PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

21-Jan-2014

Contact: Karen Teber km463@georgetown.edu Georgetown University Medical Center

WASHINGTON Genetic counseling delivered over the telephone is as effective as face-to-face counseling, finds the largest randomized study to date comparing the two methods. The multi-center study, led by researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, was reported today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The landscape of genetic testing has broadened to include a range of diseases, and demand for testing and counseling has greatly increased because of direct-to-consumer marketing, says the study's lead investigator, Marc Schwartz, PhD, co-leader of Georgetown Lombardi's Cancer Prevention and Control Program.

"It's important that all people interested in testing have access to thorough information so they can consider the implications of test results and interpret them in the context of family history," says Schwartz, who is also co-leader of the Fisher Center for Familial Cancer Research at Georgetown. "Counseling on the phone reduces costs and expands genetic counseling and testing access to rural areas, where counseling isn't always available."

While this study was conducted with women considering testing for mutations in the breast or ovarian cancer genes BRCA1 and/or BRCA2, the findings "may extend to genetic counseling for other hereditary cancers and complex conditions in adults such as heart disease," says co-author Beth N. Peshkin, MS, CGC, a professor of oncology and senior genetic counselor at Georgetown Lombardi.

Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Vermont Cancer Center, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Huntsman Cancer Institute participated in this study, which randomized 669 women to receive telephone or in-person genetic counseling. However, of women approached about participating in the study, about one-third declined because they did not want to receive phone counseling.

"In-person conversations can be intimidating and there's a lot to process," says Angela Smith, of Burlington, Vermont, who participated in study.

Smith's counseling for BRCA mutation testing was done via telephone. She says talking to a genetic counselor from home was comfortable. "I'm a bit introverted so for me, talking about something so personal was easier with the 'protection' of the phone."

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Genetic counseling via telephone as effective as in-person counseling

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Paw Print Genetics sponsors MyFoxSpokane Happy Tales pet adoption program
Paw Print Genetics is a proud sponsor of MyFox Spokane #39;s Happy Tales pet adoption program. Tune into Fox28 Spokane to learn more about your furry friends and...

By: Paw Print Genetics

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Paw Print Genetics sponsors MyFoxSpokane Happy Tales pet adoption program - Video

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Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury 2014

By: Kate Evans

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Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury 2014 - Video

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Scientists at the University of Illinois have created a minuscule swimming machine, just under eight-one-hundredth of an inch (1.95 mm), thats powered by beating heart muscle cells. Details of their invention, which might someday have medical applications for precision-targeting medication and micro-surgery inside the body, was published in the January 17, 2014 issue of the journal Nature Communications.

Professor Taher Saif, of the University of Illinois, leads the team that created what they call a tiny bio-hybrid machine or bio-bot. He said, in a press release:

Micro-organisms have a whole world that we only glimpse through the microscope. This is the first time that an engineered system has reached this underworld.

The bio-bot has a flagella-shaped body, that is, a cell with a long tail, like a sperm cell. The machine body is made from a flexible polymer thats coated with a substance called fibronectin, which provides an attachment surface for cardiac cells cultured on the bots head and tail. In a yet-to-be understood phenomenon, the heart cells communicate, align with each other, and synchronize their contraction-relaxation beat to move the machines tail. This motion creates waves in the fluid that propels the bot forward.

The scientists also created a faster-swimming bio-bot model with two tails. They think that a bio-bot with several tails could even be used to steer towards specific locations. This could give rise to tiny machine deployed to work on a microscopic scale. Saif commented:

The long-term vision is simple. Could we make elementary structures and seed them with stem cells that would differentiate into smart structures to deliver drugs, perform minimally invasive surgery or target cancer?

Bottom-line: University of Illinois scientists have created a microscopic swimming bio-bot thats powered by beating cardiac muscle cells. The tiny machine, measuring just under eight-one-hundredth of an inch (1.95 mm), may someday be adapted for medical applications inside the body. The journal Nature Communications published details of this research on January 17, 2014.

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Tiny machines that swim using heart muscle cells

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

20-Jan-2014

Contact: Laura Newman laura.newman@mountsinai.org 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine

New York, NYResearchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a new molecular mechanism by which cocaine alters the brain's reward circuits and causes addiction. Published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Dr. Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, and colleagues, the preclinical research reveals how an abundant enzyme and synaptic gene affect a key reward circuit in the brain, changing the ways genes are expressed in the nucleus accumbens. The DNA itself does not change, but its "mark" activates or represses certain genes encoding synaptic proteins within the DNA. The marks indicate epigenetic changeschanges made by enzymesthat alter the activity of the nucleus accumbens.

In a mouse model, the research team found that chronic cocaine administration increased levels of an enzyme called PARP-1 or poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation polymerase-1. This increase in PARP-1 leads to an increase in its PAR marks at genes in the nucleus accumbens, contributing to long-term cocaine addiction. Although this is the first time PARP-1 has been linked to cocaine addiction, PARP-1 has been under investigation for cancer treatment.

"This discovery provides new leads for the development of anti-addiction medications," said the study's senior author, Eric Nestler, MD, PhD, Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Friedman Brain Institute, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Dr. Nestler said that the research team is using PARP to identify other proteins regulated by cocaine. PARP inhibitors may also prove valuable in changing cocaine's addictive power.

Kimberly Scobie, PhD, the lead investigator and postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Nestler's laboratory, underscored the value of implicating PARP-1 in mediating the brain's reward center. "It is striking that changing the level of PARP-1 alone is sufficient to influence the rewarding effects of cocaine," she said.

Next, the investigators used chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing to identify which genes are altered through the epigenetic changes induced by PARP-1. One target gene whose expression changed after chronic cocaine use was sidekick-1, a cell adhesion molecule concentrated at synapses that directs synaptic connections. Sidekick-1 has not been studied to date in the brain, nor has it been studied in relation to cocaine exposure. Using viral mediated gene transfer to overexpress sidekick-1 in the nucleus accumbens, investigators saw that this overexpression alone not only increased the rewarding effects of cocaine, but it also induced changes in the morphology and synaptic connections of neurons in this brain reward region.

The research opens the door to a brand new direction for therapeutics to treat cocaine addiction. Effective drug therapies are urgently needed. National data from the US National Institute of Drug Abuse reveal that nearly 1.4 million Americans meet criteria for dependence or abuse of cocaine.

###

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Mount Sinai researchers find promising new drug targets for cocaine addiction

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Genetic Engineering Project
Science Project.

By: Jackie Tiongco

Excerpt from:
Genetic Engineering Project - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

San Jose, California (PRWEB) January 20, 2014

Follow us on LinkedIn Designer babies are defined as babies with artificial genetic makeup selected through a combination of genetic engineering and in vitro fertilization to confirm inclusion or exclusion of specific traits. The term Designer Babies is not a scientific term, but is used by journalists and highlights the fact that parents could choose specific characteristics of their unborn child including physical appearance, character and sex. Advancements in genetic engineering and in vitro fertilization approaches, coupled with the need to lower the occurrence of genetic disorders in offspring, are driving interest in the concept of designer babies. Ethical issues related to commodification of children and genetic manipulation in human offspring, are however projected to present regulatory challenges in the advancement and commercialization of the concept of designer babies in the coming years.

The trend report titled Designer Babies announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., is a focused research paper which provides cursory insights into the technology concept, its evolution, and future prospects. A part of GIAs new series of short research briefs on emerging technologies, this trend report highlights key enabling technologies including the development of Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).

For more details about this trend report, please visit http://www.strategyr.com/TrendReport.asp?code=141062

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a leading publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide. Annually, GIA publishes more than 1300 full-scale research reports and analyzes 40,000+ market and technology trends while monitoring more than 126,000 Companies worldwide. Serving over 9500 clients in 27 countries, GIA is recognized today, as one of the world's largest and reputed market research firms.

Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Telephone: 408-528-9966 Fax: 408-528-9977 Email: press(at)StrategyR(dot)com Web Site: http://www.StrategyR.com/

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Advancements in Genetic Engineering to Modify Embryos Spur the Concept of Designer Babies, According to a New Trend ...

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San Jose, CA (PRWEB) January 20, 2014

Follow us on LinkedIn Genes can be defined as the basic molecular units of heredity in a living organism, holding information on creating and maintaining the cells of an organism and passing genetic traits to its offspring. Radio controlled genes refers to remotely activating genes inside the human body through the use of electromagnetic waves to guide the movement of nanoparticles injected inside the body. As the next frontier of medical science, radio controlled genes is attracting immense R&D interest and investment, given its potential to offer non-invasive and non-pharmacological treatment possibilities. Using radio waves to control gene expression has the advantage of being safe as radio waves, unlike electrical waves, do not damage tissues. Advancements in nanobiotechnology and development of antibody coated metal nanoparticles as carriers to absorb radio frequency energy are expected to help drive growth in the market. Currently, being researched is the possibility of using radiowaves to induce insulin-gene expression and activate insulin production in the body to treat diabetes.

The trend report titled Radio-Controlled Genes announced by Global Industry Analysts Inc., is a focused research paper which provides cursory insights into the technology, its applications, and future prospects.

For more details about this trend report, please visit http://www.strategyr.com/TrendReport.asp?code=141011.

About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.

Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a leading publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide. Annually, GIA publishes more than 1300 full-scale research reports and analyzes 40,000+ market and technology trends while monitoring more than 126,000 Companies worldwide. Serving over 9500 clients in 27 countries, GIA is recognized today, as one of the world's largest and reputed market research firms.

Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Telephone: 408-528-9966 Fax: 408-528-9977 Email: press(at)StrategyR(dot)com Web Site: http://www.StrategyR.com/

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Developments in Nanobiotechnology Drive the Market for Radio-Controlled Genes, According to a New Trend Report ...

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How to plan an effective and efficient population genetics sampling strategy
Dr. Sean Hoban gives a talk entitled "How to plan an effective and efficient population genetics sampling strategy: Markers, samples, and spatial considerati...

By: NIMBioS

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The Genetics - UGH....1,2,3!
UGH......we dont like you, we dont like you, we dont like you, we dont like you! liar! cheat! cant admit defeat whos it for attention whore? we have to go an...

By: eddie rodriguez

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The Genetics - UGH....1,2,3! - Video

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EndoPredict is a second-generation, multigene prognostic test kit for patientsdiagnosed with breast cancer. Under the agreement, Myriad will receive comprehensive marketing rights todistribute and sell EndoPredict, including in high-growth markets in Europe.The agreement will leverage Myriad's 45-person international commercial teamand will significantly increase the number of medical specialists and salesprofessionals supporting EndoPredict. Specific terms of the deal were notdisclosed. EndoPredict provides physicians with information to devise personalizedtreatment plans for their breast cancer patients. The EndoPredict test kitformat is an ideal platform for use by clinical pathologists, who desire toconduct testing within their own laboratories. In contrast to older multi-genetests, EndoPredict detects the likelihood of late metastases (i.e., metastasisformation after more than five years) and can thus guide treatment decisionsfor chemotherapy as well as extended anti-hormonal therapy. Accordingly,therapy decisions backed by EndoPredict confer a high level of diagnosticsafety. EndoPredict was shown to accurately predict cancer-specific diseaseprogression and metastasis in multiple clinical outcome studies with more than2,200 patients. 'Myriad has a significant opportunity to leverage our international presence,and we are pleased to be partnering with Sividon to make EndoPredict even morewidely available to patients in Europe and worldwide,' said Gary King,Executive Vice President, International Operations, Myriad Genetics. 'We arecommitted to contributing to the health of people in Europe through a strongsales and marketing organization that provides enhanced access to life-savingproducts for patients and cost effective solutions for healthcare providers.Myriad's team of field specialists will support EndoPredict's current customersin liaison with Sividon's medical expert team, thus providing additional levelsof support and contact.' 'Sividon's EndoPredict, backed by compelling evidence from clinical studieswith thousands of patients combined with Myriad's strong commercial capabilityand coverage in many key countries creates an outstanding partnership,' saidDr. Christoph Petry, CEO of Sividon Diagnostics. 'Breast cancer affects thelife of more than 388,000 women per year in Europe, and EndoPredict will helpto significantly improve their cancer treatment. We are delighted to partnerwith Myriad to help save and improve the lives of more women with breastcancer.' About Myriad Genetics GmbHMyriad Genetics GmbH is based in Zurich, Switzerland and is the internationalsubsidiary of Myriad Genetics Inc., a leading molecular diagnostic companydedicated to making a difference in patients' lives through the discovery andcommercialization of transformative tests to assess a person's risk ofdeveloping disease, guide treatment decisions and assess risk of diseaseprogression and recurrence. Myriad's molecular diagnostic tests are based on anunderstanding of the role genes play in human disease and were developed with acommitment to improving an individual's decision making process for monitoringand treating disease. Myriad is focused on strategic directives to introducenew products, including companion diagnostics, as well as expandinginternationally. For more information on how Myriad Genetics GmbH is making adifference, please visit the Company's website: http://www.myriad.ch. Myriad and theMyriad logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myriad Genetics, Inc. inthe United States and worldwide. MYGN-F, MYGN-G About SividonSividon Diagnostics GmbH was founded in 2010 as a management buyout fromSiemens Healthcare Diagnostics in Cologne, Germany. Sividon is dedicated todevelop modern methods for the molecular pathology laboratory to help improvethe quality of care for cancer patients. Sividon's first product, EndoPredict,has been introduced into the market in 2011 and allows for a moreindividualized therapy management in breast cancer. For more information onSividon please visit the Sividon's website at http://www.sividon.com. Sividon, theSividon logo and EndoPredict are registered trademarks of Sividon DiagnosticsGmbH in Germany and other countries. Safe Harbor StatementThis press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning ofthe Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statementsrelating to the EndoPredict test and Myriad's partnering with Sividon to marketthe EndoPredict test in Europe and worldwide; and the Company's strategicdirectives under the caption 'About Myriad Genetics.' These 'forward-lookingstatements' are management's present expectations of future events and aresubject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual resultsto differ materially and adversely from those described in the forward-lookingstatements. These risks include, but are not limited to: the risk that salesand profit margins of our existing molecular diagnostic tests and companiondiagnostic services may decline or will not continue to increase at historicalrates; risks related to changes in the governmental or private insurersreimbursement levels for our tests; the risk that we may be unable to developor achieve commercial success for additional molecular diagnostic tests andcompanion diagnostic services in a timely manner, or at all; the risk that wemay not successfully develop new markets for our molecular diagnostic tests andcompanion diagnostic services, including our ability to successfully generaterevenue outside the United States; the risk that licenses to the technologyunderlying our molecular diagnostic tests and companion diagnostic servicestests and any future tests are terminated or cannot be maintained onsatisfactory terms; risks related to delays or other problems with opeRatingour laboratory testing facilities; risks related to public concern over ourgenetic testing in general or our tests in particular; risks related toregulatory requirements or enforcement in the United States and foreigncountries and changes in the structure of the healthcare system or healthcarepayment systems; risks related to our ability to obtain new corporatecollaborations or licenses and acquire new technologies or businesses onsatisfactory terms, if at all; risks related to our ability to successfullyintegrate and derive benefits from any technologies or businesses that welicense or acquire; risks related to increased competition and the developmentof new competing tests and services; the risk that we or our licensors may beunable to protect or that third parties will infringe the proprietarytechnologies underlying our tests; the risk of patent-infringement claims orchallenges to the validity of our patents; risks related to changes inintellectual property laws covering our molecular diagnostic tests andcompanion diagnostic services and patents or enforcement in the United Statesand foreign countries, such as the Supreme Court decision in the lawsuitbrought against us by the Association for Molecular Pathology et al; risks ofnew, changing and competitive technologies and regulations in the United Statesand internationally; and other factors discussed under the heading 'RiskFactors' contained in Item 1A of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-Kfiled with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as any updates tothose risk factors filed from time to time in our Quarterly Reports on Form10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. All information in this press release isas of the date of the release, and Myriad undertakes no duty to update thisinformation unless required by law. CONTACT: Media Contacts:Ron Rogers(801) 584-3065rrogers@myriad.comEstherLinnenberg+49-221-66956170linnenberg@sividon.comInvestor Contact:ScottGleason(801) 584-1143sgleason@myriad.comNews Source: NASDAQ OMXEnd of Corporate News---------------------------------20.01.2014 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - acompany of EQS Group AG.The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.DGAP's Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.Media archive at http://www.dgap-medientreff.de and http://www.dgap.de---------------------------------Language: English Company: Myriad Genetics, Inc. United States ISIN: US62855J1043 End of News DGAP News-Service --------------------------------- 248572 20.01.2014

Myriad Genetics

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At age 10 Nick Tuftnell knew he was going to end up blind after being diagnosed with the genetic condition choroideremia.

The condition leads to the death of light-absorbing cells in the eye. The cells die because of a mutated gene in certain ocular cells, which eventually leads to blindness.

I knew my granddad had it. I remember seeing him in the latter stages of life and he was completely blind, said Tuftnell, now 38.

After his condition was confirmed, Tuftnell said he had nothing to do but wait for his eyesight to slowly dim and darken over time.

All the doctors could say is Your son is going to go blind, see you later, said Tufnell of receiving his diagnosis.

As he grew older his eyesight has diminished to the point where he can no longer drive due to poor peripheral vision and has severe difficulty moving around at night.

I cant walk around at night, its that bad, said Tuftnell. I dont have any peripheral visioneventually itll get like Im looking through toilet rolls.

Tuftnell said his doctors estimated that he had around ten years of useful vision left.

However, two years ago Tuftnell took part in a groundbreaking study where gene therapy was used to treat his deteriorating condition.

The results of the study were published last week in the Lancet Medical Journal.

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Man Saved From Blindness By Gene Therapy

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See Inside

Intranasal stem cell therapy may one day treat brain disorders

Image: Jim Kopp

Many diseases of the central nervous system involve the death of neuronsso, theoretically, the replacement of dead cells should improve symptoms of degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's, as well as stroke and brain tumors. Stem cell therapy may do just that even though evidence of its effectiveness is mixed.

In any cell transplant procedure, the host organin this case, the brainmay reject its new additions. Further, it is unclear whether grafted cells can truly integrate into complex neural circuitry. Finally, current procedures require invasive surgical implantation, which can be expensive and risky. The surgery can cause neural inflammation, and the implanted cells may quickly die.

Intranasal administration may address at least some of these issues. Most important, it eliminates the need for surgery. Further, some research suggests that stem cells delivered intranasally are smartthey do not spread through the brain indiscriminately but instead target damaged cells.

Although it is difficult to predict when medical practice will adopt stem cell therapy for the brain, animal studies have produced some promising results. In a rat model of Parkinson's, for example, treatment with intranasal stem cells appeared to improve motor function and slow the neurological deterioration associated with the disease.

2014 Scientific American, a Division of Nature America, Inc.

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Inhaled Stem Cells Might Replace Lost Neurons

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Eleven years ago, Megan Quinn had just gotten married and was the picture of health.

"I used to run five miles a day. All of a sudden on my third mile, I started dragging my foot and I didn't understand. I thought, I'm just getting old and I'm getting tired. I was 27 years old," she said. "Nothing ever clicked to me that something was wrong."

The diagnosis was multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks itself and damages myelin, the protective covering surrounding nerve cells. With that insulation compromised, the nerves deteriorate and can cause a wide range of symptoms including vision problems, fatigue and weakness. The disease affects as many as 350,000 Americans.

"For the past year I've had a really bad time with this disease, just with my hip not working. One night I woke up and I couldn't feel either of my legs," Quinn said.

"Right now, my biggest problem is my hamstring. I cannot get my hamstring to cooperate when I have to walk, so that's my battle right now," she said.

Current treatments only try to stop progression of the disease. Quinn is about to test a new approach: using stem cells designed to actually make MS patients better.

Stem cells can be morphed into any cell in the body. Patients like Quinn have bone marrow removed and the stem cells inside are then changed in the kind of stem cells found in the brain and spinal cord.

Those cells will then be injected directly into the spinal cord. The hope is that they will repair the insulation and perhaps even the wires underneath.

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MS patient to take part in pioneering experiment

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James Johnson Talks About Living a Full Life Following Spinal Cord Injury
Former Shepherd Center patient James Johnson talks about the ways he has stayed healthy and happy in his life following a spinal cord injury he sustained 15 ...

By: Shepherd Center

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C4-5-6 Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury Physical Therapy
Walking after a motorcycle accident 5mo out at TIRR Memorial Herman.

By: Robert Miller

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C4-5-6 Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury Physical Therapy - Video

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Jan. 19, 2014 Normally, tissue injury triggers a mechanism in cells that tries to repair damaged tissue and restore the skin to a normal, or homeostatic state. Errors in this process can give rise to various problems, such as chronic inflammation, which is a known cause of certain cancers.

"It has been noted that cancer resembles a state of chronic wound healing, in which the wound-healing program is erroneously activated and perpetuated," says Professor Adrian Krainer of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). In a paper published today in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, a team led by Dr. Krainer reports that a protein they show is normally involved in healing wounds and maintaining homeostasis in skin tissue is also, under certain conditions, a promoter of invasive and metastatic skin cancers.

The protein, called SRSF6, is what biologists call a splicing factor: it is one of many proteins involved in an essential cellular process called splicing. In splicing, an RNA "message" copied from a gene is edited so that it includes only the portions needed to instruct the cell how to produce a specific protein. The messages of most genes can be edited in multiple ways, using different splicing factors; thus, a single gene can give rise to multiple proteins, with distinct functions.

The SRSF6 protein, while normally contributing to wound healing in skin tissue, when overproduced can promote abnormal growth of skin cells and cancer, Krainer's team demonstrated in experiments in mice. Indeed, they determined the spot on a particular RNA message -- one that encodes the protein tenascin C -- where SRSF6 binds abnormally, giving rise to alternate versions of the tenascin C protein that are seen in invasive and metastatic cancers.

The CSHL team also found that overproduction of SRSF6 in mice results in the depletion of a type of stem cell called Lgr6+. These skin stem cells reside in the upper part of the hair follicle and participate in wound healing when tissue is damaged. Thus, aberrant alternative splicing by SRSF6 on the one hand increases cell proliferation, but on the other hand prevents the process by which proliferating cells mature. "The cells remain in an abnormal activation state that would otherwise be temporary during normal tissue repair. More studies are needed to understand this phenomenon in detail," says Mads Jensen, Ph.D., first author of the new paper who performed the experiments as a postdoctoral researcher in the Krainer lab.

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Overexpression of splicing protein in skin repair causes early changes seen in skin cancer

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Synthetic biology, or breaking down life into its basic component parts to create enhanced biological systems, can be likened to writing software that enables life. Or genetic engineering on steroids. Whereas previous technologies may have introduced one, two, or a handful of genes into an organism, synthetic biology allows scientists and engineers at companies such as Ginkgo Bioworks, Fermentome, and Intrexon (NYSE: XON) to rebuild large swaths of an organism's genome -- or create an entirely new genome, and therefore organism -- from the ground up using the best traits offered by nature.

While some are turned off by the idea of tweaking organisms or altering nature, constructing synthetic genomes is akin to taking the building blocks of the physical world (atoms) to produce novel compounds (such as synthetic polymers) that enable the production of enhanced consumer products. Here the building blocks are genes, the novel creations are more efficient genomes and creatures, and the end products are the same everyday items produced from petroleum. The difference is that instead of transforming a petroleum feedstock with high heat and pressure in a chemical refinery, we'll be able to utilize biological pathways in sugar-consuming microbes to produce the same (or better) products in a sustainable and renewable process in a biorefinery.

Although it's easy to understand the applications of the field for the production of fuels and industrial chemicals, such as with the industrial biotech platforms of Amyris (NASDAQ: AMRS) and Solazyme (NASDAQ: SZYM) , understanding and harnessing the power of the genetic information found in nature extends far beyond chemicals. Synthetic biology can be used to make our food safer, give us working copies of broken genes to cure diseases, trick us into forgetting that we're addicted to nicotine, produce safer (and more) marijuana without plants, make agricultural products more efficient than ever before, and much, much more. Let's explore five unbelievable technologies made possible by synthetic biology to ensure we don't sell the field short or fail to recognize its tremendous potential.

1. Microbial factories for everyday productsWhen people say that industrial biotech companies are creating living factories by utilizing biological pathways in sugar-consuming microbes to produce everyday products, I don't think they quite understand the power -- or disruptiveness -- of that statement. Sure, engineers can tinker with genomes to create novel microbes that produce a fuel or high value chemical, but it barely scratches the surface of industrial biotech applications.

Amyris' first commercial-scale facility in Brazil feeds locally grown sugarcane to yeast to create premium fuels, cosmetics, lubricants, fragrances, and more. Image source: Amyris.

Consider that Amyris will be able to produce multiple molecules from the same microbes by simply altering environmental stresses inside its bioreactors. While it would take a continuous fermentation process (rather than a batch process with a defined beginning and end) to reap the full advantages, such microbes could help reduce risk related to scale-up today by introducing novel pathways into an organism that already grows for industrial purposes. Amyris won't be able to make an instant leap to full commercial scale for each new molecule, but it could conceivably do so more quickly.

It's a wild idea in the primitive stages of commercial deployment (multiple-molecule microbes could make their debut in 2014), but the future could be even wilder. As we further our relatively limited understanding of DNA, we'll be able to produce smaller and more efficient genomes that call on the same genes to produce multiple products. By the time we pack our bags for Mars, we'll probably be able to bring along a single test tube containing the ultimate microbial factory capable of producing fuels, pharmaceuticals, food, and polymer resins (for our 3-D printing factories) at the flip of a (genetic) switch.

2. Biosensors for food pathogensWe are surrounded by real-time security and protection systems. The smoke detector in your kitchen rests overhead as you make your morning coffee, you set your home's security system before you leave for work, and once you arrive there your computer reminds you that your antivirus software is out of date. So you may be surprised to know that, despite its importance, there is no comparable system in place for the nation's food system. Luckily, synthetic-biology company Sample6 has developed a solution that will enable food producers to mitigate risks in their production systems, which can reduce brand pressure from any number of potential sources in our fast-paced modern world.

Image source: Sample6.

The best current solution for detecting food pathogens is pretty archaic: Food producers swab equipment, work areas, and food itself, send samples to a lab, and then sit around for several days waiting for results. Most choose to ship product before results are confirmed to maximize shelf life, but on the rare occasion a pathogen is detected, well, it's a logistical nightmare to recall all products that may be associated with a particular production shift. Tests from Sample6 provide results and detect harmful pathogens within the same production shift -- enabling food producers to fix contamination issues quickly and stopping tainted products from entering the food supply. In the future the company will offer similar tests to grocery stores, hospitals and clinics for infectious microbes, and oil and gas companies for water monitoring.

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5 Unbelievable (but Real) Technologies Made Possible by Synthetic Biology

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The importance of genetic counseling
From Hot Topics 2013 - David Valle, MD, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine - What is the importance of genetic ...

By: NICUniversity.org

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The importance of genetic counseling - Video

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FTB Horizons [S01E16] Intro to Advanced Genetics!
We start messing around with some advanced genetics stuff in this episode. To be continued, for sure.

By: Cruz Plays!

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FTB Horizons [S01E16] Intro to Advanced Genetics! - Video

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Atossa Genetics (ATOS) Multiple Bottom Pattern
The Atossa Genetics chart has made a multiple bottom pattern on a solid support at $2.20. The last to moves off this point rose to approximately $3, suggesti...

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Atossa Genetics (ATOS) Multiple Bottom Pattern - Video

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SRI LANKA: Creating the Ecosystem for Taking Genetics from Bench to Bedside ... - Vjira Dissayanake
January 8, 2014 - Genomic Medicine Centers Meeting VI: Global Leaders in Genomic Medicine. More: http://www.genome.gov/27555775.

By: GenomeTV

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SRI LANKA: Creating the Ecosystem for Taking Genetics from Bench to Bedside ... - Vjira Dissayanake - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

XCOM Enemy Within #26 Taking Control With Soldier Genetics, Closing In On EXALT
We get our very first soldier with genetics, time to test it out as we get ever so closer to where EXALT is hiding out! Comment, like subscribe, give feed ...

By: SmashGaming999

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XCOM Enemy Within #26 Taking Control With Soldier Genetics, Closing In On EXALT - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

How Important Are Genetics - THE TRUTH
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By: barthelfitness

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How Important Are Genetics - THE TRUTH - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Gene Therapy Breakthrough Could #39;Cure #39; Blindness
Gene Therapy Breakthrough Could #39;Cure #39; Blindness Doctors who injected a genetically-modified virus into the eyes of blind patients discover it significantly ...

By: josh hour

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Gene Therapy Breakthrough Could 'Cure' Blindness - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith