Monthly Archives: April 2012

American Oriental Bioengineering Inc. Receives NYSE Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule …

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NEWARK, N.J., April 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- American Oriental Bioengineering, Inc. (NYSE: AOB - News) (the "Company") today announced that the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") has notified the Company that it is not in compliance with NYSE rules due to the Company's failure to timely file its Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Under NYSE rules, when a Company does not comply with annual report filing requirements, the NYSE allows a company an additional six months to file its annual report in order to regain compliance. In the case of the Company, the annual report would be due on or before October 29, 2012. If the Company fails to file its annual report within that time period, the NYSE may, in its sole discretion, allow the Company's securities to remain listed for up to an additional six months or may, in its sole discretion, commence suspension and delisting procedures.

As previously announced, during the performance of the annual audit of the Company's financial statements for the fiscal year 2011, the Company's auditors, Ernst & Young Hua Ming's (E&Y), noted certain inconsistencies. As a result, the Audit Committee has commenced an independent investigation into the matters identified by E&Y. Although the Company cannot know at this time how long the investigation will take, the Company will endeavor to file the Form 10-K as soon as possible upon the completion of the investigation.

About American Oriental Bioengineering, Inc.

American Oriental Bioengineering, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving health through the development, manufacture and commercialization of a broad range of prescription and over the counter products.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements made in this press release are forward-looking and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in these statements. The economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors identified in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward looking statements in this press release. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Contact:

American Oriental Bioengineering, Inc.

Hong Zhu

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American Oriental Bioengineering Inc. Receives NYSE Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule ...

'Grey's Anatomy' recap: We Don't Talk About Stuff Like This

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Image credit: Richard Foreman/ABC

THE W-WORD You may think Teddy (Kim Raver) is happy, but she's just one good bathroom cry away from accepting her grief.

Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater. As juvenile as it may be, that was supposed to be my motto this week. I was ready to dig deep into the pure dysfunction that is Cristina and Owens marriage, especially in the aftermath of his confession. I was ready to hear Owen explain it away and to watch Cristina silently stare the crap out of him.

Well, our friends over at Seattle Grace werent into that motto because we barely see Owen and Cristina interact in this episode. No diving in the deep end of their relationship just yet. Yes, they do get enough communal screen time to let us know Cristina is giving him the silent treatment. Yes, we learned that eating cereal has never been more dangerous when Cristina throws her bowl of cereal in his face, daring him to say anything. But apart from that, they manage to avoid each other this week.

Theres definitely enough avoidance to go around. Lets begin with Meredith, who doesnt start out dodging Owens pleas to help him fix things with Cristina. In fact, she even offers up this nugget of advice: You cant force Cristina to open up; you have to let her come to you. Sound advice. See the Cristina-loses-herself-and-quits-medicine-then-finds-herself plotline for proof.

But a nugget just isnt enough for Owen. As they scrub in to save a women who gets mauled by her pet lion, he makes a second attempt to get Merediths help. All he wants is for her to let Cristina know how sorry he is. Simple request, right? Not so much, especially when he tells her, It was just sex. Meredith visibly flinches and so do I. Its insulting to think he would believe thats all it takes to justify his infidelity. It was just sex probably makes it worse.All this talk of cheating inspires Meredith to let Derek know that if he ever cheats on her, shell kill him. I believe her.

Elsewhere in avoidance island, Alex Karev has just realized it might be time to start putting a little distance between him and Intern Morgan. Morgan, dont you know you only bring out the puppy eyes after the wooing is over? Thats how you scare them off. And scared, he is. Karev tells Arizona he wants off her service because those puppy dog eyes can only mean one thing: His intern wants him. After a little back and forth, Arizona is willing to oblige but only if he's off the case for good. He thinks he is -- but not if Morganhas anything to do with it. She spends most of this episode texting him. The best way Karev can tell her to stop is to evade her completely.

Oh, the irony. Old Karev would have taken a puppy-eyed intern straight to the bedroom and not given it a second thought. Now, when he needs to pull out his not-so-inner a--hole, hes struggling.

NEXT: Karev finally comes clean with Morganwhen she's at her lowest

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'Grey's Anatomy' recap: We Don't Talk About Stuff Like This

Grey's Anatomy Recap: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

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Stage Five Clingers, Buffy alums and lions oh my!

In this week's Grey's Anatomy, Teddy finally deals with Henry's death, Callie gets majorly jealous, Alex has lady issues and Cristina finally lets Owen have it. Really, this feels like early Grey's, but the gang's all grown up... and there was a lion. Let's take a look at this week's top moments:

Zola says rawr: Zola is so cute when she meows in the car and then rawrs like a lion oh wait, that's because there's a lion on the loose in Seattle! While we don't get to see much of the lion, we do see all of the victims who are rushed to the hospital following its attack including Buffy alum Danny Strong. (For those playing the "Buffy Stars on a Shonda Show" drinking game, partake three.)

Teddy goes to therapy: The doc is finally trying to deal with Henry's death, but she probably shouldn't have chosen to go to group therapy. She laughs at other women's stories of woe and points out that their husband's maladies made them dead men walking anyways. But when the wife of her patient suddenly dies, Teddy gets a dose of reality, which makes her finally admit that she is a widow.

Cristina and Owen, not sitting in a tree: Because Cristina still isn't talking to Owen, he tries to enlist Meredith's help to fix things; except, Meredith didn't know that Owen had cheated on her best friend. The other Twisted sister is not pleased because it means that 1) Cristina probably didn't tell Mer because she's likely going to forgive Owen. And 2) Owen is a cheater! After watching Cristina quietly stew the entire hour, she finally lets him have it when she throws her bowl of cereal in his face. Childish? Yes. Deserving? Yes.

Mark and Julia's possible cohabitation: Lexie accidentally overhears Mark in the elevator saying how he may move in with Julia and attempts to get Derek's advice about the situation, but he shuts her out time and again because he's her boss and doesn't want to get involved with personal matters. In the end, Mark and Lexie are still doing the relationship tango. Come on!

Arizona's exes: A nurse she used to hook up with is leaving the hospital, so the two share a lingering hug. This sets Callie off on a bit of a jealous rage, trying to figure out who else Arizona has hooked up with apparently, she got around before Callie. But really, it's OK Arizona used to get busy because now she's raising the child of her wife and her wife's old lover, so she should get some brownie points.

Alex's Stage Five Clinger: Alex finally realizes that Morgan has become too attached to him, so he wants to get off her case. She keeps paging him over and over, but he decides to be a "douche" and ignore her so she'll get over him. Alex stands his ground even when Morgan has to decide whether or not she should let her baby die. In a related note: The new hospital pagers? Most annoying sounds ever, right?

What did you think of this week's Grey's Anatomy? Should Mark and Lexie just get back together already? Was Cristina being childish? Hit the comments!

Stage Five Clingers, Buffy alums and lions oh my!

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Grey's Anatomy Recap: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"

Grey's Anatomy Scoop: Which Doctors Will Be Sticking Around Seattle Grace?

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As Grey's Anatomy winds toward its Season 8 finale, the major question is not only which actors will return next season, but also which residents will actually pass the medical boards in order to become full-fledged doctors - and hopefully, continue walking the halls of Seattle Grace.

"You're going to see how each person deals with [the boards]," creator Shonda Rhimes tells TVGuide.com. "How some of them rise to the occasion, how some of them crack, and some of the problems they're going to be facing."

Anatomy of Shonda Rhimes, the busiest woman in Hollywood

For Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), the boards won't go as smoothly as she hopes when she faces a crisis during her exams. But that's not the only predicament Meredith will face as her "graduation" looms in the very near future. "It's going to be interesting for her," Rhimes says. "Seattle Grace is her home. These people are her family. That's what she spent the past eight years establishing. The idea of leaving or staying is going to weigh heavily on her and going to be pretty hard for her to deal with."

The good news: Meredith's loving husband Derek (Patrick Dempsey) is very supportive of whatever decision she makes, be it staying at Seattle Grace or venturing onward. "Derek would go with her wherever, and Derek is encouraging her to take the best job there is, wherever that is," Pompeo says. On the other hand, leaving Seattle could mean separating the true power couple of Grey's - Meredith and Cristina (Sandra Oh). That very subject will be addressed in an upcoming episode. "There's definitely scenes that reflect ... the relationship between Cristina and Meredith," Pompeo says, noting that no one - aside from the powers that be - knows who will be staying or going.

For her part, Cristina will have the pick of the litter, as multiple hospitals will be wooing her. That will weigh heavily on both her mentor, Teddy (Kim Raver), and her husband, Owen (Kevin McKidd). "It's hard for both of them," Rhimes says. "Cristina is very gifted and a lot of people are going to want her. For both Teddy and Owen, there's going to be some struggle there in terms of letting go. Or if you can let go or if you should let go."

As far as Owen goes, letting go may not be his decision. Cristina and Owen have faced their toughest year yet following her choice to have an abortion and his reveal that he cheated on her. Oh said it may all come down to Cristina deciding between work and love. "Cristina will eventually have to decide what's going to happen in the relationship versus what she wants in her career," she says.

Grey's Anatomy star Sandra Oh: Cristina and Owen head to couples therapy!

While the residents are off taking their boards, the attendings will have problems of their own. "Teddy and Owen still have issues to work out, and we have a lovely Callie-Arizona [Sara Ramirez and Jessica Capshaw] story coming up," Rhimes says. "There's going to be some definite surprises in store for the Chief [James Pickens Jr.] and Catherine Avery [Debbie Allen], Jackson's mom." Plus: Loretta Devine will reprise her role once again as the Chief's Alzheimer's stricken wife Adele. "That's going to be beautiful," Rhimes says.

With the fate of many Seattle Grace doctors up in the air, Rhimes is finding it extra difficult to map out the season finale. "There's a sense of nostalgia there that's really big in terms of these interns no longer being residents anymore," she says. "That alone is a big deal for us. It's also just difficult in terms of what we're trying to do in this finale. What we're trying to do is pretty large and the idea that we're pulling things apart and putting things back together in this very interesting way is not easy."

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Grey's Anatomy Scoop: Which Doctors Will Be Sticking Around Seattle Grace?

Dissecting the BioDigital Human: A 3D Anatomy Lesson

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iPads in hand (carefully sealed in Ziploc bags), students at New York University's medical school are taking "Anatomy 2.0."

BioDigital's 3D medical imaging software allows users to navigate the ins and outs of the human body, toggling various systems and conditions on and off -- you can take it for a spinhere. Emon Hassan, a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in New York City, goes inside the lab course at NYU's School of Medicine where human cadavers and 3D glasses are course materials, and faculty and students weigh in on the virtues of supplementing a hands-on education with virtual tools. Hassan discusses the making of the film in an interview below.

The Atlantic:How did you find this story and decide to tell it?

Emon Hassan:I have been working on a photo essay project since November of 2011 that involved anatomy students. The 3D imaging system was announced during an anatomy lecture and I learned the 3D imaging system would soon become a part of student's work at the anatomy lab. This piqued my curiosity and I wanted to learn more about the technology.

This anatomy course seems representative of education's evolution from textbooks to interactive digital media. Did you get the sense that teachers and students were generally positive about the shift, or were there any skeptics?

The people I've interviewed are mostly positive and enthusiastic about this technology. If I surveyed more students and faculty I might encounter differing opinions. Of course, that's just an assumption on my part. It was interesting to note that while students and faculty each approached the same technology with different goals in mind, they did agree that the 3D imaging system, supplemented with iPad, allowed them a broader palette to explore, personalize and customize their learning and teaching experience. However, most point out that the technology is ideal for enhancing and not replacing the learning experience one has from dissecting actual cadavers.

We live in a time that demands our daily experiences also have virtual interaction options with share features. What I've gathered from both the faculty and students is that this technology removes a lot of clutter from their work in the lab and allows them to focus. I sensed an optimism towards the technology because they spoke more about what the technology can do for their work as opposed to what it couldn't do. In essence: growth opportunities vs. shortcomings.

What are some of the challenges of making documentaries about medicine and technology like this?

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Dissecting the BioDigital Human: A 3D Anatomy Lesson

Longtime Vail Valley acupuncturist retiring

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EDWARDS, Colorado Geri Schmidt has had a lot of careers public health nurse, restaurant owner, retail store owner and, for much of the past two decades, a specialist in acupuncture and homeopathic medicine. Now it's time for the next adventure.

Schmidt turns 70 this year, and has decided it's time to close A Wellness Center, the Asian medicine center she's run in Riverwalk's Diamond Building since 1998. Schmidt is selling much of her office and treatment equipment, along with furnishings and decorations. But she's keeping her supply of Chinese herbs those will probably play a big role in whatever she decides to do next.

Schmidt's interest in Chinese medicine started in the 1980s, when she was a co-owner of Vail's Hong Kong Cafe. On a trip to China with other members of the Colorado Restaurant Association, one of the tour members became sick and ended up in a clinic. Since Schmidt is a registered nurse, she went along to help if she could.

The doctors in the clinic used acupuncture on the tour member who recovered quickly. Schmidt was intrigued, but there wasn't a lot of English-language information about acupuncture available at the time.

A few years later, Schmidt learned about a Chinese medicine class aimed at Westerners. Not long after, Schmidt completed a four-year program in Santa Fe.

With her acupuncturist's certification in hand, Schmidt spent a couple of years working with local chiropractor Jeff Roth who is still in practice in Glenwood Springs. She struck out on her own in 1998, when her spot in the Riverwalk center was finished.

Since then, Schmidt has treated hundreds of local residents and visitors for everything from fertility problems to cosmetic treatments.

Some of that treatment is done with acupuncture needles Schmidt has a host of photos of smiling kids with needles in various spots but much is done with herbs and items ranging from antler velvet to seahorses.

While Schmidt is selling off much of what's in her office now, she's keeping the large wooden cabinet filled with herbs and other items.

Those herbs, often cooked into drinkable potions, can be used for any number of things her anti-aging tonic, made from antler velvet, organic vodka and other items, has been popular over the years.

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Longtime Vail Valley acupuncturist retiring

Advocacy group linked to stem cell industry asks medical board for less-strict rule

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By Mary Ann Roser

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

An Austin-based group funded mainly by a company that develops stem cell therapies is petitioning the Texas Medical Board for a less-strict rule on adult stem cells an issue the board has struggled with for more than a year.

The board will hold a hearing April 13 on its proposed rule, which would require doctors to get informed consent from patients before performing a stem cell procedure as well as approval from an institutional review board.

Such boards review research to protect patients and are overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

At the meeting, the board must either adopt or pull down the much-revised rule, said Mari Robinson, executive director of the medical board.

The group, MedRebels Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness and educate the public about stem cells, will present its petition at the hearing. It has more than 2,500 signatures, many of them gathered near the company's Red River Street office during the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival, Executive Director Shay McBurney said Friday. The office space is provided by SpineSmith and its parent, Celling Biosciences, which develops products and therapies using a person's own adult stem cells.

The petition asks the board not to put any additional restrictions on adult stem cells that are obtained from a patient's own body, provided they are used in the same medical procedure and not extensively processed or grown outside the body, frozen or stored.

"We were pretty amazed at how many people came and signed our petition," McBurney said.

MedRebels hopes the medical board recognizes that there are different types of stem cells, unlike its proposed rule, which "would classify all stem cells in the same bucket," said Matthew Murphy, a senior scientist at Celling Biosciences who spoke on behalf of MedRebels.

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Patient Beware: When Stem Cells Harm

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Early in March 2012, 77-year-old Richard Poling entered a clinic in Bonita Springs, Fla., for a stem cell treatment to help with age-related heart and lung conditions.

Poling, an avid golfer and family man from Indiana, had sought several conventional therapies to alleviate his suffering with unsatisfactory results and was desperate for a treatment that would allow him to enjoy the pleasures of life again. Shortly after receiving his alleged treatment, however, Poling went into cardiac arrest at the clinic and died. According to investigators, the alleged stem cell treatment Poling received was not approved by the FDA.

According to multiple reports, the local cardiologist who conducted the treatment removed fat cells from Poling's abdomen and sent them to a lab that claimed to process and isolate adult stem cells from a patient's own fat. A few hours later, a second procedure was allegedly performed at the same clinic in which Poling had the stem cells injected back into his bloodstream for their regenerative properties. The entire process took one day, and during the hours between the procedures, Poling enjoyed lunch out with his family.

Poling was the second patient to die under the same doctor's care in the last two years after receiving the supposed stem cell therapy. The physician was already under order by the state of Florida to cease performing any further stem cell treatments pending further review, but the doctor allegedly continued performing various stem cell procedures -- until his license was revoked and suspended after Poling's death.

With all the marvels of modern medicine, there are still medical needs that remain unmet by our conventional health care system. When that happens, desperate people like Poling search for alternatives anywhere they can find them. One of these alternatives is stem cell therapy, a science that is no stranger to controversy.

The problem lies in that most stem cell therapies are not FDA-approved, and thus the market is under-regulated and consists of products that lack standardization and legitimacy. The lack of approved products has generated a gray market for stem cell therapeutics -- one that is dangerous and can be deadly.

Even though the United States has taken a passive approach to stem cell therapy as compared to its European and Asian counterparts, there are several U.S. companies vying for FDA approval as they develop stem cell therapies for indications such as heart disease, neurologic disorders and ophthalmologic diseases. While these companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars individually -- billions collectively -- to conduct groundbreaking research and development, rigorous safety studies, and extensive human trials to establish meaningful uses of their medical technologies, the majority of their studies occur overseas where they are sure to receive swifter review and eventual approvals.

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On Nutrition: Sugar Questions

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By Barbara Quinn Print Article

(MCT)As we wind down National Nutrition Month, this question from a reader deserves attention:

Please help me. My husband and I are trying to do a no-sugar (diet) but we are confused. Everything we eat has sugar in it. Is it OK to eat natural sugar when we are trying to do no sugar? Like the plain Greek yogurt has sugar, so do we NOT eat it or is this OK? And we eat the Ezekiel bread which also has sugar. Is this OK? It seems like everything has sugar. When they mean no sugar are they saying no added sugar or refined sugar or just stop eating yogurts and fruit? Very confusing. Thank you. Rubie G.

Dear Rubie,

Very confusing indeed.

Sugar is the energy plants produce from being exposed to the sun. So natural sugar usually refers to sugar as it comes directly from nature. For example, sucrose (a two-part sugar made of one part glucose and one part fructose) is found naturally in sugar beets and sugar cane and other fruits, vegetables and grains. Fructose is the primary sugar in fruit, honey and agave.

Lactose is the natural sugar in milk and yogurt. (Yes, I know cows are not plants. Cows eat plants, however, and produce milk which contains lactose, or milk sugar.)

Is it OK to eat natural sugars? Unless you have a medical condition that excludes any of these foods, the sugars derived from fruit, vegetables, grains, milk, and yogurt provide the main energy source for your brain, nerves and muscles. And these sugars come conveniently packaged with an array of vitamins, minerals and other life-sustaining nutrients.

Sugar derived from fruit, vegetables and grains can be also be refined into crystals and other forms for us to conveniently use in cooking, baking or to sweeten our coffee or tea. These are collectively known as added sugars. Sucrose (what we call table sugar), molasses, maple and corn syrups are examples of added sugars.

Sugar has many redeeming values. It gives flavor to food (babies get their first taste of sugar from moms milk). Sugar feeds yeast which helps bread rise. It holds moisture, gives tenderness and helps brown baked goods. Not surprising, then, that Ezekiel bread contains some sugar added to the recipe.

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Idaho Technology Launches FilmArray(R) Respiratory Panel at European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious …

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Idaho Technology Launches FilmArray(R) Respiratory Panel at European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Idaho Technology Inc.

02.04.2012 09:00

Establishes Distribution Network to Market in Europe

SALT LAKE CITY, 2012-04-02 09:00 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Idaho Technology, Inc., a privately held biotechnology and clinical diagnostics company dedicated to providing the world's fastest, highest-quality instruments for pathogen identification and DNA analysis, today announced the European launch of its FilmArray Respiratory Panel (FilmArray RP), a multiplex clinical diagnostic product that simultaneously detects 21 respiratory pathogens in about one hour. FilmArray RP is Idaho Technology's first clinical diagnostic test designed to run on the Company's user-friendly FilmArray system. The FilmArray RP received FDA 510(k) clearance last year for a panel of 15 analytes and recently achieved CE in vitro diagnostic (IVD) registration in the E.U. for a panel of 21 analytes.

The Company also announced that it is partnering with the DiaMondiaL family of distributors in strategic territories throughout Europe. Each of these partners is well recognized as a leading supplier of laboratory instruments and testing services, and will now add FilmArray RP to their product offerings.

The product is being showcased at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID), held March 31 - April 3, 2012, at ExCeL London, London, UK (Booth 567).

'Launching FilmArray RP in Europe represents a significant milestone for our clinical diagnostics business,' said Kirk Ririe, Chief Executive Officer of Idaho Technology. 'Along with our esteemed distribution partners, we are pleased to offer our user-friendly multiplex pathogen detection system to the broad community of clinical laboratory professionals. Our FilmArray system is capable of testing for a comprehensive panel of viral and bacterial pathogens in about one hour, while offering the user only two minutes of hands-on time, with no precise measuring or pipetting required. We believe this represents a significant advancement in the field of infectious disease detection, with the potential to improve the testing capacity of hospital clinical laboratories worldwide.'

Since launching in the U.S., FilmArray RP has experienced rapid adoption by the clinical laboratory community. In January 2012, Idaho Technology filed a submission with the FDA to clear five additional respiratory pathogens in an expanded panel for use on the FilmArray system. The Company expects to receive FDA clearance for the expanded panel in the second quarter of 2012. Idaho Technology is continuing to develop a broader test menu for its FilmArray system, including a blood culture ID panel, gastrointestinal panel, and an STI panel.

About FilmArray RP

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Idaho Technology Launches FilmArray(R) Respiratory Panel at European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious ...

How long will you live? Just crunch the numbers

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carly weeks From Monday's Globe and Mail Published Monday, Apr. 02, 2012 12:01AM EDT Last updated Monday, Apr. 02, 2012 6:38AM EDT

Want to know how long youll live? A new online longevity calculator may have the answer.

The calculator, created by Ontario scientists, asks questions about a persons smoking, drinking, eating, physical activity and other factors to predict his or her lifespan.

Although there are many similar tools online, this calculator is based on real data on factors contributing to deaths in Ontario.

The calculator was created as part of a new report published Monday that found 60 per cent of deaths in Ontario are linked to five controllable lifestyle factors: smoking, alcohol, diet, physical activity and stress.

I was taken aback, even though I work in this field, said Doug Manuel, lead author of the report and senior scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

If people changed even one bad habit, they could gain several years of life, according to the report published online Monday by the ICES and Public Health Ontario.

For the report, researchers examined responses from Ontario health surveys, which question people about habits, such as diet. Using a database at ICES, they were able to see what happened to survey respondents over time and the age at which they died, helping them determine the relationship between health risk factors and longevity.

Dr. Manuel and his colleagues decided to create the life expectancy calculator as a tool to help Ontarians see how their lifestyle may affect their health. Its available online at rrasp-phirn.ca/risktools.

The calculator doesnt guarantee accuracy and cant account for people with pre-existing medical conditions. But, in general, it reveals how behaviour, such as the amount of exercise you

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Genetic Sensor Boosts Biofuel Production

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Genetic Sensor Boosts Biofuel Production

Designer microbes regulate their own pathways to optimize fuel production, boosting yields threefold.

Give bacteria a bit of self-awareness and they can be smarter about producing biofuel.

That's the conclusion from researchers at the University of California, Berkeley who report a genetic sensor that enables bacteria to adjust their gene expression in response to varying levels of key intermediates for making biodiesel. As a result, the microbes showed a threefold boost to the yield of the fuel. Such a sensor-regulator system could eventually help make advanced biofuels more cheaply and bring them one step closer to being an economically viable replacement to petroleum-based products.

One issue that has limited the amount of biofuels that a microbe makes is an imbalance of the different biological ingredients, or precursors, used to make the final fuel product. In a study published this week in Nature Biotechnology, Jay Keasling, professor of chemical engineering and bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and colleagues describe a biological sensor system that enables bacteria to regulate genes in its biofuel-production pathways according to the amount of certain precursors in the cell.

The researchers augmented a previously reported strain of engineered E. coli that creates biodiesel from two biological building blocksfatty acids and ethanol. Over the lifecycle of that strain, one precursor can be produced at a higher level than another, an inefficient and sometimes harmful situation.

"The pathways weren't in balance," says Keasling. "The cells were wasting resources producing one precursor at a higher level than another." What's more, he says, is that biofuel production would sometimes consume too many fatty acids, which the bacteria need at certain stages of their life cycle, making the strain unstable.

Keasling and coworkers designed a microbe, using a naturally occurring sensor, that responds to the amounts of internal fatty acids and related molecules and tunes the activity of its pathways accordingly. When limited amounts of fatty acid are in the cell, the sensor-regulator molecules puts the brakes on both the ethanol-producing pathway and the fatty acid-converting pathway. Conversely, when the bacteria contain higher levels of fatty acids, the brakes on these pathways are released.

The sensor-regulator system improves the engineered bacteria in two ways, says Keasling: the metabolic pathways are better balanced so that one precursor isn't overproduced relative to the other and the modified bacteria are more stable because the biofuel production isn't robbing the cell of the ability to grow. This "self-awareness" increased the amount of biodiesel made by the bacteria to 28 percent of theoretical maximum, a three-fold increase over the previously reported strain.

Although the improvement is significant, biodiesel production is still too limited to bring the fuel into the mainstream. "There are many issues, including metabolic imbalances, that need to be solved to make biofuels a reality," said Keasling in an email. For instance, expanding these largely experimental cultures to commercial scaleon the order of a million literswill be a challenge.

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Genetic Sensor Boosts Biofuel Production

N.Y. Preschool Starts DNA Testing For Admission

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At the Porsafillo Preschool Academy, there are 32 spots but more than 12,000 applications.

For years, New York parents have been applying to preschools even before their youngsters are born. That's not new, but the approach one prestigious pre-school on the Upper West Side is.

At the Porsafillo Preschool Academy, all applicants must now submit a DNA analysis of their children.

The preschool is housed in a modern glass and steel building designed by IM Pei. It's situated in a leafy corner of the Upper West Side. On a recent afternoon, Headmaster Rebecca Unsinn showed off "Porsafillo Pre," as it's called.

"Over here, we have computer labs, C++ learning, which of course, as I'm sure you know, is a language of computers," she says. Wait, computer language? These preschoolers are learning C++?

"Oh, absolutely they are," Unsinn says. "And they're very good at it."

That's not the only language they're learning; all the children are also enrolled in a Mandarin Chinese immersion program.

More than 12,000 applications pour into Unsinn's office each fall. That's 12,000 hopefuls for just 32 spots a year. It makes Porsafillo Pre the most competitive preschool in the United States.

So in a bid to weed out the kids who have no chance, the school decided to require a DNA test for all applicants. Before she joined the school in 2009, Unsinn was a child neurologist. She was hired specifically to implement this new policy.

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DNA sequencing lays foundation for personalized cancer treatment

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ScienceDaily (Apr. 1, 2012) Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are using powerful DNA sequencing technology not only to identify mutations at the root of a patient's tumor -- considered key to personalizing cancer treatment -- but to map the genetic evolution of disease and monitor response to treatment.

"We're finding clinically relevant information in the tumor samples we're sequencing for discovery-oriented research studies," says Elaine Mardis, PhD, co-director of The Genome Institute at the School of Medicine. "Genome analysis can play a role at multiple time points during a patient's treatment, to identify 'driver' mutations in the tumor genome and to determine whether cells carrying those mutations have been eliminated by treatment."

This work is helping to guide the design of future cancer clinical trials in which treatment decisions are based on results of sequencing, says Mardis, who is speaking April 1 at the opening plenary session of the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in Chicago. She also is affiliated with the Siteman Cancer Center at the School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

To date, Mardis and her colleagues have sequenced all the DNA -- the genome -- of tumor cells from more than 700 cancer patients. By comparing the genetic sequences in the tumor cells to healthy cells from the same patient, they can identify mutations underlying each patient's cancer.

Already, information gleaned through whole-genome sequencing is pushing researchers to reclassify tumors based on their genetic makeup rather than their location in the body. In patients with breast cancer, for example, Mardis and her colleagues have found numerous driver mutations in genes that have not previously been associated with breast tumors.

A number of these genes have been identified in prostate, colorectal, lung or skin cancer, as well as leukemia and other cancers. Drugs that target mutations in these genes, including imatinib, ruxolitinib and sunitinib, while not approved for breast cancer, are already on the market for other cancers.

"We are finding genetic mutations in multiple tumor types that could potentially be targeted with drugs that are already available," Mardis says.

She predicts, however, that it may require a paradigm change for oncologists to evaluate the potential benefits of individualized cancer therapy. While clinical trials typically involve randomly assigning patients to a particular treatment regimen, a personalized medicine approach calls for choosing drugs based on the underlying mutations in each patient's tumor.

"Having all treatment options available for every patient doesn't fit neatly into the confines of a carefully designed clinical trial," Mardis acknowledges. "We're going to need more flexibility."

When during the course of cancer mutations develop also is likely to be important in decisions about treatment. In a recent study, Mardis and her team mapped the genetic evolution of leukemia and found clues to suggest that targeted cancer drugs should be aimed at mutations that develop early in the course of the disease.

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DNA sequencing lays foundation for personalized cancer treatment

Posted in DNA

L.A. County Science Fair names top student scientists

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Judges at the Los Angeles County Science Fair named the top two winners of the competition on Saturday out of the more than a thousand students who had their experiments on display.

Kenneth Lee, a senior from Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, received the top sweepstakes prize for the senior-level division made up of high school students. He won for his project in the biochemistry and molecular biology category: "The Role of Testosterone in Hepatocyte Apoptosis in High Fat Diet-Induced Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease." His teacher on the project was Peter Starodub.

At the junior level for middle-schoolers, Raymond Gilmartin, an eight-grader at South Pasadena Middle School, took the sweepstakes prize. He had a project in the physics-aerodynamics and hydrodynamics category: "Spare the Environment, Spoiler the Car." His teacher on the project was Emily Hoffman.

Judges also awarded first-, second- and third-place medals, as well as honorable mention prizes, in a number of other categories, with animal physiology and biology, behavioral science, biochemistry and molecular biology, chemistry, engineering and mathematics and computer science, among them.

An exhibit hall at the Pasadena Convention Center was lined with rows of tri-fold poster boards featuring the projects, some of which will proceed to a statewide science fair and then on to the international level.

The science fair, in its 62nd year, had more students involved than in recent years, with 1,063 students taking part. The students came from public and private schools, as well as from those of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The number of girls participating has eclipsed the number of boys in recent years a trend that continued this year with 564 girls and 499 boys.

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L.A. County Science Fair names top student scientists

Who/What's new

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WHO'S NEW/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Daytona Beach

Dr. Carol Gaines has joined the medical staff of Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center. She previously worked with the Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, Ohio, and more recently, with Winn Army Community Hospital, Ft. Stewart.

Ormond Beach

Jim Theriault has joined the sales staff of The Door Store a company that specializes in doors, screens, windows and hurricane panels. He worked in the window and door business for 40 years and formerly worked at Dunns Lumber in Daytona Beach.

Palm Coast

Dr. Ryan Smith has joined Flagler Dental Associates. He earned a master's degree in biomedical science at Nova Southeastern University and graduated from the university's College of Dental Medicine. He is a member of the American and Florida Dental Associations, the Academy of General Dentistry and American Society of Forensic Odontology.

Ana DeAlmeida, a Realtor with Exit Realty First Choice, has been recognized by Exit Realty Florida as a top producing associate for the state of Florida for the month of February. She ranked fifth statewide for the company in representing the buyer's side in real estate transactions.

Sheila K. Benn is the new executive director of the Windsor of Palm Coast, an assisted living community. She is a licensed practical nurse and has 11 years of geriatric experience.

Port Orange

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Who/What's new

UCLA Neurologist and Innovator of Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation Joins NeuroSigma

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LOS ANGELES, April 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --NeuroSigma, Inc., a Los Angeles-based medical device company, today announced its appointment of Christopher M. DeGiorgio, M.D., as Vice-President, Neurology. In this new role Dr. DeGiorgio, who was previously a Senior Medical Advisor to the Company, will lead NeuroSigma's development of Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (TNS) for the treatment of neurological indications.

"I am very excited to join NeuroSigma to help move TNS therapy forward as a treatment option for neurological disorders, such as drug-resistant epilepsy, which is estimated to affect over 10 million people worldwide," said Dr. DeGiorgio.

NeuroSigma has completed development of its external TNS (eTNS) system and is developing its implantable subcutaneous TNS (sTNS) system. Near term milestones include filing a CE Mark application in mid-2012 for approval to commence marketing the eTNS system for the treatment of epilepsy in Europe. NeuroSigma is also planning to file, in the second-half of 2012, an IDE with the FDA for a multi-center epilepsy Phase III pivotal trial in the United States.

"We are very fortunate to have Dr. DeGiorgio, who had the vision of conceiving TNS as a therapy for epilepsy, join NeuroSigma as a member of our management team. His appointment represents an important step forward for our company as we move closer to bringing our promising TNS therapies to market," said Lodwrick Cook, Chairman of NeuroSigma. "We are delighted that we will be working closely with Dr. DeGiorgio during this extremely important phase in the regulatory approval process and in planning for post-approval strategy in Europe, US and other key regions in the world," added Leon Ekchian, Ph.D., President and CEO of NeuroSigma.

Dr. DeGiorgio has taken a partial leave of absence as a Professor of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA where he previously served as Executive Vice-Chairman in the Department of Neurology. A distinguished physician scientist, Dr. DeGiorgio has also been recognized as one of the Best Doctors in America, and is the recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award while at UCLA. He was first to study TNS in patients with epilepsy, and collaborated with Ian Cook, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, in developing TNS as a potential treatment for depression, PTSD and ADHD. Among his notable research work, Dr. DeGiorgio has served as Principal Investigator of several interventional clinical trials for drug resistant epilepsy, including Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) for epilepsy and n-3 fatty acids to reduce seizures and the risk of sudden death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Dr. DeGiorgio has also published multiple peer-reviewed research papers in the field of epilepsy, and is the Principal Investigator of a National Institute of Health (NIH) grant recently awarded to NeuroSigma to further develop eTNS for Epilepsy.

About NeuroSigma, Inc. NeuroSigma is a Los Angeles-based medical technology company established to develop early stage technologies with the potential to transform medical practice. Currently, NeuroSigma is focused on a number of neuromodulation therapies and through our majority-owned subsidiary, NSVascular, on Thin-Film Nitinol covered stents for endovascular applications. NeuroSigma employs two neuromodulation therapy platforms: Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (TNS) and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). NeuroSigma has amassed significant intellectual property that is based on technology licensed on an exclusive basis from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), including potential therapies for epilepsy, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) via TNS and for PTSD, obesity and cachexia via DBS. For more information about NeuroSigma, please visit our website at http://www.neurosigma.com.

CAUTION: The eTNS and sTNS systems are investigational devices and are limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use.

NeuroSigma Contacts:

Dr. Leon Ekchian, President & CEO Tel: 310-479-3100 Email: lekchian@neurosigma.com NeuroSigma, Inc. Website: http://www.neurosigma.com

Mr. Mark Collinson, PartnerTel: +1-310-954-1343 Email: mark.collinson@ccgir.com CCG Investor Relations Website: http://www.ccgir.com

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UCLA Neurologist and Innovator of Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation Joins NeuroSigma

Ingenuity Systems and Life Technologies Introduce Complete End-to-End Solution for Real-Time PCR Gene Expression …

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Ingenuity iReport for Real-Time PCR, optimized for TaqMan Gene Expression Assays provides a quick and reliable way for bench biologists to understand gene expression data.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 2, 2012 /CNW/ - Ingenuity Systems, a leading provider of information and analysis solutions for life science researchers, and Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE - News) today announced Ingenuity iReport for Real-Time PCR optimized for TaqMan Gene Expression Assays. The new solution is an interactive report that extends analysis beyond Ct or fold-changes to an accurate and dynamic view of the biological information most relevant to a gene expression experiment.

Dr. Mikael Kubista , founder of TATAA Biocenter in Goteborg , Sweden , studies gene expression in single-cell astrocytes. "In our research, we have developed specific strategies for analyzing single-cell data and defining important sets of genes based on correlation between the genes' expressions as measured by qPCR. Uploading this data to iReport, we were able to immediately see the biology underlying our statistical results, and develop new hypotheses based on the differentially expressed pathways involved in our single cell experiments."

In contrast to time consuming manual searches for relevant publications and gene relationships, Ingenuity iReport for Real-Time PCR provides a more rapid and comprehensive understanding of pathways, processes, and diseases relevant to gene expression results. With its engaging and intuitive design, iReport for Real-Time PCR can be used by bench scientists to easily and accurately understand the biological meaning of their experiment within minutes. Peer-reviewed literature is cited throughout the report, allowing the underlying evidence to be easily accessed and referenced. iReport for Real-Time PCR has been optimized for several TaqMan Gene Expression assay formats, including TaqMan Array Card and OpenArray file types.

"Ingenuity iReport for Real-Time PCR is the perfect complement to our industry-leading PCR portfolio," said Chris Linthwaite, Head of Genetic Analysis, Life Technologies. "Our Real-Time PCR products produce data that is highly sensitive and specific with a broad dynamic range and at a cost-effective price per data point. Integrating iReport into our portfolio will enable our customers to accelerate the pace of scientific discovery quickly connecting data to biological meaning."

"Life Technologies is focused on creating a complete user experience for their PCR customers," said Jake Leschly, CEO of Ingenuity Systems. "With iReport for Real-Time PCR we have designed a revolutionary product that will help researchers identify relevant biology from gene expression experiments and we have gone to great lengths to design a fully integrated marketing, e-commerce and customer support experience to ensure that the combined Real-Time PCR iReport experience is as seamless and easy as the products themselves."

Free iReport for a Limited Time

To learn more about Ingenuity iReport for Real-Time PCR or to receive a free report, please go to http://www.lifetechnologies.com/ireport. Additional product information will also be available from Ingenuity (booth 1602) and Life Technologies (booth 4419) at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) meeting, March 31-April 4th, in Chicago , Illinois.

About Ingenuity Systems

Ingenuity Systems is a leading provider of information and analysis solutions for life science researchers, computational biologists and bioinformaticists, and life science industry suppliers. For more information visit: http://www.ingenuity.com.

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Ingenuity Systems and Life Technologies Introduce Complete End-to-End Solution for Real-Time PCR Gene Expression ...

DODGERS NOTEBOOK: Players passed chemistry test

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By J.P. Hoornstra, Staff Writer

By J.P. Hoornstra Staff Writer

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The locker stalls stood in various stages of emptiness at Camelback Ranch.

The pingpong table, the water cooler of the Dodgers' clubhouse, was eerily quiet when the team broke camp Sunday.

"It's like the last day of school," Tony Gwynn Jr. said.

To Gwynn, the takeaway from his second camp with the Dodgers was how quickly the players jelled at the beginning.

"That's the big thing that differs from last year to this year," he said. "Last year, there were guys coming in off an off-year, trying to bounce back.

"This year there's a little of that, but not as much."

According to a few players, the chemistry also worked in part because only a couple roster spots were up for grabs. Roles clearly were defined from the beginning and, with one exception, stayed the same until the end.

The one exception was Jerry Sands, who entered camp as the front-runner for the final position player's job. He was demoted to the minor-league camp after batting .158 with no home runs, and the job still is up for grabs.

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DODGERS NOTEBOOK: Players passed chemistry test

Up to the Task

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Cancer is an ever-morphing collection of diseases, making understanding its inner workings complicated. This year, as always, many 'omics researchers have taken up the challenge to elucidate cancer a little bit further. For our 8th annual cancer issue, Genome Technology highlights advances and insights gleaned by researchers during the past year. New tools like those of synthetic biology are being put to use trying to rein cancer in. Drug delivery could be mediated by cell surface proteins, Harvard's George Church tells Christie Rizk in her look into his new DNA nanobot tool to deliver cancer drugs directly to tumors. And more researchers, like the University of Michigan's Arul Chinnaiyan, are combining transcriptome, exome, and whole-genome sequencing data to get a more comprehensive look at tumor type and behavior.

In a roundtable discussion this month, GT speaks with a number of cancer experts about cancer sequencing projects, the need for functional genomics studies, and more, beginning on page 44.

Also in this issue, Tracy Vence discusses how PCR-based and other diagnostic tools are being developed or adapted for point-of-care use. Such tests must be easy to use, and amenable to settings with limited resources to make an impact on patient care.

Elsewhere this month, Christie examines the burgeoning world of pharmacometabolomics. Researchers taking this approach to study drug response aim to bring together the best of pharmacogenomics pinpointing relevant genes and metabolomics integrating environmental effects. In particular, researchers have found that a SNP in the glycine dehydrogenase gene is related to response to SSRIs.

With all these approaches, data analysis is ever the problem. In this month's Brute Force column, Matthew Dublin writes that both academic and industry groups are trying to tame the cloud. Both are working to make cloud computing for data analysis seamless and simple, and Matt provides an update on those efforts.

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Up to the Task