This method alleviates concerns arising over the potential risks associated with the insertion of foreign DNA to induce reprogramming, which other prior iPS methods use (bottom row in illustration above).

iPS cells are somatic cells (e.g., skin or blood) that have been genetically reprogrammed to a pluripotent stem cell state through forced expression of pluripotency genes.By definition, iPS cells replicate indefinitely and have the potential to differentiate into any cell type in the human body.

Reprogramming factors are the genes introduced into somatic cells that induce a pluripotent stem cell state. Initial reports describing the creation of human iPS cells utilized four reprogramming factors: OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and MYC (OSKM) (Takahashi, et al. 2007) or OCT4, SOX2, NANOG and LIN28 (OSNL) (Yu, et al. 2007). Subsequent studies revealed that reprogramming using a specific combination of all 6 of these factors combined with SV40LT and a cocktail of small molecules yields iPS cells at much higher efficiency (Yu, et al. 2009; Yu, et al. 2011).

iPS cells are genetically reprogrammed through forced expression of pluripotency genes into somatic cells.The expression of these genes can be accomplished using a variety of different methods.The episomal reprogramming method introduces pluripotency genes into a target cell using circular DNA plasmid vectors (i.e. episomes) that replicate autonomously within the cell cytoplasm and do not integrate into the host cell genome.

Initial methods of iPS cell reprogramming utilized retroviral and lentiviral vectors to introduce pluripotency genes into somatic cells. While these methods generally work well, the viral DNA integrates into the genome of the target cell, and the resulting iPS cells (and cells differentiated from them) will contain foreign DNA, which may result in defects and errors. By contrast, episomal vectors replicate autonomously within the cell cytoplasm and do not integrate into the host genome. In addition, the episomal vectors are released from the target cell at a rate of ~5% per cell cycle resulting in transgene-free or footprint-free iPS cells.These features, combined with recent advancements in episomal reprogramming efficiency, have led to a strong preference for this method to alleviate concerns about genome integrity for drug discovery and cell therapy applications.

Episomal reprogramming has been reported successful from a variety of somatic cells, including fibroblasts, lymphoblastoid cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Importantly, CDI has optimized its episomal reprogramming method to achieve high efficiency iPS cell generation from small amounts of human peripheral blood. Not only does this enable more streamlined and less invasive collection of donor samples, but ensures increased sterility and lower cost production of iPS cells. In addition, efficient iPS cell production from peripheral blood enables access to large banks of normal and disease-associated clinical samples for disease research and drug screening.

CDIs suite of MyCell Products includes episomal reprogramming of customer-provided donor samples and subsequent genetic engineering and/or differentiation of the iPS cells. In addition, for researchers who would like to generate their own iPS cells, CDIs episomal reprogramming technology is available as a kit from Life Technologies, including Episomal iPSC Reprogramming Vectors, Vitronectin, and Essential 8 Medium. Customer-generated iPS cells using this kit may then be transferred to CDI for genetic engineering and/or differentiation through MyCell Products.

Integration-free iPS cells have been generated using a variety of methods including adenovirus, Sendai virus, piggyBac, minicircle vectors, and direct introduction of protein or synthesized mRNA. The efficiency and success rate of these methods varies depending on the source of somatic cells and experimental conditions, but in general these approaches are limited by impractically low reprogramming efficiency, requirement for higher biosafety containment, and/or labor- and cost-intensive protocols that require repeated transfection/infection.Compared to these methods, episomal reprogramming is virus-free, safe to use, stable, and inexpensive.

A variety of small molecules have been identified that can functionally substitute for one or more reprogramming factors and/or improve the efficiency of iPS cell reprogramming. However, no combination of small molecules has been shown to functionally substitute for all four reprogramming factors. The use of small molecules in iPS cell reprogramming offers some practical advantages including the ability to optimize the chemical structure, fine-tune dose and concentration, and simplify handling and application protocols. However, the use of small molecules presents a number of scientific challenges. Most notably, small molecules may have more than one target, which may or may not be known. In addition, unexpected toxicity and other side effects in vivo may interfere with the clinical application of small molecules.

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CDI | iPS Cells - Cellular Dynamics International

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Tiny, poorly understood gene fragments are linked to altered brain development in autism, according to new research from scientists at the University of Toronto.

Their study, published in the journal Cell, focuses on small segments called microexons. Microexons are tiny stretches of DNA that code for equally tiny parts of proteins.

Until now, only a handful of these extra-short microexons were known. The Cell paper identifies hundreds of new ones.

Moreover, microexons appear to have been underestimated. The scientists found that the vast majority of microexons form parts of genetic messages that are expressed in neurons in the brain, and that they play an important role in how those neurons function. When the scientists deleted microexons in the lab, proteins in the neurons had trouble interacting with each other.

They also analyzed samples of brain tissues from individuals with autism spectrum disorder, and found many microexons were missing in the genetic messages.

The research was noted in two separate scientific editorials Thursday as a major step forward. It involved an international team of researchers and was led by Manuel Irimia, a post-doctoral fellow, and Benjamin Blencowe, a professor, at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research. (Blencowe is also a co-author on Fridays machine-learning study in Science.)

What weve done is to perform a more systematic search for these microexons, using a massive amount of data, says Blencowe. But what was really missing from the picture before . . . is that these microexons are regulated in a really specific manner, and that they are detected primarily in the nervous system.

The team also found that the microexons are highly conserved, meaning they havent evolved very differently in humans and other animals like mice, suggesting they play a basic, central role in development.

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Tiny gene fragments linked to altered brain development in autism, U of T scientists say

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Provided by Stuart Wolpert, UCLA

A new research institute at UCLA may eventually provide doctors with tools to more accurately tailor medicines for individual patients, which could both improve quality of care and minimize the side effects associated with todays medicine.

TheInstitute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences (QCB) will employ multidisciplinary researchto study how molecules and genes interact. Its goal: unlocking the biological basis of health and disease by tapping the power of big data and computational modeling.

UCLAs Institute for Quantitative and Computational Biosciences will have a major, positive impact on human health, said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. It will engage exceptional faculty from the life sciences and physical sciences, and our David Geffen School of Medicine and Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science to ensure that UCLA is at the forefront of research that will help usher in a new era of personalized health care, and to transform research and education in the biosciences.

The institute is led by Alexander Hoffmann, professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics in the UCLA College, whose research aims to understand how our genes interact to ensure health or produce disease and the roles played by such factors as food, environmental stresses, infectious agents and pharmaceuticals. Among the diseases for which Hoffmanns research may lead to significant progress are cancer and immune disorders, because they are caused by errors in cellular decision-making.

Hoffmann says that biologys million-dollar question is how genes and environment interact to ensure health or cause disease, he said. As UCLA researchers work to answer that question, they will collaborate with UCLA mathematicians who will create mathematical models that help them make sense of a tsunami of biological data.

Biology is entering a new phase, Hoffmann said. So far, biology has been much less math-based than the other sciences. Since the sequencing of the human genome in the early 2000s, there has been an irreversible change in the way biology and biomedical research are being done. At UCLA, we will lead research in that direction and connect basic and applied sciences in an unprecedentedly productive collaboration.

Victoria Sork, dean of the UCLA Division of Life Sciences, said the institutes approach represents the new life sciences and predicts that the new center will accelerate discovery and translational application in many areas, including medicine, the environment, energy, and food production and food safety.

Technological breakthroughs are enabling scientists to analyze not only one gene at a time, but how hundreds or thousands of genes work together, Sork said. Combined with big data, new knowledge of critical gene networks will lead us to a better understanding of what makes humans healthy.

The road to precision medicine

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UCLA launches revolutionary "big-data" research institute

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During the latter stage stages of the 20th century, man harnessed the power of the atom, and not long after, soon realised the power of genes. Genetic engineering is going to become a very mainstream part of our lives sooner or later, because there are so many possibilities advantages (and disadvantages) involved. Here are just some of the advantages :

Of course there are two sides to the coin, here are some possible eventualities and disadvantages.

Genetic engineering may be one of the greatest breakthroughs in recent history alongside the discovery of the atom and space flight, however, with the above eventualities and facts above in hand, governments have produced legislation to control what sort of experiments are done involving genetic engineering. In the UK there are strict laws prohibiting any experiments involving the cloning of humans. However, over the years here are some of the experimental 'breakthroughs' made possible by genetic engineering.

Genetic engineering has been impossible until recent times due to the complex and microscopic nature of DNA and its component nucleotides. Through progressive studies, more and more in this area is being made possible, with the above examples only showing some of the potential that genetic engineering shows.

For us to understand chromosomes and DNA more clearly, they can be mapped for future reference. More simplistic organisms such as fruit fly (Drosophila) have been chromosome mapped due to their simplistic nature meaning they will require less genes to operate. At present, a task named the Human Genome Project is mapping the human genome, and should be completed in the next ten years.

The process of genetic engineering involves splicing an area of a chromosome, a gene, that controls a certain characteristic of the body. The enzyme endonuclease is used to split a DNA sequence and split the gene from the rest of the chromosome. For example, this gene may be programmed to produce an antiviral protein. This gene is removed and can be placed into another organism. For example, it can be placed into a bacteria, where it is sealed into the DNA chain using ligase. When the chromosome is once again sealed, the bacteria is now effectively re-programmed to replicate this new antiviral protein. The bacteria can continue to live a healthy life, though genetic engineering and human intervention has actively manipulated what the bacteria actually is. No doubt there are advantages and disadvantages, and this whole subject area will become more prominent over time.

The next page returns the more natural circumstances of genetic diversity.

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Genetic Engineering Advantages & Disadvantages - Biology ...

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