MENDEL EXPLAINING GENETICS CROSSES 1

By: Walter Jahn

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MENDEL EXPLAINING GENETICS CROSSES 1 - Video

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Released: 29-Aug-2014 10:00 AM EDT Embargo expired: 29-Aug-2014 2:00 PM EDT Source Newsroom: Tufts University Contact Information

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Newswise NORTH GRAFTON, Mass. (August 29, 2014, 2 PM US Eastern Time)The current method to treat acute toxin poisoning is to inject antibodies, commonly produced in animals, to neutralize the toxin. But this method has challenges ranging from safety to difficulties in developing, producing and maintaining the anti-serums in large quantities.

New research led by Charles Shoemaker, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Infectious Disease and Global Health at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, shows that gene therapy may offer significant advantages in prevention and treatment of botulism exposure over current methods. The findings of the National Institutes of Health funded study appear in the August 29 issue of PLOS ONE.

Shoemaker has been studying gene therapy as a novel way to treat diseases such as botulism, a rare but serious paralytic illness caused by a nerve toxin that is produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Despite the relatively small number of botulism poisoning cases nationally, there are global concerns that the toxin can be produced easily and inexpensively for bioterrorism use. Botulism, like E. coli food poisoning and C. difficile infection, is a toxin-mediated disease, meaning it occurs from a toxin that is produced by a microbial infection.

Shoemakers previously reported antitoxin treatments use proteins produced from the genetic material extracted from alpacas that were immunized against a toxin. Alpacas, which are members of the camelid family, produce an unusual type of antibody that is particularly useful in developing effective, inexpensive antitoxin agents. A small piece of the camelid antibody called a VHH can bind to and neutralize the botulism toxin. The research team has found that linking two or more different toxin-neutralizing VHHs results in VHH-based neutralizing agents (VNAs) that have extraordinary antitoxin potency and can be produced as a single molecule in bacteria at low cost. Additionally, VNAs have a longer shelf life than traditional antibodies so they can be better stored until needed.

The newly published PLOS ONE study assessed the long-term efficacy of the therapy and demonstrated that a single gene therapy treatment led to prolonged production of VNA in blood and protected the mice from subsequent exposures to C. botulinum toxin for up to several months. Virtually all mice pretreated with VNA gene therapy survived when exposed to a normally lethal dose of botulinum toxin administered up to nine weeks later. Approximately 40 percent survived when exposed to this toxin as late as 13 or 17 weeks post-treatment. With gene therapy the VNA genetic material is delivered to animals by a vector that induces the animals to produce their own antitoxin VNA proteins over a prolonged period of time, thus preventing illness from toxin exposures.

The second part of the study showed that mice were rapidly protected from C. botulinum toxin exposure by the same VNA gene therapy, surviving even when treated 90 minutes after the toxin exposure.

We envision this treatment approach having a broad range of applications such as protecting military personnel from biothreat agents or protecting the public from other toxin-mediated diseases such as C. difficile and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections, said Shoemaker, the papers senior author. More research is being conducted with VNA gene therapy and its hard to deny the potential of this rapid-acting and long-lasting therapy in treating these and several other important illnesses.

The research was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number U54-AI057159 and AI101403.

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Mice Study Shows Efficacy of New Gene Therapy Approach for Toxin Exposures

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Personalized Medicine - Inova Translational Medicine Institute
Inova Translational Medicine Institute (ITMI) is Inova #39;s visionary initiative to bring personalized medicine to Northern Virginia and the world. It is leading the transformation of healthcare...

By: Inova Health System

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Personalized Medicine - Inova Translational Medicine Institute - Video

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Dani Bercovich - Novel gene chip technologies and NGS sequencing for personalized medicine diagnos
Watch on LabRoots at http://labroots.com/user/webinars/details/id/320 The flexibility of the BioMark Real-Time PCR System, allow us to preform genetic research using different types of nano-fluidic...

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Dani Bercovich - Novel gene chip technologies and NGS sequencing for personalized medicine & diagnos - Video

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Spinal cord Injury Physiotherapy Treatment
Spinal cord Injury patient treated under the supervision of Dr Naresh kumar (PT). Chronic low back pain patient has been operated after having sever pain in ...

By: Naresh Kumar

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Spinal cord Injury Physiotherapy Treatment - Video

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56 2 Mr. Yang - Sequela of Spinal Cord Injury (male, 27-year-old)- After stem cell treatment
Mr. Yang, 27 years old, he suffered from the sequela of spinal cord injury with movement function impaired of lower limbs and incontinence of urination and b...

By: Stem Cells

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56 2 Mr. Yang - Sequela of Spinal Cord Injury (male, 27-year-old)- After stem cell treatment - Video

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Regenerative Medicine with PRP and Stem Cells at San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine
http://SDIntegrativeMedicine.com Regenerative medicine via platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cells is more effective when used prior to surgery.

By: San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine

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Boston, MA (PRWEB) August 29, 2014

A major challenge before new biotechnology start-up companies, especially ones in the biotech start-up dense realm of Boston-Cambridge, is gaining visibility that can lead to important strategic alliances and able investors. James Sherley, the Director of Bostons Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC (ASCTC), has made increasing the local and national visibility of his company an important priority since he started the company in September 2013.

In addition to a social media marketing campaign launched earlier in July of this year, Director Sherley has targeted research and development conferences both nationally and internationally to increase industry awareness of ASCTCs unique portfolio of intellectual property available for licensing and its current commercial development targets. The company is focused on producing two products to address two important needs in drug development and regenerative medicine, respectively, that it is uniquely positioned to address.

ASCTCs most advanced product is an assay that can detect, very early in the drug development pipeline, drug candidates that will ultimately fail because of their toxicity to tissue stem cells. ASCTC developed the new technology in partnership with AlphaSTAR, Corporation, located in Long Beach, California. Currently, such lurking drugs are not detected until after expensive animal testing, more expensive clinical trials, or worse, after marketing. Director Sherley refers to the second product as, A future of pounds and pounds of normal adult tissue stem cells. The company holds a patented technology for mass production of human tissue stem cells. The initial production target is human liver stem cells that can be used to make mature human liver cells for use in drug development and to support liver transplant patients. The company also holds patents for production of pancreatic stem cells and hair follicle stem cells.

The sponsor the 2014 Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Conference, in Boston, September 15-16, Terrapinn, Inc., invited ASCTC to attend as a VIP guest. Although ASCTC will not make a formal presentation at this conference, Director Sherley will participate in a roundtable discussion on the topic, Articulating value for up-and-coming regenerative medicine, stem cell and cell-based therapies.

Later in September (22-24), Director Sherley will present one of the selected Next Generation Presentations for new companies at BioPharm America 2014, also taking place in Boston. In addition to the public presentation, ASCTC will also participate in confidential partnering meetings with potential investors and strategic alliance partners arranged by conference organizers.

In October, Director Sherley will present to a primarily academic research audience a more detailed accounting of ASCTCs computer simulation technology for quantifying tissue stem cells in culture. This technology is the basis for the companys new assay for tissue stem cell toxicity. Director Sherley is particularly interested in the response from several experts in tissue stem cell growth dynamics who are invited speakers. The symposium, which will take place at Rhode Island Hospital, a medical affiliate of Brown University in Providence, has the goal of presenting emerging disruptive research in the area of Novel Stem Cells and Vesicles. Director Sherley is a member of the symposium organizing committee. ************************************************************************************************************* The Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC (ASCTC) is a Massachusetts life sciences company established in September 2013. ASCTC Director and founder, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is the foremost authority on the unique properties of adult stem cells. The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the two main technical problems production and quantification that have stood in the way of successful commercialization of human adult tissue stem cells for regenerative medicine and drug development. In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing iPSCs. Currently, ASCTC is employing its technological advantages to pursue commercialization of mass-produced therapeutic human liver cells and facile assays that are early warning systems for drug candidates with catastrophic toxicity due to adverse effects against adult tissue stem cells.

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The Adult Stem Cell Technology Center, LLC Participates in Multiple Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Conferences ...

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Boy Scout Troop 286 Icebucket Challenge for the Scoutmaster
Ice Bucket Challenge Completed! With a whole lot of help from my Scouts! Donation went to the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center at KU Med in Kansas City. They do some terrific work there and...

By: Scott Medlock

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Boy Scout Troop 286 Icebucket Challenge for the Scoutmaster - Video

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Personalized Medicine: Do We Still Have to Treat Everyone the Same Way?
Clinical and laboratory markers can provide useful prognostic information. True predictive markers have been identified for other types of cancer, but molecu...

By: The Oncologist Journal

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Personalized Medicine: Do We Still Have to Treat Everyone the Same Way? - Video

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Getting Personal: The Dreams and Realities of Personalized Medicine
CSWN talks with Robert Roberts, MD, president and CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, about the state of personalized medicine. This interview was conducted at ACC.12.

By: CSWNews

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Getting Personal: The Dreams and Realities of Personalized Medicine - Video

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Rebecca and Trond Takes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Rebecca Knudegaard and Trond Knudegaard accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge given to us by Jennifer Rygh and Joel Rygh. We encourage donations to the Mayo Clinic center for regenerative medicine...

By: Trond Knudegaard

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Rebecca and Trond Takes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge - Video

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Dr J. Dan Weathers
Dr. J. Dan Weathers - Hormone Anti-Aging Physician trained by The American Academy of Anti-Aging Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Weathers is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine, Addiction...

By: The Hormone Doctor

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Dr J. Dan Weathers - Video

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By Ciara Curtin

Jeanne Loring and her Scripps Research Institute colleagues transplanted a set of cells into the spinal cords of mice that had lost use of their hind limbs to multiple sclerosis. As the experimentalists expected, within a week, the mice rejected the cells. But after another week, the mice began to walk.

We thought that they wouldnt do anything, says Loring, who directs theCenter for Regenerative Medicineat Scripps. But as her lab has since shown numerous times, and published in Stem Cell Reports, something that these particular so-called neural precursor cells dobeforethe immune system kicks them out seems to make the mouse better.

The cells Lorings team used are derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, which are mature cells, such as skin cells, that have been coaxed with a combination of chemicals to return to an earlier stage of development.

Induced pluripotent cells, also known as iPS cells, pose a number of opportunities for medicine. For instance, Loring is using iPS cells from Parkinsons disease and multiple sclerosis patients to reconstitute cell types that may be damaged in people with those conditions. She is also using them to test how certain drugs or treatments may affect damaged cells in people with conditions such as autism spectrum disorders.

Loring (front row, center) with the Loring Lab Group at the Center for Regenerative Medicine

Loring says no viable long-term treatments exist for the diseases her team has been working on, including Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease, and multiple sclerosis, Thats where the need is, she says.

The neural precursor cells that Loring has been using in the mice with MS are young cells that havent quite gotten to the point of being nerves yet. Only certain types of these cells have such a dramatic Lazarus-like effect on the affected mice, but Lorings team can readily identify them based on DNA analysis.

Even so, theyre not yet ready to treat human MS patients with the approach, she says. First, the researchers want to identify what the cells producea protein, perhaps, or a set of proteinsthat allows the mice to walk.

For other diseases, however, researchers are closer to being ready to transplant working versions of reprogrammed cells into sick people.

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Could Reprogrammed Cells Fight 'Untreatable' Diseases?

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MANILA The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has a reminder to those taking the ice bucket challenge, which supports research efforts of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association (ALSA).

CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said research on ALS involves the use of stem cells.

''ALS is a degenerative disorder and stem-cells apparently hold out the promise of reversing the death and degeneration of brain cells, in particular,'' Villegas said in a statement.

''Stem cells however are most readily harvested from embryos, and it is in this regard that this type of research is ethically problematic."

Citing the ''Instruction on Respect for Human Life in Its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation,'' Villegas noted that ''human embryos obtained in vitro are human beings and subjects with rights."

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord, which eventually leads to paralysis.

Villegas said the ALS Association said in a statement that ''most stem-cell research in ALS is currently focused on iPS (induced pluripotent stem) cells, which are not burdened with ethical issues."

''We are told that iPS cells are 'induced pluripotent stem cells', stem cells created from skin cells. Such cells would indeed be pluripotent, but would not be embryonic cells,'' the CBCP chief said.

''As such, the ethical objection to the use of embryonic cells, whether harvested from embryos, or obtained through in vitro fertilization, would not arise."

The prelate, however, noted that the ALS Association also admitted that ''iPS cells are used in 'most stem-cell research.'''

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Catholics warned about ice bucket challenge

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CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwired - August 28, 2014) - International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCQB: ISCO) (www.internationalstemcell.com), a California-based biotechnology company developing novel stem cell based therapies and biomedical products, today announced that Executive Vice President Dr. Simon Craw will present a corporate overview of ISCO and its subsidiaries at two upcoming investment conferences.

Rodman and Renshaw 16th Annual Global Investment Conference:

Date:Wednesday, September 10, 2014 Time:11:40 a.m. ET Location:New York Palace Hotel, New York, NY Room:Kennedy I

Conference details:http://www.meetmax.com//sched/event_23003/~public/conference_home.html?event_id=23003

AEGIS CAPITAL Corp. 2014 Healthcare and Technology Conference:Date:Thursday, September 11, 2014 Time:10:45 a.m. PT Location:The Encore at Wynn, Las Vegas, NV

Conference details:http://www.meetmax.com/sched/event_25932/~public/conference_home.html?event_id=25932

Please contact the conference organizers if you have an interest in attending the conference or if you would like to arrange a meeting with International Stem Cell Corporation's management team.

About International Stem Cell Corporation

International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs) hence avoiding ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenetic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology (www.lifelinecelltech.com), and stem cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care (www.lifelineskincare.com). More information is available atwww.internationalstemcell.com.

To receive ongoing corporate communications via email, visit: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0.

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International Stem Cell Corporation to Present at Two Upcoming Investment Conferences

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A lot of individuals are regularly making an effort to find the best medications available today because of the presence of a lot of illnesses in the world. New treatments and variations of old ones are hitting the market because of this growing need of people and one of the newest alternatives to medication that experts have come up with is referred to as induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapy, also called iPS Cell Therapy or iPSC Therapy. What is Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell therapy?

Regardless if the entire thing is controversial, a ton of experts continue to show interest when it comes to stem cell therapy. Grown inside the laboratory, people are injected with transmuted cells to replace cells that are unhealthy. This is what science fiction is made of, but now almost a reality.

The thing about stem cell therapy is that it garnered and continues to garner a lot of bad publicity in line with moral and ethical concerns. Several years ago, people saw to it that no further research was done on embryonic stem cells but in 2006, studies were conducted by the Japanese but this time, they used mouse cells. More and more people became mindful of and interested in iPSC because of this shift in events.

About 5 years ago, the University of Wisconsin found a way to study iPSC with the help of adult human cells. The thing about iPSC is that people only had problems with the studies when embryonic stem cells were utilized. Because of such an event, efforts have been made to include iPSC processes in Regenerative or Reparative Medicine.

Various illnesses can affect daily living from arthritis to diabetes to burns and iPSC therapies can be a solution to these provided that adequate research is conducted. What you have here can also be utilized for diseases that are genetic in nature like cancer for example. Aside from dealing with spinal cord issues, there is also a chance that iPSC can be used to cure Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease.

There is so much potential in stem cell therapy. Imagine how much good it will do to mankind if healthy cells may scientifically be produced in laboratories and injected into patients. For people with cancer, the cancerous cells can easily be replaced with the ones that are healthy.

What you have here can change the way people look at disease and pain.. Not having to rely on the human body for cell regeneration is something that can lead to thousands of opportunities in health. There is still a need to perfect current research efforts on the matter but this is surely beyond science fiction.

Other than yet merely in experimental stage, the therapies are also very costly. These therapies need more time for experimentation and more years are necessary if you want to lower the costs of the therapies. But scientists remain hopeful.

One of the most popular therapies in line with stem cells these days is bone marrow transplantation. There are various patients that have different cancers related to the bone marrow or blood and this is what this transplantation serves to treat. It is a risky procedure, however, and may have several complications.

In various countries, scientists get support for this type of research. It may take years before people can rely on iPS Cell therapy on a regular basis but even if this is so, all the hard work will surely be well worth it because of the countless benefits that this form of therapy can bring. Pain and disease will be no match for science once this form of therapy is completed.

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IPS Cell Therapy | Stem Cells Research

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Stem Cell Therapy as a Treatment Option for Osteoarthritis
Dr. Frank Garcia, board certified orthopedic surgeon with The San Antonio Orthopaedic Group, discusses the use of stem cell therapy in the treatment of osteo...

By: The San Antonio Orthopaedic Group

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Stem Cell Therapy as a Treatment Option for Osteoarthritis - Video

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Newswise LA JOLLA, CA August 27, 2014 Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have solved the mystery of why a specific signaling pathway can be associated with alcohol dependence.

This signaling pathway is regulated by a gene, called neurofibromatosis type 1 (Nf1), which TSRI scientists found is linked with excessive drinking in mice. The new research shows Nf1 regulates gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that lowers anxiety and increases feelings of relaxation.

This novel and seminal study provides insights into the cellular mechanisms of alcohol dependence, said TSRI Associate Professor Marisa Roberto, a co-author of the paper. Importantly, the study also offers a correlation between rodent and human data.

In addition to showing that Nf1 is key to the regulation of the GABA, the research, which was published recently in the journal Biological Psychiatry, shows that variations in the human version of the Nf1 gene are linked to alcohol-dependence risk and severity in patients.

Pietro Paolo Sanna, associate professor at TSRI and the studys corresponding author, was optimistic about the long-term clinical implications of the work. A better understanding of the molecular processes involved in the transition to alcohol dependence will foster novel strategies for prevention and therapy, he said.

A Genetic Culprit

Researchers have long sought a gene or genes that might be responsible for risk and severity of alcohol dependence. Despite a significant genetic contribution to alcohol dependence, few risk genes have been identified to date, and their mechanisms of action are generally poorly understood, said TSRI Staff Scientist Vez Repunte-Canonigo, co-first author of the paper with TSRI Research Associate Melissa Herman.

This research showed that Nf1 is one of those rare risk genes, but the TSRI researchers werent sure exactly how Nf1 affected the brain. The TSRI research team suspected that Nf1 might be relevant to alcohol-related GABA activity in an area of the brain called the central amygdala, which is important in decision-making and stress- and addiction-related processes.

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Scripps Research Institute Scientists Link Alcohol-Dependence Gene to Neurotransmitter

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

28-Aug-2014

Contact: Jill Reuter jreuter@lifespan.org 401-432-1328 Lifespan

PROVIDENCE, R.I. A new study from Bradley Hospital has identified a genetic change in a recently identified autism-associated gene, which may provide further insight into the causes of autism. The study, now published online in the Journal of Medical Genetics, presents findings that likely represent a definitive clinical marker for some patients' developmental disabilities.

Using whole-exome sequencing a method that examines the parts of genes that regulate protein, called exons - the team identified a genetic change in a newly recognized autism-associated gene, Activity-Dependent Neuroprotective Protein (ADNP), in a girl with developmental delay. This change in the ADNP gene helps explain the cause of developmental delay in this patient. This same genetic change in ADNP was also found in a boy who was diagnosed with autism.

The ADNP gene plays an important role in regulation of early brain development. Recently, genetic changes in this gene have been found to cause a novel genetic syndrome associated with autism. Changes in this gene may be among the most common causes of autism.

"Genetic testing is a very powerful diagnostic tool for individuals with developmental delay," said Eric Morrow, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Developmental Disorder Genetics Research Program at Bradley Hospital and lead author of the study. "Through genetic testing, which is available to some in the clinical setting as well as in research, a medical diagnosis is possible for a large subset of patients."

Morrow continued, "Genetic changes in ADNP are highly associated with autism and are found in at least .17 percent of autism cases. In these patients, changes in this gene represent an important part of the medical cause for developmental delay and/or autism. The use of these genome-wide sequencing methods in patients with developmental disorders is one of the best examples of the applications of modern genomics in clinical practice."

This study represents one of the first publications resulting in part from Morrow's work with the Rhode Island Collaborative for Autism Research and Treatment (RI-CART), which is co-led by Morrow. Funding for RI-CART is provided in part by a grant from the Simons Foundation for Autism Research and also through support from the Brown Institute for Brain Science (BIBS), the Norman Prince Neuroscience Institute at Rhode Island Hospital, the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, Women & Infants Hospital and the Groden Network. This cross-disciplinary collaboration, including the work of Chanika Phornphutkul, M.D., director of Hasbro Children's Hospital's division of Clinical Genetics, and the paper's lead authors from several departments and training programs, represents an important development in research and clinical care for patients.

###

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Bradley Hospital collaborative study identifies genetic change in autism-related gene

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

27-Aug-2014

Contact: Steve Benowitz steven.benowitz@nih.gov 301-451-8325 NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute

Researchers analyzing human, fly, and worm genomes have found that these species have a number of key genomic processes in common, reflecting their shared ancestry. The findings, appearing Aug. 28, 2014, in the journal Nature, offer insights into embryonic development, gene regulation and other biological processes vital to understanding human biology and disease.

The studies highlight the data generated by the modENCODE Project and the ENCODE Project, both supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Integrating data from the three species, the model organism ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (modENCODE) Consortium studied how gene expression patterns and regulatory proteins that help determine cell fate often share common features. Investigators also detailed the similar ways in which the three species use protein packaging to compact DNA into the cell nucleus and to regulate genome function by controlling access to DNA.

Launched in 2007, the goal of modENCODE is to create a comprehensive catalog of functional elements in the fruit fly and roundworm genomes for use by the research community. Such elements include genes that code for proteins, non-protein-coding genes and regulatory elements that control gene expression. The current work builds on initial catalogs published in 2010. The modENCODE projects complement the work being done by the ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project, which is building a comprehensive catalog of functional elements in the human and mouse genomes.

"The modENCODE investigators have provided a valuable resource for researchers worldwide," said NHGRI Director Eric Green, M.D., Ph.D. "The insights gained about the workings of model organisms' genomes greatly help to inform our understanding of human biology."

"One way to describe and understand the human genome is through comparative genomics and studying model organisms," said Mark Gerstein, Ph.D., Albert L. Williams Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and the lead author on one of the papers. "The special thing about the worm and fly is that they are very distant from humans evolutionarily, so finding something conserved across all three human, fly and worm tells us it is a very ancient, fundamental process."

In one study, scientists led by Dr. Gerstein and others, analyzed human, fly and worm transcriptomes, the collection of gene transcripts (or readouts) in a genome. They used large amounts of gene expression data generated in the ENCODE and modENCODE projects including more than 67 billion gene sequence readouts to discover gene expression patterns shared by all three species, particularly for developmental genes.

Investigators showed that the ways in which DNA is packaged in the cell are similar in many respects, and, in many cases, the species share programs for turning on and off genes in a coordinated manner. More specifically, they used gene expression patterns to match the stages of worm and fly development and found sets of genes that parallel each other in their usage. They also found the genes specifically expressed in the worm and fly embryos are re-expressed in the fly pupae, the stage between larva and adult.

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Scientists looking across human, fly and worm genomes find shared biology

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

27-Aug-2014

Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center

Fruit flies and roundworms have long been used as model organisms to learn more about human biology and disease. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that although many aspects of regulatory networks are conserved among the three distantly related organisms, other differences have emerged over evolutionary time.

These differences may explain why, for example, worms slither, flies fly and humans walk on two legs, even though they all use the same basic genetic building blocks.

"We're trying to understand the basic principles that govern how genes are turned on and off," said Michael Snyder, PhD, professor and chair of genetics at Stanford. "The worm and the fly have been the premier model organisms in biology for decades, and have provided the foundation for much of what we've learned about human biology. If we can learn how the rules of gene expression evolved over time, we can apply that knowledge to better understand human biology and disease."

The research was conducted as part of a multi-institutional collaborative effort to understand more about how organisms control the expression of their genes to generate neurons, muscles, skin, blood and all of the other types of cells and tissues necessary for complex life all at the exactly the right time and place in the body.

The research is an extension of the ENCODE, or Encyclopedia of DNA Elements, project that was initiated in 2003. As part of the large collaborative project, which was sponsored by the National Human Genome Research Institute, researchers published more than 4 million regulatory elements found within the human genome in 2012. Known as binding sites, these regions of DNA serve as landing pads for proteins and other molecules known as regulatory factors that control when and how genes are used to make proteins.

The new effort, known as modENCODE, brings a similar analysis to key model organisms like the fly and the worm. Snyder is the senior author of two of four papers that will be published Aug. 28 in Nature describing some aspects of the modENCODE project, which has led to the publication, or upcoming publication, of more than 20 papers in a variety of journals.

Postdoctoral scholar Carlos Araya, PhD, is the lead author of one of the Stanford papers, which mapped the binding sites and cellular expression patterns of 92 regulatory factors in the laboratory roundworm C. elegans. Postdoctoral scholar Alan Boyle, PhD, shares lead authorship with Araya on the second paper, which compares the newly generated roundworm data with human and fruit fly regulatory factors to identify regions of similarity and difference among the organisms. Research associate Trupti Kawli, PhD, coordinated the research in the Snyder lab and is a co-author of both papers.

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Stanford researchers work to understand gene expression across organisms

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By Tom Abate, Stanford School of Engineering

A decade-long effort in genetic engineering is close to creating yeast that makes palliative medicines in stainless steel vats.

For centuries poppy plants have been grown to provide opium, the compound from which morphine and other important medicines such as oxycodone are derived.

Now bioengineers at Stanford have hacked the DNA of yeast, reprograming these simple cells to make opioid-based medicines via a sophisticated extension of the basic brewing process that makes beer.

Led by Associate Professor of Bioengineering Christina Smolke, the Stanford team has already spent a decade genetically engineering yeast cells to reproduce the biochemistry of poppies with the ultimate goal of producing opium-based medicines, from start to finish, in fermentation vats.

We are now very close to replicating the entire opioid production process in a way that eliminates the need to grow poppies, allowing us to reliably manufacture essential medicines while mitigating the potential for diversion to illegal use, said Smolke, who outlines her work in the August 24th edition of Nature Chemical Biology.

In the new report Smolke and her collaborators, Kate Thodey, a post-doctoral scholar in bioengineering, and Stephanie Galanie, a doctoral student in chemistry, detail how they added five genes from two different organisms to yeast cells. Three of these genes came from the poppy itself, and the others from a bacterium that lives on poppy plant stalks.

This multi-species gene mashup was required to turn yeast into cellular factories that replicate two, now-separate processes: how nature produces opium in poppies, and then how pharmacologists use chemical processes to further refine opium derivatives into modern opioid drugs such as hydrocodone.

From Plants to Pills Today

Plant-derived opium has been used and abused for centuries, but a good place to begin the modern story is with the use of morphine during World War II.

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Bioengineers Close To Creating Painkillers Without Using Opium From Poppies

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Medicine looks incredibly different than it did a century ago (which I think we can all say thank goodness for that). From new technology such as MRI scanners and antibiotics, to improvements in logistics, such as widespread immunization programs and organ-donation schemes, medicine seems to be constantly modernizing.

But for every revolution in medicine thats complete, there must be a dozen more that havent even started. Quick lab diagnostics are great now how do we make those affordable for clinics in rural Africa? Patients are gathering their own genetic and lifestyle data now how can doctors use that to improve their medical care?

Over the last couple of months here at Citizen Science Salon, weve featured ten different projects in the Exploring a Culture of Health series, brought to you by SciStarter, Discover, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. These projects aim to shake up medicine as we know it.

Some of those were directed at medical professionals. We asked nurses to share their on-the-job workarounds; we encouraged medical staff to imagine a better doctors office experience; and we solicited ideas for how charts and graphs could better communicate complex health ideas.

Other questions were posed to organizations, such as hospitals, governments and schools. We challenged orgs to think up ways to reuse wasted supplies, to ensure privacy for patient-supplied data, to improve their communitys overall health, and to provide support to kids whove faced childhood trauma.

Finally, the blogs posed questions to all of us as patients. Would you use a free online course to learn more about a health condition you or someone close to you had? Would you volunteer personal information to help scientists study a disease you have? Would you use an app to track your daily habits and report them to your doctor?

We live in an interesting time, where data is paramount and whole industries are built on its sharing. Our smart phones sync with wearable sleep-trackers and pedometers, and we can share that data socially. Wired clothing and smart contact lenses are in development to provide even more real-time vitals. These devices for the moment are for personal use, but someday doctors could, with your permission, also view these feeds and use them to help improve your health.

What are your ideas for how smart gadgets could make peoples lives healthier? Maybe a new app or a new device? Perhaps a reformed approach to medical charts that could integrate user-generated data? Maybe ways to use social networks to encourage healthier behaviors? Or maybe something we havent even thought of before now

We want to hear your ideas. Leave them in the comments below, or email them to editorial@discovermagazine.com. The most inspiring ideas will be featured in an upcoming print issue and may just bring about yet another exciting revolution in healthcare.

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Weigh In: What's the Next Revolution for Medicine?

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