Monthly Archives: June 2012

What is Astronomy? Definition & History

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Mankind has long gazed toward the heavens, searching to put meaning and order to the universe around him. Although the movement of constellations patterns imprinted on the night sky were the easiest to track, other celestial events such as eclipses and the motion of planets were also charted and predicted.

Definition of astronomy: Astronomy is the study of the sun, moon, stars, planets, comets, gas, galaxies, gas, dust and other non-Earthly bodies and phenomena. In curriculum for K-4 students, NASA defines astronomy as simple the study of stars, planets and space. Astronomy and astrology were historically associated, but astrology is not a science and is no longer recognized as having anything to do with astronomy. Below we discuss the history of astronomy and related fields of study.

Historically, astronomy has focused on observations of heavenly bodies. It is a close cousin to astrophysics. Succinctly put, astrophysics involves the study of the physics of astronomy and concentrates on the behavior, properties, and motion of objects out there. However, modern astronomy includes many elements of the motions and characteristics of these bodies, and the two terms are often used interchangeably today.

Modern astronomers tend to fall into two fields: the theoretical and the observational.

Observational astronomers in the observational field focus on direct study of stars, planets, galaxies, and so forth.

Theoretical astronomers model and analyze how systems may have evolved.

Unlike most other fields of science, astronomers are unable to observe a system entirely from birth to death; the life of worlds, stars, and galaxies span millions to billions of years. As such, astronomers must rely on snapshots of bodies in various stages of evolution to determine how they formed, evolved, and died. Thus, theoretical and observational astronomy tend to blend together, as theoretical scientists use the information actually collected to create simulations, while the observations serve to confirm the models or to indicate the need for tweaking them.

Astronomy is broken down into a number of subfields, allowing scientists to specialize in particular objects and phenomena.

Planetary astronomers, for instance, focus on the growth, evolution, and death of planets, while solar astronomers spend their time analyzing a single starour sun. Stellar astronomers turn their eyes to the stars, including the black holes, nebulae, white dwarfs, and supernova that survive stellar deaths.

Galactic astronomers study our galaxy, the Milky Way, while extragalactic astronomers peer outside of it to determine how these collections of stars form, change, and die.

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What is Astronomy? Definition & History

Research at Stanford may lead to computers that understand humans

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After decades of trial and error, artificial intelligence applications that aim to understand human language are slowly starting to lose some of their brittleness. Now, a simple mathematical model developed by two psychologists at Stanford University could lead to further improvements, helping transform computers that display the mere veneer of intelligence into machines that truly understand ...

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Research at Stanford may lead to computers that understand humans

Outsourcing in Drug Discovery: The Contract Research Organization (CRO) Market, 5th Edition

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NEW YORK, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Outsourcing in Drug Discovery: The Contract Research Organization (CRO) Market, 5th Edition

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0203691/Outsourcing-in-Drug-Discovery-The-Contract-Research-Organization-CRO-Market-5th-Edition.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Drug_Discovery_and_Development

The drug discovery process is long, arduous and costly, which has driven outsourcing in this field. The first phase is discovery of a lead compound, a molecule that affects biological function by binding to a target protein or nucleic acid in a way that is useful for treatment of disease. The process by which molecules are identified for their therapeutic value involves synthesis and analysis of many derivatives of the original leads. There are several steps in the drug discovery process including hit confirmation, lead generation, lead optimization, and other studies. Drug discovery is a high-cost, risky business because only a fraction of the therapeutic targets selected for study will actually yield products that achieve regulatory approval by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

Since the last edition of Kalorama's Report on the outsourcing of discovery of novel compounds in the pharmaceutical industry, the industry has seen dramatic change. Pharmaceutical companies facing cutbacks in R&D budgets and new demands for novel products need to outsource aspects of their operations. Core functions once kept in-house such as the discovery of potential new drugs are now commonly outsourced. Kalorama Information's Outsourcing in Drug Discovery captures this trend, offering unparalleled coverage of the drug discovery outsourcing market. It presents viewpoints from both customers and suppliers. Segments, size, and growth of the market are presented. The trend toward the increased use of offshore suppliers in China, India, Russia and Eastern Europe is covered in detail. The report also provides profiles of 23 suppliers, representative of those active in this market.

Segments covered in this report with market size estimates include:

In addition to market data and forecasts, the report covers issues such as:

This report provides an in depth look into the trends that have shaped the drug discovery outsourcing market today, and details the current and future global market.

The information for this report was gathered using both primary and secondary research including comprehensive research of secondary sources such as company literature, databases, investment reports, science, medical and business journals. Telephone interviews and email correspondence were the primary method of gathering information. For the purpose of this study Kalorama Information conducted interviews with key industry officials, consultants, and government personnel. These sources were the primary basis in gathering information specifically relating to revenue and market share data presented in this report. Specific interviews with pharmaceutical, biotechnology and contract research organizations included marketing directors, division managers, and product representatives.

CHAPTER ONE: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Outsourcing in Drug Discovery: The Contract Research Organization (CRO) Market, 5th Edition

Research and Markets: India Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 – Interventional Neurology, Neurological …

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7v6d8g/india_neurology_de) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "India Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 - Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices and Others" to their offering.

This report provides value (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each segment and sub-segment within six market categories - CSF Management, Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices, Neurosurgical Products and Radiosurgery. The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for each of the aforementioned market categories. The report is supplemented with global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants with information on company financials and pipeline products, wherever available.

Scope

- Market size and company share data for Neurology Devices market categories - CSF Management, Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices, Neurosurgical Products and Radiosurgery.

- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each of the segments and sub-segments within six market categories. Data from 2004 to 2011, forecast forward for 7 years to 2018.

- 2011 company shares and distribution shares data for each of the six market categories.

- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the India Neurology Devices market.

- Key players covered include Terumo Corporation, Medtronic, Inc., DePuy, Inc., CareFusion Corporation, Stryker Corporation, Covidien plc and others.

Reasons to buy

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Research and Markets: India Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 - Interventional Neurology, Neurological ...

Research and Markets: Spain Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 – Interventional Neurology, Neurological …

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/w25vwk/spain_neurology_de) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Spain Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 - Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices and Others" to their offering.

GlobalData's new report, Spain Neurology Devices Market Outlook to 2018 - Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices and Others provides key market data on the Spain Neurology Devices market. The report provides value (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each segment and sub-segment within six market categories - CSF Management, Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices, Neurosurgical Products and Radiosurgery. The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for each of the aforementioned market categories. The report is supplemented with global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants with information on company financials and pipeline products, wherever available.

Scope

- Market size and company share data for Neurology Devices market categories - CSF Management, Interventional Neurology, Neurological Diagnostic Equipment, Neurostimulation Devices, Neurosurgical Products and Radiosurgery.

- Annualized market revenues (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each of the segments and sub-segments within six market categories. Data from 2004 to 2011, forecast forward for 7 years to 2018.

- 2011 company shares and distribution shares data for each of the six market categories.

- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Spain Neurology Devices market.

Companies Mentioned

- Medtronic, Inc.

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Nanotechnology and style unite

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Cycling in the rain wearing jeans used to be unthinkable, but not any more thanks to innovations in fabric technology.

The new Commuter range from Levi's, designed specifically for the urban cyclist, is water resistant and dirt repellent, while offering just the right amount of stretch for mobility.

Coming in a work shirt, trousers, jeans and trucker jacket, they are an example of the growing trend for performance apparel a blend of function and fashion, where outdoor functionality meets urban style.

One of the key components of the Commuter range is NanoSphere Technology, invented by Swiss textile company Schoeller, which allows water to simply run off the surface of the denim. This also works for ketchup, honey, coffee or red wine. If they don't run off, they can easily be rinsed off. NanoSphere textiles require less frequent washing and can be washed at lower temperatures.

As fashion brands like Levi's make their garments more functional, the trend is reciprocated with streetwear style influencing outdoor and ski products.

Outdoor brand Icebreaker is already on the mark. This winter, two new innovations to be added to its range are Realfleece Nano and merino-insulated soft shell jackets, designed to be worn both in the city and in the outdoors. Icebreaker creative director Rob Achten says the jackets were designed in response to customer demand for stylish, water-resistant merino jackets.

The Realfleece Nano jackets contain tiny nanoparticles that attach themselves to the merino fibre during the textile finishing process, leaving tiny pockets of air to maintain breathability. And while most fabrics have a large surface area for water droplets and dirt particles to cling to, nano particles have a ridged surface that reduces contact area. Water, oil and mud simply run off.

Nanoparticles are also the focus of Victoria University chemistry professor Jim Johnston and his former PhD student and now colleague Dr Kerstin Lucas, who last year pioneered a way of embedding tiny nanoparticles of gold and silver in New Zealand wool, resulting in colourful textiles that have functional and aesthetic benefits.

Together they have formed company Noble Bond Ltd and are part of Creative HQ, Wellington's business incubator. They're now working in partnership with Wools of New Zealand to develop the technology into a business.

Luxury fashion brands and textile companies are now the target of their glittering yarn, which they've named AuLana (Au is the symbol for gold and Lana is Latin for wool). Benefits of AuLana include the ability to create coloured textiles without using traditional synthetic dyes, and the gold can also be reclaimed from the garment.

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Nanotechnology the next big thing

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She says the next big thing is really small. In fact, its the title of her best-selling book on nanotechnology, and its a message that Deb Newberry will share with area interested learners during a fun-packed day in Rushford this Saturday.

All are invited to explore the world of nanotechnology on June 9 at Rushford-Peterson High School. Starting at 1 p.m., the Nanotechnology Conference promises the chance to learn more about the growing industry, and even have the chance to see how an atomic force microscope works.

According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), two million nanotechnology technicians will be needed over the next 15 years, with between 800,000 and one million needed by employers in the U.S. More than half of all new products will be developed with nanotechnology by 2015, estimates the NSA, which has also provided two grants to Southeast Technical for its nanotechnology program.

The conference runs from 1 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. At 1 p.m., author Deb Newberry, a consultant with the industry with 23 years of experience, will speak. She is currently director of the Nanocience Technology program at Dakota County Technical College.

Breakout sessions will be offered from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m., including topics such as patents and changes in law, nanotechnology and business, and rural nanotechnology. Speakers will include James Cardel, patent attorney; Kevin Klungtvedt, chairman of the Rushford Institute of Nanotechnology; Jack Weimerskirch, Goodview Mayor; and Marc Kalis, instructor at Southeast Technical. At 3:30 p.m. attendees can tour the Rushford Institute of Nanotechnology, as well as observe an atomic force microscope demonstration.

From 7 a.m. until noon, families are encouraged to bike the Root River Trail as part of the event, with tee-shirts provided for the third annual Nanotek Bicycle Trek.

For more information or to register, visit http://www.southeastmn.edu/nanotech.

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21-year-old youngest MD from Univ. of Chicago

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CHICAGO A 21-year-old Chicago man who began college at age 9 and medical school three years later is about to become the youngest student ever awarded an M.D. by the University of Chicago.

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Sometimes, a funny thing happens when Dr. Roberta Pagon looks directly into the sun. She sneezes. Not just once though, but usually three times.

Sho Yano, who was reading at age 2, writing at 3 and composing music at 5, will graduate this week from the Pritzker School of Medicine, where he also received a Ph.D. in molecular genetics and cell biology.

Yano earned his undergraduate degree from Loyola University at age 12, finishing in three years and graduating summa cum laude, the Chicago Tribune reported Sunday. The average age of students entering medical school in the U.S. is 23, and there were schools that refused Yano admittance because of his age. School officials worried that the rigors of medical school would hinder Yano's ability to have a normal adolescence.

"I never understood that," Yano said. "Why would being allowed to challenge yourself be considered more damaging than being totally bored?"

The University of Chicago admitted Yano in 2003.

"I remember interviewing him ... this nice, polite, 11-year-old boy, dressed in a little suit," said Dr. Joel Scwab, a professor of pediatrics who was on the admissions committee. "He was never going to be among typical 11-year-olds, where his mother would drive him to Little League. He was going to be a doctor."

The school made some accommodations because of Yano's age. Unlike most students, who begin their Ph.D. training after their second year of medical school, Yano began his after his first year. That way, he was about 18 when he began his second year of studies toward his M.D., which includes interacting with and examining patients.

Yano, who is an accomplished pianist and has a black belt in tae kwon do, told the paper he hopes his graduation will silence those who questioned his developmental aptitude when he entered medical school.

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21-year-old youngest MD from Univ. of Chicago

Former child genius graduates from medical school at age 21

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A former child genius and Los Angeles resident who entered medical school at the age of 12 is graduating this week as the youngest student to receive a medical degree from the University of Chicago.

Born in Portland, Ore., Sho Yano, 21, has an IQ above 200 and spent most of his early years in California attending the Mirman School for Gifted Children in Los Angeles for a few years and getting home-schooled by his mother.

Yano, who has already completed his Ph.D. in molecular genetics and cell biology, was composing music by age 4, and scored 1,500 out of 1,600 possible points on the SAT by age 8. At 9, he attended Chicagos Loyola University, where he graduated in three years, summa cum laude, but still played with his pet rabbit and delighted in reading childrens books, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Yano was admitted to the University of Chicagos Pritzker School of Medicine after he met with double the usual number of staff, the Tribune said. Several other medical schools had rejected his application, citing lack of maturity.

Although he was the subject of gossip and teasing in college, classmates at Pritzker have accepted him as part of their class. Peers and faculty told the Tribune that Yano is a "sweet" and "humble student who loves Bach and quoting Greek literature.

"Despite his age, Sho's the oldest soul in our class," one classmate told the Tribune.

He has a black belt in tae kwon do and is a noted pianist. But in the end, he said in 2003, he chose medicine because he wants to help people. He will spend his next five years doing a residency in pediatric neurology.

"I'd love to make a great contribution, he told the Tribune. We'll just have to see where life takes me, but really, I haven't done anything yet."

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Former child genius graduates from medical school at age 21

'Zulu' and the ghosts of actors past

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I had occasion recently to watch, for maybe the fourth time in my life, Cy Endfield's "Zulu," a terrific 1964 epic about the Anglo-Zulu war of 1879, particuarly the famed Battle of Rorke's Drift, when a contingent of perhaps 150 English soldiers managed, for 30 hours or so, to hold off perhaps 4000 Zulu warriors who had the previous day wiped out an English column of more than 1200 souls.

The film is notable for a number of things: a massive scale, with hundreds of extras waging hand-to-hand (or, more precisely, spear-to-bayonnet) combat; the gorgeous Natal setting; the 70mm photography; the bloody-minded storytelling, almost half of which is battle; the John Barry score; the authentic tribal rituals, music and military tactics on display.

But I was particularly taken by the acting. The film famously provided Michael Caine with his star-making role, some 12 years and 30 parts into his career. Ironically, the archetypical Cockney Caine was universally noted for the first time in his working life for playing an upperclassman, Lt. Gonville Bromhead, an actual historic personage who was raised in comfort and never saw battle before that fateful day. To hear Caine speak in the soft, clipped, exact tones of a posh gent is almost comical -- and, indeed, generations of English comedians have joked about how it might have sounded had Caine played the role in his familiar voice: "'Ere! Quit pointin' those bleedin' spears at me!"

Beside Caine, there are such faces as Stanley Baker (the headline star and producer), Jack Hawkins, Nigel Green, James Booth and, in the only female speaking role, Ulla Jacobsson. And as I watched them, I realized that they were all -- save Caine -- dead. I was moved to look up the status of everyone who had a role of any size in the film and found that virtually every single person whom you might be able to identify the film (which, to be fair, is nearly 50 years old) had passed away. Caine was an exception, as were one or two relatively obscure minor players. And, bizarrely, one of the few survivors turns out to be someone rather famous, albeit not for movie acting: Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the South African tribal leader and political figure who plays his own ancestor, the chieftain Cetewayo who waged battle against the English.

It's a strange thing, if you think about it, to watch a film and feel so much vitality coming from people who are no longer alive. Their speech and facial expressions and movements and human quirks -- sweating and coughing and such -- are captured forever and, at the same time, lost forever. Even given the massive scale of "Zulu" and the fact that it was made during the lifetimes of many people who can remember seeing it on first release, the movie like a time capsule of a bygone era -- a living mausoleum. Before long, more time will have passed since the release of the film than passed between the events it depicts and its making. And by then surely no one who can be recognized in it will still be alive.

This is a relatively recent phenomenon in human culture: the ability to capture lifelike representations of people and experience them anew after the subject's demise. In the contact of a death-soaked movie like "Zulu" this may seem especially poignant, perhaps, but it applies to any old film or TV show or audio recording. Think of someone clearing his or her throat at a concert performance from the 1940s, still audible today decades after the throat-clearer has died. The scores of extras in "Zulu" are no more identifiable than that anonymous soul. And yet they, too, feel strangely immortal for having been captured in a motion picture.

John Keats was onto a similar thought in "Ode on a Grecian Urn," describing figures who would never age or die or, indeed, change their postures. But those were representations of people who may or may not have once lived, of course, not captured images of people who were demonstrably alive and no longer are.

Artists live on through art, yes, but so, too, can the people who happen to be present when artists make their work. It's a scary thought, but comforting, too, and it gives you an appreciation of the miracle of movies that may bring them more vitally alive to you than ever.

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Oragenics and Intrexon Announce Worldwide Exclusive Collaboration for Lantibiotics

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TAMPA, Fla. & GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Oragenics, Inc. (ORNI) (the Company), a leader in the area of oral care probiotics and a developer of therapeutic products including novel antibiotics, and Intrexon Corporation, a synthetic biology company that utilizes its proprietary technologies to provide control over cellular function, announced today the formation of a global exclusive channel collaboration through which Oragenics intends to develop and commercialize lantibiotics, a novel class of broad spectrum antibiotics, as active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for the treatment of infectious diseases in humans and companion animals.

John N. Bonfiglio, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Oragenics, stated, We are excited about the tremendous potential that the collaboration brings to the Company and we look forward to working with Intrexon. Intrexons state-of-the-art science will allow us access to new techniques and processes which could rapidly allow us to move toward commercializationofthis exciting and novel class of antibiotics.

Randal J. Kirk, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Intrexon, said, Intrexon thrives on accepting challenges and solving problems that have proved resistant to the efforts of its predecessors. As was the case with our recombinant human alpha 1-antitrypsin (rHuA1AT) project, the production of lantibiotics through bioindustrial process has been a high-value goal that we now take on with confidence and commitment. We are pleased to be working with the Oragenics team on this high-value opportunity.

Under the collaboration, Oragenics will utilize Intrexon's advanced transgene and cell engineering platforms for the development and production of lantibiotics, a class of peptide antibiotics that naturally are produced in Gram-positive bacteria and contain the characteristic polycyclic thioether amino acids lanthionine and methyllanthonine. Lantibiotics have shown broad-spectrum antibiotic properties against Gram-positive bacterial infections, such as MRSA and VRE in pre-clinical studies, yet their development as commercially viable products continues to be subject to significant technological hurdles.

Intrexon will be responsible for technology discovery efforts, cell-engineering development, and certain aspects of the manufacturing process. Oragenics will be responsible for conducting preclinical and clinical development of candidate lantibiotics, as well as for other aspects of manufacturing and the commercialization of the product(s).

Under terms of the transaction agreements:

Oragenics will receive an exclusive, worldwide license to utilize the products of Intrexons modular genetic engineering platform for the development of API and drug products involving the direct administration to humans or companion animals of a lantibiotic for the prevention or treatment of infectious disease.

Intrexon will apply its proprietary platforms and technologies, including UltraVector, DNA and RNA MOD engineering, protein engineering, transcription control chemistry, genome engineering, and cell system engineering, to Oragenics lantibiotics program.

Oragenics is responsible for funding the further anticipated development of lantibiotics toward the goal of commercialization.

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Camel Pharmacies?

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Researchers create transgenic cells that may help camels produce milk full of therapeutic proteins.

By Hayley Dunning | June 4, 2012

Camels highly adaptable nature and resistance to disease has always made them essential to desert-dwelling cultures, and with a little help from genetic engineering they may one day provide us with cheaper drugs. A team of researchers at Dubais Camel Reproduction Centre have created transgenic camel embryos to which they introduced non-human genes similar to those of humans, according to United Arab Emirates newspaper, The National. They havent yet been able to introduce human genes into the embryos, but the head of the Centres reproductive biology lab, Nisar Wani, told The National that he and his team have taken an important first step. If human genes that code for proteins such as insulin could be added, the camels could produce milk laden with pharmaceuticals to fight diabetes, obesity and emphysema.

Patients with genetic disorders need these proteins, which are very costly today because companies are producing them by bacterial cultures in their labs, Dr Wani said. But if were successful at producing them in the milk, say in 15 to 30 litres, we can get a huge quantity of protein and that will drastically decrease their cost worldwide.

Wanis group is currently working on increasing the ratio of implanted embryos that survive to delivery, and introducing new genes from other species to improve milk production. Increased lactation could bring the cost of milk-borne drugs down, but Wani cautions that mass-production is still at least five years off.

The Centres success with camels, including sequencing its genome and producing the first cloned camel in 2009, prompted Wani to predict that this new innovation could one day make camels ideal candidates for growing human organs for transplant.

Soon we will have organs that will be like universal tools for anybody who has a kidney failure or heart problems, he said. He can get the organ from the animal.

By Bob Grant

A genetic testing company fields concerns that their latest gene patent goes against their core beliefs regarding access to genetic information.

By Jef Akst

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Camel Pharmacies?

‘Wormhole’ looks at race

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A flickering beacon of science and reason amid cables superstitious Dark Ages, Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman (9 p.m., Science) returns for a new season with its most controversial episode.

Is There a Superior Race? goes right to the heart of one of mankinds most vexing and flammable notions. The mapping of the human genome at the end of the 20th century was thought to have put an end to the idea of race. Since all humans share virtually identical genetic material, differences were dismissed as merely skin deep.

But over the past 10 years, a few scientists have begun to explore some of the genetic differences between racial groups, particularly those mutations that occurred during the past 20,000 years roughly the span of human history.

Charles Darwin theorized that once human beings formed civilizations, they would no longer mutate or evolve. But scientists have found an astounding number of recent genetic mutations that are clearly responsible for racial differences that transcend skin tone or bone structure.

Europeans have been raising livestock for dairy products for only a few thousand years, yet in that relatively short span they have developed genes that enable them to digest cows and goats milk. These genes are noticeably lacking in people from Asia, where widespread dairy agriculture never took hold. But its a perilous leap from genetic differences in human digestion to theorizing that some races have evolved to become smarter than others.

One pessimist suggests that genetic engineering may enable a handful of people to breed a stronger, disease-resistant race that could dominate the poorer multitudes, leaving them to reproduce the old-fashioned way.

Another theorist suggests that the evolution of the human mind may no longer be taking place in our brains or in our genes, but in our hivelike adaptation of social media. He envisions a future where billions of people linked by technology could solve problems together and advance humanity in ways we cant even imagine now.

Tonights other highlights

A new baby irks a pampered bulldog on Dogs in the City (7 p.m., CBS).

Toby Keith and Kristen Bell host the 2012 CMT Music Awards (7 p.m.).

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‘Wormhole’ looks at race

The author of a new book says don't expect gene-based therapies to save your bacon just yet.

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His new book's title might suggest otherwise. But Lee Gutkind, co-author of An Immense New Power to Heal: The Promise of Personalized Medicine, remains only "cautiously optimistic" about how the sequencing of the human genome can improve health care.

Gutkind is the Pittsburgh native and veteran nonfiction author of works including Many Sleepless Nights, about organ transplantation. The new book, which Gutkind co-wrote with Pagan Kennedy, uses stories of doctors and patients to map the state of the art. But it begins by recalling the fanfare surrounding President Clinton's 2000 announcement of that historic sequencing. That the breakthrough would revolutionize medicine seemed inevitable.

Indeed, genomic medicine which is encompassed by the broader term "personalized medicine" has already produced treatments including the breast-cancer drug Herceptin. And there are gene-based diagnostic tests, like Oncotype DX (which predicts whether chemotherapy will work on a particular breast tumor).

Meanwhile, the idea of medicine made not for everyone, but for particular patients, has even inspired UPMC to announce plans for a $300 million Center for Innovative Science, with a focus on personalized medicine.

But Clinton's speech that day in 2000 which provides the new book's title foretold a bullishness on genomic medicine that Gutkind considers premature. As Gutkind characterized such expectations in a recent phone interview, "We'll figure out what genes cause what diseases, and deal with the genes: We'll annihilate them or we'll plan in advance if you have the cancer gene, we'll figure out how to get rid of the cancer gene."

But such expectations are "something greater than could possibly be achieved," says Gutkind.

"For one thing, there are very, very few genes, a single gene, that leads to a single disease," he says. "Very often [it's] a combination of 12, 30, 40 or a hundred different genes that get you there." So knowing how one gene works, by itself, often is medically insufficient.

Moreover, while the amount of new information gene-sequencing has created is indisputably vast, knowing what that information means is a different matter. As Gutkind notes, "We haven't even catalogued the information." And there is also much more to learn about how genes behave in the presence of both environmental influences (pollution, say) and human behavior (like diet and exercise).

All in all, says Gutkind, the genomic revolution "may be a miracle, but it's a miracle that it's going to take half a century to make."

Yet there are aspects of personalized medicine that can make a difference today, says Gutkind, who now splits his time between Arizona (where he teaches) and Pittsburgh (where he runs the Creative Nonfiction Foundation, whose In Fact Books imprint published Immense New Power). They're just not the aspects that get the most attention.

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The author of a new book says don't expect gene-based therapies to save your bacon just yet.

New Breakthrough Ion AmpliSeq™ Technology Delivers the Most Rapid and Comprehensive Sequencing of Gene Mutations to …

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CARLSBAD, Calif., June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: LIFE) today announced an expanded Ion AmpliSeq product line with the launch of new breakthrough Comprehensive Cancer and Inherited Disease Panels. These first of kind panels, when coupled with Ion AmpliSeq Designer V1.2, Ion AmpliSeq Library Kit 2.0 and the new Ion Reporter Software, represent complete solutions for scientists researching the genetic basis of human diseases.

Sequencing the millions of cancer research samples stored in bio-repositories around the world is a primary unmet need of the cancer research community. Analyzing these samples using next generation sequencing (NGS) has been difficult, as typically only nanogram amounts of DNA can be isolated, far less than current commercial protocols require. In addition, NGS creates a flood of data, requiring expensive bioinformatics expertise to interpret. The latest set of Ion AmpliSeq and Ion Reporter products from Ion Torrent offer turn-key solutions to overcome these challenges.

Bringing Simplicity and Speed to Disease Research Workflows

Ion AmpliSeq Panels, whether predesigned and therefore ready-to-use, or custom built to probe specific genes of interest, deliver a simplified, single day workflow comprising target selection, amplification, sequencing and analysis. Further, when using Ion Reporter Software, the integrated workflow also includes annotated readout detailing the biological significance of observed gene mutations. The breakthrough Ion AmpliSeq technology requires only tens of nanograms of input DNA, compared to technologies offered by other companies that require hundreds of nanograms or even micrograms of starting material.Orthogonal confirmation of variants observed with Ion AmpliSeq Panels is readily accomplished by selecting from 4.5 million ready-to-use TaqMan SNP Genotyping assays or by designing a custom TaqMan assay. TaqMan assays deliver "gold standard" sensitivity and specificity for SNP genotyping, and they may be analyzed in standard or digital PCR mode if increased sensitivity is required to detect low frequency or somatic mutations.

Scalability Demonstrated With Latest Edition of Ion AmpliSeq Designer Software

Initially launched in March, Ion AmpliSeq Designer has been immediately adopted by researchers world-wide, with over 1,000 custom designs submitted since inception. Ion AmpliSeq Designer Version 1.2 provides an additional leap in performance by generating up to 3,072 amplicons in a single tube allowing capture of up to 1 Mb of genetic sequence. This high level of multiplexing streamlines the workflow by ensuring that only 1 or 2 primer pools are needed for custom designs and also reduces the amount of input DNA required for analysis. Ion AmpliSeq Designer delivers exceptional performance, with target design rates and coverage uniformity up to 98%.

Improved Performance of Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Panel

In October of 2011 Ion Torrent launched the Ion AmpliSeq Cancer Panel, which has quickly become the product of choice for scientists working to advance clinical cancer research. Now, by pairing this 46 gene cancer hot spot panel with the new Ion AmpliSeq Library Kit 2.0, scientists can detect rare somatic mutations and enjoy 98% coverage uniformity and further reductions in strand bias.

New Ion AmpliSeq Comprehensive Cancer Panel

With input from leading cancer research institutions, the Ion AmpliSeq Comprehensive Cancer Panel (CCP) reveals tumor mutation profiles and is optimized for use with formalin fixed paraffin embedded, (FFPE) tissues. This panel allows sensitive, high coverage detection of rare genetic variants by employing more than 16,000 primer pairs targeting over 400 genes involved in tumor formation. Compared to whole exome sequencing, Ion AmpliSeq CCP requires only 40 ng of input DNA, has a significantly lower price, and provides nearly 10-fold better coverage of individual genes, providing better sensitivity and specificity to detect somatic mutations.The Ion AmpliSeq Comprehensive Cancer Panel delivers exceptional quality, with coverage uniformity and on target bases both greater than 90%.

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ASCO: The Two Sides of Gene Patenting

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At the American Society for Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago this week, oncologists gathered at a panel on gene patenting to learn more about the subject and how it might affect their work. Session chair Kenneth Offit of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center asked the audience how many thought gene patenting should be stopped, and nearly everyone in the room raised their hands.

On the anti-patenting side was Roger Klein of the Bloodcenter of Wisconsin. Klein, who is also a party to the Myriad BRCA patent case, discussed both the Myriad case and the case of Mayo v. Prometheus, which was recently decided by the US Supreme Court. The verdict in that case which went against Prometheus and its patent on a method for finding the right dosage of thiopurine to give a patient was an important step in clarifying and limiting the patentability of medical relationships, Klein said. This may seem like a far-away issue to most doctors, he added, but with personalized medicine becoming a reality, doctors are going to be using genomic and genetic variants to treat patients in a number of ways sometimes multiple variants and genes at the same time and "it's untenable to have the individual genes and variants patented."

"We cannot have encumbrances like patents," he added. "It's obstructing our ability to gather clinical data and track our patients. We all know that gene patients prevent us from doing things we should and could do to benefit our patients."

On the pro-patenting side was the Biotechnology Industry Organization's Hans Sauer, who said that there are more sides to gene patenting than just human genes. Although the Myriad case and Prometheus to a lesser extent have gained a lot of notoriety, Sauer said what is forgotten is that most gene patents are taken out on plant genes or pathogen genes that companies are using to create better ways to grow crops or develop anti-pathogenic agents. "If the ACLU is at fault for anything, it's not caring about the consequences of this fight to so many other companies," Sauer added. "These things are important and they're not often discussed in this context." He also said that patenting a gene doesn't mean a company owns it, or owns pieces of people; all it means is that they have exclusive rights to sell a product or make a product based on it for a short period of time. And, he added, it's not just about genes. If a company is not allowed to patent isolated bits of DNA, will dyes from plants, or bacteria-based biofuels, or medicinal substances be next, he asked.

At the end of the session, Offit once again asked the audience whether they believe gene patenting to be wrong. About half of those who had previously said yes conceded that they'd be willing to think about the issue.

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ASCO: The Two Sides of Gene Patenting

Transgenomic Launches Breakthrough Blood-Based Cancer Gene Testing Technology at 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting

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OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Transgenomic, Inc. (TBIO) today announced the commercial launch of its ICE COLD-PCR mutation detection technology, a breakthrough technology enabling unmatched sensitivity and complete DNA mutation detection using the standard sequencing equipment already installed in laboratories around the world. The launch coincides with the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

ICE COLD-PCR is capable of identifying mutation frequencies as low or lower than 0.01% which surpasses the limits of currently available mutation detection tests. This extremely high sensitivity enables detection of mutations from virtually any sample type including tissue biopsies, blood, and circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Mutation profiling from blood and CTCs may benefit cancer patients because it avoids the risks of additional surgical procedures while providing an up-to-date picture of any additional mutations the cancer may have acquired throughout treatment.

An ICE COLD-PCR kit for enrichment of KRAS mutations is now available worldwide to molecular diagnostic laboratories for use with standard DNA sequencing equipment. Transgenomic plans to expand the ICE COLD-PCR testing platform to include other therapeutically relevant mutations including BRAF, EGFR, and PIK3CA.

The broad use of ICE COLD-PCR has the potential to revolutionize cancer screening, diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy selection said Craig Tuttle, Chief Executive Officer of Transgenomic. It offers us the ability to accurately perform safer, less invasive, and more frequent assessments of a cancer and its mutations, all through a simple blood draw. Ultimately, the goal is to provide real-time monitoring of cancer progression, resistance mutations and response to therapy. With the proliferation of targeted anti-cancer drugs now available or in clinical trials, ICE COLD-PCR will help determine the right path for each patient at every step of his or her treatment, making precision medicine even more precise.

Mr. Tuttle added: ICE COLD-PCR provides extreme sensitivity and coverage to ensure that mutations are not missed, both are needed for reliable mutation profiling from blood, CTCs, and small sample sizes. Because it is used with the sequencing equipment already installed in labs around the world, we expect broad and sustained adoption of this technology, with kit sales beginning this year. Each of the markets addressed by ICE COLD-PCR diagnosis, monitoring, and disease recurrence is substantial, providing a significant value-creation opportunity for Transgenomic.

ICE COLD-PCR technology was developed in collaboration with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is supported by multiple validation studies confirming reproducible mutation detection at very high sensitivity up to 1,000 times more sensitive than traditional PCR techniques. The technology is also being evaluated in an ongoing study with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to analyze DNA isolated from CTCs.

About Transgenomic, Inc.

Transgenomic, Inc. (www.transgenomic.com) is a global biotechnology company advancing personalized medicine in cancer and inherited diseases through its proprietary molecular technologies and world-class clinical and research services. The Company has three complementary business divisions: Transgenomic Pharmacogenomic Services is a contract research laboratory that specializes in supporting all phases of pre-clinical and clinical trials for oncology drugs in development, Transgenomic Clinical Laboratories, which specializes in molecular diagnostics for cardiology, neurology, mitochondrial disorders, and oncology, and Transgenomic Diagnostic Tools which produces equipment, reagents, and other consumables that empower clinical and research applications in molecular testing and cytogenetics. Transgenomic believes there is significant opportunity for continued growth across all three businesses by leveraging their synergistic capabilities, technologies, and expertise. The Company actively develops and acquires new technology and other intellectual property that strengthen its leadership in personalized medicine.

Forward-Looking Statements

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Transgenomic Launches Breakthrough Blood-Based Cancer Gene Testing Technology at 2012 ASCO Annual Meeting

UNF Students discover potential life-saving bacteria

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Some chemistry students at the University of North Florida may have found the next miracle drug.

Over the last year, the students collected samples of seaweed, sponges and sand from as far away as the Florida Keys and as close as Big Talbot Island.

"Although it's in the very beginning stages, this could develop a new way for drug discovery," explained Jane Han, who is headed to dental school in the fall.

Some experts believe that in the next ten years, the antibacterials that are currently on the market will no longer be able to fight off infections because bacteria are rapidly evolving.

Dr. Amy Lane, an associate professor of chemistry at UNF, said most of the plants and materials on land have already been explored for their potential medicinal benefits, so she and her students turned to the coast.

"There is a huge need right now for the discovery of new compounds to be those next generations of drugs," said Dr. Lane

So far, Dr. Lane said many of the bacteria the students discovered show promise.

But why fight bacteria with bacteria? Because the microorganisms already go head to head in nature.

"One of the ways bacteria out compete the others in their environment is by producing compounds that kill the other bacteria surrounding them and so we're interested in tapping into that natural ability of bacteria to fight off their competitors," shared Dr. Lane.

The students are isolating the compounds each bacteria uses to compete with those around it. Those compounds could one day become drugs that fight flesh-eating bacteria or staph.

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UNF Students discover potential life-saving bacteria

ExxonMobil Chemical Earns American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Company of the Year Award

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HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

ExxonMobil Chemical Company (XOM) received the Responsible Care Company of the Year Award at the 2012 American Chemistry Council (ACC) annual meeting in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The award is ACCs top award for exemplary achievement in safety, health, environmental performance and communication with stakeholders. An independent panel selects the recipient based on performance, programs and projects sustained over time.

Responsible Care is the global chemical industrys premier program for achieving and sustaining operational excellence. ExxonMobil Chemical implements Responsible Care through ExxonMobils Operations Integrity Management System (OIMS), which establishes company-wide expectations for addressing operational risks. Through OIMS, ExxonMobil monitors and improves its performance.

ExxonMobil Chemical Company President Steve Pryor said, OIMS gives our people around the world a common approach to managing operational risks and progressing towards an incident-free workplace. The goal is to eliminate injuries and reduce environmental impact. We appreciate ACCs recognition of our performance through this award.

Over the past 10 years, ExxonMobil Chemical has reduced the injury rate in its worldwide operations by 60 percent, while at the same time improving the sustainability of its operations and products. For example, ExxonMobil Chemical advances in polyethylene used to make heavy-duty shipping bags have reduced the thickness of the bags by 50 percent over the last 20 years, decreasing packaging weight, shipping costs, energy consumption, emissions and waste.

The ACC also recently recognized ExxonMobil Chemical with Responsible Care energy efficiency awards for 16 projects that are saving in excess of 3.3 trillion BTUs annually. These projects are yielding energy savings equal to the needs of about 40,000 U.S. households and reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of more than 200,000 tons per year.

About ExxonMobil Chemical

ExxonMobil Chemical is one of the worlds premier petrochemical companies with global manufacturing, technology, and marketing operations. ExxonMobil Chemical endorses the principle of sustainable development, including the need to balance economic growth, social development and environmental considerations. To learn more, visit http://www.exxonmobilchemical.com.

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ExxonMobil Chemical Earns American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Company of the Year Award

Chemistry professor remembered as mentor, role model

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Chemistry professor Sally Chapman, who taught general chemistry at Barnard for 36 years, died Saturday morning after a ten-month battle with kidney cancer. She was 65.

Chapman was remembered by her students and colleagues as a mentor and role model, and for encouraging women to pursue careers in fields dominated by men. Britney Wilson, BC 12, presented Chapman with the Barnard Medal of Distinctionthe colleges highest honorat commencement last month, citing Chapmans extraordinary commitment to the advancement of women, the education of chemists, and the liberal art of science.

In decades of unparalleled service to the college, you have been a mentor to countless Barnard students, and an inspiration to even more, Wilson said. Chapmans sister Diana Chapman Walsh, a former president of Wellesley College, accepted the medal on Chapmans behalf.

Chapman was a founding member of the Committee on the Advancement of Women Chemists, and prior to being diagnosed with renal cell carcinoma in July, she had planned to retire from teaching in the near future to spend more time doing advocacy work. She was on sabbatical last semester.

Though she lectured to classrooms of more than a hundred students, Chapman valued one-on-one time with her students and offered extensive office hours. Linda Suen, BC 10, GSAS, and a former student of Chapmans, said that she often sought Chapmans help in classes taught by other professors.

The biggest impression she left on me was how caring she was. And as a professor, her door was always open, regardless of what we were needing her assistance for or what we had to talk to her for, Suen said. She didnt restrict her office hours to only her classes, and it was very apparent that she loved teaching and she valued her students.

Chapmans success as a female chemist inspired Suen to pursue a doctoral degree in chemistry at Columbias Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Although I am terribly sad that we just lost her, I think that I am privileged to have known her, Suen said. And I am sure that I will follow her example in progressing in my own career in chemistry.

Marina Orman, BC 11, said that while Chapman was a strict, no-nonsense professor with a commanding presence, outside of the classroom she was warm and kind-hearted.

Chapman hosted dinners at her home each year for Barnard seniors majoring in chemistry and other students she taught in lab classes. Orman said that Chapmans homemade chocolate mousse was legendary among her dinner guests.

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Chemistry professor remembered as mentor, role model