HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- So, what do you get when you combine a
couple of local industries - biotechnology and defense?

The result is a series of talks presented by the Partnership
for Biotechnology Research called "Connections: Engineering and
Biotechnology."

The first seminar, sponsored by Nexus, was held in September
and addressed green energy and biotech.

Next week, SAIC will host a seminar on the business of biotech
engineering featuring Dr. David Ku, director of the Program for
Engineering Entrepreneurship at Georgia Tech.

"The series was created to link biotechnology with a variety of
disciplines to help grow and diversify our community's
economy," said Dr. Adam Hott, coordinator of educational
outreach at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and
president of the Partnership for Biotechnology Research.

Ku will discuss his experiences bringing biotechnology
solutions to the patient's bedside and developing start-up
companies through careful selection of methods for product
development, Hott said.

"His background, encompassing roles of engineer, scientist,
surgeon and entrepreneur will, I'm sure, strike a chord with
audience members," Hott said. "Hopefully ... attendees will
find the the encouragement or inspiration to explore new
ventures."

The seminar is Feb. 6 from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. at SAIC, 6723
Odyssey Drive. Registration is limited to 70
people. Email workshop@alpbr.org

"As a member of the Partnership for Biotechnology Research,
SAIC is excited to host 'Achieving Business Success in
Biotechnology and Bioengineering,' " said Carey Oliver, SAIC
vice president for business development. "It's an opportunity
to find synergies and encourage collaborations between our
local biotech and defense industries."

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Huntsville's Partnership for Biotechnology Research seminar on business of biotech engineering set for Feb. 6

Genes could be one of the reasons behind fatal lung diseases. John Hopkins scientists have been able to find out the genes which may be the reason behind hereditary lung diseases. In order to arrive at the conclusion the researchers screened DNA samples of people having inherited IPF and found out that around eighty percent of them were having mutations in the genes which could lead to an enzyme which can help in lengthening the fragile ends of the chromosome. Mutations in the case of telomerase lead to the wear and tear of chromosome ends and ultimately lead to death of the cell. Mary Armanios, M.D., Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center stated: The scientists’ first hint that telomerase plays a role in IPF came from studying the genetic traits of a family with a rare, premature-aging disorder caused by short telomeres. Many of the family members were suffering from the disorder’s second-leading cause of death — pulmonary fibrosis. We thought that perhaps there might be a link between telomerase mutations and IPF. Though there are no genes tests as of now for IPF but researchers are looking for ways for assessing the risks by undertaking screening of telomere length. Via sciencedaily

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Citric acid is the base for a polymer developed by a Professor Guillermo Ameer, which can be used in replacement of blood vessels and patch up damaged bone. He explained the procedure to make this polymer at the ‘American Chemical Society’ meeting in Chicago. According to Professor Ameer, combining citric acid with 1,8-octanediol- a non-toxic chemical results in a stretchy and strong yellow rubber that can be moulded into a wide variety of shapes and used to replace damaged body parts. when inserted into the body, the unique polymer causes almost no irritation and causes no adverse reaction to the body. This makes it a worthy replacement for the currently used PTFE tubes that clog within the first year and become nearly useless within four years. The polymer when mixed with hydroxyapatite powder gives out a very hard material that can be used to repair broken bones. As the tests made on animals revealed, it allows natural bone to grow into and over it, making the damaged bone as good as new. Hydroxyapatite powder is the same material that makes up natural bone and hence artificial bone is accepted without any adverse effects. Source.

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Indians should really smile when they read this. India has left China behind by miles in the arena of biotechnology. With India developing as a leading biotech region in the Asian region it is expected to leave behind China for the first time with regards to the area planted with biotechnology crop. The area under cultivation with biotechnology crop in 2006 in India has tripled as compared to last year and now the area under cultivation in India stands at 3.8 million when compared to 3.5 million in China. Quality seeds coupled with good biotechnology have made India stand strong. India is adopting biotechnology in a huge manner for meeting their growing need for fuel, fiber and food. 2007 will witness India investing $80 million in national chain of research laboratories. As per RNCOS report: Indian Biotechnology Market Outlook (2006)’, biotech will greatly influence the Indian agriculture sector by developing a large number of GM seeds. Amplifying at the rate of 28.09% from 2005, the Indian biotech industry is believed to reach the level of US$ 5 Billion by 2010 end. Is China sitting with closed eyes and why has India been able to defeat it in the arena of biotechnology, this is a question which only China can answer well. Via newswiretoday

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Even the Right to information act or RTI could not help Greenpeace in India. RTI activists tried using this right for getting information on the safety tests of GM crops but their request was rejected on the plea that disclosure of the information could harm the competitive position of the company developing these crops. Information was sought on the field trial locations and allergenicity and toxicity data related to the rice, brinjal and other crops being tested. Though information on location was revealed but access to other set of information was denied. Greenpeace and other farmer organizations are not satisfied with the manner in which the trials are being conducted and they fear that gross violations have been conducted while conducting the tests. On the other hand GEAC states that field trials were being conducted keeping in view all the biosafety and regulatory norms in mind but it seems that there is something fishy since the government is hiding certain results on pretext of safety. The government should come up with a clear picture or it might become difficult to make the people accept GM crops. Via hindu

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24-01-2012 08:25 Learn about the new Biotechnology Program at State College of Florida. SCF has equipped the biotechnology lab with state-of-the-art equipment that is regularly used in the field. Students are prepared to work effectively from day one.

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SCF Biotechnology Program - Video

24-01-2012 10:12 Suzanne Shirborun, a farmer from northwest Iowa, talks about the safety of biotechnology and why consumers are scared of it. Biotechnology speeds up the process of producing new hybrids which farmers can use. Some hybrids can help farmers reduce the amount of chemicals they spray on their crops as the resistance gene is built into the seed. "As a consumer I feel very confident going to any grocery story in the United States and getting safe food produced by US farmers," explains Suzanne. To learn more about biotechnology and to get your food questions answered, visit http://www.findourcommonground.com.

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Benefits of Food Biotechnology - CommonGround - Video

17-01-2012 08:15 Student to student marketing video created by Nick Altman.

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Biotechnology Student to Student Marketing Video - Video

Scientists have found ways to prepare stem cells from skin of an adult rat, without harming embryos. The discovery, which was done successfully on rats, will remove the ethical concerns of using stem cells for various medical purposes. Researchers have shown that it is possible to create stem cells similar to those present in embryos from skin. So far, mature cells were considered incapable of producing stem cells. The success of the research on rat has made scientists hopeful of being able to do this in case of humans as well. If this happens, the stem cells obtained from skin cells of a person will be able to produce cells and tissues that would be genetically an exact copy of the original, dispelling any rejection by the body that was probable for a stem cell obtained from an embryo. Stem cells are totipotent–capable of developing in any kind of tissue present in the body. Such a capability is of immense benefit as they can be used to replace the damaged cells and tissues, thus providing possible cure for several diseases like diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The use of stem cells from embryo had ethical and moral concerns as the collection of stem cells damages the embryos. This many said is tantamount to murder or cannibalism. The new discovery, if successful for humans, will pave new ways for curing several diseases including those which were till now could not be treated. This will surely help cure many diseases and body defects. An advancement in this technique may also provide body organs for transplantation. The possibilities are immense but some concerns will continue to remain. The stem cells could be used rampantly for cosmetic purposes like skin grafts. This may also open a new arena of spare parts for human bodies as is available for machines. This will obviously dent the magical power of life. The cliche remains valid even here – every coin has two sides. It’s all up to us to choose the positive side. Learn more about stem cells. Source: BBC, Daily Mail Image Source: Canada.com

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05-01-2012 10:04

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FT Pharmaceutical

05-01-2012 03:36

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Pharmaceutical and Molecular Biotechnology Research Centre (PMBRC) - Video

Who said India lags behind in the arena of stem cell research? The country is growing at the rate of fifteen percent per year in the stem cell market arena and will reach the figures of $ 540 million by 2010. India has around fifteen centers which are undertaking research in the arena of stem cell. Of them five centers are involved in undertaking extensive trials in the arena of cardiology. India has all the strength to emerge as a global hub for undertaking stem cell research. Since U.S has banned stem cell research India can surely prosper in this field as it has both knowledge and technology for undertaking research in this area. With medical field making rapid moves researchers are opting for advanced techniques which can help in targeting the root cause of the diseases rather than just treatment of the symptoms and in this respect stem cell research is gaining a stronger position. One questions which is troubling my mind is if India emerges as a hub for stem cell research how will it handle the sensitive topics such as cloning and breeding of human cells. Via prminds

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Viruses have been the major life threatening microorganisms since time immemorial. All viruses are infective unlike all bacteria that can also be beneficial. Viruses are known to cause various types of cancers also such as Hodgkin’s, non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, cancers of the throat and liver. Viruses basically cause cancer by mutating a critical gene for replication in the host DNA leading to an uncontrolled cell division. A team of scientists led by Preet M. Choudhary, M.D., Ph.D., and professor of medicine at University of Pittsburgh have proposed that viruses in a way, act as elements of natural selection. The theory of natural selection put-forth by Charles Darwin can simply be stated as, fixation of a desirable mutation of a gene. Similarly, viruses have been found to kill normal cells that favour the replication of viruses, leaving behind the defective cells. Repetition of this process over and over causes cancer. ‘We believe, a separate mechanism may be at play in which a cellular insult, such as infection with the virus, selects a few pre-existing mutated clones of cells promotes their further growth and multiplication, eventually leading to the emergence of fully cancerous cells, consequently, similar to the role played by natural selection during evolution, excessive cell death, rather than its absence may be the defining force that drives the initial emergence of cancer,’ said Dr. Choudhary. Since, notably the cancerous condition arises from the ‘ashes’ of dead cells, Dr.Choudhary calls it ‘Phoenix Paradigm’. A study was conducted wherein, cells were infected with Kaposi’s sarcoma associated Herpes Simplex Virus (KSHV) also called Human Herpes Simplex Virus-8 (HHV-8) and examined the K13 cell-signaling pathway. They observed that cells with low K13 levels, favoured KSHV replication and subsequently died, but up regulating K13 gene expression in the existing cells and down regulating two key proteins involved in promoting cancer. Image via : CBCnews

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Scientists have for the first time developed flu vaccine from the yellow striped caterpillars instead of the hen eggs. While the current method of using hen eggs is a lengthy procedure, the new method is quicker and easier. In the method currently used, live flu viruses injected into the eggs multiply, then the eggshells are broken, the viruses are inactivated and are treated to create flu vaccine. It takes about nine months to prepare the vaccine and also depends on the availability of the eggs which could be a hindrance when a large scale pandemic strikes. In the new method, scientists replace a gene from that virus with a flu virus gene, and then inject it into the caterpillars found abundantly in nature, where it makes more flu virus. This vaccine was tested on about 450 adults during the flu season and was found that two thirds of the participants who were given a high-dose injection had a strong immune response and did not develop flu that season. Further studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of the new vaccine, and if successful, large scale cases of flu could be treated effectively and cheaply especially in developing countries where thousands of people die ever year for not receiving timely treatment. Image Source

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13-01-2012 23:34 Video of Jessica Mussio demonstrating how to master the skills of micro-pipetting

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Biotechnology Proficiency: Micro-pipetting

Background:
Microbial lipids have drawn increasing attention in recent years as promising raw materials for biodiesel production, and the use of lignocellulosic hydrolysates as carbon sources seems to be a feasible strategy for cost-effective lipid fermentation with oleaginous microorganisms on a large scale. During the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic materials with dilute acid, however, various kinds of inhibitors, especially large amounts of organic acids, will be produced, which substantially decrease the fermentability of lignocellulosic hydrolysates. To overcome the inhibitory effects of organic acids, it is critical to understand their impact on the growth and lipid accumulation of oleaginous microorganisms.
Results:
In our present work, we investigated for the first time the effect of ten representative organic acids in lignocellulosic hydrolysates on the growth and lipid accumulation of oleaginous yeast Trichosporon fermentans cells. In contrast to previous reports, we found that the toxicity of the organic acids to the cells was not directly related to their hydrophobicity. It is worth noting that most organic acids tested were less toxic than aldehydes to the cells, and some could even stimulate the growth and lipid accumulation at a low concentration. Unlike aldehydes, most binary combinations of organic acids exerted no synergistic inhibitory effects on lipid production. The presence of organic acids decelerated the consumption of glucose, whereas it influenced the utilization of xylose in a different and complicated way. In addition, all the organic acids tested, except furoic acid, inhibited the malic activity of T. fermentans. Furthermore, the inhibition of organic acids on cell growth was dependent more on inoculum size, temperature and initial pH than on lipid content.
Conclusions:
This work provides some meaningful information about the effect of organic acid in lignocellulosic hydrolysates on the lipid production of oleaginous yeast, which is helpful for optimization of biomass hydrolysis processes, detoxified pretreatment of hydrolysates and lipid production using lignocellulosic materials.Source:
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/rss/

20-01-2012 06:48 Iran is making significant advances in medicine production, especially in the fields of biosimilar and biotechnology drugs. Unlike the more common small-molecule drugs, biosimilars medicines are important because they exhibit high molecular complexity. With over 400 medical research facilities and 76 medical magazine indexes available in the country, Iran is looking to advance in the next 10 years to become one of the top 10 ranked countries in the world in medical research.

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Iran´s significant advances in Biosimilar

Background:
Improving the hydrolytic performance of hemicellulases on lignocellulosic biomass is of considerable importance for second generation biorefining. To address this problem, and also to gain greater understanding of structure-function relationships, especially related to xylanase action on complex biomass, we have implemented a combinatorial strategy to engineer the GH11 xylanase (Tx-Xyn) from Thermobacillus xylanilyticus.
Results:
Following in vitro enzyme evolution and screening on wheat straw, nine best-performing clones were identified, which display mutations at positions 3, 6, 27 and 111. All of these mutants showed increased hydrolytic activity on wheat straw, and solubilised arabinoxylans that were not modified by the parental enzyme. Compared to the wild type enzyme, the most active mutants, S27T and Y111T, increased the solubilisation of arabinoxylans from depleted wheat straw 2.3-fold and 2.1-fold respectively. In addition, five mutants, S27T, Y111H, Y111S, Y111T and S27T-Y111H increased total hemicellulose conversion of intact wheat straw from 16.7%tot. xyl (wild-type Tx-Xyn) to 18.6 - 20.4%tot. xyl. Also, all five mutant enzymes exhibited a better ability to act in synergy with a cellulase cocktail (Accellerase 1500), thus procuring increases in overall wheat straw hydrolysis.
Conclusions:
Analysis of the results allows us to hypothesize that the increased hydrolytic ability of the mutants is linked to i) improved ligand binding in a putative secondary binding site, ii) the diminution of surface hydrophobicity, and/or iii) the modification of thumb flexibility, induced by mutations at position 111. Nevertheless, the relatively modest improvements that were observed also underline the fact that enzyme engineering alone cannot overcome the limits imposed by the complex organisation of the plant cell wall and the lignin barrier.Source:
http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/rss/

09-01-2012 12:21 2011 ASCB Workshop Offered by the Women in Cell Biology (WICB) Committee Moderator: Harvey Lodish, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Supported by a grant from the Office of Research on Women's Health, NIH, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund A panel of five cell biologists working in different areas of biotech and pharma will share their experiences in a nonacademic world.

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2011 WICB Workshop Biotechnology.wmv - Video

06-01-2012 10:21 Learn about the role of biotechnology in the on-going fight against HIV from three awesome individuals: a researcher, a patient, and an advocate.

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HIV/AIDS and Biotechnology - Video