By Rodney Scott

The Federal Courts decision that gene patenting is permitted in Australia will have ramifications for all gene patents, even though the case involved only one gene associated with breast cancer.

A gene patent means only the patent-holder has the right to undertake research and development involving that gene. These patents generally last for 20 years.

The full bench of the Federal Court heard the appeal against a ruling that private companies could patent genes in August 2013, after a Federal Court justice dismissed a challenge to the patent for a breast cancer gene, BRCA1, in February.

A landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court in June 2012 declared that naturally occurring DNA sequences were ineligible for patents in a case that involved the same breast cancer gene, and the same patent holder.

Its about 20 years since Myriad Genetics patented two genes associated with a significantly increased risk of developing breast cancer. Known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, the genes are also associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

When functional, BRCA1 and BRCA2 produce tumour suppressor proteins that help repair damaged DNA. But when they are altered, the protein is either not made or doesnt function correctly, leaving DNA damage unrepaired. The cells may then develop additional genetic alterations that can lead to cancer.

Breast cancer affects approximately one in ten women at some time in their lives, although not all cases result from these genetic mutations. Studies have estimated that the frequency of BRCA1 and BRCA2 changes in the community is approximately one in 500.

Identifying these gene carriers is an important step in reducing disease in the community and in preventing transmission into subsequent generations. Indeed, any measure that can reduce breast cancer figures and help women avoid an incurable disease is something any reasonable society would aim for.

The BRCA1 and BRCA2 patents have generated significant controversy because Myriad has effectively monopolised the market for screening these genes to identify the alterations, or mutations, that render them non-functional.

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Four things you should know about gene patents

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UCLA biologists have identified a gene that can slow the aging process throughout the entire body when activated remotely in key organ systems.

Working with fruit flies, the life scientists activated a gene called AMPK that is a key energy sensor in cells; it gets activated when cellular energy levels are low.

Increasing the amount of AMPK in fruit flies' intestines increased their lifespans by about 30 percent -- to roughly eight weeks from the typical six -- and the flies stayed healthier longer as well.

The research, published Sept. 4 in the open-source journal Cell Reports, could have important implications for delaying aging and disease in humans, said David Walker, an associate professor of integrative biology and physiology at UCLA and senior author of the research.

"We have shown that when we activate the gene in the intestine or the nervous system, we see the aging process is slowed beyond the organ system in which the gene is activated," Walker said.

Walker said that the findings are important because extending the healthy life of humans would presumably require protecting many of the body's organ systems from the ravages of aging -- but delivering anti-aging treatments to the brain or other key organs could prove technically difficult. The study suggests that activating AMPK in a more accessible organ such as the intestine, for example, could ultimately slow the aging process throughout the entire body, including the brain.

Humans have AMPK, but it is usually not activated at a high level, Walker said.

"Instead of studying the diseases of aging -- Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes -- one by one, we believe it may be possible to intervene in the aging process and delay the onset of many of these diseases," said Walker, a member of UCLA's Molecular Biology Institute. "We are not there yet, and it could, of course, take many years, but that is our goal and we think it is realistic.

"The ultimate aim of our research is to promote healthy aging in people."

The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a good model for studying aging in humans because scientists have identified all of the fruit fly's genes and know how to switch individual genes on and off. The biologists studied approximately 100,000 of them over the course of the study.

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This article was originally published on The Conversation.

The past few decades have seen enormous progress being made in synthetic biology the idea that simple biological parts can be tweaked to do our bidding. One of the main targets has been hacking the biological machinery that nature uses to produce chemicals. The hope is once we understand enough we might be able to design processes that convert cheap feedstock, such as sugar and amino acids, into drugs or fuels. These production lines can then be installed into microbes, effectively turning living cells into factories.

Taking a leap in that direction, researchers from Stanford University have created a version of bakers yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that contains genetic material of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum), bringing the morphine microbial factory one step closer to reality. These results published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology represent a significant scientific success, but eliminating the need to grow poppies may still be years away.

If dog has been mans best friend for thousands of years or more, the humble yeast has long been mans second-best friend. The single-cell organism has been exploited by human societies to produce alcoholic beverages or bread for more than 4,000 years.

Like any animal or plant that mankind domesticated, there has been a particular interest in the study and optimisation of yeast. When breeding turned into a scientific discipline, it quickly became a model organism for biological experiments. And in 1996, its complete genome was the first sequenced from a eukaryotic organism the more advanced tree of life. This extensive knowledge of yeast biology makes it an attractive platform for synthetic biology.

In the new study, Christina Smolke and her team further show that yeast could be a good candidate for the production of opioids a class of drugs that includes morphine. To achieve this transformation, Smolke would need a complete biological pathway required to produce complex opioids.

In 2008 she got the first hint on successfully fermenting simple sugars to make salutaridine, an opioid precursor. Then in 2010, a Canadian team identified the last two missing pieces of the morphine puzzle in the genome of opium poppy.

Using these biological parts from plants, together with some from bacteria, Smolke has now created yeast that can produce many natural and unnatural opioids. All it takes is to feed the microbes an intermediary molecule extracted from the poppy plant called thebaine.

These results bring the technology one step closer to microbial factories that can produce pharmaceutical molecules in a tank rather than in the field. What is left now is for Smolke to find a way to turn salutaridine into thebaine efficiently. Filling this gap may allow her to create a yeast strain producing opioids directly from sugars.

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Instead of Poppies, Engineering Microbes to Make Morphine

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Newswise New York, NYSeptember 9, 2014Led by Itsik Peer, associate professor of computer science at Columbia Engineering, a team of researchers has created a data resource that will improve genomic research in the Ashkenazi Jewish population and lead to more effective personalized medicine. The team, which includes experts from 11 labs in the New York City area and Israel, focused on the Ashkenazi Jewish population because of its demographic history of genetic isolation and the resulting abundance of population-specific mutations and high prevalence of rare genetic disorders. The Ashkenazi Jewish population has played an important role in human genetics, with notable successes in gene mapping as well as prenatal and cancer screening. The study was published online on Nature Communications today.

Our study is the first full DNA sequence dataset available for Ashkenazi Jewish genomes, says Peer, who is also a co-chair of the Health Analytics Center at Columbias Institute for Data Sciences and Engineering, as well as a member of its Foundations of Data Science Center. With this comprehensive catalog of mutations present in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, we will be able to more effectively map disease genes onto the genome and thus gain a better understanding of common disorders. We see this study serving as a vehicle for personalized medicine and a model for researchers working with other populations.

To help in his hunt for disease genes, Peer founded The Ashkenazi Genome Consortium (TAGC) in September 2011 with Todd Lencz, an investigator at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, director of the Laboratory of Analytic Genomics at the Zucker Hillside Hospital, and associate professor of molecular medicine and psychiatry at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. The other TAGC members, who are providing expertise in the diseases they are studying, are: Gil Atzmon, associate professor of medicine and genetics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine (genetics of longevity and diabetes); Lorraine Clark, associate professor of clinical pathology and cell biology and co-director, Personalized Genomic Medicine Laboratory, Columbia University Medical Center, Laurie Ozelius, associate professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Susan Bressman, chair of neurology at Mount Sinai Beth Israel (Parkinsons disease and related neurological phenotypes); Harry Ostrer, professor of pathology, genetics, and pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine (radiogenomics, cancers and rare genetic disorders); Ken Offit, chief of clinical genetics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (breast, ovarian, colon and prostate cancers, lymphoma); Inga Peter, associate professor of genetics and genomic sciences, and Judy Cho, professor of medicine and professor of genetics and genomic sciences, both at The Mount Sinai Hospital(inflammatory bowel disease); and Ariel Darvasi, vice-dean of The Faculty of Life Sciences at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (multiple diseases).

Before the TAGC study, data was available for a limited number of DNA markers (only approximately one in every 3000 letters of DNA) that are mostly common in Europeans. The TAGC researchers performed high-depth sequencing of 128 complete genomes of Ashkenazi Jewish healthy individuals. They compared their data to European samples, and found that Ashkenazi Jewish genomes had significantly more mutations that had not yet been mapped. Peer and his team analyzed the raw data and created a comprehensive catalog of mutations present in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.

The TAGC database is already proving useful for clinical genomics, identifying specific new mutations for carrier screening. Lencz explains: TAGC advances the goal of bringing personal genomics to the clinic, as it tells the physician whether a mutation in a patients genome is shared by healthy individuals, and can alleviate concerns that it is causing disease. Without our work, a patients genome sequence is much harder to interpret, and more prone to create false alarms. We have eliminated two thirds of these false alarms.

The TAGC study further enables more effective discovery of disease-causing mutations, since some genetic factors are observable in Ashkenazi individuals but essentially absent elsewhere. Moreover, the demography of the Ashkenazi population, the largest isolated population in the U.S., enables large-scale recruitment of study patients and hence more genetic discoveries than in other well-known isolated populations like the Amish and Hutterites locally, or the Icelanders overseas. The researchers expect that medical insights from studies of specific populations will also be relevant to general populations as well.

The TAGC teams findings also shed light on the long-debated origin of Ashkenazi Jews and Europeans. The genetic data indicates that the Ashkenazi Jewish population was founded in the late medieval times by a small number, effectively only hundreds of individuals, whose descendants expanded rapidly while remaining mostly isolated genetically.

Our analysis shows that Ashkenazi Jewish medieval founders were ethnically admixed, with origins in Europe and in the Middle East, roughly in equal parts, says Shai Carmi, a post-doctoral scientist who works with Peer and who conducted the analysis. TAGC data are more comprehensive than what was previously available, and we believe the data settle the dispute regarding European and Middle Eastern ancestry in Ashkenazi Jews. In addition to illuminating medieval Jewish history, our results further pave the way to better understanding European origins, millennia before. For example, our data provides evidence for todays European population being genetically descendant primarily from late mid-eastern migrations that took place after the last ice age, rather than from the first humans to arrive to the continent, more than 40,000 years ago.

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Mapping the DNA Sequence of Ashkenazi Jews

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One of this year's five winners of the so-called American Nobels in medicine says every woman over the age of 30 needs to be tested for cancer-causing genetic mutations.

The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundations Award for Special Achievement will go to Dr. Mary-Claire King, who correlated mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes with breast and ovarian cancer.

Current guidelines discourage testing, but King says it would cost little and identify 250,000 to 400,000 American women with the cancer-causing genetic mutations.

The Lasker awards each include a $250,000 honorarium and are to be presented in New York September 19.

The Journal of the American Medical Association summarized Kings proposal in an article published to coincide with the Lasker award announcements.

The Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research will be shared by Drs. Mahlon DeLong of Emory University in Atlanta and Alim Louis Benabid of Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France. They developed a surgical treatment for Parkinson's disease.

In work that began in the late 1960s, DeLong traced Parkinson symptoms to over-activity in a specific part of the brain. Benabid, independently following up on that research, showed in 1995 that stimulating this area with a surgically implanted electrode could ease some Parkinson symptoms.

The Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research will be shared by Peter Walter of the University of California, San Francisco, and Kazutoshi Mori of Japan's Kyoto University.

They made key discoveries about how cells detect and manage their proteins that have not been folded correctly, which can make them harmful. The research has shed light on certain inherited diseases, including cystic fibrosis, the Foundation said.

Since 1942, when the Lasker awards began, 86 laureates also have won Nobel Prizes.

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American Nobel: Screen Women for Cancer-Causing Genetic Mutations

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Laser Genetics ND3x50 Sub Zero Laser Designator - OpticsPlanet.com Product in Focus
Get the Laser Genetics ND 3x50 Sub-Zero Laser Designator at OpticsPlanet.com! http://www.opticsplanet.com/laser-genetics-nd-3-x-50mm-sub-zero-laser-designator-w-scope-mount.html?utm_source=youtube ...

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Inherited immunodeficiency:genetics and therapy Dr Siobhan Burns
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/immunity-transplantation.

By: UCL Institute of Immunity and Transplantation

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Inherited immunodeficiency:genetics and therapy Dr Siobhan Burns - Video

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Oxford Genetics Introduction Film
Introduction to Oxford Genetics DNA Products and Services.

By: Ryan Cawood

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Y10 Science Genetics and Evolution Revision Part 3

By: Chris Heath

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Sheepdog herding and genetics - Sci Cam 014 - 9th September 2014
Online Science Magazine show - watch and ask questions. In this episode we #39;ll be talking about how you model sheepdog herding and what plants have told us our the inheritance of genes.

By: Sci Cam

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

9-Sep-2014

Contact: Ronald Rogers rrogers@myriad.com 801-584-3065 Myriad Genetics, Inc. http://www.twitter.com/myriad

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 9, 2014 Myriad Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MYGN) today presented results from a pivotal clinical utility study of the Myriad myPath Melanoma test at the 2014 College of American Pathologists (CAP) annual meeting in Chicago, Ill. Myriad myPath Melanoma is a novel diagnostic test that differentiates malignant melanoma from benign skin lesions with greater than 90 percent accuracy and helps physicians deliver a more objective and confident diagnosis for patients.

This study evaluated the impact of the myPath Melanoma diagnostic test on expert dermatopathologists' diagnoses and treatment recommendations for patients. The analysis included 687 cases of pigmented skin lesions submitted by 42 leading dermatopathologists in the United States. These melanoma experts were asked to document their diagnosis, level of confidence, any further testing and recommendations for treatment both before and after receiving the myPath test results.

The results show that when the myPath Melanoma test score was provided to the dermatopathologists, they revised their treatment recommendations in 35 percent of cases. Additionally, the myPath test score led to a 76 percent reduction in "indeterminate" diagnoses. These data strongly support the integration of myPath Melanoma into clinical practice to improve the diagnosis of melanoma and enhance patient care.

"This clinical utility study demonstrates how the myPath Melanoma test can be successfully incorporated into clinical care to improve the treatment of malignant melanoma," said Loren Clarke, M.D., vice president of Medical Affairs at Myriad Genetic Laboratories. "Myriad myPath Melanoma provides objective information to answer an important clinical question: Does my patient have a melanoma that requires surgery or medical intervention or is the lesion a harmless mole that needs to be watched?"

###

About Myriad myPath Melanoma Testing

The Myriad myPath Melanoma test is a clinically validated gene expression test designed to differentiate malignant melanoma from benign nevi across all major melanoma subtypes. The Myriad myPath Melanoma test is a unique test of 23 genes that provides valuable, additive diagnostic information unavailable from any other method information that can help physicians deliver a more confident diagnosis.

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Myriad myPath melanoma test reduced indeterminate cases by 76 percent

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Hoping to encourage sufficient investments by pharmaceutical companies in expensive gene therapies, which often consist of a single treatment, a Penn researcher and the chief medical officer of CVS Health outline an alternative payment model in this month's issue of Nature Biotechnology. They suggest annuity payments over a defined period of time and contingent on evidence that the treatment remains effective. The approach would replace the current practice of single, usually large, at-point-of-service payments.

"Unlike most rare disease treatments that can continue for decades, gene therapy is frequently administered only once, providing many years, even a lifetime, of benefit," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "Under current reimbursement policies, private insurers and the government typically pay for this therapy once: when it is administered. But these individual payments could reach several million dollars each under current market conditions. We're proposing a different approach that spreads payments out and only keep coming if the patient continues to do well."

Wilson and co-author Troyen A. Brennan, MD, JD, MPH, chief medical officer of CVS Health, note that while large single payments for gene therapy may be the simplest approach, they carry substantial encumbrances. For example, approval of gene therapy treatments is unavoidably based on data derived from trials carried out over several years at most -- considerably shorter than the expected duration of the therapy. Payers may therefore be unwilling to pay large up-front sums for treatments whose long-term benefit has not been established. Additionally, large payments for medications, such as the $84,000-a-patient cost of the hepatitis C treatment Sovaldi, have been criticized in the prevailing climate of curbing health care costs. This, despite the fact that effective gene therapy may reduce the overall financial burden to the health care system.

Wilson and Brennan further note that while a liver transplant, for example, can cost up to $300,000, physicians and hospitals that "transplant livers know they will be compensated at market rates through existing contracts -- gene developers lack that assurance." Annuity payments, they say, could help address these problems.

An example of an annuity-type disbursement could be a hypothetical payment of $150,000 per year for a certain number of years for gene-therapy-based protein replacement for patients with hemophilia B -- so long as the therapy continues to work. According to the authors, the cumulative amount should be less than the cost of a one-time payment of $4-6 million, which would be the expected rate for a gene-based therapy to be comparatively priced to existing, conventional therapies for hemophilia B. "One would presume," they write, "that gene therapy will have to represent a discount in order for insurers to approve its use."

"The annuity model that we're proposing would eliminate the misguided incentive to invest in drugs and treatments with ongoing revenue streams but which require continuing, perhaps lifetime daily administration, with all the attendant inconveniences and burdens to patients and their families, as well as direct and indirect costs to the nation's health system," says Wilson.

The authors point out that gene therapy differs substantially from the case of "orphan" drugs. Development of the latter, which target rare diseases affecting small patient populations, is supported by the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, which provides pharmaceutical manufacturers with grants, tax credits, and an extended period of market exclusivity for their medications. What's more, in virtually all of these cases, the business costs of developing the drugs are further attenuated by ongoing administration of -- and payment for -- the medication over the lifetime of the patient. "The contrast with gene therapy, especially that which produces a durable cure with one administration," the authors write, "is clear."

Adding further details to their proposal, the authors write that "The original annuity payment could be set with certain types of 're-opener' clauses, such as with patent expiration [death], or if a less expensive new therapy came on line -- thus subjecting the gene therapy annuity to the same vagaries of market competition that standard pharmaceuticals face."

A crucial issue would be the calculation of the annual annuity payment. One option would be for the government to set the price through the Medicare program, since many of the patients with rare diseases are disabled and thus qualify for Medicare. The Medicare rate could in turn become a benchmark for the commercial market.

Another key test in developing an annuity model is determining the correct linkage between payments and the therapy's continued effectiveness and safety. In most diseases, this would entail identifying a biomarker reasonably correlated with efficacy, for example, plasma measures of clotting in hemophilia patients treated with gene therapy.

Continued here:
New payment model for gene therapy needed, experts say

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

9-Sep-2014

Contact: Karen Kreeger karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu 215-349-5658 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine http://www.twitter.com/PennMedNews

PHILADELPHIA - Hoping to encourage sufficient investments by pharmaceutical companies in expensive gene therapies, which often consist of a single treatment, a Penn researcher and the chief medical officer of CVS Health outline an alternative payment model in this month's issue of Nature Biotechnology. They suggest annuity payments over a defined period of time and contingent on evidence that the treatment remains effective. The approach would replace the current practice of single, usually large, at-point-of-service payments.

"Unlike most rare disease treatments that can continue for decades, gene therapy is frequently administered only once, providing many years, even a lifetime, of benefit," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "Under current reimbursement policies, private insurers and the government typically pay for this therapy once: when it is administered. But these individual payments could reach several million dollars each under current market conditions. We're proposing a different approach that spreads payments out and only keep coming if the patient continues to do well."

Wilson and co-author Troyen A. Brennan, MD, JD, MPH, chief medical officer of CVS Health, note that while large single payments for gene therapy may be the simplest approach, they carry substantial encumbrances. For example, approval of gene therapy treatments is unavoidably based on data derived from trials carried out over several years at most -- considerably shorter than the expected duration of the therapy. Payers may therefore be unwilling to pay large up-front sums for treatments whose long-term benefit has not been established. Additionally, large payments for medications, such as the $84,000-a-patient cost of the hepatitis C treatment Sovaldi, have been criticized in the prevailing climate of curbing health care costs. This, despite the fact that effective gene therapy may reduce the overall financial burden to the health care system.

Wilson and Brennan further note that while a liver transplant, for example, can cost up to $300,000, physicians and hospitals that "transplant livers know they will be compensated at market rates through existing contracts -- gene developers lack that assurance." Annuity payments, they say, could help address these problems.

An example of an annuity-type disbursement could be a hypothetical payment of $150,000 per year for a certain number of years for gene-therapy-based protein replacement for patients with hemophilia B -- so long as the therapy continues to work. According to the authors, the cumulative amount should be less than the cost of a one-time payment of $4-6 million, which would be the expected rate for a gene-based therapy to be comparatively priced to existing, conventional therapies for hemophilia B. "One would presume," they write, "that gene therapy will have to represent a discount in order for insurers to approve its use."

"The annuity model that we're proposing would eliminate the misguided incentive to invest in drugs and treatments with ongoing revenue streams but which require continuing, perhaps lifetime daily administration, with all the attendant inconveniences and burdens to patients and their families, as well as direct and indirect costs to the nation's health system," says Wilson.

The authors point out that gene therapy differs substantially from the case of "orphan" drugs. Development of the latter, which target rare diseases affecting small patient populations, is supported by the Orphan Drug Act of 1983, which provides pharmaceutical manufacturers with grants, tax credits, and an extended period of market exclusivity for their medications. What's more, in virtually all of these cases, the business costs of developing the drugs are further attenuated by ongoing administration of -- and payment for -- the medication over the lifetime of the patient. "The contrast with gene therapy, especially that which produces a durable cure with one administration," the authors write, "is clear."

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Penn researcher and CVS Health physician urge new payment model for gene therapy

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

9-Sep-2014

Contact: Evy Vierstraete info@vib.be 32-924-46611 VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)

For the first time the Jeffrey Modell Foundation is giving a research grant to a Belgian laboratory. The team of Adrian Liston from VIB-KU Leuven will use the grant to develop a gene therapy to cure children that suffer from IPEX syndrome, a rare and fatal autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues and organs. At the moment, the only successful therapy to treat the syndrome is a bone marrow transplantation, which is not available for all children.

"This is a real chance for a cure", said group leader Adrian Liston. "The gene responsible for this disease was identified 13 years ago, but for the first time we may have learned enough about the basic biology to solve it. We should know within a year whether the gene therapy works in mice, after which we can move to patients at top speed."

The Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF)

JMF is a global non-profit organization for patients who suffer from Primary Immunodeficiency (PI) and their relatives. The organization is devoted to early and precise diagnosis, meaningful treatments and, ultimately, cures. Through clinical and basic research, physician education, patient support, advocacy, public awareness and new-born screening they want to make a difference in the lives of patients with PI.

Vicki and Fred Modell established the Foundation in 1987, in memory of their son Jeffrey, who died at the age of fifteen from complications of PI. During the years, the foundation has created a network of the world's leading expert immunologists. Two years ago the Child Immune Deficiencies Department of UZ Leuven was given the first certification as a "Jeffrey Modell Foundation Diagnostic and Research Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies" in Belgium.

IPEX and primary immunodeficiency (PI)

IPEX is an acronym for immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy (diseases affecting multiple endocrine glands), enteropathy (disorder of the intestines), and X-linked (pattern of inheritance).

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Jeffrey Modell Foundation supports Belgian research on primary immunodeficiency

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Freeport, Grand Bahama (PRWEB) September 08, 2014

Adult stem cell therapy for heart disease has emerged as a new treatment alternative for those living with a poor quality of life as a result of severe coronary artery disease. Okyanos is slated to begin delivering this innovative new treatment in the next several weeks, and is now screening qualified heart disease candidates. The procedure will be performed in their newly constructed state-of-the-art Phillips catheterization lab, as announced last month.

Just 50 miles from US shore, Okyanos cardiac cell therapy is available to qualified patients with advanced stages of coronary artery disease (CAD) and congestive heart failure (CHF). The screening process consists of a thorough review of your medical history by the Okyanos Chief Medical Officer and Cardiologist, Dr. Howard Walpole, as well as consultation done in conjunction with your cardiologist. You must be able to travel as the protocol is delivered in Freeport on Grand Bahama Island.

"As a leader in cardiac cell therapy, Okyanos is very excited to bring this innovative treatment and new standard of care to patients in a near-shore, regulated jurisdiction, said Matt Feshbach, CEO and co-founder of Okyanos. Our innovative treatment will restore blood flow to the heart helping it begin the process of healing itself, thereby improving the quality of life for heart disease patients who have exhausted all other options.

Over 12 million Americans suffer from some form of heart disease costing $108.9 billion dollars annually in the US alone. Several million patients have now exhausted the currently available methods of treatment but continue to suffer daily from chronic heart disease symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue and chest discomfort that can make simple activities challenging. Cardiac cell therapy stimulates the growth of new blood vessels which can lead to reduced angina and reduced re-hospitalizations resulting in an improvement in quality of life.

The Okyanos procedure is performed by prestigious US-licensed chief cardiologist, Dr. Howard Walpole. It is the first cardiac cell therapy procedure for heart failure and disease available outside of clinical trials in which the bodys own adult stem cells, derived from fat tissue, are injected directly into the damaged part of the heart via a catheter to restore blood flow and repair tissue damaged by a heart attack or disease.

The procedure begins with the extraction of a small amount of your body fat, a process done using advanced water-assisted liposuction technology. After separating the fat tissue using a European Union-approved cell processing device the Okyanos cardiologist immediately injects these cells into and around the low blood flow regions of the heart via a cathetera protocol which allows for better targeting of the cells to repair damaged heart tissue. Because the treatment is minimally invasive it requires that patients be under only moderate sedation. Post-procedural recovery consists of rest in a private suite for several hours that comfortably accommodates up to 3 family members.

Okyanos Heart Institute is scheduled to begin delivery in the next several weeks. Patients can contact Okyanos at http://www.Okyanos.com or by calling toll free at 1-855-659-2667.

About Okyanos Heart Institute: (Oh key AH nos) Based in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Okyanos Heart Institutes mission is to bring a new standard of care and a better quality of life to patients with coronary artery disease using cardiac stem cell therapy. Okyanos adheres to U.S. surgical center standards and is led by CEO Matt Feshbach and Chief Medical Officer Howard T. Walpole Jr., M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.A.I. Okyanos Treatment utilizes a unique blend of stem and regenerative cells derived from ones own adipose (fat) tissue. The cells, when placed into the heart via a minimally-invasive catheterization, stimulate the growth of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Angiogenesis facilitates blood flow in the heart and supports intake and use of oxygen (as demonstrated in rigorous clinical trials such as the PRECISE trial). The literary name Okyanos, the Greek god of the river Okeanos, symbolizes restoration of blood flow.

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Okyanos Cardiac Cell Therapy Clinic Scheduled to Open

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'So far appears safe, without side effects'

(ANSA) - Boston, September 9 - Mesenchymal stem cell therapy to treat multiple sclerosis so far appears safe and without side effects, according to data released Tuesday and obtained through clinical trials on patients as part of the international Mesems project coordinated by University of Genoa neurologist Antonio Uccelli. The results were announced ahead of the World Congress on Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis opening in Boston Wednesday through Saturday. The Mesems project involves researchers from nine countries - Italy, Spain, France, Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Canada and Australia. It is the first large phase II international multicentre clinical trial to determine the safety of a consensus treatment protocol established by the International Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation Study Group to obtain information on its effectiveness on multiple sclerosis patients. So far, 81 patients have been involved in the project - half of the 160 needed for the whole clinical trial. About 73 - or 90% of those involved in blind testing - were given at least one injection with mesenchymal therapy or got a placebo while 51 - or 63% - were given both injections and 27 - 33% - completed the study. "The promising result is that so far none of these 27 people have suffered significant adverse events, which means that, so far, the treatment appears to be safe", said Uccelli. The neurologist warned that "caution is necessary" and that the effectiveness of the therapy can only be determined once the study is completed in 2016. Uccelli however added that preliminary studies on animals have persuaded researchers that mesenchymal stem cells "can halt inflammation on the central nervous system and probably succeed in protecting nervous tissue, even repairing it where damage is minor". Out of the 81 patients recruited so far, "28 are Italian and 10 of them have completed the study", Uccelli said, adding that all patients over the past year did relatively well except for one who was treated with placebo. The neurologist expressed the hope that "data in 2016 will give final confirmation that the therapy is effective so we can take the subsequent step with a larger phase III study aimed at demonstrating the role of stem cells as neurorepairers". Meanwhile Genoa's bioethics committee has approved a two-year extension of the project, which will be called Mesems Plus, "to verify, beyond the year of observation provided for by Mesems, the long-term safety of treatments in the study and the potential insurgence of adverse events in all those treated", said Uccelli.

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MS stem-cell breakthrough led by Italians

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Google+ Hangout and Q A with Brenda Mathisen of Metamed
ELFC will be interviewing +Brenda Mathisen, an expert in personalized medicine. Brenda is the Executive Vice President of +MetaMed Research, Inc. a company that is a leading pioneer in Personali...

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Google+ Hangout and Q&A with Brenda Mathisen of Metamed - Video

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Beverly Hills, California (PRWEB) September 08, 2014

Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute has become an R3 Stem Cell Center of Excellence. Patients are immediately able to benefit from the regenerative medicine procedures at the Center, including bone marrow or amniotic derived stem cells for arthritis, sports injuries, and all types of chronic pain issues. Call R3 Stem Cell for scheduling at (844) GET-STEM.

R3 Stem Cell works with the best Board Certified providers nationwide, bringing the latest cutting edge regenerative medicine procedures to those in need. The top Beverly Hills orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Raj, is the medical director of Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute and has performed over 50 stem cell procedures to date. Patients have include elite athletes, celebrities, executives, students, manual laborers and senior citizens. In other words, every walk of life can benefit.

The procedures offered include stem cell therapy for arthritis, back pain, cartilage defects, tendonitis, migraines, fracture healing and ligament injuries. The procedures are often able to help patients avoid the need for surgery and provide excellent pain relief with increased function.

Said R3 CEO Bob Maguire, MBA, Dr. Raj is a highly respected, skilled and compassionate provider who is committed to providing cutting edge options to his patients. It can help them heal faster while achieving pain relief. Thats what R3 Centers of Excellence strive for and have been very successful with to date.

Several different types of regenerative medicine procedures are offered at the R3 Center of Excellence. Amniotic stem cell procedures have shown amazing benefits in small studies to date. The fluid is obtained from consenting donors after a scheduled c-section, with the material being processed at an FDA regulated lab. No fetal tissue is involved or embryonic stem cells.

Bone marrow aspirate stem cell therapy is also offered, with the same day procedure injecting the processed bone marrow into the problem area. A high concentration of stem cells and growth factors sparks an impressive healing process, which can often regenerate damaged tissue.

Platelet rich plasma therapy is also offered, which involves a simple blood draw from patients. Studies are beginning to show that the regenerative medicine procedures work well for helping patients avoid the need for joint replacement surgery and also assisting athletes to get back on the field faster than otherwise.

Financing is available for the procedures at all R3 Stem Cell Centers of Excellence. Call (844) GET-STEM for more information and scheduling with stem cell treatment Los Angeles trusts.

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Beverly Hills Orthopedic Institute Becomes R3 Stem Cell Center of Excellence

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

So, when teenagers receive their National Insurance number through the post, why not also include an invitation to join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register, and give them a chance to save a life at 16?

Email your MP to ask them to support Anthony Nolan's plan

Stem cell donations can play a crucial role in the treatment of blood cancers such as leukaemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In the UK each year 2,000 people with blood cancer need a donation of healthy cells, and every single one of them depends on the kindness of a stranger. This is where the Anthony Nolan register comes in.

When a patient needs a lifesaving transplant, their medical team works with us to find a match.

Today there are over half a million people on our donor register. That number grew by 55,000 names last year.

But only six per cent of those donors are aged between 16 and 20, and we need many more in this age group to come forward. We know that young people are more likely to be chosen by doctors as donors for people with blood cancer.

This is why Anthony Nolan recruits young people from the age of 16 and why sending registration information with National Insurance numbers could be such an important move.

Similar measures have been taken before. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency includes information on organ donation when it delivers new driving licences. This is an innovative way to get individuals to think about a small but significant commitment they can make to help others.

Young people such as Victoria Rathmill and Celyn Evans are ground-breakers, and should be applauded as pioneers. What they have done takes courage. But the point of being a pioneer is to forge a path that others will follow. Our proposal, a simple awareness-raising measure, will help a great many people. It won't even cost the taxpayer a penny, as all expenses will be paid by Anthony Nolan.

We already have over 530,000 incredible people on our register, which is an amazing achievement. Sadly, its not enough. If we are to find a match for every person who needs one, we urgently need more people in their teens and twenties to sign up in the fight against blood cancer. By taking on our proposal, the Government can make it easier for young people to do just that.

Read more here:
Help Anthony Nolan save a life at 16

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

CHILHOWIE, Va. You wouldnt think from seeing her smile and watching her run and play that there is anything wrong with 5-year-old Nevaeh Bruner of Chilhowie.

But shes lucky to be alive and faces a lengthy procedure that could be her only chance for survival.

Pam Troxel Buchanan, the little girls great aunt, and Donna Hamm, her great-great aunt, are taking care of Nevaeh and tear up just thinking about what this little girl has been through and what she faces in her fight to live.

She is a very strong little girl. I couldnt do it, said Buchanan.

Nevaeh has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare disease that causes a complete failure of production of all types of blood cells. As a result, the bone marrow contains large numbers of fat cells instead of the blood-producing cells that would normally be present. It is a potentially fatal blood disease in which there are not enough stem cells in the bone marrow or the stem cells have stopped working effectively.

Buchanan said that last November Nevaehs teacher at Chilhowie Elementary School noticed bruising on her body. She had shown no other symptoms of illness, Buchanan said, so her parents were advised to take her to Niswonger Childrens Hospital in Johnson City, Tennessee, where there is a St. Jude affiliate clinic.

Buchanan said they spent a month running tests and the doctors told Nevaehs parents that her blood count was so low that she would not have lived much longer had she not received treatment. The little girl, who was 4-years-old at the time, has undergone numerous procedures, including surgery, transfusions, chemotherapy and radiation. She is taking oral chemotherapy and having blood transfusions as needed, but she is being weaned off the chemo to undergo a bone marrow transplant.

The chemo is also causing her kidneys to malfunction, bringing her close to kidney failure, Buchanan said.

She will always be in stage two kidney disease, Buchanan said. She will have sensitive kidneys and have to live with that.

The only option at this point is a bone marrow transplant, Buchanan said. Two donor matches have been found and the procedure will take place at St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee, at the end of this year or next spring, Buchanan said.

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One Lucky Little Girl

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have developed a novel technique to promote tissue repair in damaged muscles. The technique also creates a sustainable pool of muscle stem cells needed to support multiple rounds of muscle repair. The study, published September 7 in Nature Medicine, provides promise for a new therapeutic approach to treating the millions of people suffering from muscle diseases, including those with muscular dystrophies and muscle wasting associated with cancer and aging.

There are two important processes that need to happen to maintain skeletal-muscle health. First, when muscle is damaged by injury or degenerative disease such as muscular dystrophy, muscle stem cells -- or satellite cells -- need to differentiate into mature muscle cells to repair injured muscles. Second, the pool of satellite cells needs to be replenished so there is a supply to repair muscle in case of future injuries. In the case of muscular dystrophy, the chronic cycles of muscle regeneration and degeneration that involve satellite-cell activation exhaust the muscle stem-cell pool to the point of no return.

"Our study found that by introducing an inhibitor of the STAT3 protein in repeated cycles, we could alternately replenish the pool of satellite cells and promote their differentiation into muscle fibers," said Alessandra Sacco, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Development, Aging, and Regeneration Program at Sanford-Burnham. "Our results are important because the process works in mice and in human muscle cells."

"Our next step is to see how long we can extend the cycling pattern, and test some of the STAT3 inhibitors currently in clinical trials for other indications such as cancer, as this could accelerate testing in humans," added Sacco.

"These findings are very encouraging. Currently, there is no cure to stop or reverse any form of muscle-wasting disorders -- only medication and therapy that can slow the process," said Vittorio Sartorelli, M.D., chief of the Laboratory of Muscle Stem Cells and Gene Regulation and deputy scientific director at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). "A treatment approach consisting of cyclic bursts of STAT3 inhibitors could potentially restore muscle mass and function in patients, and this would be a very significant breakthrough."

Revealing the mechanism of STAT3

STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) is a protein that activates the transcription of genes in response to IL-6, a signaling protein released by cells in response to injury and inflammation. Prior to the study, scientists knew that STAT3 played a complex role in skeletal muscle, promoting tissue repair in some instances and hindering it in others. But the precise mechanism of how STAT3 worked was a mystery.

The research team first used normally aged mice and mice models of a form of muscular dystrophy that resembles the human disease to see what would happen if they were given a drug to inhibit STAT3. They found that the inhibitor initially promoted satellite-cell replication, followed by differentiation of the satellite cells into muscle fibers. When they injected the STAT3 inhibitor every seven days for 28 days, they found an overall improvement in skeletal-muscle repair, and an increase in the size of muscle fibers.

"We were pleased to find that we achieved similar results when we performed the experiments in human muscle cells," said Sacco. "We have discovered that by timing the inhibition of STAT3 -- like an "on/off" light switch -- we can transiently expand the satellite-cell population followed by their differentiation into mature muscle cells."

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Researchers discover key to making new muscles

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Aging News & Information

Aging Muscles May Be Restored by Discovery of a Key to Making Muscle

Results hailed as important step toward developing new muscle to treat muscle diseases; good news for seniors with muscles wasting away from aging

Sept. 8, 2014 Promising results have been achieved in repairing damaged tissue in muscles which could lead to a new therapeutic approach to treating the millions of people suffering from muscle diseases, including those with muscular dystrophies and muscle wasting associated with cancer and aging seniors, according to the study, published September 7 in Nature Medicine.

Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) in La Jolla, California, have developed this novel technique to promote tissue repair in damaged muscles. The technique also creates a sustainable pool of muscle stem cells needed to support multiple rounds of muscle repair.

There are two important processes that need to happen to maintain skeletal-muscle health. First, when muscle is damaged by injury or degenerative disease such as muscular dystrophy, muscle stem cellsor satellite cellsneed to differentiate into mature muscle cells to repair injured muscles.

Second, the pool of satellite cells needs to be replenished so there is a supply to repair muscle in case of future injuries. In the case of muscular dystrophy, the chronic cycles of muscle regeneration and degeneration that involve satellite-cell activation exhaust the muscle stem-cell pool to the point of no return.

Related Archive Stories

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Aging Muscles May Be Restored by Discovery of a Key to Making Muscle

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

(PRWEB) September 08, 2014

In 2012, minence Organic Skin Care redefined anti-aging skin care with the launch of their Age Corrective Collection. Today, minence is revolutionizing the skin care industry with two new products and an all-inclusive Starter Set that will complete the anti-aging line. The Monoi Age Corrective Exfoliating Cleanser, Bamboo Age Corrective Masque and Age Corrective Starter Set will be available to purchase at select spas and salons worldwide as of September 5, 2014.

Aging skin impacts everyone eventually. Regardless of whether it is fine lines or crows feet, most people want to take steps to correct them. Some go to drastic lengths and often look to synthetic skin care solutions to regain their youthful appearance, but this is no longer necessary because minence has the ultimate Age Corrective Routine that is just as results-oriented, and its all natural and organic.

Repair aging skin naturally by using each of the Age Corrective products in minences easy-to-follow skin care routine with seven unique steps. A complexion that looks, and acts, completely ageless is simple and easy with featured botanical actives such as Natural Retinol Alternative and PhytoCellTec Swiss Green Apple Stem Cell Technology specially formulated to erase the signs of aging skin. The Natural Retinol Alternative contains chicory root and tara tree which mimics and out-performs conventional retinol. Plus, the addition of Swiss Green Apple Stem Cells delivers an increase in cell regeneration and longevity to provide incredible results:

As one of our most popular collections, our Age Corrective products are continuously hitting our top 10 best sellers list. Due to widespread demand, and in order to make it easier for consumers and spa partners to capture the true benefits of a complete Age Corrective Routine, we are introducing two new products to the collection, says Boldijarre Koronczay, President of minence Organic Skin Care. Each product in the collection harnesses the anti-aging power of our exclusive Natural Retinol Alternative and PhytoCellTec Swiss Green Apple Stem Cell Technology. The new masque offers the additional benefits of our Anti-Aging Stem Cell Complex to reduce wrinkle depth by 26%. These advanced anti-aging actives will erase and repair the signs of aging and when all the products are used in conjunction, the results are astounding!

For more information, images and sample requests please contact Elisa Kosonen at ekosonen(at)eminenceorganics(dot)com or 1.604.505.3103.

About minence Organic Skin Care

minence Organic Skin Care is the award-winning provider of the most effective skin care products in the natural and organic skin care industry. With more than half a century of herbal craftsmanship and innovation, and several centuries of unsurpassed skin rejuvenation techniques unique to Hungary, they offer the highest quality natural skin care to leading salons, spas and their clients in more than 40 countries around the world. minences superior spa treatments and products rely on a unique combination of hand-picked fresh ingredients. Vitamins are captured in their all-natural fresh base, offering dramatic results as actual seeds, pulps and peels begin the regenerative and healing powers that only nature can produce. Voted Favorite Skin Care Line by spa professionals and seen as Hollywoods skin care secret, with devoted fans such as Madonna, Jessica Biel, Katherine Heigl, Jena Malone and Mark Ruffalo, minence is renowned for premium organic and Biodyanmic skin care that enhances your well-being naturally. A commitment to the environment is integral to their business practices and they strive to create products that are good for the earth as well as good for the skin. By enlisting wind and solar power energy in the making of products, recyclable packaging with vegetable-based inks, geothermal heating in the laboratory and an eco-alternative design of the head office, minence does all that they can to combat climate change. Starting in the fall of 2012, the Forests for the Future initiative brought that commitment to the environment to a whole new level by planting a tree for every product sold. Visit http://www.eminenceorganics.com for more information.

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minence Organic Skin Care Adds New Products to Complete their Most Advanced Anti-Aging Skin Care Line

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Playing Games to Advance Cancer Research (Image Credit: Cancer Research UK)

In Discover Magazines November print issue the article Trial and Error talks about the many reasons why progress in cancer research is slow. This article details how citizen scientists can speed up cancer research by playing games that crowdsource analysis of cellular and genetic data.

Gene duplication or gene amplification is characteristic of many cancers, the result of errors during cellular replication. When a cell replicates, a process called mitosis, the genetic material of the cell needs to be duplicated. While there are built in check pointsduring the replication process, errors can sometime sneak in. Some errors are subtle such as a switch of a single nucleotide, for example a guanine (G) to an adenine (A). Other times the errors are duplication or omission of a part of a chromosome, several parts or even the whole chromosomes. When parts of a chromosome are duplicated or omitted, the genes residing on those pieces of chromosome are also duplicated or omitted. This is a phenomenon called copy number variation. Researchers have observed that certain cancers are associated with increases in copy numbers of genes.

Researchers can use DNA microarrays to identify if genes are amplified in cancer. The fluorescently tagged genetic material of cancer cells are washed over silica or glass chips that have known gene fragments stamped on them. The genetic material of the cancer cell binds with the arrays gene fragments. The more copies of a gene present in the sample, the more material bound to the microarray. This translates into a brighter fluorescent signal when the arrays are analyzed, indicating genetic amplification.

But doing the DNA microarrays is the easy part. The hard part is searching through all the results to find patterns.This is where citizen scientists can help.

Researchers have a wealth of DNA microarray data. Unfortunately computers simply arent good enough at understanding patterns or spotting things that look a bit unusual. The most effective tool for analysing cancer data is often the human eye. This means that scientists have to analyse a massive amount of data by eye, which delays their search for new cancer treatments, explains Hannah Keartland Citizen Science Lead at Cancer Research UK.

To tackle this, the team at Cancer Research UKlaunched a game calledPlay to CureTM: Genes in Space, a mobile app in which players help scientists identify genes that might contribute to cancer. The game which has players traveling through space in search of the precious Element Alpha is really an interface for analyzing gene duplications in DNA microarray data.

Our game Genes in Space gets every day citizens to help analyze genetic data. By incorporating this analysis into the gameplay of an action-packed mobile game, we can get thousands of people involved in cancer research, greatly accelerating the time it takes to classify data.

In the game, the actual the microarray data takes the form of Element Alpha, a valuable substance that players can trade for ship upgrades. Players plot their path through the areas of space where the Element Alpha is denser. This increased density is a visualization of DNA duplication, whereas the sparser areas, which players avoid, show gaps in the DNA. So while players are having fun they are simultaneously identifying variations in the gene data which give researchers clues about the causes of cancer.

Microarray data (Top) being represented as a route on Genes in Space (Bottom). (Image Credit: Cancer Research UK)

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Cancer Research is Rocketing into Space and You are Invited to Take the Pilots Seat

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

8-Sep-2014

Contact: Layne Cameron Layne.Cameron@cabs.msu.edu 517-353-8819 Boston University http://www.twitter.com/BostonUNews

A well-known biologist once theorized that many roads led to Rome when it comes to two distantly related organisms evolving a similar trait. A new paper, published in Nature Communications, suggests that when it comes to evolving some traits especially simple ones there may be a shared gene, one road, that's the source.

Jason Gallant, MSU zoologist and the paper's first author, focused on butterflies to illustrate his metaphorical roadmap on evolutionary traits. Butterfly wings are important biological models. While some butterflies are poisonous and notify their predators via colorful wing markings, others are nontoxic but have evolved similar color patterns to avoid being eaten.

Many scientists, including the famed Ernst Mayr, favored the "many roads" theory. This was largely attributed to being unable to identify a shared gene for such traits. Gallant, Sean Mullen, co-author and Boston University biologist, and their collaborators, however, were able to pinpoint the single gene responsible for two different families of butterflies' flashy markings.

The North American and South American species last had a common ancestor more than 65 million years ago. So, rather than evolve these traits independently using two unique mechanisms, the genetic control of particular butterfly markings can be traced to a single gene present in their ancient ancestors, said Gallant, who also teamed with Arnaud Martin and Bob Reed from Cornell University, and Marcus Kronforst from the University of Chicago.

"This result represents the culmination of a decade's worth of effort, but we identified the mechanism for a single aspect of wing patterns in a lineage," Gallant said. "Is this the rule or the exception? For simple traits, it's beginning to look like it could be the rule. The jury is still out on complicated traits, but there may be fewer roads leading to Rome than we once thought."

The decade-long journey began as a butterfly mapping study and later involved the 30,000 genes that comprise white admiral butterflies and red-spotted purple butterflies in North America. They are the same species of butterflies, but to a common observer, they look completely unrelated.

In the southern United States, the red-spotted purples have dark-blue wings that mimic the poisonous pipevine swallowtail. The white admirals, with distinctive white bands on their wings, reside in northern climes where the swallowtail is not found. A hybrid of the two can be found in a region near Pennsylvania.

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A single evolutionary road may lead to Rome

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith