Poway, California (PRWEB) May 22, 2014

Zeke was in pain from arthritis caused by an old injury and was facing possible surgery on both knees. Christine Ponsness-Wetzel, DVM, at Pend Oreille Veterinary Service determined that Zeke was a good candidate for stem cell therapy by Vet-Stem, Inc. as an alternative, and just a few months later, he now has a bounce back in his step.

Zeke is a 125-pound Leonberger who lives in Idaho and enjoys going on back country ski trips. Zekes hobbies came to a halt two years ago when he was diagnosed with a partial cruciate ligament tear. He had gone lame and two weeks of rest was recommended, but his owners did not see improvement. After a month of rest, x-rays revealed arthritis had developed in one of Zekes knees.

After a year of pain medications to control the discomfort and pain, Zeke started having more difficulties. He had a delayed ability to comfortably bend his leg, often needed help getting up from a laying position, and would whimper in pain. This time, x-rays would reveal arthritis in both knees. After a few months of increased pain medications and only mild improvement, Zekes owners opted for stem cell therapy with Dr. Ponsness-Wetzel.

Zeke was still quite active and happy, so the thought of double knee surgery and the long recovery time was not in my books, so we opted for stem cell therapy, Zekes owner explains. It has been four months since the stem cell injections (both knees and an IV dose) and Zeke has definitely improved. He no longer needs help getting up. He does not whimper in pain. His delay in bending his knee is non-existent, and his pain medication has been reduced by about 80%. Hikes are no longer sheer drudgery and he has a bounce in his step that I forgot existed.

Pend Oreille Veterinary Services celebrates its 50th anniversary in the Bonner County, providing basic health care services to small animals and reptiles, as well as cutting edge therapies such as acupuncture, laser, and stem cells. Pend Oreille Veterinary Services also offers boarding and grooming to the cities around their two locations in Ponderay and Bonners Ferry. To find out more about Pend Oreille Veterinary Service and Vet-Stem Cell Therapy with Dr. Ponsness-Wetzel, visit http://www.sandpointvets.com.

About Vet-Stem, Inc. Vet-Stem, Inc. was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the veterinary profession. The privately held company is working to develop therapies in veterinary medicine that apply regenerative technologies while utilizing the natural healing properties inherent in all animals. As the first company in the United States to provide an adipose-derived stem cell service to veterinarians for their patients, Vet-Stem, Inc. pioneered the use of regenerative stem cells in veterinary medicine. The company holds exclusive licenses to over 50 patents including world-wide veterinary rights for use of adipose derived stem cells. In the last decade over 10,000 animals have been treated using Vet-Stem, Inc.s services, and Vet-Stem is actively investigating stem cell therapy for immune-mediated and inflammatory disease, as well as organ disease and failure. For more on Vet-Stem, Inc. and Veterinary Regenerative Medicine visit http://www.vet-stem.com or call 858-748-2004.

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Stem Cell Therapy Provided by Pend Oreille Veterinary Service Helps Local Leonberger Get the Bounce Back in His Step ...

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Contributed By:

Dave Blanchard

OPB | May 22, 2014 12:06 p.m. | Updated: May 22, 2014 1:51 p.m.

An egg cell's nucleus is extracted by apipette.

OHSU

This March, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) created a new Center for Embryonic Cell and Gene Therapy. The facility will be focused in part on advancing the work of Shoukhrat Mitalipov, one of the worlds leading researchers on embryonic stem cells. Mitalipov has been working for years on two promising areas of stem cellscience.

The first research area is a gene therapy for women with diseases stored in DNA located in their mitochondria. Mitalipovs lab has developed a technique to extract the nucleus from a cell with damaged mitochondrial DNA, and implant it in a cell with healthy mitochondria. The process would allow most of the mothers DNA to be inherited by her child, without the risk of the mitochondrial diseases. Mitalipov hopes to begin clinical trials of the procedure, and the FDA is in the process of deciding whether to approve the technique soon. Some critics have ethical and medical concerns about creating an embryo with DNA from three differentpeople.

The second area, which has garnered even more attention, is the field of embryonic stem cell cloning. Last May, Mitalipovs lab became the first team to create human embryonic stem cells by cloning a breakthrough that was highlighted by Nature, Discover, Science, and National Geographic as one of the most significant science stories of the year. Now Miltalipovs lab is trying to figure out how to further that field ofresearch.

Well check in with Mitalipov to hear about his hopes for his areas of research, and where he thinks the future holds for stem cell science and genetherapy.

Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust

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OHSU Scientist Pushes Forward With Stem Cell Research

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-May-2014

Contact: Karin Eskenazi ket2116@cumc.columbia.edu 212-342-0508 Columbia University Medical Center

NEW YORK, NY (May 22, 2014) Researchers have discovered how a gene commonly linked to obesityFTOcontributes to weight gain. The study shows that variations in FTO indirectly affect the function of the primary cilium, a little-understood hair-like appendage on brain and other cells. Specific abnormalities of cilium molecules, in turn, increase body weight, in some instances, by affecting the function of receptors for leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite. The findings, made in mice, suggest that it might be possible to modify obesity through interventions that alter the function of the cilium, according to scientists at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC).

"If our findings are confirmed, they could explain how common genetic variants in the gene FTO affect human body weight and lead to obesity," said study leader Rudolph L. Leibel, MD, the Christopher J. Murphy Memorial Professor of Diabetes Research, professor of pediatrics and medicine, and co-director of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at CUMC. "The better we can understand the molecular machinery of obesity, the better we will be able to manipulate these mechanisms and help people lose weight."

The study was published on May 6 in the online edition of Cell Metabolism.

Since 2007, researchers have known that common variants in the fat mass and obesity-associated protein gene, also known as FTO, are strongly associated with increased body weight in adults. But it was not understood how alterations in FTO might contribute to obesity. "Studies have shown that knocking out FTO in mice doesn't necessarily lead to obesity, and not all humans with FTO variants are obese," said Dr. Leibel. "Something else is going on at this location that we were missing."

In experiments with mice, the CUMC team observed that as FTO expression increased or decreased, so did the expression of a nearby gene, RPGRIP1L. RPGRIP1L is known to play a role in regulating the primary cilium. "Aberrations in the cilium have been implicated in rare forms of obesity," said Dr. Leibel. "But it wasn't clear how this structure might be involved in garden-variety obesity."

Dr. Leibel and his colleague, George Stratigopoulos, PhD, associate research scientist, hypothesized that common FTO variations in noncoding regions of the gene do not change its primary function, which is to produce an enzyme that modifies DNA and RNA. Instead, they suspected that FTO variations indirectly affect the expression of RPGRIP1L. "When Dr. Stratigopoulos analyzed the sequence of FTO's intronits noncoding, or nonprotein-producing, portionwe found that it serves as a binding site for a protein called CUX1," said Dr. Leibel. "CUX1 is a transcription factor that modifies the expression of RPGRIP1L."

Next, Dr. Stratigopoulos set out to determine whether RPGRIP1L plays a role in obesity. He created mice lacking one of their two RPGRIP1L genes, in effect, reducing but not eliminating the gene's function. (Mice that lack both copies of the gene have several serious defects that would obscure the effects on food intake.) Mice with one copy of RPGRIP1L had a higher food intake, gained significantly more weight, and had a higher percentage of body fat than controls.

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Study shows how common obesity gene contributes to weight gain

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LW Genetic Engineering
This video is about Genetic engineering 2.

By: Liz Wigdahl

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LW Genetic Engineering - Video

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Court decision keeps NZ GE-free

A recent High Court decision is a victory for New Zealand consumers, farmers and foresters, says the Soil & Health Association. The High Court ruled against a decision by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) that two new plant breeding techniques were not genetic engineering techniques.

Soil & Health welcomes the court ruling. Without it New Zealand would have lost its status and international reputation as a producer of GE-free food and fibre.

If the EPAs decision had not been challenged and found wanting, plants bred using these GE techniques could have been planted in New Zealand without any public consultation or monitoring of their effects, said Marion Thomson, co-chair of Soil & Health.

There are other new techniques like this, and they must all be thoroughly and independently scrutinised and the precautionary principle applied. Otherwise, its an uncontrolled experiment that could have adverse effects for people, animals and the environment.

The High Court ruled that the EPA had misinterpreted the law and that it had failed to apply the precautionary principle.

Soil & Health is concerned about the ability of the EPA to protect our environment, says Thomson. We commend the Sustainability Council for challenging the EPAs decision, but we should not have to rely on not-for-profit watchdog organisations to protect our environment. That is the job of the EPA, and we urge them to apply the precautionary principle in any similar decisions in future.

Soil & Health has been informing its members and the public about genetic engineering for over 25 years. It has played a key role in advocating for a GE-free New Zealand for health, environmental, economic and other reasons. The New Zealand public, and our key markets, have consistently opposed genetic engineering in food and the environment.

ENDS

Scoop Media

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Court decision keeps NZ GE-free

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The Sims 3 | Perfect Genetics Challenge Part 4: Preggers
In this part, we get all dem woohooty woohoos going. Backstory: "Once upon a time, the Mighty Player sent a Sim to live in the world where all its creations were living happily. But this...

By: simplyapril

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The Sims 3 | Perfect Genetics Challenge Part 4: Preggers - Video

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) --Atossa Genetics (ATOS)stock surged on Thursday after the Board of Directors approved a poison pill provision. The adoption of the stockholder rights agreement is designed to deter "coercive, unfair, or inadequate takeovers and other abusive tactics," the company said in a statement.

The developer of breast health solutions said the agreement would not prevent takeovers at a full and fair price, but would encourage any potential acquirers to first negotiate with the Board.

STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.

Under the terms of the agreement, the rights agent will distribute to stockholders a dividend distribution of one preferred stock purchase right for each share of common stock held at the close of business May 26. Rights will be exercisable if a person becomes an "acquiring person" by acquiring ownership of 15% or more of common stock or if a person commences a tender which would result in that person becoming an "acquiring person."

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Why Atossa Genetics (ATOS) Stock Is Up Today

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Gene Therapy Cure Cancer
This is my final project for science subject at my school. I learning about biotechnology. My topic is about " How gene therapy can cure cancer?" and i have ...

By: della lathifah

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Gene Therapy Cure Cancer - Video

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Albany, New York (PRWEB) May 22, 2014

Gene therapy involves use of DNA as a pharmaceutical agent to treat diseases. It is one of the most important developments in the field of medicine that has potential to treat various lethal diseases such as HIV, cancer and cystic fibrosis. In the long run, biotechnology and clinical trial industries will benefit from developments in gene therapy and provide potential treatment solutions for various incurable diseases.

Browse the full report - http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/gene-therapy-market.html.

In the present scenario, various pharmaceutical companies are using clinical data to validate the concept of gene therapy. Moreover, many venture capital investors are also showing their interest in gene therapy, and are investing heavily in its development. However, gene therapy is highly dependent on the regulatory approvals and most of the products are currently in clinical trial phase. Most of these gene therapy products are for cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and are in Phase III/ Phase II of clinical trials.

In addition, growing popularity of DNA vaccines boost advances in gene therapy and is likely to be practiced in clinics in the near future, with a number of therapy programs now in phase II/III trials, showing promising results.

Get report sample - http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1838.

Some of the major players operating in the market are AnGes MG, BioSante Pharmaceuticals, GenVec, Genzyme Corporation, Oxford BioMedica, Transgene, Urigen Pharmaceuticals and Vical.

This research report analyzes this market depending on its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report include:

This report provides comprehensive analysis of:

This report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porters five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.

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Global Gene Therapy Market: Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 - 2019

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-May-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, May 22, 2014To make up for insufficient amounts of SMN protein, the cause of the inherited neuromuscular disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), researchers have successfully delivered a replacement SMN1 gene directly to the spinal cords of animal models of SMA. A new study demonstrating that enough copies of the SMN1 gene can be delivered to the spinal cord motor neurons to extend the survival of the treated animals is published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Human Gene Therapy website.

Marco Passini and coauthors from Genzyme (Framingham, MA), University of California San Francisco, Emory University School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA), and Georgetown University Medical Center (Washington, DC) used an adeno-associated viral vector as the delivery vehicle to transport copies of the SMN1 gene into motor neurons in the spinal cord via intrathecal delivery. They report on the effectiveness of restoring the levels of functional SMN protein in normal pig and non-human primate SMA models that would predict efficacy based on gene transfer with the same vector in an authentic mouse model of SMA in the article "Translational Fidelity of Intrathecal Delivery of Self-Complementary AAV9Survival Motor Neuron 1 for Spinal Muscular Atrophy."

"This is a very promising and thorough set of preclinical studies that supports rapid translation to the clinic," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

###

About the Journal

Human Gene Therapy, the official journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its sister journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly, focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of content for all three publications and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website.

About the Publisher

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Gene therapy extends survival in an animal model of spinal muscular atrophy

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8th Annual Chair-Leader Event - Part 2
On May 7th, 2014 Members of Parliament representing all political parties cam together to participate in the 8th annual Chair-Leaders Campaign to raise awareness regarding accessibility barriers....

By: Spinal Cord Injury Canada TV

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8th Annual Chair-Leader Event - Part 2 - Video

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BEIRUT: Fat removal and a non-surgical facelift at the same time might sound like a two-for-one offer too good to be true. But that is a pretty common combination at the Innovi Stem Cell Therapy Clinic, where doctors extract stem cells from the bodys fat to do any number of cosmetic cleanups, from scar removal to diminishing fine lines and wrinkles.

The clinic opened five months ago in the Beirut neighborhood of Sodeco, bringing Lebanon its first specialized center in stem cell research.

Around the world at any given medical conference, from fields as diverse as orthopedics to dentistry, stem cells have become one of the main events, as researchers believe these undifferentiated cells hold the cure to some of the gravest human diseases: cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, to name a few.

In a country like Lebanon, stem cell specialists figured the best way to support their research was to offer one of the most in-demand medical procedures: cosmetic surgery.

Walking through the halls of the elegant, albeit quaint, clinic, one will see top-of-the-line fat freezing technology, equipment for laser hair removal and facilities where doctors carry out medical face peels and stretch mark treatment.

They also offer Ozone therapy, which uses pure oxygen that can supposedly alleviate a range of maladies from skin disorders and premature aging to chronic pain.

But we are not a beauty clinic, said one of the doctors, who asked not to be identified due to Lebanons strict medical advertising laws.

These cosmetic procedures complement their work in stem cells, a far less understood and rapidly evolving area of medicine. Innovi, for example, has built the Middle Easts only stem cell bank, where up to 19,000 vials can be frozen and preserved with liquid nitrogen. The closet housing the bank, which looks like an enormous washing machine, now holds the stem cells of a modest 10 clients.

The clinic has become a hub for various stem cells research. Doctors have visited from Europe and a Syrian doctor is now working with a couple to try and grow sperm from the stem cells of a man with aspermia.

But cosmetic treatments and stem cells go well together as doctors have been using fat-derived cells, also called adipose stem cells, as a Botox-like filler for almost a decade.

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A brave new world: Stem cell therapy in Lebanon

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ALAMEDA -- Ten-year-old Myla Cunanan, a fourth-grader at Ruby Bridges Elementary School in Alameda, has been in Kaiser Oakland since March 24, undergoing her second round of chemotherapy for myeloid sarcoma, a form of acute myeloid leukemia.

Ruby Bridges Elementary hosted a "Myla Needs a Match" bone marrow donor registration drive Saturday that was attended by school parents, Myla's classmates, Kaiser Oakland staff, volunteers from the Asian-American Donor Program (AADP), congregants from the Church of Christ in Alameda, which Myla's family attends, the Alameda Police Department and many others. By day's end, 97 adults had registered to donate bone marrow.

"She's in good spirits; she's very brave," said Myla's mother, Leyna Cunanan, whose daughter was diagnosed with the disease in March. "She needs a bone-marrow transplant in order to survive."

Myla's cousin, 13-year-old Kaitlyn Francisco, who attends Lincoln Middle School, welcomed visitors as they arrived at the bone marrow drive.

"I want to work hard in order for my cousin to get better," Kaitlyn said. "Myla is very sweet, funny and considerate. We visit her every Sunday. Sometimes she's very cheerful, and sometimes she's weak and tired. When we visit her, she always tries to be active."

Myla's sister, Marielle, 13, and her brother, Matthew, 15, also welcomed visitors to the bone marrow drive, standing outside the school where dozens of purple balloons danced in the wind.

"She's really playful and talkative," said Marielle of her little sister. "I want to help find a match for my sister so she can heal."

Myla's aunt, Sarlea Atizado, described her niece as "a very sweet, caring and God-fearing child."

"She has a strong faith in God and does so many selfless acts," Atizado said. "Even in times of sickness, she worries about other people, especially her loved ones. One of her prayers was, 'God, please heal me so that my loved ones will not worry about me, especially my grandmother.' Myla has not only given us the opportunity to take care and pray for her, but has made our family even stronger despite this ordeal. God has a purpose for everything."

Myla is of Filipino descent, which makes it more difficult to find a bone marrow match, according to AADP volunteer Jaydeep Pathak, who explained bone marrow donation procedures to potential donors at the event.

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Alameda: Girl, 10, needs bone marrow donor

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20 hours ago These are mature nerve cells generated from human cells using enhanced transcription factors. Credit: Fahad Ali

A new method of generating mature nerve cells from skin cells could greatly enhance understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, and could accelerate the development of new drugs and stem cell-based regenerative medicine.

The nerve cells generated by this new method show the same functional characteristics as the mature cells found in the body, making them much better models for the study of age-related diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and for the testing of new drugs.

Eventually, the technique could also be used to generate mature nerve cells for transplantation into patients with a range of neurodegenerative diseases.

By studying how nerves form in developing tadpoles, researchers from the University of Cambridge were able to identify ways to speed up the cellular processes by which human nerve cells mature. The findings are reported in the May 27th edition of the journal Development.

Stem cells are our master cells, which can develop into almost any cell type within the body. Within a stem cell, there are mechanisms that tell it when to divide, and when to stop dividing and transform into another cell type, a process known as cell differentiation. Several years ago, researchers determined that a group of proteins known as transcription factors, which are found in many tissues throughout the body, regulate both mechanisms.

More recently, it was found that by adding these proteins to skin cells, they can be reprogrammed to form other cell types, including nerve cells. These cells are known as induced neurons, or iN cells. However, this method generates a low number of cells, and those that are produced are not fully functional, which is a requirement in order to be useful models of disease: for example, cortical neurons for stroke, or motor neurons for motor neuron disease.

In addition, for age-related diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, both of which affect millions worldwide, mature nerve cells which show the same characteristics as those found in the body are crucial in order to enhance understanding of the disease and ultimately determine the best way to treat it.

"When you reprogramme cells, you're essentially converting them from one form to another but often the cells you end up with look like they come from embryos rather than looking and acting like more mature adult cells," said Dr Anna Philpott of the Department of Oncology, who led the research. "In order to increase our understanding of diseases like Alzheimer's, we need to be able to work with cells that look and behave like those you would see in older individuals who have developed the disease, so producing more 'adult' cells after reprogramming is really important."

By manipulating the signals which transcription factors send to the cells, Dr Philpott and her collaborators were able to promote cell differentiation and maturation, even in the presence of conflicting signals that were directing the cell to continue dividing.

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Functional nerve cells from skin cells

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By Randy Dotinga HealthDay Reporter

(HealthDay News) -- New research pinpoints 11 gene variations that appear to be linked to a higher risk of alcoholism.

However, their impact seems to be small in individuals, and the findings may be too limited to be immediately useful in terms of prevention or treatment, an expert said.

Still, the results could provide more insight into the mysterious role that genes play in determining why some people drink and don't get addicted while others become alcoholics, the researchers said.

It may be possible someday for young people to take a blood test and learn if they're susceptible to alcoholism, said study co-author Dr. Alexander Niculescu III, an associate professor of psychiatry and medical neuroscience at Indiana University School of Medicine.

"Genes are not destiny, but knowing your genetic risk profile can empower you to make smart lifestyle choices," such as avoiding alcohol, he said.

According to the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, research suggests that genetics account for about half the risk that someone will become an alcoholic. Environment is responsible for the rest.

Scientists know about one genetic trait that makes some Asians ill when they drink, making it less likely that they'll abuse alcohol. But what about other genes that affect alcoholism?

In the new study, Niculescu and his colleagues linked 11 genetic variations to alcoholism after exploring genetic data from human and animal studies. It's not clear how the traits influence the risk of alcoholism, Niculescu said, but he thinks they may have something to do with the part of your brain that tells you that you feel good.

The researchers came up with a "genetic risk score" based on how many of the variations a person had. The investigators determined that the average person had a score of 47 out of 100, while 75 percent of those with scores above 48 were alcoholics.

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Scientists find more genes tied to alcoholism risk

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May 21, 2014

Scientists have identified a promising candidate gene that encodes resistance to a root rot disease that severely diminishes chili pepper crop yields. (UC Davis photo)

For more than a century, the global hot pepper industry has been dealing with a problem. A funguslike pathogen, known as Phytophthora capsici, has spread a root rot disease that severely diminishes crop yields. Despite highly adaptive management practices and the availability of wild pepper varieties that have evolved resistance, the pathogen continues to thrive.

Now, scientists from the University of California, Davis, have identified a promising candidate gene that encodes resistance to P. capsici in peppers. The work is published this month in the journal The Plant Genome, available on line at http://bit.ly/1ocomlF.

Under the direction of plant scientist Allen Van Deynze, the director of research at UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center, doctoral candidate Zeb Rehrig had begun the project by screening 31,000 genes in a population of pathogen-resistant chili peppers and jalapeos a number far surpassing the standard 1,000 genes screened in this type of test. This allowed the researchers to build a high-density genetic map of 3,600 genes.

They then tested their findings by introducing the peppers to P. capsici samples collected from across Mexico, New Mexico, New Jersey, California, Michigan and Tennessee. Analyses incorporating the pepper genome, from a study Van Deynze recently co-authored, ultimately led them to the P5 chromosome and to the gene related to resistance, CaDMR1.

While breeders have long known of a resistant pepper gene in the area of this chromosome, no one has been able to zero in on it the way the UC Davis team has, Van Deynze said.

The goal of when you get the gene is of course that you can have the perfect marker, he explained, which theoretically should be useful in really any population you test it in.

The new DNA markers will pave the way for breeders to selectively target the exact gene and turn on the resistance mechanism, giving an industry worth $29.1 billion worldwide a much-needed new tool in the battle over root rot.

This paper is the first chance to show all the work Ive been doing these last couple of years, said Rehrig. Its showing things you can apply directly to breeding right away.

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Gene discovery may halt a deep-rooted pepper disease

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Locals Radio-Dr Thierry Vrain-Genetic Engineer speaks on the horrors of GMO #39;s and Roundup
Dr. Thierry Vrain, former genetic engineer and soil biologist with Agriculture Canada, spoke with us today about his concerns with genetically engineered crops (GMOs) and more importantly,...

By: Kevin Proteau

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Locals Radio-Dr Thierry Vrain-Genetic Engineer speaks on the horrors of GMO's and Roundup - Video

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Genetic Engineering And Cloning

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Genetic Engineering And Cloning - Video

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PHILADELPHIA The Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation will fund three new initiatives in the second round of its Innovation Grant Program. The program encourages Penn employees and students to submit their ideas for advancing health and health care delivery. Winners receive funding and support from the Center for Health Care Innovation to facilitate the rapid translation of ideas into action and measurable outcomes over six months.

Fifty-six different ideas were submitted for review this spring. The winners include a cloud-based platform for ICU EEG monitoring and visualization of test results, a telemedicine effort to improve access to genetic testing and counseling services, and technology to improve prenatal services. Each winner will receive design support and between $5,000 and $75,000 in funding to further develop and test their idea.

The innovation grant program allows us to help thought leaders across Penn Medicine accelerate programs and practices with the potential to make a meaningful difference in health care delivery, said David Asch, MD, MBA, professor of medicine and executive director of the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation. We were excited by the level of interest from our colleagues, and we are eager to begin work in June.

Cloud-based platform for ICU EEG monitoring and visualizing results A team led by Brian Litt, MD, a professor in Neurology & Bioengineering, will build an automated, cloud-based platform for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) electroencephalogram (EEG) interpretation. Patients are monitored continuously with EEGs in ICUs worldwide. Recent studies show a large percentage of ICU patients have seizures, brain ischemia, encephalopathy, or other conditions that can be detected early on an EEG, allowing therapy to be initiated promptly.

However, continuous long-term EEG monitoring currently presents two major problems: it must be interpreted manually by physicians, delaying the delivery of results to the caregivers, and those caregivers rely on written reports from these studies, thus inhibiting the ability to view trends over time or forecast when a patients condition may deteriorate. The project aims to build an automated, cloud-based system for interpreting long-term ICU EEG data to speed response to changes in patients conditions and improve patient outcomes.

Telemedicine to improve access to genetic services Angela R. Bradbury, MD, an assistant professor of Hematology-Oncology in the Abramson Cancer Center, will use telemedicine to increase access to genetic testing and counseling services.

Genetic testing for cancer susceptibility is now an essential component of oncology care, increasing the need for genetic counseling specialists to assist in care of patients and their families. Testing is typically available only at large, academic facilities, leaving many providers and patients without access to genetic counseling locally. Genetic testing should always be conducted in conjunction with proper pre- and post- test counseling to contextualize the test and outline what the results may mean. As genomic applications in oncology expand, the demand for genetic expertise will increase and gaps in delivery will worsen. Through an NIH study, Bradbury and her team showed telemedicine can be an effective way to expand genetic services to populations with limited or no access to care. The new project seeks to transition the teams research-supported telemedicine program to a sustainable clinical model.

Technology to Improve Prenatal Services Spearheaded by Ian Bennett, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Family Medicine & Community Health, this initiative uses text messages to engage and educate patients, enabling early interventions to reduce poor pregnancy outcomes.

Low income women have high rates of poor pregnancy outcomes, including low birth weight, preterm birth, and preeclampsia. While signs of these conditions and associated risk factors can be identified in the course of prenatal care and targeted by interventions, the effectiveness of prenatal visits can be limited by patient literacy and engagement, as well as limited time to educate them. Delays in the identification of these disorders can result in poor perinatal outcomes.

Penn Medicines Helen O. Dickens Center for Women serves more than 3,000 low income patients each year, primarily African American women who are at increased risk for these outcomes. The project will create an application to deliver information regarding signs and symptoms of adverse pregnancy conditions to at risk women via text message. Fundamental to this project is the belief that an informed and engaged patient will increase the effectiveness of monitoring for pregnancy disorders.

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Penn Medicine's Innovation Grant Program Announces Second Round Winners

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Illlustration by Vasava

Douglass Turnbull spends much of his time seeing patients who have untreatable, often fatal, diseases. But the neurologist has rarely felt more helpless than when he met Sharon Bernardi and her young son Edward.

Bernardi had lost three children within hours of birth, owing to a mysterious build-up of acid in their blood. So it was a huge relief when Edward seemed to develop normally. He did all his milestones: he sat up, he crawled and started to walk at 14 months, Bernardi recalls. But when he was about two years old, he began to fall over after taking a few steps; he eventually started having seizures. In 1994, when Edward was four, he was diagnosed with Leigh's disease, a condition that affects the central nervous system. Doctors told Sharon that her son would be lucky to reach his fifth birthday.

Turnbull, who works at Newcastle University, UK, remembers despairing that whatever we do, we're never going to be able to help families like that. His frustration sparked a quest to develop assisted-reproduction techniques to prevent disorders such as Leigh's disease, which are caused when children inherit devastating mutations in their mitochondria, the cell's energy-making structures.

The procedures sometimes called three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF) involve transferring nuclear genetic material from the egg of a woman with mutant mitochondria into another woman's healthy egg. Turnbull and others have tested the techniques in mice, monkeys and human egg cells in culture; now, they say, it is time to try them in people. The UK Parliament is set to vote on the issue later this year; if legislation passes, the country would be the first to allow this kind of genetic modification of unborn children.

Ewen Callaway talks to researchers and a patient about the techniques that replace faulty DNA in egg cells

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But some scientists have raised concerns over the safety of the procedures, and an increasingly vocal coalition of activists, ethicists and politicians argues that a 'yes' vote will lead down a slippery slope to designer babies. US regulators and scientists are closely watching the debate as they consider allowing similar procedures. I admire what they've done in Britain, says Dieter Egli, a stem-cell scientist at the New York Stem Cell Foundation, a non-profit research institute. I think they are far ahead in discussion of this, compared to the US.

The mitochondrion, according to one popular theory, was once a free-living bacterium that became trapped in a host cell, where it boosted the cell's capacity to generate the energy-carrying molecule ATP. As a result, each mitochondrion has its own genome but it no longer has all the genes it needs to function independently (the human mitochondrial genome, for example, has a paltry 37 genes).

Unlike the genome in the cell nucleus, which includes chromosomes from both parents, all of a person's mitochondria derive from the thousands contained in the mother's egg. For reasons still being studied, the mitochondrial genome is much less stable than the nuclear genome, accruing random DNA mutations about 1,000 times faster. As many as 1 in 5,000 children are born with diseases caused by these mutations, which affect power-hungry cells such as those in the brain and muscles. The severity of the conditions depends on the proportion of diseased mitochondria a mother passes on to her children.

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In one of the biggest advances against leukemia and other blood cancers in many years, doctors are reporting unprecedented success by using gene therapy to transform patients blood cells into soldiers that seek and destroy cancer.

A few patients with one type of leukemia were given this one-time, experimental therapy several years ago, and some remain cancer-free today. Now, at least six research groups have treated more than 120 patients with many types of blood and bone marrow cancers, with stunning results.

Its really exciting, said Dr. Janis Abkowitz, blood diseases chief at the University of Washington in Seattle and president of the American Society of Hematology. You can take a cell that belongs to a patient and engineer it to be an attack cell.

In one study, all five adults and 19 of 22 children with acute lymphocytic leukemia, commonly known as ALL, had a complete remission, meaning no cancer could be found after treatment, although a few have relapsed since then.

These were gravely ill patients out of options. Some had tried multiple bone marrow transplants and up to 10 types of chemotherapy or other treatments.

Cancer was so advanced in Emily Whitehead, now 8, of Philipsburg, Pa., that doctors said her major organs would fail within days. She was the first child given the gene therapy; now almost two years later, she shows no sign of cancer.

The regimen also can be used to treat myeloma, lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, commonly known as CLL.

This has the potential to become the first gene therapy approved in the United States and the first for cancer worldwide, doctors said. Only one gene therapy is approved in Europe, for a rare metabolic disease.

The treatment involves filtering patients blood to remove millions of white blood cells called T-cells, altering them in the lab to contain a gene that targets cancer, and returning them to the patient in infusions over three days.

What we are giving essentially is a living drug permanently altered cells that multiply in the body into an army to fight the cancer, said Dr. David Porter, a University of Pennsylvania scientist who led one study.

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Gene therapy hits blood cancers hard

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

21-May-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, May 21, 2014A targeted gene silencing strategy blocks production of the dysfunctional huntingtin (Htt) protein, the cause of Huntington's disease, a fatal, inherited neurodegenerative disorder. The effectiveness of this RNA interference (RNAi) approach in reducing levels of mutant Htt protein and disease symptoms in a mouse model of the disease is described in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Human Gene Therapy website.

Lisa Stanek and coauthors from Genzyme (Framingham, MA) used an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector to deliver a targeted nucleic acid sequence called a small interfering RNA (siRNA) into the cells of affected mice. The siRNA selectively binds to the mutated gene, blocking disease-causing Htt production. The authors present data demonstrating the ability to deliver the therapeutic RNAi into the cells, reduce mutant Htt levels, and impact behavioral deficits in the mice without causing any noticeable neurotoxicity, in their article "Silencing Mutant Huntingtin by Adeno-Associated Virus-Mediated RNA Interference Ameliorates Disease Manifestations in the YAC128 Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease."

"The Genzyme group uses state-of-the-art delivery technology and a gene silencing approach to generate very promising preclinical data for Huntington's disease," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

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About the Journal

Human Gene Therapy, the official journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its sister journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly, focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of content for all three publications and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website.

About the Publisher

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