Theme: Uncover the potential that lies within the cell

Zhe Sha, Harvard Medical School, USA

Its my real honor to be part of this great conference. I had a truly rewarding experience meeting with many experts in the field.

Ramin Lotfi, University Hospital Ulm, Germany

It was my pleasure to participate in the meeting and present my talk.

Barbara Carletti, Childrens Hospital Bambino Gesu, Italy

Thank you very much for the opportunity, it will be a pleasure for me to participate to the next meetings and give my contribution.

Welcome Message

3rd InternationalConferenceand Exhibition on Cell & Gene Therapyto be held during October 27-29, 2014 at Las Vegas, USA. Cell Therapy-2014 is a remarkable event which brings together a unique and International mix of leading oncologists, academic scientists, industry researchers and scholars to exchange and share their experiences and research results about all aspects, making the Congress a perfect platform to share experience and which paves a way to gather visionaries through the research talks and presentations and put forward many thought provoking strategies in emerging cell & gene therapies.The scientific program will include workshops, symposia and poster sessions on a wide collection of Cell & Gene Therapy topics.

The previous conferences were 2ndInternationalConferenceand Exhibition on Cell & Gene Therapywas held during October 23-25 2013, at Orlando-FL, USA with the theme Innovative Strategies in Cell & Gene Therapies & International Conference on Emerging Cell Therapies was held during the October 1-3, 2012 at DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago-North Shore, USA with the theme Evolving Technology in Cell Therapy and its Future Perspectives". Brought together the International blend of people from Evolving Cell Therapies making it the largest endeavor from OMICS Group. All the papers presented at this conference were published in special issues of Journal of Cell Science & Therapy. Cell & Gene Therapy conferences opened up new vistas and fostered collaborations in the industry and academia.

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Cell & Gene Therapy International Conference 2014 | Las Vegas ...

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Human genetic engineering is the alteration of an individual's genotype with the aim of choosing the phenotype of a newborn or changing the existing phenotype of a child or adult.[1]

It holds the promise of curing genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis. Gene therapy has been successfully used to treat multiple diseases, including X-linked SCID,[2]chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL),[3] and Parkinson's disease.[4] In 2012, Glybera became the first gene therapy treatment to be approved for clinical use in either Europe or the United States after its endorsement by the European Commission.[5][6]

It is speculated that genetic engineering could be used to change physical appearance, metabolism, and even improve physical capabilities and mental faculties like memory and intelligence, although for now these uses are limited to science fiction.

Gene therapy trials on humans began in 2004 on patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). In 2000, the first gene therapy "success" resulted in SCID patients with a functional immune system. These trials were stopped when it was discovered that two of ten patients in one trial had developed leukemia resulting from the insertion of the gene-carrying retrovirus near an oncogene. In 2007, four of the ten patients had developed leukemia.[7] Work is now focusing on correcting the gene without triggering an oncogene. Since 1999, gene therapy has restored the immune systems of at least 17 children with two forms (ADA-SCID and X-SCID) of the disorder.[citation needed]

Human genetic engineering is already being used on a small scale to allow infertile women with genetic defects in their mitochondria to have children.[8] The technique, known as ooplasmic transfer, is used to inject the mitochondria from the donor's egg cell into the egg of the infertile woman. In vitro fertilization is performed on the egg. [9] Healthy human eggs from a second mother are used. The first mother thus contributes the 23 chromosomes of the nuclear genome, which contain the majority of the child's genetic information, while the second mother contributes the mitochondrial genome, which contains 37 genes. The child produced this way has genetic information from two mothers and one father.[8] The changes made are germline changes and will likely be passed down from generation to generation, and, thus, are a permanent change to the human genome.[8]

Other forms of human genetic engineering are still theoretical. Recombinant DNA research is usually performed to study gene expression and various human diseases. This includes the creation of transgenic animals, such as mice.

Genetic engineering can be broken down into two applications, somatic and germline. Both processes involve changing the genes in a cell through the use of a vector carrying the gene of interest. The new gene may be integrated into the cells genetic material through recombination, or may remain separate from the genome, such as in the form of a plasmid. If integrated into the genome, it may recombine at a random location or at a specific location (site-specific recombination) depending on the technology used.

As the name suggests, somatic cell therapy alters the genome of somatic cells. This process targets specific organs and tissues in a person. The aim of this technique is to correct a mutation or provide a new function in human cells. If successful, somatic cell therapy has the potential to treat genetic disorders with few therapeutic options. This process does not affect the genetics of gametic cells within the same body. Any genetic modifications are restricted to a patient individually and cannot be passed on to their offspring.

Several somatic cell gene transfer experiments are currently in clinical trials with varied success. Over 600 clinical trials utilizing somatic cell therapy are underway in the United States. Most of these trials focus on treating severe genetic disorders, including immunodeficiencies, haemophilia, thalassaemia, and cystic fibrosis. These disorders are good candidates for somatic cell therapy because they are caused by single gene defects. While somatic cell therapy is promising for treatment, a complete correction of a genetic disorder or the replacement of multiple genes in somatic cells is not yet possible. Only a few of the many clinical tries are in the advanced stages.[10]

Germline cell therapy alters the genome of germinal cells. Specifically, it targets eggs, sperm, and very early embryos. Genetic changes made to germline cells affect every cell in the resulting individuals body and can also be passed on to their offspring. The practice of germline cell therapy is currently banned in several countries, but has not been banned in the US.

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Human genetic engineering - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Medelian Genetics 1
In this video we cover the first half of our lecture on Medelian Genetics. We look at who Mendel was, what he did and, how he began to investigate the pricip...

By: Mrs. Shaffer #39;s Super Science

Originally posted here:
Medelian Genetics 1 - Video

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California Lightworks 800W Solarstorm - exoticgenetix (Afterlife OG) / DNA Genetics (Tangie) Day 43
Holy shit these need to be transplanted!

By: oneshotgrow

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California Lightworks 800W Solarstorm - exoticgenetix (Afterlife OG) / DNA Genetics (Tangie) Day 43 - Video

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Disease Modeling - Fred "Rusty" Gage, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Speaker: Fred Gage, Ph.D., Adler Professor, Laboratory of Genetics; Vi John Adler Chair for Research on Age-Related Neurodegenerative Disease, Salk Institu...

By: Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

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Disease Modeling - Fred "Rusty" Gage, Salk Institute for Biological Studies - Video

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Hertzberg-Schechter Prize for Stem Cell Research
Presented by: Lawrence Goldstein, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Departments of Cellular Molecular Medicine Neurosciences; Director, UC San Diego Stem C...

By: Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

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Hertzberg-Schechter Prize for Stem Cell Research - Video

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Disease Modeling - Robert "Rocky" Kass, Columbia University
Robert Kass, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Research, Alumni Hosack Professor of Pharmacology Chair, Columbia University Medical Center.

By: Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

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Disease Modeling - Robert "Rocky" Kass, Columbia University - Video

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Press Release

2012-10-08

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2012

jointly to

John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka

for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent

The Nobel Prize recognizes two scientists who discovered that mature, specialised cells can be reprogrammed to become immature cells capable of developing into all tissues of the body. Their findings have revolutionised our understanding of how cells and organisms develop.

John B. Gurdon discovered in 1962 that the specialisation of cells is reversible. In a classic experiment, he replaced the immature cell nucleus in an egg cell of a frog with the nucleus from a mature intestinal cell. This modified egg cell developed into a normal tadpole. The DNA of the mature cell still had all the information needed to develop all cells in the frog.

Shinya Yamanaka discovered more than 40 years later, in 2006, how intact mature cells in mice could be reprogrammed to become immature stem cells. Surprisingly, by introducing only a few genes, he could reprogram mature cells to become pluripotent stem cells, i.e. immature cells that are able to develop into all types of cells in the body.

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The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine - Press Release

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

An interview with Roberto Bolli, MD.

University of Louisville cardiologist Roberto Bolli, MD, led the stem cell study that tested using patients' own heart stem cells to help their hearts recover from heart failure. Though that trial was preliminary, the results look promising -- and may one day lead to a cure for heart failure.

Here, Bolli talks about what this work means and when it might become an option for patients.

2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

"Realistically, this will not come... for another three or four years, at least," Bolli says. "It may be longer, depending on the results of the next trial, of course."

Larger studies are needed to confirm the procedure's safety and effectiveness. If those succeed, it could be "the biggest advance in cardiovascular medicine in my lifetime," Bolli says.

A total of 20 patients took part in the initial study.

All of them experienced significant improvement in their heart failure and now function better in daily life, according to Bolli. "The patients can do more, there's more ability to exercise, and the quality of life improves markedly," Bolli says.

Bolli's team published its findings on how the patients were doing one year after stem cell treatment in November 2011 in the Lancet, a British medical journal.

Each patient was infused with about 1 million of his or her own cardiac stem cells, which could eventually produce an estimated 4 trillion new cardiac cells, Bolli says. His team plans to follow each patient for two years after their stem cell procedure.

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Heart Stem Cell Trial: Interview With Researcher Roberto Bolli, MD

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Caf scientifique - heart genetics: predicting the future? (audio only)
Caf scientifique Heart genetics: Predicting the future? Caf scientifique at Royal Brompton Harefield NHS Foundation Trust discussing research on how gene...

By: RBandH

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Café scientifique - heart genetics: predicting the future? (audio only) - Video

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Genetics Practice Problems

You may type in your own answers, then check to see if you were right. If youre totally stumped, you can tell the computer to show you the answer to a particular question.

Monohybrid Cross:

In humans, brown eyes (B) are dominant over blue (b)*. A brown-eyed man marries a blue-eyed woman and they have three children, two of whom are brown-eyed and one of whom is blue-eyed. Draw the Punnett square that illustrates this marriage. What is the mans genotype? What are the genotypes of the children?

(* Actually, the situation is complicated by the fact that there is more than one gene involved in eye color, but for this example, well consider only this one gene.)

Testcross:

In dogs, there is an hereditary deafness caused by a recessive gene, d. A kennel owner has a male dog that she wants to use for breeding purposes if possible. The dog can hear, so the owner knows his genotype is either DD or Dd. If the dogs genotype is Dd, the owner does not wish to use him for breeding so that the deafness gene will not be passed on. This can be tested by breeding the dog to a deaf female (dd). Draw the Punnett squares to illustrate these two possible crosses. In each case, what percentage/how many of the offspring would be expected to be hearing? deaf? How could you tell the genotype of this male dog? Also, using Punnett square(s), show how two hearing dogs could produce deaf offspring.

Incomplete Dominance:

Note: at least one textbook Ive seen also uses this as an example of pleiotropy (one gene multiple effects), though to my mind, the malaria part of this is not a direct effect of the gene.

For many genes, such as the two mentioned above, the dominant allele codes for the presence of some characteristic (like, B codes for make brown pigment in someones eyes), and the recessive allele codes for something along the lines of, I dont know how to make that, (like b codes for the absence of brown pigment in someones eyes, so by default, the eyes turn out blue). If someone is a heterozygote (Bb), that person has one set of instructions for make brown and one set of instructions for, I dont know how to make brown, with the result that the person ends up with brown eyes. There are, however, some genes where both alleles code for something. One classic example is that in many flowering plants such as roses, snapdragons, and hibiscus, there is a gene for flower color with two alleles: red and white. However, in that case, white is not merely the absence of red, but that allele actually codes for, make white pigment. Thus the flowers on a plant that is heterozygous have two sets of instructions: make red, and make white, with the result that the flowers turn out mid-way in between; theyre pink.

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Genetics Practice Problems - University of Cincinnati

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Population genetics is the study of allele frequency distribution and change under the influence of the four main evolutionary processes: natural selection, genetic drift, mutation and gene flow. It also takes into account the factors of recombination, population subdivision and population structure. It attempts to explain such phenomena as adaptation and speciation.

Population genetics was a vital ingredient in the emergence of the modern evolutionary synthesis. Its primary founders were Sewall Wright, J. B. S. Haldane and R. A. Fisher, who also laid the foundations for the related discipline of quantitative genetics.

Traditionally a highly mathematical discipline, modern population genetics encompasses theoretical, lab and field work. Computational approaches, often using coalescent theory, have played a central role since the 1980s.

Biston betularia f. carbonaria is the black-bodied form of the peppered moth.

Population genetics is the study of the frequency and interaction of alleles and genes in populations.[1] A sexual population is a set of organisms in which any pair of members can breed together. This implies that all members belong to the same species and live near each other.[2]

For example, all of the moths of the same species living in an isolated forest are a population. A gene in this population may have several alternate forms, which account for variations between the phenotypes of the organisms. An example might be a gene for coloration in moths that has two alleles: black and white. A gene pool is the complete set of alleles for a gene in a single population; the allele frequency for an allele is the fraction of the genes in the pool that is composed of that allele (for example, what fraction of moth coloration genes are the black allele). Evolution occurs when there are changes in the frequencies of alleles within a population; for example, the allele for black color in a population of moths becoming more common.

Natural selection will only cause evolution if there is enough genetic variation in a population. Before the discovery of Mendelian genetics, one common hypothesis was blending inheritance. But with blending inheritance, genetic variance would be rapidly lost, making evolution by natural selection implausible. The HardyWeinberg principle provides the solution to how variation is maintained in a population with Mendelian inheritance. According to this principle, the frequencies of alleles (variations in a gene) will remain constant in the absence of selection, mutation, migration and genetic drift.[3] The HardyWeinberg "equilibrium" refers to this stability of allele frequencies over time.

A second component of the HardyWeinberg principle concerns the effects of a single generation of random mating. In this case, the genotype frequencies can be predicted from the allele frequencies. For example, in the simplest case of a single locus with two alleles: the dominant allele is denoted A and the recessive a and their frequencies are denoted by p and q; freq(A)=p; freq(a)=q; p+q=1. If the genotype frequencies are in HardyWeinberg proportions resulting from random mating, then we will have freq(AA)=p2 for the AA homozygotes in the population, freq(aa)=q2 for the aa homozygotes, and freq(Aa)=2pq for the heterozygotes.

Natural selection is the fact that some traits make it more likely for an organism to survive and reproduce. Population genetics describes natural selection by defining fitness as a propensity or probability of survival and reproduction in a particular environment. The fitness is normally given by the symbol w=1-s where s is the selection coefficient. Natural selection acts on phenotypes, or the observable characteristics of organisms, but the genetically heritable basis of any phenotype which gives a reproductive advantage will become more common in a population (see allele frequency). In this way, natural selection converts differences in fitness into changes in allele frequency in a population over successive generations.

Before the advent of population genetics, many biologists doubted that small differences in fitness were sufficient to make a large difference to evolution.[4] Population geneticists addressed this concern in part by comparing selection to genetic drift. Selection can overcome genetic drift when s is greater than 1 divided by the effective population size. When this criterion is met, the probability that a new advantageous mutant becomes fixed is approximately equal to 2s.[5][6] The time until fixation of such an allele depends little on genetic drift, and is approximately proportional to log(sN)/s.[7]

More:
Population genetics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Tribute to Duane Roth
Speakers: Lawrence Goldstein, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Departments of Cellular Molecular Medicine Neurosciences; Director, UC San Diego Stem Cell ...

By: Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

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Tribute to Duane Roth - Video

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Regenerative Medicine and Aging - Dr. Michael West
In this lecture, BioTime CEO and Geron founder Dr. Michael West discusses regenerative medicine and its application to age-related disease with a specific focus on the role of telomeres. Dr....

By: SENS Foundation

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Regenerative Medicine and Aging - Dr. Michael West - Video

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Activating Pathway Could Restart Hair Growth in Dormant Hair Follicles, Penn Study Suggests

5 Dec 2013A pathway known for its role in regulating adult stem cells has been shown to be important for hair follicle proliferation, but contrary to previous studies, is not required within hair follicle stem cells for their survival, according to researchers with the Perelman School of Medicine at the... Read more

4 Dec 2013Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, assistant professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennslyvania, has been named as the director of the Emergency Care Coordination Center (ECCC). Read more

3 Dec 2013Compared to traditional mammography, 3D mammographyknown as digital breast tomosynthesisfound 22 percent more breast cancers and led to fewer call backs in a large screening study at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), researchers reported today at the annual meeting of th... Read more

2 Dec 2013A new brain connectivity study from Penn Medicine published today in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences found striking differences in the neural wiring of men and women thats lending credence to some commonly-held beliefs about their behavior. Read more

29 Nov 2013A new, first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania seeks to learn whether men with prostate cancer who are undergoing radiation therapy can benefit from yoga. The study, led by Neha Vapiwala, MD, assistant professor of Radiation... Read more

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Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

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Bone marrow is the tissue comprising the center of large bones.

It is the place where new blood cells are produced.

Bone marrow contains two types of stem cells: hemopoietic (which can produce blood cells) and stromal (which can produce fat, cartilage and bone).

There are two types of bone marrow: red marrow (also known as myeloid tissue) and yellow marrow.

Red blood cells, platelets and most white blood cells arise in red marrow; some white blood cells develop in yellow marrow.

The color of yellow marrow is due to the much higher number of fat cells.

Both types of bone marrow contain numerous blood vessels and capillaries. At birth, all bone marrow is red.

With age, more and more of it is converted to the yellow type.

Adults have on average about 2.6kg (5.7lbs) of bone marrow, with about half of it being red.

Red marrow is found mainly in the flat bones such as hip bone, breast bone, skull, ribs, vertebrae and shoulder blades, and in the cancellous ("spongy") material at the proximal ends of the long bones femur and humerus.

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Bone marrow - Science Daily

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Maintaining more luminous skin is dependent upon your bodys unique ability to replace dead skin cells. This vital process of continuous self-renewal depends on the activity of epidermal stem cells.

The epidermis (upper skin layer) has been shown to replace itself in just 20 days in young adults, compared to 30 days in middle-aged adults.1 Unfortunately, this rate of renewal dramatically declines after age 50.

The exciting news is that the decline in the skins capacity to renew itself may be safely slowed or even reversed.

Researchers have found that when applied to the skin, a novel, patent-pending preparation of cultured stem cells derived from the Alpine rose may stimulate epidermal stem cell activity.2

In this article, epidermal stem cells role in skin beauty is detailed, along with supportive data on Alpine rose stem cells ability to activate the skins innate power of self-renewal.

The Alpine rose (Rhododendron ferrugineum) thrives in the Swiss Alps and the Pyrenees where it endures high altitudes, extreme cold, dry air, and high levels of ultra violet radiation.

This plants ability to withstand harsh environmental stress factors such as freezing temperatures, drought, and scorching UV rays prompted researchers to investigate the Alpine rose as a source of protection for human skin cells. Like the Alpine rose, human skin cells must resist a host of environmental stressors and lock in essential fluids. Skin that performs this barrier function well is more resilient and less likely to develop fine lines and wrinkles or show other signs of aging.

The skin functions as an essential barrier to protect the body from microbial invaders, toxins, the ravages of weather, dehydration, and mechanical trauma. This protective function is governed by stem cells. There are two broad classes of stem cells: pluripotent embryonic stem cells, which have the capacity to develop into any cell type, and adult stem cells, which can differentiate to become some or all of the specialized cell types present in a specific tissue or organ. The adult stem cells in the skin reside in the deepest layer of the epidermis, close to hair follicles.

Epidermal stem cells help to facilitate the turnover of all skin cells, replenishing their supply and maintaining a continuous equilibrium of skin cells in all stages of their life cycles. Epidermal stem cells have relatively slow turnover compared to other skin cell types, but it is their tremendous reproducing potential that gives the skin the remarkable capacity to renew itself completely.3 These types of stem cells also are vitally important for repairing the skin after injury and enabling wound healing.4

The researchers found that applying selected plant stem cell extracts to the skin, specifically those cultured from the Alpine rose, offers protection to the epidermal stem cells, prolonging their lives, increasing their colony-forming efficiency and enhancing their function. These potent plant stem cells from the Alpine rose appear to stimulate the skins own epidermal stem cell activity, revitalizing it and boosting its capacity for repair and self-renewal.

Follow this link:
Activate Self-Renewing Skin Stem Cells - Life Extension

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Introduction

The announcement of the ability to produce embryonic cell-like lines from ordinary skin cells has the news media scrambling to get feedback about the possible efficacy of such lines in stem cell therapies. Many politicians have landed on one side or the other, with liberals saying that embryonic stem cell research is still necessary1 and conservatives claiming that all embryonic research should be halted. The marketplace of science will eventually weigh-in on which method(s) are used in real therapies.

Embryonic stem cell (ESC) research has been a hot topic, with conservatives saying that such research is morally unacceptable and liberals saying that conservatives value a clump of cells more than people who have serious disabling diseases. Several groups of medical researchers (including James Thomson, the first person to culture ESC) recently showed that normal skin cells can be reprogrammed to an embryonic state, producing what are now called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Originally performed in mice in June, 2007,2 researchers took four genes OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC and incorporated those genes into the nucleus of cells to induce pluripotency. Such lines could be expanded indefinitely and could differentiate to form numerous kinds of different tissues.

Just five months after the mouse study was published, the feat was repeated by three separate laboratories using human skin cells.3 One research group used the same genes as those used in the mouse study, whereas a second group used OCT3, SOX2, NANOG and LIN28. The techniques were efficient enough to generate one cell line for every 5-10 thousand cells treated. Although not extremely efficient, it is quite usable, since it is possible to obtain hundreds of thousands to millions of cells to carry out these kinds of studies. The technique was recently replicated for adult human skin cells,4 instead of skin cell lines, demonstrating that it could be used to generate patient-specific cell lines.

Studies using iPS cell lines have shown that those cells undergo similar changes compared to what is observed with embryonic stem cells. Cell populations grew at the same rate, telomerase (which preserves the ends of chromosomes) was present in both iPS and ESC. Severalgenes that are silenced in fibroblasts, but active in ESC, were also active in the iPS cells. The iPS cell lines could be differentiated into heart muscle and neuronal cells, in addition to basic cell types (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm). Gene expression assays showed that 5,000 genes from iPS cells showed a five-fold difference in expression compared to those in fibroblasts, although 1,267 genes had a five-fold difference in expression between ESC and iPS cells. According to the James Thomson study, "The human iPS cells described here meet the defining criteria we originally proposed for human ES cells (14), with the significant exception that the iPS cells are not derived from embryos."3

Originally, the new technique is not without its own set of problems, although within two years, virtually all had been resolved. One of the original genes used for reprogramming (c-MYC) has been shown to produce tumors and cancers. Obviously, it would not be a good choice for patient therapy. However, this gene was eliminated in some of the later techniques.5 The second problem was that the genes were originally introduced through the use of a retrovirus that incorporates into the host cell DNA. Depending upon where the gene sequence inserts, it may cause trouble (including mutations and cancers). Those who watched the I am Legend movie will remember that a retrovirus-derived cancer treatment was responsible for turning the surviving members of the human race into an army of grotesque monsters. Although such a transformation is not possible, the initiation of cancer in even a small number of treated patients would make such treatments unusable for human therapy. Two years later the problem of using a retroviral system for reprogramming was solved by switching to a simple lentivirus reprogramming system.6 Within weeks, other researchers went a step further, eliminating viral reprogramming altogether by using reprogramming genes (OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, LIN28, c-Myc, and KLF4) cloned into a circular piece of DNA called a plasmid.7 Subsequent culture of of the iPS over a period of weeks resulted in the complete loss of the plasmid, but with continued pluripotency. The potential of iPS cells is so great that the researcher who first grew ESC in culture is now one of the leading proponents of iPS stem cell research.

A more recent, but somewhat uncertain potential problem has been identified more recently. Since iPS cells are derived from adult tissues, they tend to harbor some of the same epigenetic profiles as those adult tissues from which they are derived. As cells age or differentiate, certain genes are turned on or off through methylation of those gene's promoters. The process prevents those cells from undergoing additional changes that might cause the cells to lose their differentiated properties. When adults cells are induced to pluripotency, some of those epigenetic profiles are retained in the iPS cells.8 How will these vestiges of adult cells affect iPS ability to differentiate into cells that are useful for disease models or therapy? At this point, we don't know for sure. However, my guess is that different ESC lines will exhibit different epigenetic profiles, as will specific isolates of iPS cells. Although researchers have found no problems in producing differentiated iPS lines, some of these epigenetic changes might interfere with the ultimate function of these cells as differentiated cell lines.

Even with these issues, research institutes are beginning to focus their stem cell research on iPS cells. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center recently opened its Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Core Production Facility in late 2011, according to their press release.9

Induction of pluripotency to produce embryonic-like stem cells is the hot topic in stem cell research. The fact that human iPS cells have been produced in many different laboratories after the initial animal studies shows that the technique is robust and easily reproducible. In contrast, the competing technique, human somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning), has never been transferred from animal studies to human application, despite years of attempts. At this point, it seems pretty certain that the iPS technique will soon replace ESC as the preferred means of generating human stem cell lines. However, the disadvantage of iPS cells is that the cell lines produced would be patient specific (only useful for the intended patient), whereas the establishment of ESC lines allows biotech companies to patent the lines in order to make lots of money.

http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/reprogrammed_stem_cells.html Last Modified October 6, 2011

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Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS) from Human Skin: Probable ...

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Somatic stem cells (also called adult stem cells) exist naturally in the body. They are important for growth, healing, and replacing cells that are lost through daily wear and tear.

Potential as therapy Stem cells from the blood and bone marrow are routinely used as a treatment for blood-related diseases. However, under natural circumstances somatic stem cells can become only a subset of related cell types. Bone marrow stem cells, for example, differentiate primarily into blood cells. This partial differentiation can be an advantage when you want to produce blood cells; but it is a disadvantage if you're interested in producing an unrelated cell type.

Special considerations Most types of somatic stem cells are present in low abundance and are difficult to isolate and grow in culture. Isolation of some types could cause considerable tissue or organ damage, as in the heart or brain. Somatic stem cells can be transplanted from donor to patient, but without drugs that suppress the immune system, a patient's immune system will recognize transplanted cells as foreign and attack them.

Ethical considerations Therapy involving somatic stem cells is not controversial; however, it is subject to the same ethical considerations that apply to all medical procedures.

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Stem Cell Quick Reference - Learn Genetics

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Cell therapy hope for rare diseases
Cell therapy hope for rare diseases UK cell therapy trial for rare diseases A trial has begun of a new cell therapy has begun in the UK, and the BBCs Fergus ...

By: World Wide News

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Cell therapy hope for rare diseases - Video

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Dear Ovation, I am a hairstylist and I recently went through chemotherapy treatments for 8 mths. I ordered your product and began using it just as soon as I was done with treatment. I have to tell you I was skeptical, but all my hair came back just as full if not fuller than before I lost it. I have to tell you I was bald as a billiard ball, and my hair came back even and quickly. I now have about 4 inches of hair and I'm thrilled to have it all back. Thank you ovation for developing such a wonderful product.

I bought your shampoo, conditioner, and Cell Therapy and LOVE IT!! After about 2 weeks of using it I really noticed a huge difference in my hair. It is softer, thicker, silky, and is growing like crazy! I recommend your product to everyone! I even posted it on my Facebook page! KSCS 96.3 is where I heard about it and the promote it all the time! Thank you.

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Ovation Cell Therapy®- Ovation Hair®

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The Human Genome Project (HGP) is an international scientific research project with a primary goal of determining the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up human DNA, and of identifying and mapping the total genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional standpoint.[1] It remains the largest collaborative biological project.[2]

The first official funding for the Project originated with the US Department of Energys Office of Health and Environmental Research, headed by Charles DeLisi, and was in the Reagan Administrations 1987 budget submission to the Congress.[3] It subsequently passed both Houses. The Project was planned for 15 years.[4]

In 1990, the two major funding agencies, DOE and NIH, developed a memorandum of understanding in order to coordinate plans, and set the clock for initiation of the Project to 1990.[5] At that time David Galas was Director of the renamed Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the U.S. Department of Energys Office of Science, and James Watson headed the NIH Genome Program. In 1993 Aristides Patrinos succeeded Galas, and Francis Collins succeeded James Watson, and assumed the role of overall Project Head as Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Human Genome Research Institute. A working draft of the genome was announced in 2000 and a complete one in 2003, with further, more detailed analysis still being published.

A parallel project was conducted outside of government by the Celera Corporation, or Celera Genomics, which was formally launched in 1998. Most of the government-sponsored sequencing was performed in universities and research centres from the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Germany, Spain and China.[6] Researchers continue to identify protein-coding genes and their functions; the objective is to find disease-causing genes and possibly use the information to develop more specific treatments. It also may be possible to locate patterns in gene expression, which could help physicians glean insight into the body's emergent properties.

The Human Genome Project originally aimed to map the nucleotides contained in a human haploid reference genome (more than three billion). Several groups have announced efforts to extend this to diploid human genomes including the International HapMap Project, Applied Biosystems, Perlegen, Illumina, J. Craig Venter Institute, Personal Genome Project, and Roche-454.

The "genome" of any given individual is unique; mapping "the human genome" involves sequencing multiple variations of each gene.[7] The project did not study the entire DNA found in human cells; some heterochromatic areas (about 8% of the total genome) remain unsequenced.

The project began with the culmination of several years of work supported by the US Department of Energy, in particular workshops in 1984[8] of the US Department of Energy.[9] This 1987 report stated boldly, "The ultimate goal of this initiative is to understand the human genome" and "knowledge of the human is as necessary to the continuing progress of medicine and other health sciences as knowledge of human anatomy has been for the present state of medicine." The proposal was made by Dr. Alvin Trivelpiece and was approved by Deputy Secretary William Flynn Martin. This chart[10] was used in the Spring of 1986 by Trivelpiece, then Director of the Office of Energy Research in the Department of Energy, to brief Martin and Under Secretary Joseph Salgado regarding his intention to reprogram $4 million to initiate the project with the approval of Secretary Herrington. This reprogramming was followed by a line item budget of $16 million the following year. Candidate technologies were already being considered for the proposed undertaking at least as early as 1985.[11]

James D. Watson was head of the National Center for Human Genome Research at the National Institutes of Health in the United States starting from 1988. Largely due to his disagreement with his boss, Bernadine Healy, over the issue of patenting genes, Watson was forced to resign in 1992. He was replaced by Francis Collins in April 1993, and the name of the Centre was changed to the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in 1997.

The $3-billion project was formally founded in 1990 by the US Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health, and was expected to take 15 years.[12] In addition to the United States, the international consortium comprised geneticists in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Japan and myriad other spontaneous relationships.[13]

Due to widespread international cooperation and advances in the field of genomics (especially in sequence analysis), as well as major advances in computing technology, a 'rough draft' of the genome was finished in 2000 (announced jointly by U.S. President Bill Clinton and the British Prime Minister Tony Blair on June 26, 2000).[14] This first available rough draft assembly of the genome was completed by the Genome Bioinformatics Group at the University of California, Santa Cruz, primarily led by then graduate student Jim Kent. Ongoing sequencing led to the announcement of the essentially complete genome in April 2003, 2 years earlier than planned.[15] In May 2006, another milestone was passed on the way to completion of the project, when the sequence of the last chromosome was published in the journal Nature.[16]

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Human Genome Project - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The science of indirectly manipulating an organism's genes using techniques like molecular cloning and transformation to alter the structure and nature of genes is called genetic engineering. Genetic engineering can bring about a great amount of transformation in the characteristics of an organism by the manipulation of DNA, which is like the code inscribed in every cell determining how it functions. Like any other science, genetic engineering also has pros and cons. Let us look at some of them.

Pros of Genetic Engineering

Better Taste, Nutrition and Growth Rate Crops like potato, tomato, soybean and rice are currently being genetically engineered to obtain new strains with better nutritional qualities and increased yield. The genetically engineered crops are expected to have the capacity to grow on lands that are presently not suitable for cultivation. The manipulation of genes in crops is expected to improve their nutritional value as also their rate of growth. Biotechnology, the science of genetically engineering foods, can be used to impart a better taste to food.

Pest-resistant Crops and Longer Shelf life Engineered seeds are resistant to pests and can survive in relatively harsh climatic conditions. The plant gene At-DBF2, when inserted in tomato and tobacco cells is seen to increase their endurance to harsh soil and climatic conditions. Biotechnology can be used to slow down the process of food spoilage. It can thus result in fruits and vegetables that have a greater shelf life.

Genetic Modification to Produce New Foods Genetic engineering in food can be used to produce totally new substances such as proteins and other food nutrients. The genetic modification of foods can be used to increase their medicinal value, thus making homegrown edible vaccines available.

Modification of Genetic Traits in Humans Genetic engineering has the potential of succeeding in case of human beings too. This specialized branch of genetic engineering, which is known as human genetic engineering is the science of modifying genotypes of human beings before birth. The process can be used to manipulate certain traits in an individual.

Boost Positive Traits, Suppress Negative Ones Positive genetic engineering deals with enhancing the positive traits in an individual like increasing longevity or human capacity while negative genetic engineering deals with the suppression of negative traits in human beings like certain genetic diseases. Genetic engineering can be used to obtain a permanent cure for dreaded diseases.

Modification of Human DNA If the genes responsible for certain exceptional qualities in individuals can be discovered, these genes can be artificially introduced into genotypes of other human beings. Genetic engineering in human beings can be used to change the DNA of individuals to bring about desirable structural and functional changes in them.

Cons of Genetic Engineering

May Hamper Nutritional Value Genetic engineering in food involves the contamination of genes in crops. Genetically engineered crops may supersede natural weeds. They may prove to be harmful for natural plants. Undesirable genetic mutations can lead to allergies in crops. Some believe that genetic engineering in foodstuffs can hamper their nutritional value while enhancing their taste and appearance.

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Pros and Cons of Genetic Engineering - Buzzle

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Bookshelf

A collection of biomedical books that can be searched directly or from linked data in other NCBI databases. The collection includes biomedical textbooks, other scientific titles, genetic resources such as GeneReviews, and NCBI help manuals.

A resource to provide a public, tracked record of reported relationships between human variation and observed health status with supporting evidence. Related information intheNIH Genetic Testing Registry (GTR),MedGen,Gene,OMIM,PubMedand other sources is accessible through hyperlinks on the records.

An archive and distribution center for the description and results of studies which investigate the interaction of genotype and phenotype. These studies include genome-wide association (GWAS), medical resequencing, molecular diagnostic assays, as well as association between genotype and non-clinical traits.

An open, publicly accessible platform where the HLA community can submit, edit, view, and exchange data related to the human major histocompatibility complex. It consists of an interactive Alignment Viewer for HLA and related genes, an MHC microsatellite database, a sequence interpretation site for Sequencing Based Typing (SBT), and a Primer/Probe database.

A searchable database of genes, focusing on genomes that have been completely sequenced and that have an active research community to contribute gene-specific data. Information includes nomenclature, chromosomal localization, gene products and their attributes (e.g., protein interactions), associated markers, phenotypes, interactions, and links to citations, sequences, variation details, maps, expression reports, homologs, protein domain content, and external databases.

A collection of expert-authored, peer-reviewed disease descriptions on the NCBI Bookshelf that apply genetic testing to the diagnosis, management, and genetic counseling of patients and families with specific inherited conditions.

Summaries of information for selected genetic disorders with discussions of the underlying mutation(s) and clinical features, as well as links to related databases and organizations.

A voluntary registry of genetic tests and laboratories, with detailed information about the tests such as what is measured and analytic and clinical validity. GTR also is a nexus for information about genetic conditions and provides context-specific links to a variety of resources, including practice guidelines, published literature, and genetic data/information. The initial scope of GTR includes single gene tests for Mendelian disorders, as well as arrays, panels and pharmacogenetic tests.

A database of known interactions of HIV-1 proteins with proteins from human hosts. It provides annotated bibliographies of published reports of protein interactions, with links to the corresponding PubMed records and sequence data.

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Genetics & Medicine - Site Guide - NCBI - National Center for ...

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Attackaratus by PlantBot Genetics
Attackaratus http://www.monsantra.com This PlantBot is so fierce and hardy that PlantBot Genetic scientists find one they immediately (at great risks to themselves) try to contain it in a sealed...

By: Wendy DesChene

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Attackaratus by PlantBot Genetics - Video

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