Genetic engineering 3
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6 hours ago Figure 1:Synechocystis cyanobacteria could become factories of bioplastic production. Credit: Kiminori Toyooka, RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science

The production of plastics using biological systems such as bacteria could lead to the sustainable manufacture of biodegradable and biocompatible plastics using carbon from the atmosphere. So far, however, it has proved exceedingly difficult to increase the yields of bioplastics to industrially viable levels. Takashi Osanai, Masami Yokota Hirai and colleagues from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science have now engineered a cyanobacterium strain that produces triple the normal yield of the bioplastic polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB).

The species of cyanobacterium known as Synechocystis (Fig. 1) starts to produce PHB when nutrients such as nitrogen become scarce. This metabolic adaptation helps the cyanobacteria survive under low resource conditions. However, the organisms do not naturally produce sufficient yields of PHB for commercial applications.

To boost the levels of PHB produced by the organism, the research team created a strain of Synechocystis with higher than normal expression levels of Rre37, a regulatory protein known to be involved in sugar metabolism during times of nitrogen starvation. Genetic and metabolic analyses showed that Rre37 facilitates the conversion of glycogen, a sugar storage molecule, into PHB. "In Rre37, we found a novel regulator activating bioplastic production in cyanobacteria," says Osanai.

The same team previously identified another protein, SigE, involved in bioplastic production. Similar to the results with Rre37, the researchers found that overexpression of SigE, which contributes to the initiation of RNA synthesis, led to more PHB accumulation under nitrogen-limited conditions.

Their latest Synechocystis strain expressed elevated levels of both Rre37 and SigE. Gene expression analysis revealed that Rre37 and SigE each activate different pairs of genes involved in PHB biosynthesis. Extraction of PHB from the cyanobacteria showed that the bioplastic concentrations were even greater in the strain with bolstered Rre37 and SigE activity compared to those with only one overexpressed protein or in the unaltered 'wild-type' strain. "By the double overexpression of Rre37 and SigE, PHB levels increased by three times compared to the wild type," says Osanai. "However, even further increase in bioplastic production is required for commercial applications," he notes.

In addition to helping transform glycogen into PHB, the researchers documented an important new role played by Rre37 in nitrogen metabolism. Levels of aspartate, a type of amino acid, increased in the Rre37-overexpressing strain of Synechocystis. Compiled transcriptome and metabolome data point to a new metabolic cycle that is something of a hybrid between the well-known Kreb's and urea cycles, which describe common biochemical reactions in the body.

Explore further: Modifying one cell factor alters many others

More information: Osanai, T., Oikawa, A., Numata, K., Kuwahara, A., Iijima, H., Doi, Y., Saito, K. & Hirai, M. "Pathway-level acceleration of glycogen catabolism by response regulator Rre37 in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803." Plant Physiologyadvance online publication, 12 February 2014 (DOI: 10.1104/pp.113.232025). http://dx.doi.org/10.1104/pp.113.232025

Using a widely studied species of cyanobacterium, researchers from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Sciences have shown how difficult it is to alter the metabolism of a unicellular organism with ...

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Genetic engineering increases yield of biodegradable plastic from cyanobacteria

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In what is being called a major step forward in genetic engineering, scientists have built a customized copy of an entire yeast chromosome. Experts say it may lead to a better understanding of how the thousands of genes contained in these packages of genetic material work together in everything from yeast to humans. And it may make it easier to make designer yeast, creating living factories that churn out everything from antibiotics to biofuels.

GeneticistJef Boeke says it started with a coffee shop conversation with a colleague.

I mentioned casually to him that, of course we could make the yeast chromosome if we wanted to, but why on Earth would we want to do that? And he practically literally started jumping up and down with excitement when I told him that, he said.

So Boeke, the colleague, Srinivasan Chandrasegaran and a third partner, Joel Bader, spent the next year discussing how they could engineer the chromosome to make it worth the enormous investment of time and money it would take.

Working at Johns Hopkins University, they decided to create an artificial version of chromosome III, one of the smallest of yeasts 16 chromosomes. It carries about 100 genes. Boeke says scientists have studied it for years, adding It is the sentimental favorite of yeast geneticists.

Block by block

Boeke and his colleagues recreated their favorite chromosome, gene by gene, with synthetic chemical building blocks. They included molecular seams, so they could cut the chromosome apart, take some genes out, add others, rearrange them and stitch it back together in ways that would help them understand how different combinations of genes work together.

Since yeast genes are a lot like ours, Boeke says the research could lead to a better understanding of human genetics.

And perhaps most interesting of all, we think it will be useful for actually improving the strain under certain conditions of growth or production of some useful product, he said.

Different strains of yeast are already used to produce antibiotics, antimalarial drugs, vaccines, biofuels and much more. The ability to custom-tailor chromosomes could give the biotech industry a boost.

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Scientists Build Artificial Chromosome

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Genetics and the BAP1 Gene in Mesothelioma
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Genetics Part 5: DNA replication 1
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giffgaff Happenings: Hip Hop Genetics
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Genetics Movie
IB Biology recreates their own Magic School Bus moment.

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Genetics Movie - Video

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Attack of the B-team Ep.3 More Advanced Genetics
Join me as I dive into all the mods in Attack of the B-team! Server Address:abteambluestoneservers.com.

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Recently molecular diagnostic company Myriad Genetics Inc. ( MYGN ) entered into a companion diagnostics research collaboration with pharmaceutical major Tesaro, Inc. ( TSRO ). After the announcement on Mar 24, Myriad Genetics' shares went up 2.3% to close the trading session at $34.41. However, this bullish sentiment did not last, thanks to the biotech selloff at the end of last week. This was followed by additional speculation about a possible biotech bubble. Accordingly, the share price of Myriad Genetics, similar to many other players in this niche, dropped more than 4.8% yesterday.

This alliance marks Myriad Genetics' fifth such collaboration with a major pharmaceutical company based on its homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) test. Per the agreement, Tesaro will use this HRD test to evaluate and identify tumor types that may react to a PARP (poly-ADP ribose polymerase) inhibitor like niraparib, currenty in phase III for the treatment of ovarian and breast cancer. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

With an estimated market opportunity of $3 billion for the HRD test, management at Myriad Genetics is confident that the collaboration with Tesaro will seamlessly strengthen its foothold in the companion diagnostics market. While only a subset of patients respond to PARP inhibitors, the HRD test has established itself successfully as the most comprehensive test to identify these patients who are likely to respond to treatment.

According to Myriad Genetics, high HRD scores are predominant in all breast cancer subtypes and in most of the major cancer types. An earlier published data had revealed that the HRD test predicted drug response to platinum therapy in triple-negative breast cancer type.

Myriad Genetics is emerging as a strong player in the companion diagnostic market as evident from its strategic deals with several pharmaceutical majors.The company has PARP collaborations with majors like AstraZeneca plc ( AZN ) and AbbVie Inc. ( ABBV ) among others. We believe that these developments should augur well for the long-term development of the company. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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Myriad Genetics Inks HRD Alliance with Tesaro - Analyst Blog

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Disputing Evidence to Prove a Husband #39;s Innocence
Evidence tampering by the L.A. County Sheriff #39;s Department under Sheriff Lee Baca is discussed with wife of Dr. W. French Anderson (the #39;father of gene thera...

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Disputing Evidence to Prove a Husband's Innocence - Video

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BIO-Europe Spring 2014: Gene therapy and gene modified cell therapies
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9 John D. Dorchak M.D. - Spinal Treatments
CURRICULUM VITAE JOHN D. DORCHAK, M.D. Date and Place of Birth: April 17, 1959, Bloomington, Indiana Marital Status: Married POSITION Staff Physician - The H...

By: Global Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, Roatan, Honduras

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9 John D. Dorchak M.D. - Spinal Treatments - Video

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Reversing Autism in the Lab with help from Stem Cells and the Tooth Fairy
For more information about autism research funded by California #39;s Stem Cell Agency, visit our fact sheet: http://www.cirm.ca.gov/autism. People with autism h...

By: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

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Reversing Autism in the Lab with help from Stem Cells and the Tooth Fairy - Video

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Autism and Stem Cells: A Mom #39;s Perspective
Jen, a mother of 10 year-old Milo who has a severe form of autism describes the impact of the disorder on her family and shares her thoughts about stem cell ...

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Pioneers in Personalized Medicine
Who are the pioneers in advancing healthcare and personalized medicine? Who are we talking about?

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Employment Videos - Spinal Cord Injury
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The Power of Love and Healing
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Taylor Graham returns to active life after spinal cord injury
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How Regenerative Medicine is Changing the Way Wrinkles and Skin Quality are Improved
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The Alliance for the Advancement of Adult Stem Cell Therapy and Research hosted an awards luncheon for doctors and patients from around the world to recognize and honor their outstanding contributions and achievements in adult stem cell therapy. The Stem Cell Alliance event celebrated the revolutionary strides in the field of adult stem cell treatments for cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, spinal cord injuries and vascular diseases.

The Stem Cell Alliance event celebrated the revolutionary strides in the field of adult stem cell treatments for cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, spinal cord injuries and vascular diseases. Kelly Drouin of the Stem Cell Alliance, conferred awards to the Regenocyte medical team including Doctors Zannos Grekos, Hector Rosario, Eduardo Mejia and, in absentia, Victor Matos for their work and dedication in adult stem cell research and treatment.

These doctors are pioneers in clinical application of adult stem cell therapy and heroes to the many patients in attendance. Some of the patients had lost all hope after being told by their own doctors that they were out of options in the treatment of their disease, said Drouin.

The Stem Cell Alliance also recognized and awarded each of the attending patients for their courage and for leading the way for others to follow by undergoing adult stem cell treatment. Each patient spoke with heartfelt conviction; describing their prognosis and the life-saving benefits of the adult stem cell therapy they received.

Quality of life improvements measured by being able to independently transfer or dress yourself or walking without a cane, not needing an oxygen tank, or no longer requiring a defibrillator are priceless, stated Jonathan Fields, adult stem cell recipient and founder of the Jonathan Fields Save a Life Heal a Heart Foundation, dedicated to the advancement of adult stem cells for the treatment of heart disease.

The Alliance for the Advancement of Adult Stem Cell Therapy and Researchs mission is to educate the public on the process and the benefits of non-controversial adult stem cell therapy, to promote the use of adult stem cells in the research and treatment of life-altering diseases and, lastly, to provide financial assistance to those who medically qualify and cannot otherwise afford treatment.

Contact: Kelly Drouin The Alliance for the Advancement of Adult Stem Cell Therapy and Research Phone: (888)663-9974 Email: KellyDrouin@thestemcellalliance.org

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Pioneers in Adult Stem Cell Therapy Honored

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Fayetteville, Arkansas (PRWEB) March 26, 2014

CardioWise, Inc. and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have signed a Beta Site Agreement to serve as a clinical test site for CardioWise Multiparametric Strain Analysis (MPSA) Software. The CardioWise software will be used in clinical research protocol number 12-H-0078, sponsored by the NHLBI entitled, Preliminary Assessment of Direct Intra-Myocardial Injection of Autologous Bone Marrow-derived Stromal Cells on Patients Undergoing Revascularization for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) with Depressed Left Ventricular Function. The Principle Investigator is Pamela G. Robey, Ph.D., and Dr. Keith A. Horvath is the Cardiothoracic Surgeon on the clinical trial. Details of the study are available here: http://clinicalstudies.info.nih.gov/cgi/wais/bold032001.pl?A_12-H-0078.html@mesenchymal@@@@.

Bone marrow stromal stem cells (also known as mesenchymal stem cells) have been isolated and are found to make large amounts of growth factors. Because they make growth factors, these cells can help regrow tissue and encourage repair of damaged tissue. Tests on damaged heart muscle suggest that injecting these cells directly into damaged heart muscle can improve heart function. Researchers want to give stem cells to people who are having open-heart surgery to see if they can help to repair heart muscle damage. The objectives of the study are to test the safety and effectiveness of bone marrow stromal stem cell injections given during heart surgery to treat heart muscle damage. The CardioWise MPSA software will be used to help to determine the efficacy of the stem cell treatment.

The patients who enroll in the protocol will receive one baseline cardiac MRI (CMR) scan and 3 additional follow up CMR scans. Those CMR scans will be analyzed by CardioWise analysis software and the analyses will be compared to determine whether the stem cell injections can improve the contractile function of the heart muscle. Dr. Andrew E. Arai, Chief of the Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group in the NHLBIs Division of Intramural Research will be leading the analysis of the CMR images using the CardioWise MPSA software. Dr. Arai is Past President of the Society of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR), the leading international professional organization focused on CMR.

The CardioWise analysis software is uniquely capable of analyzing the three-dimensional motion of the heart that is acquired from cardiac MRI images and then comparing the analysis at 15,300 points to the motion of a normal heart model. The analysis detects portions of the heart that are moving abnormally and demonstrates to what degree the heart muscle has been affected. Since MRI uses no ionizing radiation or contrast, it is completely non-invasive and poses minimal risk to the patient. This allows the patient to be followed through the course of treatment and to measure outcomes of interventions such as the stem cell therapy. In the near future, CardioWise MPSA may aid doctors to determine what intervention, such as surgery, stent insertion, or drug is most appropriate for the patient who presents with cardiovascular disease symptoms.

CardioWise is commercializing patent-pending, non-invasive Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CMR) analysis software that produces a quantified 4D image model of the human heart, called Multiparametric Strain Analysis (MPSA). CardioWise heart analysis software combined with cardiac MRI is a single diagnostic test that is able to provide quantitative analysis of the myocardium, arteries and valves with an unprecedented level of detail. It has the opportunity to become the new gold standard of care for heart health analysis. CardioWise is a VIC Technology Venture Development portfolio company.

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CardioWise and the National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Complete Beta Site ...

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Ryan Manansala, 29, of San Joseis being treated in Houston for leukemia and awaiting a bone marrow transplant that may save his life. (Courtesy Quan Nguyen)

SAN JOSE -- Ryan Manansala spent much of his 29 years helping others, whether it was aiding autistic children or mentoring kids as a Big Brother. Now battling cancer, he's devoting his energy to promoting bone marrow drives that can help him and others find donor matches that can save their lives.

"Yeah, you could say I'm the poster boy right now," the 29-year-old San Jose resident said from a cancer center in Houston. "I personally don't like it, but there is an obligation to others. I don't want to see people have to wait and wait on the list and then die."

He learned two years ago he had acute myeloid leukemia, a form of blood cancer. He needs a bone-marrow transplant and he needs it now. Talking on his cellphone from the MD Anderson Cancer Center, Manansala said he was there for special chemotherapy treatment to buy him some time.

While a local bone marrow registration drive is named after him, Operation Save Ryan is not only for him. The drives will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Great Mall in Milpitas, on Saturday night at the San Jose Earthquakes soccer game in Santa Clara and on April 15 and 16 at UC Santa Cruz, his alma mater. Donors should be 18 to 44 years old.

"If they find a match for me, fine," Manansala said. "But it's really about getting more people to register for the benefit of everyone on the transplant list."

Not that his case can be pushed aside. Chemotherapy worked for him early, but then the leukemia came back with a vengeance. Along the way, the illness cost the Yerba Buena High graduate his job working with disabled children. Then his father lost his job. Although his mother continued to work, the Manansala family lost its house in East San Jose.

"It's been a roller coaster in the extreme," he said. But looking on the bright side, "My father losing his job allowed him to become my full-time caregiver."

For severely afflicted AML patients, bone marrow transplants are often the last hope. In the procedure, healthy stem cells from a compatible donor are inserted into the bone marrow of leukemia patients to create normal blood cells.

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A leukemia patient from San Jose becomes a reluctant crusader for bone marrow drives

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by Mark Carter on Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2014 1:49 pm

CardioWise CEO Jack Coats

CardioWise has partnered with federal agencies to provide its cardiac analysis software for a national clinical research study, the Fayetteville startup announced Wednesday.

The beta site agreement is with the National Institutes of Health and the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute. It will study the use of bone marrow stem cells during cardiac surgery to treat heart muscle dysfunction associated with ischemic heart disease or damage from heart attack, according to a news release.

Details of the study are available here. The study will be conducted at the NIH Heart Center at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Md. Suburban Hospital is a member of the Johns Hopkins Medicine system.

The software,Multiparametric Strain Analysis (MPSA), was developed to analyze the three-dimensional motion of the heart acquired from cardiac MRI images. It then compares the analysis to the motion of a normal heart model.

"The objectives of the study are to test the safety and effectiveness of bone marrow stromal stem cell injections given during heart surgery to treat heart muscle damage," said CardioWise CEO Jack Coats. "The CardioWise MPSA software will be used to help to determine the efficacy of the stem cell treatment."

Coats said the analysis detects portions of the heart that are moving abnormally and demonstrates to what degree the heart muscle has been affected.

"Since MRI uses no ionizing radiation or contrast, it is completely non-invasive and poses minimal risk to the patient," he said. "This allows the patient to be followed through the course of treatment and to measure outcomes of interventions such as the stem cell therapy. In the near future, CardioWise MPSA may aid doctors to determine what intervention, such as surgery, stent insertion or drug, is most appropriate for the patient who presents with cardiovascular disease symptoms."

CardioWise is a client firm of Innovate Arkansas and a portfolio company of VIC Technology Venture Development of Fayetteville.

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CardioWise Software Chosen for National Heart Study

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Paul Walker will undergo an eye procedure next week that could give him back simple pleasures such as working in the garden or leafing through a magazine.

The procedure, an experimental stem-cell treatment, has already restored some sight for two other central Ohioans and holds the same hope for Walker, a Bexley resident who is legally blind.

Are you kidding? was Walkers initial reaction when Susan Benes, a Columbus neuro-ophthalmologist, told him a few months ago that a clinical trial offered the promise of better vision.

The Stem Cell Ophthalmology Treatment Study is a federally approved trial being conducted at Retinal Associates, a medical practice near Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The study tests stem-cell treatment on people 18 and older with glaucoma, macular degeneration and various retinal disorders.

The trial, which began in August and is scheduled to run until 2017, can offer only anecdotal evidence of effectiveness at this point, said study director Steven Levy, a Connecticut doctor who is president of the consulting company MD Stem Cells.

Still, results have been encouraging in the 35 or so people treated to date.

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Stem-cell treatment may help those with severe vision problems

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

26-Mar-2014

Contact: Cathy Yarbrough press@genetics-gsa.org sciencematter@yahoo.com 858-243-1814 Genetics Society of America

Four years ago, University of Iowa scientists discovered that mutations in the prickle gene in Drosophila were responsible for much more than merely altering the bristles on the fly's body to point them in the wrong direction.

Prompted by a colleague's finding that PRICKLE gene mutations were responsible for triggering a form of epilepsy in humans, John Manak, Ph.D., who led the fly research team, took a closer look at the Drosophila prickle mutants. (PRICKLE refers to the human gene, while prickle is the Drosophila form of the gene.)

Through a series of experiments, Dr. Manak found that flies with prickle mutations had seizures with jerky movements of their wings and leg muscles that closely resembled the myoclonic form of epilepsy that affects patients with mutations in the human version of the gene. During myoclonic epileptic seizures, the patients' muscles involuntarily twitch and jerk.

In a 2011 paper about the discovery, the University of Iowa scientists also reported that valproic acid, the anti-convulsive drug, which has been used to effectively treat myoclonic epilepsy patients with PRICKLE gene mutations, also helped control seizures in the mutated flies. These findings suggested that the pathway responsible for seizures in flies and humans was conserved, and that flies with prickle mutations could now be used to screen new experimental therapeutic agents for this disorder. These experiments are now underway.

The scientists have continued to investigate Drosophila flies with the mutated prickle gene. They determined that the seizure threshold, the amount of electrical stimulation required to induce a seizure, was lower in flies with the prickle mutation than in the normal (control) Drosophila flies of the same age, demonstrating that these flies exhibited a classic characteristic of seizure susceptibility. In addition, muscle recordings after experimentally induced electric shock through the nervous system revealed that spiking activity, a measure of neuronal activity, was higher in the flies with the prickle mutations than in the control flies.

Using a technique that they developed for the study, the researchers also found that ataxia (or uncoordinated gait), which occurs in patients with myoclonic epilepsy, also occurs in flies with the prickle gene mutation. The ataxia was more severe in the Drosophila with two prickle gene mutations than in flies with one prickle gene mutated, suggesting that prickle dosage plays an important role in controlling seizures.

The University of Iowa researchers' most recent studies have identified the basic cellular mechanism that goes awry in the prickle mutant flies, leading to the epilepsy-like seizures, and these data will be presented at the GSA Drosophila Research Conference.

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Gene mutations in flies and humans produce similar epilepsy syndromes

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