Breast cancer genetics
Published: 19 November 2011 #39;Genetic profiling has revolutionised our understanding of breast cancer, but a decade on, there is still much to be achieved. Re...

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[1.6.4] Advanced Genetics Minecraft Mod Showcase
Very complicated mod! Take the DNA of a mob and put its genes into your bloodstream! Download: http://bit.ly/18QBJSK ----------------------------------------...

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[1.6.4] Advanced Genetics Minecraft Mod Showcase - Video

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Tangie - DNA Genetics/The Bushdocter - 3rd Place Winner 2013 Cannabis Cup AMSTERDAM WEED REVIEW
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Tangie - DNA Genetics/The Bushdocter - 3rd Place Winner 2013 Cannabis Cup AMSTERDAM WEED REVIEW - Video

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Genetics 2nd Exam : lecture 3
I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (http://www.youtube.com/editor)

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Genetics 2nd Exam : lecture 3 - Video

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Dr. Janet Rowley, a pioneer in cancer genetics research, has died at age 88.

Rowley spent most of her career at the University of Chicago, where she also obtained her medical degree. She died Tuesday of ovarian cancer complications at her home nearby, the university said in a statement.

Rowley conducted landmark research with leukemia in the 1970s, linking cancer with genetic abnormalities work that led to targeted drug treatment for leukemia. She identified a genetic process called translocation, now widely accepted. By 1990, more than 70 translocations had been identified in various cancers, according to her biography on the National Library of Medicine's website.

She is a recipient of the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest scientific honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.

"Janet Rowley's work established that cancer is a genetic disease," Mary-Claire King, president of the American Society of Human Genetics, said recently. "We are still working from her paradigm."

Rowley, known among colleagues for her intelligence and humility, called receiving the presidential award, in 2009, "quite remarkable."

"I've never regretted being in science and being in research," Rowley said at the time. "The exhilaration that one gets in making new discoveries is beyond description."

With her silvery hair and twinkling eyes, Rowley was a recognizable figure at the University of Chicago, often seen riding her bike around the South Side campus, even up until a few months ago despite her disease. She remained active in research until close to her death and hoped that her own cancer could contribute to understanding of the disease.

Just last month, she was well enough to attend a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the presidential medal in Washington alongside other previous recipients and this year's winners, who include several scientists, former President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, baseball's Ernie Banks and Loretta Lynn.

Rowley was born in New York City in 1925 and at age 15 won a scholarship to an advanced academic program at the University of Chicago. She went to medical school there when the quota was just three women in a class of 65, the university said.

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Janet Rowley, Cancer Genetics Pioneer, Dies at 88

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Patients who undergo experimental stem cell treatments run the risk of serious injury, Australian experts have warned.

A team of leading stem cell scientists say the treatments, which involve injecting patients with stem cells from their own fat deposits, have become available to Australian consumers without the protection of regulation or evidence of benefits.

Stem Cells Australia, a consortium of medical and scientific researchers from eight leading Australian universities and research institutes, raised concerns after it became clear the treatments, which are popular overseas, had spread to Australia.

They say vulnerable people with degenerative conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease, are being misled into paying up to $9,000 on stem cell therapies with little or no evidence of the benefits.

However, the industry says there is some good evidence available and treatments are safe as long as patients are only injected with their own unaltered cells.

Practising doctors are forming an industry group to write a code of conduct to keep patients safe.

In a submission to the National Health and Medical Research Council, Stem Cells Australia says many of the practices used by overseas doctors are now being witnessed among Australian practitioners.

These include direct-to-consumer marketing, using patient testimonials instead of evidence, offering the same treatments for unrelated illnesses, lack of safety evidence, no results in peer-reviewed journals, and hefty fees.

Program leader Professor Martin Pera says stem cell treatments are falling through a regulatory loophole because patients are treated with their own cells.

"What's going on is a large scale human experiment without proper scientific procedure and without proper regulatory oversight," he said.

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Stem cell warning: experts fear experimental treatments will lead to serious injury

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Dec-2013

Contact: Shaun Mason smason@mednet.ucla.edu 310-206-2805 University of California - Los Angeles

Scientists from UCLA are now bringing their groundbreaking stem cell science directly to patients in two exciting new clinical trials scheduled to begin in early 2014, thanks to funding from California's stem cell agency.

The new grants to researchers at UCLA's Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, which total nearly $21 million, were announced Dec. 12 at a meeting of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Citizen's Oversight Committee. They are apart of the state agency's Disease Team Therapy Development III initiative.

A team led by UCLA's Dr. Dennis Slamon and Dr. Zev Wainberg was awarded nearly $7 million for a clinical trial that will test a new drug targeting cancer stem cells, and UCLA's Dr. Donald Kohn received almost $14 million for a clinical trial that will focus on stem-cell gene therapy for sickle cell disease.

"The CIRM support demonstrates that our multidisciplinary center is at the forefront of translating basic scientific research into new drug and cellular therapies that will revolutionize medicine," said Dr. Owen Witte, director of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center.

Dennis Slamon and Zev Wainberg: Targeting solid tumor stem cells

This clinical trial builds on Slamon's previous work, partially funded by CIRM, with Wainberg and Dr. Tak Mak, director of the Campbell Family Institute at the University Health Network in Toronto, aimed at developing a drug that targets those stem cells thought to initiate solid cancer tumors.

The AmericanCanadian collaborative team will lead this first in-human Phase 1 trial testing their new therapy, which has received investigational new-drug approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, Canada's therapeutic regulatory agency. The project has been approved to begin enrolling patients in both the U.S. and Canada.

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With new multimillion-dollar grants, UCLA scientists take stem cell research to patients

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Dec-2013

Contact: Jennifer Schutz newsbureau@mayo.edu 507-284-5005 Mayo Clinic

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues in Belgium have developed a specialized catheter for transplanting stem cells into the beating heart. The novel device includes a curved needle and graded openings along the needle shaft, allowing for increased distribution of cells. The result is maximized retention of stem cells to repair the heart. The findings appear in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.

"Although biotherapies are increasingly more sophisticated, the tools for delivering regenerative therapies demonstrate a limited capacity in achieving high cell retention in the heart," says Atta Behfar, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiology specialist and lead author of the study. "Retention of cells is, of course, crucial to an effective, practical therapy."

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine in Rochester and Cardio3 Biosciences in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium, collaborated to develop the device, beginning with computer modeling in Belgium. Once refined, the computer-based models were tested in North America for safety and retention efficiency.

What's the significance?

This new catheter is being used in the European CHART-1 clinical trials, now underway. This is the first Phase III trial to regenerate hearts of patients who have suffered heart attack damage. The studies are the outcome of years of basic science research at Mayo Clinic and earlier clinical studies with Cardio3 BioSciences and Cardiovascular Centre in Aalst, Belgium, conducted between 2009 and 2010.

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The development of the catheter and subsequent studies were supported by Cardio3 BioSciences; Walloon Region General Directorate for Economy, Employment & Research; Meijer Lavino Foundation for Cardiac Research Aalst (Belgium); the National Institutes of Health; Grainger Foundation; Florida Heart Research Institute; Marriott Heart Disease Research Program; and the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine.

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Regenerative medicine: Mayo Clinic and collaborators develop new tool for transplanting stem cells

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The breakthrough marks a major advance in treating kidney disease and more avenues in bioengineering human organs. Researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Cell Biology, following their success in making human skin cells form a functioning "mini-kidney" with a width of only a few millimeters.

During self-organization, different types of cells arrange themselves with respect to each other to create the complex structures that exist within an organ, in this case, the kidney, Professor Melissa Little of University of Queenslands Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), who led the study, said in a statement. The fact that such stem cell populations can undergo self-organization in the laboratory bodes well for the future of tissue bioengineering to replace damaged and diseased organs and tissues.

While it may be a while until the process can be used in human trials, Little says it could be a major development in treating chronic kidney disease.

One in three Australians is at risk of developing chronic kidney disease, and the only therapies currently available are kidney transplant and dialysis, Little said. Only one in four patients will receive a donated organ, and dialysis is an ongoing and restrictive treatment regime.

The engineered kidney is a first for science.

"This is the first time anybody has managed to direct stem cells into the functional units of a kidney," Professor Brandon Wainwright, from the University of Queensland, told The Telegraph. "It is an amazing process it is like a Lego building that puts itself together."

Scientists were able to make the kidney by identifying genes that remained active and inactive during kidney development. They were then able to alter the genes into embryonic cells that allowed them to self-organize into the human organ.

"The [researchers] spent years looking at what happens if you turn this gene off and this one on," Wainwright said. "You can eventually coax these stem cells through a journey they [the cells] go through various stages and then think about being a kidney cell and eventually pop together to form a little piece of kidney."

Little predicts the stem cell kidneys could one day be used to make human kidney transplants, or a cluster of mini kidneys used to boost renal function in patients.

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Kidney Grown From Stem Cells For The First Time, Australian Scientists Call Breakthrough ‘An Amazing Process’

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In a study led by Washington University that includes BYU, researchers have identified a gene that doubles one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The findings have been published in the journal Nature.

Lisa F. Young, Getty Images/iStockphoto

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A research collaboration led by Washington University has found a gene variation that doubles one's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The finding adds to a rapidly accelerating body of information about the neurodegenerative disease, which affects more than 5 million Americans.

The findings are published online in the journal Nature.

"The newly identified variations, found in a gene never before linked to Alzheimer's, occur rarely in the population, making them hard for researchers to identify," according to the study's background information. "But they're important because individuals who carry these variations are at substantially increased risk of the disease."

"Most of the genes that were discovered for Alzheimer's in the past two years have very minor effect," said John Kauwe, a biology professor at Brigham Young University who co-authored the study. He said that 19 of the "20-some-odd" genes linked to Alzheimer's in the last five years each affect risk by just 1 to 3 percent.

The methodology for this study was also important, according to Kauwe and Carlos Cruchaga, assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University, who led the study. Cruchaga said it will open new doors to understanding the disease and how gene variants affect risk, either in combination or alone.

They took a different approach to finding the variants. Instead of taking a scattershot approach and looking at the largest number of subjects possible, they selected pedigrees that had interesting patterns of inheritance and were already identified as having multiple members with Alzheimer's, then drilled down to find the actual genetic variants.

Washington University identified and evaluated families, finding a number of things researchers wanted to focus on, then asked BYU researchers to help examine those questions.

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Rare gene discovered that doubles Alzheimer's risk

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Dec-2013

Contact: Alison Barbuti alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk 01-612-758-383 University of Manchester

A study by Manchester scientists backs preventative surgery to improve survival for women who are at greater risk of getting ovarian cancer and suggests it appears helpful for women at risk of getting breast cancer because of genetic faults.

Women who carry, a fault in one of two high-risk genes known as BRCA1 or BRCA2, have an increased risk of dying from breast and/or ovarian cancer. Many, including high-profile celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, choose to undergo surgery to remove their healthy breasts, ovaries or both before the disease affects them. However, few studies have looked at the possible benefits of these procedures across large groups of women.

The researchers from The University of Manchester part of Manchester Cancer Research Centre - looked at 691 women who had undergone genetic testing and were confirmed as carrying a mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene before they had developed cancer. The study, funded by Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention, the UK's only charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer. The results were published recently in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

Just over one-third of women in this study opted for preventative surgery. The researchers compared outcomes for those who chose to have risk-reducing surgery with those who did not.

Professor Gareth Evans, from The University of Manchester part of Manchester Cancer Research Centre, said: "The research shows a major benefit from undergoing risk-reducing surgery, particularly removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes which reduces the risk of both ovarian cancer greatly and breast cancer by about half."

The Manchester researchers found that women who had any form of risk-reducing surgery had increased survival compared to those deciding against such an operation. Life expectancy was almost normalised in those that underwent surgery but substantially reduced in those who did not.

Further research is now needed to assess the possible advantage of a double mastectomy alone.

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Research backs risk-reduction surgery for ovarian cancer

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20 hours ago

RNA, a nucleic acid involved in protein synthesis, is widely used in genetic research to study patterns of gene expression in different organisms. The types and quantities of RNA present in an organism indicate which genes are expressed, providing insight on the genes responsible for particular phenotypes.

Many tools, such as next-generation sequencing and quantitative PCR, are available for studying gene expression. However, these tools rely on the extraction of high-quality RNA from the organism of interest, and this can be a challenging task. Compared to genomic DNA, RNA is more delicate and prone to degradation. Additionally, many plant tissues are infused with starch, fibers, or secondary compounds that inhibit the isolation of RNA of sufficient quality and/or quantity.

Although numerous protocols for RNA extraction have been developed, most of these are plant-specific, with many tailored for particular crop plants or model organisms (e.g., Arabidopsis), making their utility for non-model plant species, which constitute the vast bulk of plant diversity, somewhat limited.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have developed a new protocol for RNA extraction that can be used across land plants, which comprise over 300,000 species. The protocol is available for free viewing in the December issue of Applications in Plant Sciences.

According to Chelsea Specht, associate professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at UC Berkeley and senior author of the study, this protocol will greatly facilitate RNA-based studies of non-model plant species.

"Using this protocol, we can successfully extract high yields and high-quality RNA from tissues of any type from plants across the diversity of land plants, including tissues that are mechanically difficult to grind, rich in starch, or laden with secondary compounds."

Lead author Roxana Yockteng, Specht, and their colleagues tested the protocol on a wide variety of land plant species (one moss species, three gymnosperm species, and numerous angiosperm species) as well as different tissue types (e.g., leaves, flowers, and cones). They were able to consistently recover large quantities of high-quality RNA from the samples tested, demonstrating the broad utility of the protocol.

Specht says the efficacy of the protocol lies in its flexibility; there are numerous steps in the protocol that can be readily modified to accommodate variations in plant chemistry and structure.

"You can micromanage your RNA extraction and make small changes that work for you, regardless of what lab you're in or what plant you are working with."

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A universal RNA extraction protocol for land plants

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Genetic Engineering TED Talk

By: William Kennedy

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Genetic Engineering TED Talk - Video

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Dec-2013

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, December16, 2013--Blue light has proven to have powerful bacteria-killing ability in the laboratory. The potent antibacterial effects of irradiation using light in the blue spectra have now also been demonstrated in human and animal tissues. A series of groundbreaking articles that provide compelling evidence of this effect are published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The articles are available on the Photomedicine and Laser Surgery website.

"Bacterial resistance to drugs poses a major healthcare problem," says Co-Editor-in-Chief Chukuka S. Enwemeka, PhD, Dean, College of Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, in the accompanying Editorial "Antimicrobial Blue Light: An Emerging Alternative to Antibiotics," citing the growing number of deadly outbreaks worldwide of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The articles in this issue of Photomedicine and Laser Surgery provide evidence that "blue light in the range of 405-470 nm wavelength is bactericidal and has the potential to help stem the ongoing pandemic of MRSA and other bacterial infections."

In the article "Effects of Photodynamic Therapy on Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacterial Biofilms by Bioluminescence Imaging and Scanning Electron Microscopic Analysis," Aguinaldo S. Garcez, PhD and coauthors show that photodynamic therapy and methylene blue delivered directly into the root canal of a human tooth infected with a bacterial biofilm was able to destroy both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, disrupt the biofilms, and reduce the number of bacteria adhering to the tooth.

Raymond J. Lanzafame, MD, MBA, and colleagues demonstrated significantly greater bacterial reduction in the treatment of pressure ulcers in mice using a combination of photoactivated collagen-embedded compounds plus 455 nm diode laser irradiation compared to irradiation alone or no treatment. The antibacterial effect of the combined therapy increased with successive treatments, report the authors in the article "Preliminary Assessment of Photoactivated Antimicrobial Collagen on Bioburden in a Murine Pressure Ulcer Model."

In the article "Wavelength and Bacterial Density Influence the Bactericidal Effect of Blue Light on Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)," Violet Bumah, PhD and coauthors compared the bacteria-killing power of 405 nm versus 470 nm light on colonies of resistant Staph aureus and how the density of the bacterial colonies could limit light penetration and the bactericidal effects of treatment.

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About the Journal

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Blue light phototherapy kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to new studies

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Meselson and Stahl Experiment | Molecular Genetics | Biology
Molecular Genetics Class XII - Biology Board - CBSE and for Pre Medical Students.

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Meselson and Stahl Experiment | Molecular Genetics | Biology - Video

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Hot Topics Webinar: Genetics and Parkinson #39;s Disease
Is Parkinson #39;s passed down in families? Are there differences between genetic and non-genetic forms of the disease? How is genetic research helping scientist...

By: Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson #39;s Research

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Hot Topics Webinar: Genetics and Parkinson's Disease - Video

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Genetics 2nd exam : lecture 9

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Genetics 2nd exam : lecture 9 - Video

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Genetics 2nd exam : lecture 2
I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (http://www.youtube.com/editor)

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Genetics 2nd exam : lecture 2 - Video

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Perfect Genetics pt 8 Naughty Nate

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Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT): By the Numbers
Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), the nation #39;s only non-profit dedicated exclusively to gene and cell therapies for treating cancer, has provided over...

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Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT): By the Numbers - Video

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Bionanotechnology Applications in Nanotherapeutics, Gene therapy , Immunotherapy
Bionanotechnology combination of biotechnology and nanotechnology. Find its applications in various fields Nanotherapeutics, Gene therapy , Immunotherapy, Ha...

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Bionanotechnology Applications in Nanotherapeutics, Gene therapy , Immunotherapy - Video

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For science and cancer treatment, my gene therapy question.
So I #39;ve had plenty of time to sit and think about it, but I #39;m still me, I just have the genes changed. But a small degree, I suppose like a grain of sand in ...

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For science and cancer treatment, my gene therapy question. - Video

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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Dec-2013

Contact: Kathleen Hamilton kathleen.hamilton@nyu.edu 718-260-3792 Polytechnic Institute of New York University

Brooklyn, New York Researchers at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) and the NYU College of Dentistry (NYUCD) have developed a carrier in their lab that is five times more efficient in delivering DNA into cells than today's commercial delivery methodsreagent vectors. This novel complex is a peptide-polymer hybrid, assembled from two separate, less effective vectors that are used to carry DNA into cells.

Results of their study, "Long Term Efficient Gene Delivery Using Polyethylenimine with Modified Tat Peptide," were published in Biomaterials. The findings were the result of a collaborative research project conducted by Dr. Seiichi Yamano at NYUCD and Dr. Jin Montclare at NYU-Poly. The outcome of the study could help researchers better understand gene function and ultimately improve gene therapy.

Non-viral vectors such as those engineered in this study are used for transfectionthe process of introducing foreign genetic material (in this case, DNA called a plasmid) into a cell. The vectors are essentially vehicles that carry the genetic matter into the cell. But transfection is not as easy. Cells are set up to keep things out of the nucleus. Even if the transported plasmid manages to permeate the cellular membrane, the cytoplasm within the cell has safeguards to stop anything from getting into the nucleus.

Traditionally, scientists have engineered viruses to carry out transfection, but viruses are problematic because cells recognize them as foreign and trigger the immune response. Virus transfection is extremely costly and presents numerous difficulties for mass processing. On the other hand, non-viral vectors do not trigger the immune system and are easily manufactured and modified for safe, more effective delivery. Their shortcoming is that they generally are effective only for short periods in transfection, as well as other forms of gene expression.

For this project, Yamano and Montclare paired a modified version of CPP HIV-1 (mTat) with PEI a non-viral vector particularly effective for delivering oligonucleotides. In combining mTat and PEI, they built a new non-viral vector, more effective than mTat or PEI individually. They tested their reagent vector both in vitrogrown in a Petri dishas well as for approximately seven months in a living organism--in vivo.

The vector may be used in the future for targeted gene therapy.

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Researchers engineer a hybrid 5 times more effective in delivering genetic material into cells

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Genomic Disease Modeling for Personalized Medicine
"Human genome is a big puzzle that holds massive information about us, and we attempt at ODT Bioinformatics program to solve this great puzzle piece by piec...

By: Yesim Aydin Son

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Genomic Disease Modeling for Personalized Medicine - Video

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The Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE) at Johns Hopkins
Neuroscientist Valina Dawson introduces the Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE), where researchers are working to solve problems such as transplant rejectio...

By: JohnsHopkinsMedicine

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The Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE) at Johns Hopkins - Video

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