Trainers, Pros, Genetics and THE TRUTH!
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Trainers, Pros, Genetics and THE TRUTH! - Video

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ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill., Nov. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A manuscript from the laboratory of Dr. Brian Kaspar of Nationwide Childrens Hospital was recently published in the journal Molecular Therapy. The paper, Improving single injection CSF delivery of AAV9-mediated gene therapy for SMA-a dose response study in mice and nonhuman primates is the first publication resulting from a groundbreaking collaboration between Cure SMA, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), and Dr. Kaspar.

Beginning in 2010, Cure SMA made a series of grants to Dr. Kaspar to study gene therapy, also called gene transfer. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by a mutation in the survival motor neuron 1 gene (SMN1). Because of this mutation, the individual does not produce enough survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. Gene transfer may increase SMN levels by using a virus, called a vector, to deliver the SMN1 gene to affected cells. Kaspars laboratory discovered that Adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) had the unique ability to cross the blood brain barrier and the Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier (CSF).

Dr. Kaspar and his team have studied two approaches for SMA: an injection into a vein, a process known as systemic delivery which is currently in Phase I/2 clinical trials, and delivery directly into the cerebrospinal spinal fluid (CSF), a process known as CSF-delivered gene therapy.

Using the data generated with Cure SMA funding on the CSF-delivery of the drug, Dr. Kaspar and his team were able to secure a $4 million grant from NINDS in 2013, to develop this delivery approach for human clinical trials in SMA.

Development of therapies requires collaboration of academics, advocacy, industry, and government-no single party has the resources to do this alone. The collaboration between Dr. Brian Kaspar, Cure SMA, and the NIH is an exciting model in leveraging resources and expertise in the hope of accelerating therapy development for SMA, said Dr. John Porter, PhD, Program Director at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

The results of this research collaboration are the subject of Dr. Kaspars latest article. Using a one-time delivery of the AAV9 carrying the human SMN gene, the researchers found SMA animals, which typically die at 15 days of age, surpassed 280 days median survival, with many animals surviving past 400 days. This is a remarkable extension in survival with normal motor function. Furthermore, the group tested this delivery approach in larger species and found significant targeting of motor neurons throughout the brain and spinal cord.

Dr. Kaspar stated, We are very pleased with the results of this study and are working diligently to advance a CSF route of delivery to human clinical trials for SMA. We are grateful for the support from Cure SMA and NINDS. We stand at an exciting juncture in SMA research and clinical translation with strong will to see effective therapies for all those with SMA.

We are excited to see expansion of the gene therapeutic program and the potential to advance this route of delivery to patients with SMA. The latest results supports further development of a CSF-delivered gene therapy treatment, said Jill Jarecki, PhD, Cure SMAs research director.

Current Clinical Trials for SMA Gene Therapy

The technology for both systemic and CSF-delivered gene therapy has been licensed to AveXis, a clinical stage biotechnology company. AveXis and Nationwide Childrens Hospital are currently collaborating on a Phase I/2 clinical trial testing the systemic delivery method in infants with SMA. The trial (NCT02122952) opened for enrollment in Columbus, Ohio in April 2014 and is currently recruiting in the dose-escalation phase of the trial.

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CSF-Delivered Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

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Stem Cell Research Therapy Explained - From MS to Spinal Injury
Stem cell treatment and research towards curing illness--from multiple sclerosis to spinal injury--is detailed by Dr. Neil Riordan. The American medical industry, obstructions to research in...

By: TheLipTV

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Stem Cell Research & Therapy Explained - From MS to Spinal Injury - Video

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Freeport, Grand Bahama (PRWEB) November 05, 2014

Okyanos is the first to receive regulatory approval from the National Stem Cell Ethics Committee (NSEC) to provide adult stem cell therapy in its new state-of-the-art facility and has now begun treating patients. The licensing includes approval for cardiac cell therapy, as well as cell therapy for tissue ischemia, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic neurological and orthopedic conditions. The licensing criteria requires that approved protocols be supported by peer-reviewed papers showing substantial evidence of safety and efficacy.

"As the leader in cell therapy, Okyanos is very proud to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients who are looking for new options for unmet healthcare needs. said Matt Feshbach, CEO and co-founder of Okyanos. Adipose (fat)- derived stem and regenerative cells (ADRCs) are known to restore blood flow, modulate the immune system, reduce inflammation and prevent further cell death after a wound, helping the body begin the process of healing itself.

Adult stem cell therapy has emerged as a new treatment alternative for those who want to live a more normal life but are restricted in these activities due to their medical conditions. Just 50 miles from the US shore, Okyanos cell therapy is available to patients with severe heart disease including coronary artery disease (CAD) and congestive heart failure (CHF) as well as patients with auto-immune diseases, orthopedic, neurological and urological conditions. Okyanos cell therapy is performed in their new state-of-the-art facility built to exceed U.S. surgical center standards.

With the regulatory and licensing approvals for adult stem cell therapy, Okyanos is the first to treat patients with cell therapy for severe heart disease and other unmet medical conditions based on a combination of internationally approved cell processing technology, technical papers, clinical trials and in-clinic use which provide the basis for a new standard of care.

Patients can contact Okyanos at http://www.okyanos.com or by calling toll free at 1-855-659-2667.

About Okyanos: (Oh key AH nos) Based in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Okyanos brings a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease, tissue ischemia, autoimmune diseases, and other chronic neurological and orthopedic conditions. Okyanos Cell Therapy utilizes a unique blend of stem and regenerative cells derived from patients own adipose (fat) tissue which helps improve blood flow, moderate destructive immune response and prevent further cell death. Okyanos is fully licensed under the Bahamas Stem Cell Therapy and Research Act and adheres to U.S. surgical center standards. The literary name Okyanos, the Greek god of the river Okyanos, symbolizes restoration of blood flow.

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Okyanos Treats First Patients with Cell Therapy

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Mark and Mindy Ammons lost their 2-year-old son, Christopher, in 1988 to neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. In 2009, Mindy Ammons donated her own stem cells to a woman with cancer. And this weekend, the family's youngest son will prepare a bone marrow donor registry in memory of his oldest brother as an Eagle Scout project.

Family photo

Bone marrow donation is close to the heart for the Ammons family of Provo.

Mark and Mindy Ammons lost their 2-year-old son, Christopher, in 1988 to neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. In 2009, Mindy Ammons donated her own stem cells to a woman with cancer. And this weekend, the familys youngest son will lead a bone marrow registry drive as an Eagle Scout project in memory of his oldest brother.

We are in the unique position of having been on both sides of the process, Mindy Ammons said.

In the "Be The Match" flier created for the project, Will Ammons, 13, explains that Christophers only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant, but sadly, no one in our family was a match, so he had to be his own donor.

Christopher underwent treatment at the UCLA Medical Center where, after five days of chemotherapy, three days of full-body radiation and then surgery, he received his own marrow as a transplant. He died two weeks into the process, just shy of his third birthday.

Over the years, the Ammonses talked about this experience with their children and stayed informed on treatment advances. When it came time for their second oldest son, Jon, to do his Eagle Scout project, he didn't just want to do something to check off on a list. He wanted a meaningful project.

He wanted to do something that would make a difference and was cancer-related," Mindy Ammons said.

They discussed raising money for cancer research but decided that would be like dropping a coin in a well, she said.

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Family honors child's memory through bone marrow registry and stem cell donation

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Mark and Mindy Ammons lost their 2-year-old son, Christopher, in 1988 to neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. In 2009, Mindy Ammons donated her own stem cells to a woman with cancer. And this weekend, the family's youngest son will prepare a bone marrow donor registry in memory of his oldest brother as an Eagle Scout project.

Family photo

Bone marrow donation is close to the heart for the Ammons family of Provo.

Mark and Mindy Ammons lost their 2-year-old son, Christopher, in 1988 to neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer. In 2009, Mindy Ammons donated her own stem cells to a woman with cancer. And this weekend, the familys youngest son will lead a bone marrow registry drive as an Eagle Scout project in memory of his oldest brother.

We are in the unique position of having been on both sides of the process, Mindy Ammons said.

In the "Be The Match" flier created for the project, Will Ammons, 13, explains that Christophers only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant, but sadly, no one in our family was a match, so he had to be his own donor.

Christopher underwent treatment at the UCLA Medical Center where, after five days of chemotherapy, three days of full-body radiation and then surgery, he received his own marrow as a transplant. He died two weeks into the process, just shy of his third birthday.

Over the years, the Ammonses talked about this experience with their children and stayed informed on treatment advances. When it came time for their second oldest son, Jon, to do his Eagle Scout project, he didn't just want to do something to check off on a list. He wanted a meaningful project.

He wanted to do something that would make a difference and was cancer-related," Mindy Ammons said.

They discussed raising money for cancer research but decided that would be like dropping a coin in a well, she said.

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Family saves lives through bone marrow registry and stem cell donation

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

A SELFLESS former Rhyl High pupil has met with the man whose life he saved two years ago. David Maguire, 27-years-old, described it as an unreal experience when he met with 65-year-old Peter Threader at the Oriel House in St Asaph - the man who he had donated his bone marrow too in May 2012

Mr Maguire, who works predominately as a learner support worker for Cambian Pengwern College in Rhuddlan, became a member of Anthony Nolan a blood cancer charity and bone marrow register when he was just aged 16 and nine years later, he received a telephone call asking him to come for more blood tests in London.

It was revealed that Mr Maguire was a perfect match for Mr Threader - who lives in Stockport - and had been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer in which the white blood cells affect the red blood cells.

Mr Maguire, of Rhyl South West, who has a brother Kevin, sister Michelle, and parents Dave Morris and Linda Mert, said: I had to have a short course of injections for four days.

I felt a little achy. When I went back to the clinic in London a needle was placed in both arms and I lay back and whilst being treated like royalty. My best mate Silvana came with me and I was hooked up to a special machine for about six hours. They count the stem cells to see whether they have enough, then Silvana and I went back to the hotel to get ready to party. We got back just after 4am so it was not too painful.

Mr Maguire said he was pleased to receive a letter from Mr Threader to say that the transplant had been a success. The men continued to send letters initially just knowing each other as recipient and donor before exchanging details.

After speaking by email for three months, Peter asked would I meet him and I jumped at the chance, Mr Maguire added.

He looked well and healthy. I got a lovely card off his daughter.

It is strange them saying thank you to me as I have been saying thank you for giving me this life experience that money cant buy.

Mr Maguire is now hoping he can encourage more people to sign up to Anthony Nolan.

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Rhyl bone marrow donor and recipient meet two years after life-saving transplant

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Cancer Gene Therapy is the essential gene and cellular therapy resource for cancer researchers and clinicians, keeping readers up to date with the latest developments in gene and cellular therapies for cancer. The journal publishes original laboratory and clinical research papers, case reports and review articles. Publication topics include RNAi approaches, drug resistance, hematopoietic progenitor cell gene transfer, cancer stem cells, cellular therapies, homologous recombination, ribozyme technology, antisense technology, tumor immunotherapy and tumor suppressors, translational research, cancer therapy, gene delivery systems (viral and non-viral), anti-gene therapy (antisense, siRNA & ribozymes), apoptosis; mechanisms and therapies, vaccine development, immunology and immunotherapy, DNA synthesis and repair.

Impact Factor: 2.553*

Submit to Cancer Gene Therapy.

Volume 21, No 10 October 2014 ISSN: 0929-1903 EISSN: 1476-5500

2013 impact factor 2.553* 52/122 Medicine, Research & Experimental 58/165 Biotechnology & Applied Micobiology 115/202 Oncology 85/164 Genetics & Heredity

Editor: Steven K. Libutti, M.D.

*2013 Journal Citation Reports, Thomson Reuters, 2014

Following the success of this previous study on p53, Cancer Gene Therapy has published another groundbreaking review on this molecule. An overview of results supported by The International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization), the review highlights the biological properties of mutant p53, including novel molecular targets for the development of future cancer therapies.

Announcing Cancer Gene Therapy Open Cancer Gene Therapy now offers authors the option to publish their articles with immediate open access upon publication. Open access articles will also be deposited on PubMed Central at the time of publication and will be freely available immediately. Find out more from the press release or our FAQs page.

Latest research highlights and reviews from the NPG family of journals

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Cancer Gene Therapy - Nature

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Scientists have found a pattern of genetic 'switches' - chemical marks that turn genes on or off -- that are linked to breast cancer's spread to the brain, according to research presented at the National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference in Liverpool today (Wednesday).

The researchers, based at the University of Wolverhampton, studied 24 breast cancers that had spread to the brain, along with samples from the original breast tumour, and found a handful of genes with faulty switches.

Crucially, two of the genetic switches became faulty early on in the development of breast cancer, suggesting they may be an early warning signal for tumours that will spread to the brain. The scientists are now working to develop a blood test that might be able to detect these signals at an early stage, before the disease has spread.

Up to 30 per cent of breast cancers will eventually spread to the brain, often many years after the first tumour was treated. Tackling secondary brain tumours with radiotherapy and surgery has limited success, with most women surviving just seven months after the brain metastasis has been diagnosed.

By comparing chemical switches, known as DNA methylation, between the original breast cancer and the secondary brain tumour the researchers were able to narrow down from 120 potential candidates to find a 'signature' for cancers that had spread.

Study author Dr Mark Morris, based at the University of Wolverhampton, said: "Each year the number of women whose breast cancer spreads to the brain is increasing. While we know many of the genetic changes behind breast cancer, we know very little about why the disease can spread to the brain.

"By identifying the genes that are switched off or on in breast cancers before they spread to the brain we hope to be able to develop a blood test to spot this change. There's also potential for our findings to be used as a starting point to develop treatments that might prevent the spread."

Each year almost 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK and around 11,600 die from the disease.

Dr Abeer Shaaban, member of the NCRI Breast Clinical Studies Group, said: "Tackling the problem of brain metastases is one of the greatest challenges facing breast cancer researchers. This is an intriguing new angle to explore which underlines the importance of understanding how genes are controlled as cancer grows and spreads. We're understanding more and more about cancer's biology and this is opening exciting new avenues of research that could lead to new tests and treatments."

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Gene 'switches' could predict when breast cancers will spread to the brain

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BI280 Chapter 10 Genetic Engineering - Part 1 of 1

By: Heidi Bulfer

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BI280 Chapter 10 Genetic Engineering - Part 1 of 1 - Video

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BI280 Chapter 10 Genetic Engineering - Part 2 of 2

By: Heidi Bulfer

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BI280 Chapter 10 Genetic Engineering - Part 2 of 2 - Video

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Microfluidics Enables Practical Applications of Genetic Engineering:Synthetic Biology Advances

By: MIT Industrial Liaison Program (ILP)

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Microfluidics Enables Practical Applications of Genetic Engineering:Synthetic Biology Advances - Video

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Phayronet ltd
Phayronet combines for medical benefits nanotechnology capabilities together with the achievements of genetic engineering. It develops the future direction of biomedical engineering developments....

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Phayronet ltd - Video

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The big agribusiness companies have achieved regulatory capture of government agenciesbut not in the way that many people think. At the urging of industry, since the 1980s federal agencies have over-regulated genetically engineered plants, animals and microorganismsat great cost to U.S.-based R&D and, ultimately, to consumers.

Its no secret that although the Internet has vastly enriched our lives in many respects, it has downsidesless interpersonal interaction, more anonymous snarkiness, online harassment and even cyber-stalking.

The net has also made it difficult to stop or correct the promulgation of misinformation, as I have learned to my dismay: A valid observation I made to a New York Times reporter for a 2001 article on the regulation of genetic engineering has been repeatedly taken out of context and misrepresented by activists. It continues to appear anewstill out of context and misconstrued13 years later.

Here is the portion of the original article that is often quoted on anti-genetic engineering websites (such as here and here):

Even longtime Washington hands said that the control this nascent [agbiotech] industry exerted over its own regulatory destinythrough the Environmental Protection Agency, the Agriculture Department and ultimately the Food and Drug Administrationwas astonishing. In this area, the U.S. government agencies have done exactly what big agribusiness has asked them to do and told them to do, said Dr. Henry Miller, a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution, who was responsible for biotechnology issues at the Food and Drug Administration from 1979 to 1994.

Sounds like a Eureka! moment, right? A former senior regulatorrevealing an egregious example of what economists call regulatory captureagencies that were created to act in the public interest instead advancing the interests of the industry or sector they oversee by implementing too-lenient regulation. (Economics Nobel Laureate George Stigler developed this concept.) Thats what activistsand even somejournalists who failed to do their homeworkwould have you believe.

That excerpt has been misrepresented to imply that companies applying the molecular techniques of genetic engineering to agriculture (the exemplar of which was, and is, Monsanto) wanted, and got, less regulatory scrutiny than was warranted, possibly putting consumers and the environment at risk.

Actually, my statement was intended to convey exactly the opposite, as was clear from verbiage in the article that preceded the passage quoted above:

Although the Reagan administration had been championing deregulation across multiple industries, Monsanto had a different idea: the company wanted its new technology, genetically modified food, to be governed by rules issued in Washingtonand wanted the White House to champion the idea. There were no products at the time, Leonard Guarraia, a former Monsanto executive who attended the [Vice President George H.W.] Bush meeting, recalled in a recent interview. But we bugged him for regulation. We told him that we have to be regulated.

The genetically improved varieties that had been crafted for centuries with older, less precise, less predictable techniques of genetic modification neither needed nor received any government review or imprimatur for field trials or commercialization. Butfor its new varieties crafted with state-of-the art molecular techniques, the big agribusiness companies wanted sui generis regulatory requirements that would be far in excess of what scientific considerations and the principles of sound regulation dictated. And as the Times article related, [T]he White House complied, working behind the scenes to help Monsantolong a political power with deep connections in Washingtonget the regulations that it wanted.

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Lies, Damn Lies And Genetic Engineering

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Genetically engineering tumors in mice, a technique that has dominated cancer research for decades, may not replicate important features of cancers caused by exposure to environmental carcinogens, according to a new study led by UC San Francisco scientists. In addition to pointing the way to better understanding of environmental causes of cancer, the findings may help explain why many patients do not benefit from, or develop resistance to, targeted drug therapies.

In the new research, reported November 2, 2014 in the advance online edition of Nature, a team led by UCSF graduate student Peter M.K. Westcott found that chemically induced lung tumors in mice carry hundreds of point mutationsdeleterious alterations of single letters in the genomethat are not present in tumors induced by genetic engineering. The researchers demonstrated that chemically induced tumors display a starkly different mutational landscape even when chemicals cause a tumor-initiating mutation that is identical to that created by direct genetic manipulation.

Since the 1980s, when genetic engineering came along, the mouse model community has been working on genetically engineered canceryou put a gene in or take a gene out, and you get a tumor, said Allan Balmain, PhD, the Barbara Bass Bakar Distinguished Professor in Cancer Genetics at UCSF and senior author of the study. But its only now that were beginning to analyze what has happened between that first engineered change and the ultimate development of an aggressive tumor.

The new work made use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology, which allows researchers to analyze the genomic sequence of tumors or of normal tissue letter-by-letter. For the Nature study, the group used a form of NGS known as whole-exome sequencing, which comprehensively analyzes the portion of the genome that contains the code for producing proteins.

The findings dovetail well with those from NGS-based studies of human tumors, such as The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) initiative spearheaded by the National Cancer Institute and National Human Genome Research Institute, which have revealed mutational signatures, some of which can be definitively tied to environmental exposures. For example, distinctive patterns of point mutations are now known to differentiate lung cancer in smokers from that affecting non-smokers.

The results are also consistent with observations that tumors arising in human organs that are most directly exposed to environmental carcinogensthe skin, gastrointestinal system, and lungsare more prone to point mutations than more protected organs such as the brain, breast, and prostate gland.

We humans smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and spend too much time in the sun, all of which cause us to accumulate point mutations that are major determinants of the behavior of tumors, especially of how a tumor responds to therapy, said Balmain, co-leader of the Cancer Genetics Program at UCSFs Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. All this heterogeneity is being missed with genetically engineered tumors, because they dont reflect these environmental effects.

But only a very small number of the 25 mutational signatures revealed by NGS in human tumors so far have been convincingly tied to environmental exposures, Balmain said, so there is much to learn. Other very unusual, very specific signatures have been seen in human studies that remain obscure. Theyre like a smoking gunwe know theyre caused by something environmental, but were not sure what.

To date most epidemiological research on environmental causes of cancer has relied on patients and families to recall and document dietary habits, alcohol and tobacco use, or occupational exposures, and the rise of NGS offers an opportunity to approach these questions more rigorously, said Balmain.

To that end, Balmains research group is embarking on a collaboration with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which maintains a collection of thousands of mouse and rat tumors caused by exposure to suspected human carcinogens. Through NGS analyses of that collection, the research team hopes to find mutational signatures that can be correlated with those seen in human cancer.

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Environmental Carcinogens Leave Distinctive Genetic Imprints in Tumors

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Election judges check signatures on ballots at the Denver Election Headquarters in downtown Denver, November 04, 2014. Closes races in Colorado are drawing a last minute rush to vote on election day. (RJ Sangosti, The Denver Post)

Voters dished up rejection for Proposition 105, labeling of genetically modified foods, with 35 percent of votes counted.

The measure would have required labels for GMOs foods produced with genetic engineering or containing genetically modified ingredients. More than 68 percent of voters said no to labeling.

Most processed foods sold in America include GMO ingredients such as corn syrup, corn oil, soybean crops and sugar.

Supporters of GMO labeling, such as Right to Know Colorado, Whole Foods and Natural Grocers, said it would give consumers a choice about what they serve their families.

It's a label, not a ban, alerting people to an unnatural manipulation of food, they argued.

Opponents of Prop 105 said the measure would create new costs and red tape for farmers, food manufacturers and grocery stores and consequently would run up grocery bills and cost taxpayers millions for the government oversight.

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Colorado Prop 105: GMO food fight won by opponents of labeling

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

4-Nov-2014

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology @ASMnewsroom

WASHINGTON, DC November 4, 2014 Filoviruses like Ebola "edit" genetic material as they invade their hosts, according to a study published this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The work, by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Galveston National Laboratory, and the J. Craig Venter Institute, could lead to a better understanding of these viruses, paving the way for new treatments down the road.

Using a laboratory technique called deep sequencing, investigators set out to investigate filovirus replication and transcription, processes involved in the virus life cycle. They studied the same Ebola virus species currently responsible for an outbreak in West Africa, and also analyzed a related filovirus, Marburg virus, that caused a large outbreak in Angola in 2005 and recently emerged in Uganda. The scientists infected both a monkey and human cell line with both viruses, and analyzed the genetic material produced by each virus, called RNA.

Their results highlight regions in Ebola and Marburg virus RNAs where the polymerase of the virus (a protein that synthesizes the viral RNA) stutters at specific locations, adding extra nucleotides (molecules that form the building blocks of genetic material like DNA and RNA), thereby "editing" the new RNAs. The study found new features at a described RNA editing site in the Ebola glycoprotein RNA, which makes the protein that coats the surface of the virus. Their work also identified less frequent but similar types of editing events in other Ebola and Marburg virus genes the first time this has been demonstrated. Because of these messenger RNA modifications, Ebola and Marburg are potentially making proteins "that we previously didn't realize," said Christopher F. Basler, PhD, senior study author and professor of microbiology at Mount Sinai.

"The bottom line is we know these changes occur but we don't yet know what it really means in the biology of the virus," Basler said. There are many aspects of how the viruses replicate that aren't yet understood, he said, "so we need a complete description of how they grow to develop new strategies used to treat the infections."

The study also illustrated how the filoviruses express their genes, and deep sequencing identified all seven messenger RNAs within six hours of infection.

"Our study suggests that the Ebola virus is making forms of proteins previously undescribed," said lead author Reed Shabman, PhD, an assistant professor at the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Md. Shabman was at Mount Sinai when the study was initiated. "Understanding the products of these viruses is critical to understanding how to target them."

In addition, he said, proteins produced by the glycoprotein editing site are associated with virulence in animals, "so it's of great interest to understand how that protein is made, and in as much detail as possible."

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Ebola, Marburg viruses edit genetic material during infection

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Newswise Asthma may be more harmful than was previously thought, according to UCLA researchers who found that genetic damage is present in circulating, or peripheral, blood. Doctors previously thought that the genetic damage it caused was limited to the lungs.

In the study, researchers looked for the overexpression of a cytokine called interleukin 13 (IL-13), which is known to mediate inflammation, a critical problem for people with asthma.

The study, which was conducted in an animal model that mimicked human asthma, was the first to assess the role of IL-13 in genetic damage to cells, or genotoxicity, said its senior author, Robert Schiestl, a professor of pathology and radiation oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Asthma is a very widespread disease, and we show for the first time an association between asthma and genotoxicity in peripheral blood, said Schiestl, who also is a professor of environmental health sciences at the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA. This is important because it shows a whole-body effect from asthma, not just damage in the lungs.

The findings were published today in the peer-reviewed journal Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis.

Schiestl said it appears that IL-13 increases important elements of the inflammatory response, including reactive oxygen species molecules ions or very small molecules that include free radicals. His research team found that ROS-derived oxidative stress induced genetic damage with four types of systemic effects in the peripheral blood: Oxidative DNA damage. Single and double DNA strand breaks. Micronucleus formation. Protein damage.

Schiestl said all four effects causes the chromosomes to become unstable, which could result in a variety of other diseases.

We found four different markers of DNA damage and one marker of protein damage in blood cells in the body periphery, which was very surprising, Schiestl said. This could indicate that other organs in asthmatics have a higher risk of developing disease.

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Genetic Damage Caused by Asthma Shows Up in Circulating Blood Stream, Too

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

4-Nov-2014

Contact: Bob Nellis newsbureau@mayo.edu 507-284-5005 Mayo Clinic @MayoClinic

ROCHESTER, Minn. In an international study, Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have identified genetic markers that may help in identifying individuals who could benefit from the alcoholism treatment drug acamprosate. The findings, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, show that patients carrying these genetic variants have longer periods of abstinence during the first three months of acamprosate treatment.

Acamprosate is a commonly prescribed drug used to aid patients in recovery from alcoholism. Mayo researchers studied the association between variation in candidate genes and the length of sobriety in alcohol-dependent patients treated with acamprosate in community-based programs. They found that, when other environmental and physiological factors were considered, patients with the common allele of the genetic variant rs2058878 located in the GRIN2B gene, stayed sober more days than those with a variant allele of the same polymorphism. This finding was replicated in a sample of alcohol-dependent patients treated with acamprosate in a study conducted by collaborators from Germany.

"This association finding is a first step towards development of a pharmacogenetic test allowing physicians to choose appropriate treatment for specific subgroups of alcohol-dependent patients," says Victor Karpyak, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic psychiatrist and lead author of the article. "We believe that individualized treatment selection will eliminate the need for trial-and-error approaches and improve treatment efficacy in patients with alcohol use disorders."

The Mayo findings support evidence implicating an important role of the N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the treatment effects of acamprosate. The researchers say more studies are needed to determine potential importance of identified genetic variants in the longer-term effects of acamprosate, as well as the molecular and physiological mechanisms behind the drug's action.

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The study was funded in part by the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine; the SC Johnson Genomics of Addiction Program at Mayo Clinic; the National Institutes of Health; the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; the National Genome Research Network of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; the Bundesministerium fr Bildung und Forschung; and the Alfred Krupp von Bolen und Halbach-Stiftung (Foundation).

Other authors include J. M. Biernacka, Ph.D., Jennifer Geske, G.D. Jenkins, J.M. Cunningham, Ph.D., A.A. Leontovich, Ph.D., O.A. Abulseoud, M.D., Daniel Hall-Flavin, M.D., L.L. Loukianova, M.D., Ph.D., T.D. Schneekloth, M.D., M.K. Skime, Richard Weinshilboum, M.D., Mark Frye, M.D., and D.S. Choi, Ph.D., of Mayo Clinic; J. Ruegg, Karolinska Institutet; O. Kononenko, Uppsala University; J. Frank, M.D., M. Rietschel, M.D., F. Kiefer, M.D., and K. F. Mann, M.D., Mannheim-Heidelburg University; and M.M. Nthen, M.D., University of Bonn.

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Mayo Clinic researchers discover genetic markers for alcoholism recovery

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BI280 Chapter 9 Microbial Genetics - Part 3 of 5

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BI280 Chapter 9 Microbial Genetics - Part 3 of 5 - Video

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Equine DNA Sampling How To - Etalon Diagnostics Horse Genetics
A simple video on how to pull your horses tail or mane sample for the purposes of DNA submission to ETALON DIAGNOSTICS. Pulling a DNA sample with good health...

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Equine DNA Sampling How To - Etalon Diagnostics Horse Genetics - Video

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Let #39;s Play The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Episode 46
VampireClan #VampireClan4Life.

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Let's Play The Sims 3 - Perfect Genetics Challenge - Episode 46 - Video

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Body Transformation 2 Years -Tolga Gn - Iron-Genetics
Hier mchte ich euch meine Transformation zeigen, viel Spa beim schauen! Instagram: Iron_Genetics.

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By Cyndi Root

RetroSense Therapeutics announced in a press release that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug status to RST-001. The treatment for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) combines gene therapy and optogenetics. RetroSense developed the proprietary technology from research conducted at Wayne State University and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Sean Ainsworth, RetroSense CEO, said, We are hopeful that the benefits associated with Orphan Drug status will better enable us to advance RST-001 through development and ultimately into the marketplace where it may benefit many who are suffering from blindness due to retinitis pigmentosa.

Optogenetics

Retinitis pigmentosa causes the degeneration and loss of rod and cone photoreceptors in the retina, causing severe vision loss and blindness. Currently there are no FDA-approved drugs to treat RP. RetroSenses work in optogenetics involves making the retina more light sensitive, thereby improving vision. The company expects RST-100 to have broad applications and to be useful in heredity or acquired RP.

RST-001 uses a photosensitivity gene, channelrhodopsin-2, and creates new photosensors in the retinal cells. Channelrhodopsin-2 has been shown in numerous animal studies to restore light perception and vision, and in primate studies, the agent was well tolerated. RetroSense is using optogenetics and channelrhodopsin-2 in the pre-clinical stage and hopes to begin clinical trials soon.

Retinitis Pigmentosa and Gene Therapy

Astellas and Harvard recently announced a new partnership to use gene therapy in the study for retinitis pigmentosa. The collaboration is led by Constance L. Cepko, a professor of Genetics and Ophthalmology at Harvard. Using adeno-associated virus vectors (AAVV), the team will identify and characterize genes implicated in RP.

The UKs Telegraph reported early in 2014 that researchers at Oxford University have replaced a missing gene in the retina and reversed blindness. The results startled the investigators who did not expect to see such dramatic improvements. In the study on choroideremia, inherited blindness, scientists put the missing REP-1 protein back in the retina by inserting it into the DNA of a harmless virus and then injecting that DNA into the cells beneath the retina.

Since, a third of eye diseases are hereditary, the researchers are hopeful that the treatment is applicable to various eye diseases and conditions. The research team at Oxford is developing a Phase 2 trial on the investigational therapy.

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FDA Awards Orphan Status To RetroSense's RST-001 For Retinitis Pigmentosa

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MIAMI (PRWEB) November 04, 2014

Global Stem Cells Group, Inc. has been named exclusive distributor for Adistem medical solutions, and Adilyfe, a new regenerative medicine products company founded by Adistem Ltd. Scientific Founder Vasilis Paspaliaris, M.D. in Melbourne, Australia and set to launch in early 2015. Paspaliaris made the announcement at the First International Symposium on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine held in Buenos Aires, Argentina Oct. 2-4 and hosted by Global Stem Cells Group.

Adistem-Adilyfe will manufacture a group of products for use in stem cell treatments, therapies and training through the Adimarket Division of the Global Stem Cells Group. The timing is perfect for GSCGs current expansion into Latin American countries including Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico and Peru, according to Global Stem Cells Group CEO Benito Novas.

Vasilis, an accomplished biotech scientist, stem cell researcher and pharmaceutical consultant joined the Global Stem Cells Group Scientific Advisory Board, part of the Regenestem Network.

As always, Dr. Paspaliaris brings excellence to stem cell research, Novas says. His work has already proven critical to improving the quality of life for a range of chronically ill patients all over the world.

We are honored to be representing Adistem and AdiLyfe products in Latin America; we consider the opportunity a strategic commitment to world class stem cell research.

Vasilis says he knew Global Stem Cells Group would be the only choice to represent Adistem and AdiLyfe in Latin America.

We are proud of our relationship with Global Stem Cells Group, we couldnt ask for better partners, Vasilis says.

To learn more about the Global Stem Cells Group, visit the website at http://www.stemcellsgroup.com, email bnovas(at)stemcellsgroup(dot)com, or call 305.224.1858.

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Global Stem Cells Group Named Exclusive Distributor for Adistem and Adilyfe Companies and Product Lines

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