Author Archives: ev1

Neanderthal-type species once roamed Africa, DNA shows

Posted on by

The human family tree just got another mysterious branch, an African sister species to the heavy-browed Neanderthals that once roamed Europe.

While no fossilized bones have been found from these enigmatic people, they did leave a calling card in present-day Africans: snippets of foreign DNA.

Theres only one way that genetic material could have made it into modern human populations.

Geneticists like euphemisms, but were talking about sex, said Joshua Akey of the University of Washington in Seattle, whose lab identified the mystery DNA in three groups of modern Africans.

These genetic leftovers do not resemble DNA from any modern-day humans. The foreign DNA also does not resemble Neanderthal DNA, which shows up in the DNA of some modern-day Europeans, Akey said. That means the newly identified DNA came from an unknown group.

Were calling this a Neanderthal sibling species in Africa, Akey said. He added that the interbreeding probably occurred 20,000 to 50,000 years ago, long after some modern humans had walked out of Africa to colonize Asia and Europe, and around the same time Neanderthals were waning in Europe.

The find offers more evidence that for thousands of years, modern-looking humans shared the Earth with evolutionary cousins who later died out. And whenever the groups met, whether in Africa or Europe, they did what came naturally they bred. In fact, hominid hanky-panky seems to have occurred wherever humans met others who looked kind of like them a controversial idea until recently.

In 2010, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany announced finding Neanderthal DNA in the genomes of modern Europeans.

Barrel-chested people whose thick double brows, broad noses and flat faces set them apart from modern humans, Neanderthals disappeared around 25,000 to 30,000 years ago.

Another mysterious group of extinct people recently identified from a 30,000-year-old finger bone in Siberia known as the Denisovans also left some of their DNA in modern-day Pacific Islanders.

Read more:
Neanderthal-type species once roamed Africa, DNA shows

Posted in DNA

Federal appeals court to reconsider California DNA-collection law

Posted on by

A federal appeals court will take a second look at a California law that requires police to collect DNA from people who are arrested on suspicion of felonies, regardless of whether they are convicted.

A majority of judges on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals voted Wednesday to reconsider a split decision by a three-judge panel that had upheld the program in February.

The court's decision to ask an 11-judge panel to consider the case was a setback for prosecutors, who have defended the DNA collection as a vital crime-fighting tool.

Once a person is swabbed, his or her DNA profile is placed in a criminal database, where it can be compared with DNA profiles obtained from evidence left at crime scenes. Among those challenging the program were three protesters who were arrested but never convicted of a crime. Two of those challengers were released without being charged.

California voters approved collecting DNA from felony arrestees in 2004, passing Proposition 69 by a wide margin. The state began taking DNA from people arrested on suspicion of felonies in 2009 but immediately faced litigation over whether the collection violated the constitutional rights of people to be free of unreasonable searches and seizures.

In his dissent in February, 9th Circuit Judge William A. Fletcher questioned the effectiveness of the program, observing that many DNA "hits" to crime scene evidence involved suspects who were eventually convicted. The state has long obtained DNA from convicted criminals, a practice courts have upheld.

Although people who are not convicted may apply to have their DNA profile removed from the criminal database, "expungement is a lengthy, uncertain, and expensive process," Fletcher wrote.

The California Supreme Court also is examining the legality of collecting genetic evidence from people before conviction, after a lower state court ruled the practice unconstitutional.

Atty. Gen.Kamala D. Harris, whose office is defending the DNA program, has said that the arrestee DNA collection has solved thousands of crimes. Her office said the potential genetic matches to crime scene evidence rose nearly 51% in the year after authorities began compiling arrestee DNA.

Most states take DNA from at least some felony suspects before conviction, but courts have been split over the constitutionality of the practice. TheU.S. Supreme Courtis considering a ruling out of Maryland that struck down that state's collection of DNA from people never convicted of a crime.

The rest is here:
Federal appeals court to reconsider California DNA-collection law

Posted in DNA

Proteostasis Therapeutics Announces Expansion of Collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute to Broaden Cystic …

Posted on by

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Proteostasis Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing novel therapeutics that regulate protein homeostasis to improve outcomes for patients with neurodegenerative and orphan diseases, announced today that it has expanded its collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) to encompass an additional funded research project focused on biology and the testing of small molecule modulators of protein folding and trafficking for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF). This expansion follows the Companys recently announced collaboration with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to research, develop, and commercialize therapies to treat patients with the most common mutation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), Delta F508.

This expanded collaboration will allow us to accelerate our CF program as we work to advance our most promising series to lead optimization this year, said Mark Enyedy, Chief Executive Officer of Proteostasis Therapeutics.

Working with the laboratory of William Balch, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology at TSRI, scientists at Proteostasis Therapeutics have used an integrated platform comprised of genomics, proteomics, functional assays, and medicinal chemistry to identify compounds that regulate key folding and trafficking pathways in the cell. To date, these compounds have demonstrated significant efficacy in CF-specific cellular models. Under the expanded collaboration, Proteostasis Therapeutics will provide funding for this research and will have exclusive rights to license any technology originating from the research.

We are excited to deepen our relationship with Proteostasis Therapeutics to develop novel approaches that manage the root cause of the problem of this devastating disease, added Dr. Balch.

This newly expanded collaboration will enhance the ability of Proteostasis Therapeutics to perform chaperone-based high throughput screening in multiple disease relevant cellular models to identify Proteostasis Regulators that will correct the folding, trafficking and function of Delta F508 CFTR, both alone and in combination with agents currently in development or on the market.

Dr. Balchs expertise in CF biology and protein homeostasis complements our proprietary technology for characterizing proteostasis network pathways in normal and disease states. The expansion of this collaboration further underscores our commitment to working with leading academic scientists and institutions in our focus areas in neurodegenerative and orphan diseases, stated Peter Reinhart, Chief Scientific Officer of Proteostasis Therapeutics.

About The Scripps Research Institute

The Scripps Research Institute is one of the world's largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. Over the past decades, Scripps Research has developed a lengthy track record of major contributions to science and health, including laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. The institute employs about 3,000 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientistsincluding three Nobel laureateswork toward their next discoveries. The institute's graduate program, which awards Ph.D. degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. For more information, see http://www.scripps.edu.

About Proteostasis Therapeutics

Continue reading here:
Proteostasis Therapeutics Announces Expansion of Collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute to Broaden Cystic ...

Science magazine prize goes to virtual world where undergrads explore DNA

Posted on by

Public release date: 26-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Natasha Pinol npinol@aaas.org 202-326-6440 American Association for the Advancement of Science

When Brian White was a child, his kindergarten teacher wrote in his student record that he would only talk to the other children if the topic was science. Throughout his childhood, White's fascination with science led him to take batteries apart, blow things up, and to build radios and computer components.

Now an associate professor in the biology department at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, White is the winner of the Science Prize for Inquiry-Based Instruction (IBI). He won the award for his creation of Aipotu, a computer-simulated world in which students apply the tools of genetics, biochemistry, molecular biology and evolution to develop an understanding of the formation of color in a flower.

"What I'm trying to do is give people the tools to play around," says White, who explains that Aipotu is "utopia" backward. "What I've always liked about science is what you could do with what you learned."

Science's IBI Prize was developed to showcase outstanding materials, usable in a wide range of schools and settings, for teaching introductory science courses at the college level. The materials must be designed to encourage students' natural curiosity about how the world works, rather than to deliver facts and principles about what scientists have already discovered. Organized as one free-standing "module," the materials should offer real understanding of the nature of science, as well as providing an experience in generating and evaluating scientific evidence. Each month, Science publishes an essay by a recipient of the award, which explains the winning project. The essay about Aipotu will be published on July 27.

"We're trying to advance science education," says Bruce Alberts, editor-in-chief of Science. "This competition provides much-needed recognition to innovators in the field whose efforts promise significant benefits for students and for science literacy in general. The publication in Science of an article on each laboratory module will help guide educators around the globe to valuable free resources that might otherwise be missed."

After many hours of experiments in his parents' basement, White went on to MIT for his undergraduate work. Many of his classes were lectures, but by his junior year, he was able to take a class that had him in the lab all afternoon every day.

"I cooked up many harebrained experiments," White says. "In the lab, you learn problem-solving. Most of the time, what you attempt doesn't work, so you have to figure out why."

Throughout his education, White had some wonderful teaching experiences, he says, including at a science camp in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where one of his students built a pinball machine that kept score. White said demonstrating the machine to the student's parents was an amazing moment, one of many that White had early on that drew him into education.

Read the original post:
Science magazine prize goes to virtual world where undergrads explore DNA

DNA evidence shown in murder trial

Posted on by

Home News Courts Samuel Williams, 24, views phone records during his death penalty case. He is charged with two counts of aggravated murder and kidnapping and one count of aggravated burglary in the 2011 deaths. THE BLADE/ANDY MORRISON Enlarge Loading

Published: 7/26/2012

BY ERICA BLAKE AND JENNIFER FEEHAN BLADE STAFF WRITERS

Black duct tape wrapped around the necks of Lisa Straub and Johnny Clarke to hold plastic bags in place was so tight, it cut off the blood to their heads, and eventually their air, a deputy Lucas County coroner testified in Common Pleas Court.

Maneesha Pandey was the final state witness in the aggravated murder trial of Samuel Williams, who faces the death penalty if convicted. The 26th witness in the case, Dr. Pandey told a jury of nine women and three men on Wednesday that Ms. Straub and Clarke died of asphyxiation from suffocation and strangulation caused by a bag over their faces and tape around their necks.

Williams, 24, and co-defendant Cameo Pettaway, 23, are both charged with two counts of aggravated murder and kidnapping and one count of aggravated burglary in the Jan. 30, 2011, deaths of Ms. Straub, 20, and Clarke, 21.

The two were found in the home of Ms. Straub's parents with their hands bound behind their backs and plastic bags secured tightly around their necks. Clarke's ankles also were bound withduct tape.

Jurors in Williams' case are expected to hear closing arguments today, then proceed to deliberations. Dr. Pandey is expected to testify today during the trial of Mr. Pettaway, whose case is being heard by a jury of nine women and three men in a different courtroom.

During the third day of testimony at both trials, investigators and analysts spoke of the evidence collected at the Longacre Lane home in Springfield Township where the bodies were found.

Of all the evidence collected, a discarded cigarette butt -- and only that cigarette butt -- contained the DNA of both Williams and Mr. Pettaway, a DNA analyst said Wednesday in both courtrooms.

Continue reading here:
DNA evidence shown in murder trial

Posted in DNA

USD To Offer New Degree In Medical Biology

Posted on by

VERMILLION For over a year, faculty at the University of South Dakota have been preparing a way for students to take advantage of the Department of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Sanford School of Medicine.

The solution is a new major in Medical Biology, which is a joint undergraduate degree between the two departments, and will be offered this fall.

Executive dean of the school of medicine Ron Lindahl said the intent is to provide students who know they have a strong interest in either the medical profession the undergraduate knowledge to be most successful in a graduate program in health affairs at the medical school.

Its an official major, which will result in a Bachelor of Science degree, Lindahl said. It's targeted at students who would normally get a biology or chemistry major, who think they have a likelihood of getting into medical school. We think this major will best prepare them for medical school.

Lindahl said he and Matthew Moen, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, created a committee to develop the major.

One major advantage of the new major, is that it will focus on what the Howard Hughes program states premedical curriculum should look like going forward in the future, Moen said.

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the American Association of Medical Colleges both issued reports designed to redirect premedical education across the country in the years ahead. It's a formula that is a little bit more competency-based, Moen said.

Lindahl is hoping the new program will encourage students to stay in South Dakota after graduation, he said.

(Moen) and I have always found it ironic that other schools in the region have a program they target towards students that want to go to medical school, but the university in the state that is home to the school of medicine and is the biggest liberal arts college didn't have a program that was targeted towards that group of students, he said. It was a gap that Matt and I decided we needed to fill. Hopefully, with a different undergraduate preparation, we can keep some of them in the state.

See the original post here:
USD To Offer New Degree In Medical Biology

How a common fungus knows when to attack

Posted on by

ScienceDaily (July 24, 2012) The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans inconspicuously lives in our bodies until it senses that we are weak, when it quickly adapts to go on the offensive. The fungus, known for causing yeast and other minor infections, also causes a sometimes-fatal infection known as candidemia in immunocompromised patients. An in vivo study, published in mBio, demonstrates how C. albicans can distinguish between a healthy and an unhealthy host and alter its physiology to attack.

"The ability of the fungus to sense the immune status of its host may be key to its ability to colonize harmlessly in some people but become a deadly pathogen in others," said Jessica V. Pierce, BA, PhD student in the molecular microbiology program at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts.

"Effective detection and treatment of disease in immunocompromised patients could potentially work by targeting the levels of a protein, Efg1p, that we found influenced the growth of Candida albicans inside the host," she continued.

The researchers knew from previous research that Efg1p influences the expression of genes that regulate how harmful a fungal cell can become. Surprisingly, the investigators found that lower Efg1p levels allow the fungal cells to grow to high levels inside a host. Higher levels of the protein result in less growth.

To examine how the immune status could affect the growth of C. albicans within a host, the researchers fed both healthy and immunocompromised mice equal amounts of two fungal strains containing two different levels of the Efg1p protein.

Fecal pellets from the mice were tested to determine which strain of fungi thrived. In a healthy host, the fungal cells with higher levels of the protein predominated.

In immunocompromised mice, the fungal cells with lower levels of the protein flourished. The researchers noted that lack of interactions with immune cells in the intestinal tract most likely caused the necessary environmental conditions favoring fungal cells that express lower levels of the protein, resulting in fungal overgrowth and setting the stage for systemic infection.

"By having a mixed population with some high Efg1p cells and some low Efg1p cells, the fungus can adjust its physiology to remain benign or become harmful when it colonizes hosts with varying immune statuses. These findings are important because they provide the first steps toward developing more effective methods for detecting and treating serious and stubborn infections caused by Candida albicans, such as candidemia," said Carol A. Kumamoto, PhD, professor of molecular biology and microbiology at Tufts University School of Medicine and member of the molecular microbiology and genetics program faculties at the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences.

The immune system and "good bacteria" within the body act to regulate the size of C. albicans fungal populations in healthy individuals. When the immune system is compromised, the fungus can spread throughout the body. Candidemia, i.e. blood-borne Candida, is the fourth most common blood infection among hospitalized patients in the United States and is found in immunocompromised patients such as babies, those with catheters, and the critically ill.

This research was supported in part by grants #AI076156, #AI08179, and #AI07422 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.

View original post here:
How a common fungus knows when to attack

Too much salt could mean to too little calcium, say researchers

Posted on by

High dietary intake of sodium could lead to depletion of calcium in the body, according to new research.

The study published in the American Journal of Physiology Renal Physiology reveals that sodium and calcium extraction are regulated by the same cellular systems, meaning that when the body tries to excrete excess sodium from a high-salt-diet it also flushes calcium out.

"We asked a simple question with our research could sodium and calcium absorption be linked?" explains Dr Todd Alexander, from the University of Alberta, Canada, who led the research. "And we discovered that they are."He says the findings provide very real biological evidence that a relationship between sodium and calcium balance is real and linked."

"When the body tries to get rid of sodium via the urine, our findings suggest the body also gets rid of calcium at the same time," he says. This is significant because we are eating more and more sodium in our diets, which means our bodies are getting rid of more and more calcium. Our findings reinforce why it is important to have a low-sodium diet and why it is important to have lower sodium levels in processed foods."

The researchers warn that as calcium is excreted in urine it raises the risk of developing kidney stones while inadequate levels of calcium in the body can lead to an increased risk of osteoporosis.

Study details

The authors note that while it has been long known that the sodiumhydrogen exchanger 3(NHE3)molecule was responsible for sodium absorption in the body, the discovery that it also plays a role in regulating calcium levels is new. "We found a molecule that seems to have two jobs regulating the levels of both calcium and sodium in the body, says Alexander.

In their research, the team worked with lab models that lacked the gene to code for the NHE3 receptor molecule. They found those animals with no NHE3 receptor had urine that contained high levels of calcium.

Alexander and his team add that because calcium was not absorbed and retained by the body, the bones of the lab animals became thin.

Source: American Journal of Physiology Renal Physiology Volume 302, Number8, Pages F943-F956, doi: 10.1152/ajprenal.00504.2010 The epithelial sodium/proton exchanger, NHE3, is necessary for renal and intestinal calcium (re)absorption Authors: Wanling Pan, Jelena Borovac, Zachary Spicer, Joost G. Hoenderop, Ren J. Bindels, et al

Visit link:
Too much salt could mean to too little calcium, say researchers

ARAMARK Creates Hub of Health and Nutrition Education to Help Denver Residents Live Healthier Lives

Posted on by

DENVER, July 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --In the neighborhoods of west Denver, many residents, particularly the elderly, suffer from nutrition-related illnesses, like high rates of diabetes and heart disease. The problem is compounded by lack of access to adequate nutrition education and grocery stores that offer good selections of fresh, healthy food.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110907/PH63208LOGO )

Today ARAMARK, the global professional services company, will create an ARAMARK Building Community Opportunity Zonethat will be a hub for ongoing nutrition and wellness programs at Southwest Improvement Council (SWIC), which provides health and human services programs, affordable housing, meals for senior citizens and other services to underserved neighborhoods of west Denver. In partnership with the SWIC, the company will also launch a series of health and wellness workshops to help combat health issues facing many local residents

"Obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases are major issues in our community, especially for the elderly. In fact, more than 15 percent of Coloradans over 65 suffer from diabetes," said Jan Marie Belle, SWIC's executive director. "People in this area often have a difficult time finding nutritious food. Our partnership with ARAMARK, and the work they are doing here today to create a place for our families to focus on health and nutrition, will be key to overcoming barriers to healthy lifestyles."

This effort is part of ARAMARK Building Community (ABC), the company's global volunteer and philanthropic program focused on strengthening local community centers and helping struggling families in 50 cities in the U.S. and abroad. Through ABC, employees use their culinary, hospitality, food and nutrition, facilities management and human resources expertise to create strong and vital communities.

"The mission of ARAMARK Building Community is to put our skills to work to improve neighborhoods by working with local community centers to enhance their capacity and programs. Our culinary and nutrition experts help people achieve healthier lifestyles that are essential to leading happy, productive lives," said Carl Mittleman, Regional Vice President for ARAMARK Sports and Entertainment. "Through our partnership with SWIC, we've been helping people succeed and neighborhoods thrive."

The ABC Opportunity Zone will include a new community health garden, created by the participating ARAMARK volunteers, to help senior citizens who are in need of access to fresh, healthy foods. The garden will supplement the center's existing food pantry and be available to the dozens of seniors who visit the center each day, including those who rely on the center for their daily lunch. In addition, an unused outdoor area will be transformed into a welcoming outdoor classroom, and will serve as a dedicated space for local residents to learn about nutrition and healthy and active lifestyles.

ARAMARK volunteers also donated healthy food items such as canned fruits and vegetables and whole-grain cereals for SWIC's food pantry, and a variety of gardening tools for the center's senior citizens to use in the new community garden.

Throughout the year, ARAMARK culinary and nutrition experts will host wellness educational classes for residents to help them understand health issues and identify solutions such as workshops on "Diabetes and Your Health," and "Shopping for Health." Classes will include healthy cooking demonstrations and nutritional information at the annual health and wellness day.

About Southwest Improvement Council (SWIC) Southwest Improvement Council is a nonprofit charity formed in 1987 by the residents of Westwood, an impoverished neighborhood in urban southwest Denver. SWIC's purpose is to improve living conditions for its residents through civic engagement, health and human service programs, and affordable housing, by identifying and building on the assets of the people in the community. SWIC's first projects included neighborhood cleanups, home repairs for seniors, and after-school education programs for children. Today SWIC provides housing counseling, meals and food for seniors, exercise and fitness programs, health and disease-prevention programs, afterschool programs for youth, evening recreation and gang-diversion programs, an urban wildlife refuge and 19 units of affordable multi-family housing. SWIC serves more than 3,000 people each year. Visit http://www.SWIC.denver.org for more information.

See the original post here:
ARAMARK Creates Hub of Health and Nutrition Education to Help Denver Residents Live Healthier Lives

Vinluan: Athletes and Nutrition

Posted on by

By Bobby Vinluan

Sports Psychology

Thursday, July 26, 2012

BALANCED DIET! That is what the nutrition month means, aside from the eating habit of less fat, less calories, more protein etc. Nutrition is one of the key components of being healthy, fit and strong, and what brings us together closer to knowing the right nutrition is food servings and the dining table.

July is the National Nutrition Month, and there are things to be considered and pondered upon when it comes to NUTRITION. Unless the individual thinks otherwise, nutrition will be just having our daily bread and eating three times a day, its just like saying that nutrition can be available when you can buy it then you can have it.

Get updates on President Benigno Aquino III's address to nation.

On the other hand, like a mother who prepares food following the food pyramid to maintain health through nutrition, in sports, nutrition is the best supplement an athlete can get to maintain the essential vitamins, and nutrients the body need to cope up with the daily training and exercise to be in shape.

Nothing is forbidden about eating, food is a primordial need for reasons of health and sustenance, but to be sure you get the most from your food choices, it is best to have a target intake, know your food combinations and especially your diet. To a layman, diet may simply mean the shredding of fat or calories to lose weight or eating a kings breakfast to gain weight, or simply eating and drinking for his daily fare.

On the other hand, the athletes diet is more serious, about not just losing or gaining weight; He makes sure that his diet is met in a regulated manner because to the athlete it is at least 50% of the battle during their off-season cycle and as competition approaches, diet becomes increasingly important until it is up to 80% of the battle. Dieting plus the intensive exercise and training the athlete does give the athlete the edge of being successful in his desire to develop a championship physique.

Athletes can train like Trojans with a perfect mental attitude, but everything will go for nothing if nutrition and diet is faulty. Exercise is not all that helps in the achievement of health, it happens in the kitchen too, but only if yours is stocked with the right foods and supplements necessary to build strength, stamina, and muscle tissue, and that which have the vitally important vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, to achieve the overall psychology and philosophy of what nutrition and diet is.

Follow this link:
Vinluan: Athletes and Nutrition

Research and Markets: Poland In Vitro Diagnostics Investment Opportunities, Analysis and Forecasts to 2017

Posted on by

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8cv4vq/poland_in_vitro_di) has announced the addition of Global Markets Direct's new report "Poland In Vitro Diagnostics Investment Opportunities, Analysis and Forecasts to 2017" to their offering.

This report provides value (USD million) data for each segment and sub-segment within seven market categories - Clinical Chemistry, Genetic Testing, Haematology, Histology And Cytology, Immuno Chemistry, Infectious Immunology and Microbiology Culture. 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 key recent developments.

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by Global Markets Direct's team of industry experts.

Scope

- Market size and company share data for In Vitro Diagnostics market categories - Clinical Chemistry, Genetic Testing, Haematology, Histology And Cytology, Immuno Chemistry, Infectious Immunology and Microbiology Culture.

- Annualized market revenues (USD million) data for each of the segments and sub-segments within seven market categories. Data from 2003 to 2010, forecast forward for 7 years to 2017.

- 2010 company shares and distribution shares data for each of the seven market categories.

- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the Poland In Vitro Diagnostics market.

Key players covered include: F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Abbott Laboratories, Siemens Healthcare, Beckman Coulter, Inc., bioMerieux S.A., Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics Inc. and others.

Go here to read the rest:
Research and Markets: Poland In Vitro Diagnostics Investment Opportunities, Analysis and Forecasts to 2017

New gene therapy strategy boosts levels of deficient protein in Friedreich’s ataxia

Posted on by

Public release date: 25-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 25, 2012A novel approach to gene therapy that instructs a person's own cells to produce more of a natural disease-fighting protein could offer a solution to treating many genetic disorders. The method was used to achieve a 2- to 3-fold increase in production of a protein deficient in patients with Friedreich's ataxia, as described in an article published Instant Online in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com) The article is available free online at the Human Gene Therapy website (http://www.liebertpub.com/hum).

The innovative gene therapy method described by Jacques Tremblay, Pierre Chapdelaine, Zo Coulombe, and Joel Rousseau, Laval University, Quebec, and University of Quebec, Canada, takes advantage of the ability of a family of proteins called Tal effector (TALE) proteins to target specific DNA sequences. As a model of how this method could be used to treat genetic disease, the authors engineered TALE proteins to target the gene that codes for the frataxin protein, which is deficient in Friedreich's ataxia. The ability to induce cells to produce more frataxin could reduce symptoms of the disease and provide an effective, long-term therapeutic strategy, conclude the authors in the article "TALE Proteins Induce the Expression of the Frataxin Gene. (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/hum.2012.034)

"This is a very clever approach to treat a recessive disease caused by decreased quantity of an otherwise normal protein," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

###

About the Journal

Human Gene Therapy (http://www.liebertpub.com/hum), the Official Journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online that presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Tables of content and a free sample issue may be viewed online at the Human Gene Therapy website (http://www.liebertpub.com/hum).

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com) is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, and Cellular Reprogramming. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com)

More:
New gene therapy strategy boosts levels of deficient protein in Friedreich's ataxia

Texas Cold Case: Arrest in 1980 Murder After DNA Match

Posted on by

Nearly thirty-two years after Mildred McKinney was sexually assaulted, beaten and strangled in her home, authorities in Texas have made an arrest in the elderly woman's murder.

Authorities announced today that Stephen Alan Thomas, 53, is being held at Williamson County Jail on a capital murder charge for the Nov. 4, 1980 murder of McKinney, who was then 73.

Henry Lee Lucas, a convicted serial killer who has since died, had confessed to the crime, but his admission was discounted in the late 1980s after DNA testing, said Sgt. John Foster of the Williamson County Sheriff's Office.

"We never did know Stephen Alan Thomas until the DNA hit," Foster said. "That just opened a whole direction in the case."

Thomas' DNA was found on a ligature, which was used to tie McKinney's body, Foster said. His fingerprint was also found in her home, according to police.

On June 27, 2012, a lab test showed the DNA was a match.

Williamson County Sheriff?s Office

Authorities traveled to Dallas to interview Thomas and later to Austin, where he had relocated to his parents' home, Foster said.

"The first time I talked to him, he denied everything and ever knowing Mildred McKinney, ever being in her house and any type of sexual contact with her," Foster said. "[If that was the case] his DNA being in that house should have never been in there. He kind of worked himself into a bit of a problem there."

Foster said that because of the pending investigation, he was unable to discuss any theories as to why McKinney was targeted or whether Thomas knew her. But he said he was "thrilled" to see an arrest after several decades.

Read the original here:
Texas Cold Case: Arrest in 1980 Murder After DNA Match

Posted in DNA

Questions raised by DNA in Vt. murder conviction

Posted on by

MONTPELIER, Vt.Lawyers for a former New York man in prison for the 1994 murder of his wife say new analysis of DNA evidence points strongly to his innocence.

The state defender general's office and a private Burlington lawyer filed court papers on Tuesday asking that John Grega, 50, be set free or at least be given a new trial.

Defender General Matthew Valerio said the Grega case marks the first time a Vermont court has been asked to overturn a conviction based on DNA evidence under a 2008 state law allowing those convicted of certain serious crimes to petition for DNA testing of biological evidence. It could mark the arrival in Vermont of a national trend in which serious felony convictions have been overturned thanks to newly available DNA evidence.

Grega was convicted in 1995 of aggravated murder and aggravated sexual assault in the rape and killing of his wife, Christine, the previous year. The Gregas were from Lake Grove, N.Y., on Long Island and were vacationing with their then-2-year-old son in West Dover when Christine Grega, 31, was killed.

Grega was the first person convicted and sentenced under a then-new Vermont law setting a penalty of life in prison without parole for aggravated murder.

A motion filed in Windham Superior Court by Valerio's office and Burlington lawyer Ian Carleton said tests conducted recently by the state crime lab on a DNA sample taken from Christine Grega's body showed it was not that of John Grega, but another, unknown male.

"It is difficult to overstate the game-changing nature of this new evidence, especially in a case where, as here, the evidence of Mr. Grega's guilt has at all times been purely circumstantial," the lawyers wrote. The new developments were first reported in Wednesday's Rutland Herald and Barre-Montpelier Times Argus.

"Under the reasonable doubt standard, this new DNA evidence -- which was never presented to the jury and therefore was never considered in deliberations -- would have not just slightly, but vastly, increased the likelihood of an acquittal or a hung jury in the original trial," they added. "Put simply, we now have compelling evidence that John Grega did not commit the crime for which he has served nearly two decades in jail."

Valerio said the Windham County state's attorney's office would have a chance to respond to the motion, and then the court would have several options: It could reject the new filing; it could vacate Grega's conviction and set him free; it could let the conviction stand but reduce the sentence to time served and set Grega free, or it could order a new trial.

The state's attorney, Tracy Shriver, said Wednesday afternoon she did not want to comment until doing so in writing to the court.

Here is the original post:
Questions raised by DNA in Vt. murder conviction

Posted in DNA

DNA reveals woman’s past, house’s possible future

Posted on by

Published: Jul 25, 2012 12:00 AM Modified: Jul 24, 2012 12:15 PM

DNA reveals womans past, houses possible future

Deardra Green-Campbell, left, and William Johnston Hogan. DNA and genealogical evidence indicates that Green-Campbell is a descendant of Hogan's.

Photos courtesy of the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill

Deardra Green-Campbell stands in front of the Hogan-Rogers House on Purefoy Road. Genealogical and DNA data indicate that Green-Campbell's great-great-great grandmother was a slave of Thomas Lloyd Hogan, who built the house in the 1840s.

Photo courtesy of the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill

CHAPEL HILL - Sitting at a table at the Outback Steakhouse in Suwanee, Ga., Ernest Dollar insisted on making a brief speech before presenting the envelope with such a flourish that his wife asked him if he really had to be so dramatic to Deardra Green-Campbell.Ernie made a big production out of it, said Green-Campbell, an economic development consultant in Atlanta. But the truth was, it was a very emotional moment for me.Inside the envelope were the results of a DNA analysis comparing her familys genetic makeup with that of the Hogan family, among the first to settle in Orange County. The conclusion: a strong indication that Green-Campbell was descended from Harriet Hogan a slave of Thomas Lloyd Hogan and William Johnston Hogan, the slave-owners white son. That link filled in a key piece of her familys genealogical puzzle, which Green-Campbell had been tracing for four years.I thought, Here we are sitting in a restaurant in the 21st century, and Im looking at a part of my familys life from well over a century ago, she said. It made me feel an even stronger connection with my ancestors. It almost transported me back to that time.For Green-Campbell, the DNA confirmation opened a window on a previously hidden portion of her familys past.For Dollar, the executive director of the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill, it was a vivid illustration of William Faulkners famous dictum that The past is never dead. Its not even past. It also might play a role in efforts to save a historic house, the Hogan-Rogers House on Purefoy Road in Chapel Hill.The Preservation Society will hold a press conference Wednesday to discuss the DNA project and the status of the Hogan-Rogers House.Thomas Lloyd Hogan built the house in the mid-1840s, and indications are that the familys slaves, including Harriet Green-Campbells great-great-great grandmother lived in its basement.The house is slated for demolition this fall to make way for St. Paul AME Church, which is moving to the site. The Preservation Society and others, including St. Paul, hope to move it intact to a nearby site to serve as a community center for the Rogers Road neighborhood. The DNA link to Green-Campbells family helps bring to life the long history of an important house, Dollar said. The Hogan-Rogers House is a link to a time before the neighborhood became dominated by the nearby Orange County landfill, which was built in the early 1970s. This house has had an iconic role in a community that has been hit so hard by the landfill, Dollar said. You can still find people in the neighborhood who remember sitting with their dates on the front porch, playing in the yard, eating dinner in the basement. Its a reminder that history remains relevant today.It took an impressive bit of sleuthing by Green-Campbell to come up with the connection between her family, which is centered mostly in the Northeast, and the Hogans in Orange County. She knew her extended family included some members with the surname Hogan (sometimes Hogans), and she knew her mother Harriet was named after a distant grandmother. On the Preservation Societys website she found a piece about the Hogan-Rogers House that mentioned a slave of the Hogan family named Harriet. She and Dollar exchanged information and concluded the two Harriets were probably the same person. Further searching turned up records indicating that Harriet and W.J. Hogan had a baby boy in 1845 they named Haywood Hogan.At that point, Id say I was 60-40 convinced I was on the right track, Green-Campbell said. We decided the DNA test could confirm it.In order to determine a genetic match, she needed to find a male relative on her mothers side. More investigation led her to a distant cousin living in Brooklyn, N.Y. His name: Haywood Hogans.I tracked down his number and called him. He was not aware of me or anybody in his family further back than his grandfather, whose name was also Haywood Hogans, Green-Campbell said. So when I got to the point where I said, Oh, by the way, I need a DNA sample, he was a bit shocked.Eventually, he agreed. Green-Campbell and Haywood Hogans plan to attend the press conference at the Horace Williams House.Never in my wildest dreams did I think Id be able to see and touch documents and structures pertaining to my enslaved ancestors, Green-Campbell said. On top of that, to be able to participate in the efforts to preserve the house in which my third great-grandmother was a slave has been an overwhelmingly emotional part of my journey.

Hart: 919-932-8744

Excerpt from:
DNA reveals woman’s past, house’s possible future

Posted in DNA

Taking DNA swabs from arrestees will be reviewed

Posted on by

Californias practice of taking DNA from people who have been arrested but not yet convicted of a felony is going to get a second look by a federal appeals court.

A majority of judges on the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals voted Wednesday to reconsider a split decision by a three-judge panel that upheld the program in February.

The courts decision to ask a larger panel of judges to consider the case is a setback forstate prosecutors, who have defended the DNA collection as a vital crime tool.

Once a person is swabbed, his or her DNA profile is placed in a criminal database, where it can be compared with DNA profiles compiled from evidence at crime scenes. Among those challenging the program were three protesters who were arrested but never convicted of a crime.

ALSO:

Hundreds of new parking meters going up in L.A.

Judge to determine if Katherine Jackson was abducted

Justin Bieber: Paparazzo in chase first to face charges under law

-- Maura Dolan

View post:
Taking DNA swabs from arrestees will be reviewed

Posted in DNA

Fetal DNA tests: Will patents work against patients?

Posted on by

Maybe youve been reading a lot lately about the development of fetal DNA tests based on a curious fact -- that the blood of a pregnant woman contains tiny bits of DNA of the fetus.

Several groups have recently used this fact to sequence the entire genome of a fetus and pick up the presence of extra chromosomes or even individual gene variants that would render the baby prone to health conditions.

Its an important development with much promise, health researchers say, because it offers a way to detect genetic abnormalities very early, without the small but real risk of miscarriage that comes with todays widely used screening technologies: amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling.

But the promise of this science -- much of it developed with government funds -- could be stymied by the thorny issue of intellectual property rights, argues a group of Stanford scientists in the journal Science Translational Medicine. (And you'll only get to read the abstract of the article unless you pay, because someone else owns the rights to it.)

Lauren Sayres and coauthors note that lots of patents have been granted for various slices of this technology. And one particular company, San Diegos Sequenom, is the exclusive licensee of many of them, including a broad one based on work of scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Sequenom has developed a test for trisomy 21 (three copies of chromosome No. 21, which causes Down syndrome), among other tests, but has been in litigation with and issued warnings to various other companies, including Ariosa Diagnostics Inc., arguing that they are infringing on its patent license agreements. Ariosa markets the Harmony Prenatal Test for trisomy 21.

The authors list all of the U.S. patents, inventors and licensees theyre aware of, and even they say its unclear which ones might trump which others. We shall see. Still, if Sequenom prevails and becomes a virtual monopoly in this area, would it matter?

The authors argue yes. They cite cost as one reason: Sequenoms trisomy 21 test goes for $1,900, they say, likely beyond the reach of most women and particularly the uninsured -- even if insurance companies pick up the bulk of the tab. And, they add, monopolies can impede improvements: They point to a company, Verinata Health, which claims it has an improved method for detecting trisomy 21. If Verinata Health or other companies are prevented from developing more accurate tests, patient care may suffer, they write.

DNA patent fights have a way of dragging on ... and on ... and on. And then theres the issue of whether genes themselves (versus technologies involving genes) can be patented. Read more about that in this blog post by my colleague Eryn Brown. The case centers on patents for genetic tests that use variants of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes to identify women at heightened risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

Continue reading here:
Fetal DNA tests: Will patents work against patients?

Posted in DNA

Computer model mimics entire organism

Posted on by

(Image credit: Erik Jacobsen/Cover Lab)

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 24 (UPI) -- Researchers in California say they've made a breakthrough in computational biology by creating the first complete computer model of an organism.

Writing in the journal Cell, researchers at Stanford University combined date from more than 900 scientific papers to account for every molecular interaction in the life cycle of Mycoplasma genitalium, the world's smallest free-living bacterium.

Modeling the entirety of an organism in a computer has been a longstanding goal for computational biology and represents a stepping-stone toward the use of computer-aided design in bioengineering and medicine, a Stanford release reported.

Biology studies in the past two decades have produced enormous amounts of cellular information, so a lack of experimental data is no longer the primary limiting factor, researchers said; instead, it's how to make sense of what is already known.

A complete computer model of an organism can clarify and illuminate data sets whose sheer size would otherwise place them outside human understanding, they said.

"You don't really understand how something works until you can reproduce it yourself," Stanford bioengineering researcher Jayodita Sanghvi said.

Mycoplasma genitalium was chosen, the researchers said, because it possesses the smallest genome of any free-living organism -- only 525 genes -- as opposed to the 4,288 of E. coli, a more traditional laboratory bacterium.

See original here:
Computer model mimics entire organism

Algae Biomass Summit to Feature Latest Breakthroughs in Algae Research

Posted on by

DENVER, CO--(Marketwire -07/25/12)- The 6th Annual Algae Biomass Summit, taking place in Denver, Co. September 24-27 will showcase more than 30 presentations in its Biology track from researchers and scientists at leading companies, universities and national labs during the course of the three-day event. These sessions are designed for highly technical audiences and will do a "deep dive" into new research, breakthroughs and insights related to algae biology.

"We've attracted and recruited an incredible group of leaders whose work is key to unlocking the full potential of algae as a feedstock for fuel, food, feed and other co-products," said Phil Pienkos, Principal Group Manager, Applied Sciences for the National Bioenergy Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Chair of the Algae Biomass Summit. "Anyone interested in or involved in the technical aspects of algal biology will not want to miss the presentations."

Highlights among the nearly three dozen presentations include:

The Biology Track is one of four tracks, plus plenary sessions and posters, which comprise the agenda for the Algae Biomass Summit. In total, there are expected to be more than 90 live and 120 poster presentations during the Summit. The 2011 Algae Biomass Summit was attended by more than 800 stakeholders from more than 25 countries across the algae industry. Organizers are expecting an even larger turnout for this year's event.

The Summit comes at a time when industry is increasingly looking for new sources of sustainable raw materials -- feedstock -- for a wide range of end uses. Products made from algae are the natural solution to the energy, food, economic, and climate challenges facing the world today. Algae have the power to simultaneously put fuels in vehicles, recycle CO2, provide nutrition for animals and people and create jobs for millions of Americans. More information can be found at http://www.allaboutalgae.com.

The Algae Biomass Summit is produced by the Algal Biomass Organization, the trade association for the US algae industry. More information about the Summit can be found at http://www.algaebiomasssummit.org.

About the Algal Biomass OrganizationThe Algal Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501 c(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website: http://www.algalbiomass.org.

Read the rest here:
Algae Biomass Summit to Feature Latest Breakthroughs in Algae Research

Polo Biology Global Group Corporation Proposes 1:10 Share Consolidation Concurrent with Sale of Active Business

Posted on by

VANCOUVER , July 24, 2012 /CNW/ - Polo Biology Global Group Corporation (the "Company") (TSXV-PGG) announced today that, further to its news release of June 6, 2012 , shareholders will shortly be receiving the management prepared Special and Annual General Shareholder Meeting materials in connection with the Company's Meeting to be held on August 16, 2012 . With respect to special business at the Meeting, management have proposed that shareholders approve by special resolution the sale of the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Rainbow Trend Limited, to Mark Vantage Limited for cash consideration of $760,000 CND as detailed in the Company's June 6, 2012 news release. The Meeting materials and the Valuation and Fairness Opinion referenced therein are available for review on SEDAR.

To attract equity financings in order for the Company to fund acquisitions, business expansion, and to meet working capital requirements, management of the Company is also proposing to consolidate the Company's issued and outstanding share capital. It is managements' opinion that a Share Consolidation of the Company's share capital on the basis of up to ten (10) existing common shares for one (1) new common share is required in order to attract new equity investment in the Company whether it be through private or public markets. Accordingly, shareholders will be asked to approve such proposed Share Consolidation by way of an ordinary resolution at the Meeting.

This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the plans for completion of the disposition of all or substantially all of the Company's undertaking, future plans and objectives of the Company, estimation of profitability, the timing and content of upcoming business plans, capital expenditures, success of business operations, risks, and limitations on insurance coverage. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, delays in obtaining regulatory approvals on acceptable terms; delays in obtaining shareholder approval; risks related to international operations; actual results of planned expansion activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; future prices of supplies and market prices for products; exchange rates for Canadian, Chinese and any other currencies material to the Company's businesses; accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the industries that the Company is currently operating in; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financings or in the completion of development activities; Chinese government policies impacting the Company's businesses; general economic, market or business conditions. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or information made in this news release, except as required under applicable securities legislation.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its "Regulation Services Provider", as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this News Release.

SOURCE: Polo Biology Global Group Corporation

Link:
Polo Biology Global Group Corporation Proposes 1:10 Share Consolidation Concurrent with Sale of Active Business