Sequencing facility and shared postdoctoral program to support genetic discovery research to advance development of new treatments

CAMBRIDGE, MA, and NEW YORK, NY (January 9, 2015) -- Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) and Columbia University Medical Center have formed a $30 million strategic alliance to conduct genetics discovery research on the underlying causes of disease and to identify new treatment approaches. As part of this agreement, a sequencing and analysis facility and shared postdoctoral program will be established at Columbia to support collaborative genetics studies. The agreement will integrate genomics research conducted at Columbia with Biogen Idec's understanding of disease mechanisms and pathways, and expertise in discovering new medicines.

"Our understanding of human genetics is rapidly expanding, and there is growing recognition that the elucidation of the genetic causes of disease will have a transformative effect on both patient care and drug development in many different diseases," said David Goldstein, PhD, founding director of Columbia University's Institute for Genomic Medicine. "This collaboration marries the exceptional drug development expertise of Biogen with cutting-edge genomics expertise at Columbia University Medical Center. It will not only focus on target identification and validation at the early stages of drug development, but also facilitate genetically informed evaluation of treatments."

"Human genetic technologies and analytics have advanced to the point where they are becoming central to the discovery and development of new medicines," said Tim Harris, PhD, DSc, Senior Vice President, Technology and Translational Sciences, Biogen Idec. "We are committed to working with leading institutions such as Columbia to advance basic genetic research and, by combining our unique strengths, accelerating the discovery of potential new treatments."

The collaboration will enable Biogen Idec and Columbia to investigate the genomes of patients showing unusual treatment responses or unique disease presentations and to explore the connections among genes, pathways, and disease processes. The ultimate goal will be to provide multiple qualified targets for new therapeutic approaches, increasing the potential for the development of new treatments.

"This collaboration with Biogen, with its focus on the genetic causes of diseases, fits in perfectly with Columbia's commitment to precision medicine," said Lee Goldman, MD, MPH, Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor of the University and dean of the faculties of health sciences and medicine. "The development of new treatments based on this genetic understanding will have profound effects on clinical practice."

The new facility will have broad genetic research capabilities and the capacity to launch and complete whole-genome sequencing projects rapidly. It will allow for rapid population-scale DNA sequencing across a broad range of disease areas, focusing on diseases with significant unmet clinical need such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Tom Maniatis, PhD, the Isidore S. Edelman Professor of Biochemistry and chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University Medical Center and director of Columbia's university-wide precision medicine initiative, said, "The strong clinical and basic science programs in neurodegenerative diseases at Columbia will significantly benefit from the Columbia/Biogen alliance. We expect that the alliance will dramatically advance our understanding of the genetics of these devastating diseases and ultimately lead to mechanism-based treatments, a key aspect of Columbia's precision-medicine initiative."

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Biogen Idec and Columbia Medical Center to conduct collaborative genetics research

Geneva (AFP) - Human tests of two possible Ebola vaccines have proven safe and now tests to measure their efficiency will begin within weeks in the three west African countries ravaged by the deadly virus, the World Health Organization said Friday.

"These trials are about to begin for the two lead vaccines," WHO assistant director general Marie-Paule Kieny told reporters, adding that the vaccines would be tested on tens of thousands of people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The Phase III testing to ensure the vaccines actually provide protection against the virus that has killed 8,259 people in the three African countries is set to begin in Liberia by the end of the month, she said.

Separate tests are scheduled to start in Sierra Leone and Guinea in February, she added.

There is no licensed treatment or vaccine for Ebola, and the WHO has endorsed rushing potential ones through trials in a bid to stem the epidemic.

The two potential vaccines that have been undergoing Phase 1 safety tests on humans are ChAd3, made by Britain's GlaxoSmithKline, and VSV-EBOV, manufactured by the Public Health Agency of Canada and developed by Merck.

Tests of the two potential vaccines have been conducted on volunteers in a range of countries, including Switzerland, Mali, Gabon, Britain, Germany, Canada and the United States.

Both have shown to have "an acceptable safety profile," Kieny said, relaying the findings of a high-level meeting of policy makers, researchers, regulators and vaccine developers in Geneva Thursday.

"That is really good news," she said, acknowledging that "the world is waiting for us to get these vaccines ready and out to the people with this virus raging through their communities."

- Millions of doses -

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Human tests of Ebola vaccines 'about to begin' in affected countries: WHO

Guest Post from John Rawls Ph.D., associate professor of molecular genetics and microbiology

Illustration by Timothy Cook

Recent advances in genomic technology have led to spectacular insights into the complexity and ubiquity of microbial communities (the microbiome) throughout our planet, including on and within the human body.

The microbiome is now known to contribute significantly to human health and disease, regulate global biogeochemistry, and harbor much of our planets genetic diversity.

On November 21, 2014, more than 200 scientists, clinicians, engineers, and students gathered in the Trent Semans Center at the Duke University Medical Center to learn about cutting-edge microbiome research in an interdisciplinary symposium entitled The Human and Environmental Microbiome.

Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of this exciting field, symposium participants represented a broad range of basic and clinical science departments at Duke and other institutions across North Carolinas Research Triangle.

The symposium showcased microbiomes in a wide diversity of habitats, including the body surfaces of humans and other animals, plant roots, soil, dust, freshwater streams, coastal waters, and in vitro systems.

Despite the diversity of their experimental systems, participants shared many of the same experimental approaches and methodologies. For instance, microbial genomic sequencing was highlighted as a tool for understanding the life cycle of the parasites that cause malaria, as well as for identifying useful genes in symbiotic bacteria residing in the intestine.

Several abstracts presented at the symposium highlighted innovative new genetic and genomic approaches to understanding how microbial communities assemble and function, which could be widely applicable to other microbiomes.

In addition to shared methodologies, participants also reported on shared themes emerging from analysis of different microbiomes. For example, analysis of a marine environment in response to acute weather perturbation revealed many of the same ecological patterns observed in the human gut microbiome during a cholera outbreak.

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Microbiome Researchers Find Common Ground

Oxford University scientists begin to immunise volunteers Hope to immunise 72 adults by the end of the month to trial the new jab A prime injection is followed by a booster to strengthen immune response The vaccine wassuccessfulin protecting primates against Ebola There are now at least three Ebola vaccines being trialled for safety

By Madlen Davies for MailOnline

Published: 10:08 EST, 6 January 2015 | Updated: 12:54 EST, 6 January 2015

The first human trials of a new Ebola vaccine are today underway, the latest step in attempts to halt the spread of the virus in West Africa.

Scientists at Oxford University have immunised the first healthy volunteers with a new drug, which they hope will protect people against the disease.

The World Health Organisation said today more than 8,100 people have now lost their lives to the virus, the majority in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

In September a separate trial was launched at the university, to test the effects of another potential vaccine.

The Oxford Vaccine Group, part of the University of Oxford Department of Paediatrics, aims to have vaccinated 72 healthy adult volunteers by the end of this month.

Oxford University scientists have begun immunising healthy volunteers in a trial of a new experimental Ebola vaccine. They hope to immunise 72 adults by the end of the month

The study involves a 'prime-boost' vaccine regime, meaning volunteers are given a first 'prime' injection to stimulate an initial immune response.

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First human trial of new experimental Ebola vaccine begin

How genetics is helping us understand Parkinson #39;s disease
The last twenty years have seen huge advances in our understanding of human genetics. In this webinar, I #39;ll talk about how looking at genetics is helping us to learn more about what causes...

By: Patrick Lewis

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How genetics is helping us understand Parkinson's disease - Video

Get the conniption meds ready because many a white southerner may be getting ready to have one!

A new study published inThe AmericanJournal of Human Geneticshadresearchers using ancestry data that was compiled by 23and Me, a commercial genetic testing company,to measure the percentage of African ancestry of people who self-identified as white.

Got those meds ready?

As it turns out, self-identified white people who live in the South have the highest concentrations of African DNA.

In South Carolina and Louisiana the states shaded the darkest green on the mapbelow researchers found 2 percent African ancestry inoneout of every20 people who called themselves white. Add to this, in a lot of the South, about 10 percent of people who identified as white turned out to have African DNA.

Hold the phone!

Read more at EURThisNthat.

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Hey White Southerners, Youre Blacker Than You Think: New Genetic Study

Human Genetics I

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Human Genetics I - Video

A group of scientists has created artificial human sperm and eggs using human embryonic stem cells and skin cells. While researchers have already previously accomplished this using rodents, this is the first time they were able to replicate the process with human cells.

Their final products were not actually working sperm and eggs, but rather germ cells that potentially could mature and become viable for fertility. The study's findings were published Wednesday in the journal Cell.

"Germ cells are 'immortal' in the sense that they provide an enduring link between all generations, carrying genetic information from one generation to the next," Azim Surani, PhD, professor of physiology and reproduction at the University of Cambridge, said in a press release.

16 Photos

Sperm wear hard hats and live for days? It's true, and that's just the beginning...

When an egg is fertilized by a sperm, it begins to divide into a group of cells called a blastocyst, which is the stage right before the embryo is formed. Some of the cells inside this blastocyst cluster will develop into a fetus, while others eventually become the placenta.

Some cells are set up to become stem cells, which will then have the potential to develop into any type of cell in the body. And some cells in the fetus become primordial germ cells and eventually evolve into the cells of either sperm or eggs, which will allow this offspring to pass their genes on to a future generation.

In the study, the researchers identified a single gene known as SOX17, which is directly responsible for ordering human stem cells to become the cells that will turn into sperm and eggs. The scientists say this discovery on its own is surprising, because this gene is not involved in the creation of primordial cells in rodents. In humans, the SOX17 gene is also involved in helping to develop cells of the lungs, gut and pancreas.

The scientists harvested these cells by culturing human embryonic stem cells for five days. They then showed that the same process could be replicated using adult skin cells.

This doesn't mean men and women will soon be donating skin cells rather than sperm and egg at fertility clinics. Eventually, however, the findings could open the door to more intensive research on human genetics and certain cancers, and could impact fertility treatments sometime in the future.

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Scientists create artificial human eggs and sperm

Human Genetics II

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Human Genetics II - Video

CAMBRIDGE, England, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- The first time in history, researchers have successfully used human embryonic stem cells to create primordial germ cells, cells that divide and mature into egg and sperm. Previously, the feat had been accomplished using rodent stem cells -- not those from a human embryo.

"Researchers have been attempting to create human primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the petri dish for years," leader author Jacob Hanna, a researcher in the Institute's Molecular Genetics Department, said in a released statement.

Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells capable of dividing and transforming into specialized cells. They are the most basic of biological building blocks.

"The creation of primordial germ cells is one of the earliest events during early mammalian development," study co-author Naoko Irie, researcher at the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge, said in a press release.

"It's a stage we've managed to recreate using stem cells from mice and rats, but until now few researches have done this systematically using human stem cells," Irie added.

Researchers say the newly realized feat has revealed differences between embryo development in humans and rodents -- discrepancies that could undermine studies that extrapolate mice and rat-based evidence to human-related conclusions.

"Having the ability to create human PGCs in the petri dish will enable us to investigate the process of differentiation on the molecular level," Hanna said.

The research was published this week in the journal Cell.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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Scientists create human primordial cells in the lab

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Newswise Groups at the Weizmann Institute of Science and Cambridge University have jointly managed the feat of turning back the clock on human cells to create primordial germ cells the embryonic cells that give rise to sperm and ova in the lab. This is the first time that human cells have been programmed into this early developmental stage. The results of their study, which were published December 24 in Cell, could help provide answers as to the causes of fertility problems, yield insight into the earliest stages of embryonic development and potentially, in the future, enable the development of new kinds of reproductive technology.

Researchers have been attempting to create human primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the petri dish for years, says Dr. Jacob Hanna of the Weizmann Institutes Department of Molecular Genetics, who led the study together with research student Leehee Weinberger. PGCs arise within the early weeks of embryonic growth, as the embryonic stem cells in the fertilized egg begin to differentiate into the very basic cell types. Once these primordial cells become specified, they continue developing toward precursor sperm cells or ova pretty much on autopilot, says Dr. Hanna. The idea of creating these cells in the lab took off with the 2006 invention of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells adult cells that are reprogrammed to look and act like embryonic stem cells, which can then differentiate into any cell type. Thus several years ago, when researchers in Japan created mouse iPS cells and then got them to differentiate into PGCs, scientists immediately set about trying to replicate the achievement in human cells. But until now, none had been successful.

Previous research in Dr. Hannas lab pointed to new methods that could take human cells to the PGC state. That research had focused on the question of how human iPS cells and mouse embryonic cells differ: The mouse embryonic cells are easily kept in their stem cell state in the lab, while human iPS cells that have been reprogrammed a technique that involves the insertion of four genes have a strong drive to differentiate, and they often retain traces of priming. Dr. Hanna and his group then created a method for tuning down the genetic pathway for differentiation, thus creating a new type of iPS cell that they dubbed nave cells. These nave cells appeared to rejuvenate iPS cells one step further, closer to the original embryonic state from which they can truly differentiate into any cell type. Since these nave cells are more similar to their mouse counterparts, Dr. Hanna and his group thought they could be coaxed to differentiate into primordial germ cells.

Working with nave human embryonic stem and iPS cells, and applying the techniques that had been successful in the mouse cell experiments, the research team managed to produce cells that, in both cases, appeared to be identical to human PGCs. Together with the lab group of Prof. Azim Surani of Cambridge University, the scientists further tested and refined the method jointly in both labs. By adding a glowing red fluorescent marker to the genes for PGCs, they were able to gauge how many of the cells had been programmed. Their results showed that quite a high rate up to 40% had become PGCs; this quantity enables easy analysis.

Dr. Hanna points out that PGCs are only the first step in creating human sperm and ova. A number of hurdles remain before labs will be able to complete the chain of events that move an adult cell through the cycle of embryonic stem cell and around to sperm or ova. For one, at some point in the process, these cells must learn to perform the neat trick of dividing their DNA in half before they can become viable reproductive cells. Still, he is confident that those hurdles will one day be overcome, raising the possibility, for example, of enabling women who have undergone chemotherapy or premature menopause to conceive.

In the meantime, the study has already yielded some interesting results that may have significant implications for further research on PGCs and possibly other early embryonic cells. The team managed to trace part of the genetic chain of events that directs a stem cell to differentiate into a primordial germ cell, and they discovered a master gene, Sox17, that regulates the process in humans, but not in mice. Because this gene network is quite different from the one that had been identified in mice, the researchers suspect that more than a few surprises may await scientists who study the process in humans.

According to Dr. Hanna, Having the ability to create human PGCs in the petri dish will enable us to investigate the process of differentiation on the molecular level. For example, we found that only fresh nave cells can become PGCs; but after a week in conventional growth conditions they lose this capability once again. We want to know why this is. What is it about human stem cell states that makes them more or less competent? And what exactly drives the process of differentiation once a cell has been reprogrammed to its more nave state? It is the answers to these basic questions that will, ultimately, advance iPS cell technology to the point of medical use.

Dr. Jacob Hannas research is supported by Pascal and Ilana Mantoux, France/Israel; the New York Stem Cell Foundation; the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute (FAMRI), the Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF); the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation; the Benoziyo Endowment Fund for the Advancement of Science; the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; the Sir Charles Clore Research Prize; Erica A. Drake and Robert Drake; the Abisch Frenkel Foundation for the Promotion of Life Sciences; the European Research Council; the Israel Science Foundation, and the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung. Dr. Hanna is a New York Stem Cell Foundation-Robertson Investigator.

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In a First, Weizmann Institute and Cambridge University Scientists Create Human Primordial Germ Cells

A cell programming technique developed at the Weizmann Institute turns them into the earliest precursors of sperm and ova

IMAGE:These are clusters of human embryonic stem cells that were differentiated to an early germ cell (PGC) state (colored cells). Each color reveals the expression of a different gene. (l-r)... view more

Credit: Weizmann Institute of Science

Groups at the Weizmann Institute of Science and Cambridge University have jointly managed the feat of turning back the clock on human cells to create primordial germ cells - the embryonic cells that give rise to sperm and ova - in the lab. This is the first time that human cells have been programmed into this early developmental stage. The results of their study, which were published today in Cell, could help provide answers as to the causes of fertility problems, yield insight into the earliest stages of embryonic development and potentially, in the future, enable the development of new kinds of reproductive technology.

"Researchers have been attempting to create human primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the petri dish for years," says Dr. Jacob Hanna of the Institute's Molecular Genetics Department, who led the study together with research student Leehee Weinberger. PGCs arise within the early weeks of embryonic growth, as the embryonic stem cells in the fertilized egg begin to differentiate into the very basic cell types. Once these primordial cells become "specified," they continue developing toward precursor sperm cells or ova "pretty much on autopilot," says Hanna. The idea of creating these cells in the lab took off with the 2006 invention of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells - adult cells that are "reprogrammed" to look and act like embryonic stem cells, which can then differentiate into any cell type. Thus several years ago, when researchers in Japan created mouse iPS cells and then got them to differentiate into PGCs, scientists immediately set about trying to replicate the achievement in human cells. But until now, none had been successful.

Previous research in Hanna's lab pointed to new methods that could take human cells to the PGC state. That research had focused on the question of how human iPS cells and mouse embryonic cells differ: The mouse embryonic cells are easily kept in their stem cell state in the lab, while human iPS cells that have been reprogrammed - a technique that involves the insertion of four genes - have a strong drive to differentiate, and they often retain traces of "priming." Hanna and his group then created a method for tuning down the genetic pathway for differentiation, thus creating a new type of iPS cell that they dubbed "nave cells." These nave cells appeared to rejuvenate iPS cells one step further, closer to the original embryonic state from which they can truly differentiate into any cell type. Since these nave cells are more similar to their mouse counterparts, Hanna and his group thought they could be coaxed to differentiate into primordial germ cells.

Working with nave human embryonic stem and iPS cells, and applying the techniques that had been successful in the mouse cell experiments, the research team managed to produce cells that, in both cases, appeared to be identical to human PGCs. Together with the lab group of Prof. Azim Surani of Cambridge University, the scientists further tested and refined the method jointly in both labs. By adding a glowing red fluorescent marker to the genes for PGCs, they were able to gauge how many of the cells had been programmed. Their results showed that quite a high rate - up to 40% - had become PGCs; this quantity enables easy analysis.

Hanna points out that PGCs are only the first step in creating human sperm and ova. A number of hurdles remain before labs will be able to complete the chain of events that move an adult cell through the cycle of embryonic stem cell and around to sperm or ova. For one, at some point in the process, these cells must learn to perform the neat trick of dividing their DNA in half before they can become viable reproductive cells. Still, he is confident that those hurdles will one day be overcome, raising the possibility, for example, of enabling women who have undergone chemotherapy or premature menopause to conceive.

In the meantime, the study has already yielded some interesting results that may have significant implications for further research on PGCs and possibly other early embryonic cells. The team managed to trace part of the genetic chain of events that directs a stem cell to differentiate into a primordial germ cell, and they discovered a master gene, Sox17, that regulates the process in humans, but not in mice. Because this gene network is quite different from the one that had been identified in mice, the researchers suspect that more than a few surprises may await scientists who study the process in humans.

Hanna: "Having the ability to create human PGCs in the petri dish will enable us to investigate the process of differentiation on the molecular level. For example, we found that only 'fresh' nave cells can become PGCs; but after a week in conventional growth conditions they lose this capability once again. We want to know why this is. What is it about human stem cell states that makes them more or less competent? And what exactly drives the process of differentiation once a cell has been reprogrammed to its more nave state? It is the answers to these basic questions that will, ultimately, advance iPS cell technology to the point of medical use."

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Human primordial cells created in the lab

Stem Cells: Tools for Human Genetics and Heart Regeneration
Department of Medicine Grand Rounds presentation by Dr. Charles Murry, professor, Department of Pathology, Bioengineering and Medicine/Cardiology; Director, Center for Cardiovascular Biology;...

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Stem Cells: Tools for Human Genetics and Heart Regeneration - Video

At least six million Americans who identify themselves as white have more "black" DNA than white people in other parts of the United States, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics. Several states, which have been the focal points of racial tensions in the U.S. over the years, are made up of self-described white people whose ancestors are black, the study claims.

Researchers reportedly examined the genetic records of 145,000 people who submitted saliva samples -- where DNA sequence variations are found -- to 23andMe, a California-based private company that provides ancestry-related genetic reports. From the data, researchers determined that people especially from the South have at least 1 percent of African ancestry. The study also found that states with the highest levels of African ancestry, such as South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, are not those with the highest proportions of African Americans.

European Americans with African ancestry comprise as much as 12 percent of European Americans from Louisiana and South Carolina and about 1 in 10 individuals in other parts of the South, according to the study.

The study also showed that people with less than 28 percent African ancestry identified themselves as European American, and not as African-American. Only people with morethan 50 percent African ancestryidentified themselves as African-American, The Washington Post reported, citing the survey. In addition, the studyfound that African-Americans are more likely to have a European male ancestor (19 percent) than a European female one (5 percent).

"Our study not only reveals the historical underpinnings of regional differences in genetic ancestry, but also sheds light on the complex relationships between genetic ancestry and self-identified race and ethnicity," study author Katarzyna Bryc of 23andMe reportedly said, in a press release.

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White Southerners Likely To Have More Black DNA Than Whites Elsewhere In The US: Study

Published 22 December 2014

NewLink Genetics and Merck announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded a contract to manufacture Ebola vaccine candidate.

NewLink Genetics' wholly-owned subsidiary, BioProtection Systems, is the prime contractor in a $30 million contract to support the manufacturing and development activities of its investigational rVSV-EBOV (Ebola) vaccine candidate, including clinical development through a new 330-person Phase Ib study.

The vaccine candidate was initially developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and is now being developed under an exclusive licensing and collaboration agreement between NewLink Genetics and Merck. The rVSV-EBOV (Ebola) vaccine candidate is currently being evaluated in Phase I clinical studies in humans.

"The current funding provided by BARDA is key to the rapid development of this Ebola vaccine candidate. These funds will support multiple facets of the accelerated Ebola vaccine program including the expansion of critical vaccine supplies and larger clinical studies," said Dr. Charles Link, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of NewLink Genetics.

"Governments and industry are effectively collaborating in an unprecedented effort to accelerate the development of Ebola vaccine candidates," said Dr. Mark Feinberg, chief public health and science officer of Merck Vaccines. "If we can bring an efficacious and well-tolerated vaccine to the outbreak countries, we will not only help protect people at risk in the current crisis, but also may help reduce the likelihood of such tragic events in the future."

Pending the results of Phase I trials underway, the US National Institutes of Health has announced plans to initiate, in early 2015, a large randomized, controlled Phase II/III study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this and another investigational Ebola vaccine candidate.

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NewLink Genetics, Merck receive grant to manufacture Ebola vaccine candidate

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North Dakota State University, Fargo, and Sanford Health will conduct collaborative research on human nutrition, weight management and other dietary-related areas as part of a seed-grant initiative developed between the two organizations. The research will address key objectives of the Profile by Sanford program.

Profile is a weight-management program that uses customized meal plans, health coaches and real-time technology. It was developed by Sanford physicians and researchers.

NDSU researchers will have opportunities to collaborate with investigators from Sanford Research on topics like metabolism, food choices and consumption, prenatal nutrition, genetics, development of sensors that monitor wellness factors and food manufacturing and nutritional interactions with the human microbiome. Research findings relevant to Profile will be considered as the program evolves and expands.

Sanford will provide $250,000 annually for five years for the seed-grant program.

This collaboration with Sanford represents additional opportunities for faculty to conduct research with potential wide-ranging implications for positive impact on human health, said NDSU President Dean L. Bresciani.

Sanford Health was named as the first Campus Community Partner in 2012, to recognize private sector collaborations with the university that benefit the community, said President Bresciani. Adding this research collaboration to our already strong partnership to train nurses in the region, further illustrates our commitment to the communities we serve.

The Profile system utilizes meal-replacement products, nutritionally complete foods, qualified health coaches and client tracking of body weight, blood pressure and physical activity through smart wireless technology. Jawbone UP24 activity trackers are integrated with the Profile app to allow members to track their movement and sleep patterns. A new fitness tracker will provide additional measurable data helpful to members to monitor progress.

This collaboration offers an additional opportunity to further serve the citizens of the region, while potentially making strides that contribute to important research on health and well-being, said Kelly A. Rusch, NDSU vice president for research and creative activity.

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NDSU, Sanford Health Announce Research on Human Health, Nutrition

HERBERT THE PERVERT (The Hidden Source)
Enjoy the video? Subscribe! http://bit.ly/SubToSeaNanners What is The Hidden? "In the early 1950s human genetics experimentation was taking its first, tent...

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HERBERT THE PERVERT (The Hidden Source) - Video

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Many Americans who identify as European actually carry African ancestry just as many Americans who identify as African carry European ancestry, finds an extensive new genetic analysis.

DNA tells no lies, so the findings, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, reveal just what a melting pot of different racial and ethnic groups exists in the United States.

"Our study not only reveals the historical underpinnings of regional differences in genetic ancestry, but also sheds light on the complex relationships between genetic ancestry and self-identified race and ethnicity," study author Katarzyna Bryc of 23andMe and Harvard Medical School said in a press release.

Bryc and her team studied DNA sequence variations called "single-nucleotide polymorphisms" in the genomes of more than 160,000 African Americans, Latinos and European Americans. Study participants provided saliva samples, where the DNA sequence variations were found.

The researchers found that more than 6 million Americans who self-identify as European likely carry African ancestry. As many as 5 million self-described European Americans might have at least 1% Native American ancestry, according to the study.

The researchers also determined that regional ancestry differences reflect historical events in the U.S., such as waves of immigration. For example, Scandinavian ancestry is found in trace proportions in most states, but it makes up about 10% of ancestry in European Americans living in Minnesota and the Dakotas.

The scientists also discovered that people identify roughly with the majority of their genetic ancestry.

Couples share similar genetics

Nevertheless, racial lines appear to be more blurred than previously thought.

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Genetic study shows how much America really is a melting pot

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18-Dec-2014

Contact: Mary Clarke press.office@sanger.ac.uk 44-122-349-2368 Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute @sangerinstitute

A study of the way malaria parasites behave when they live in human red blood cells has revealed that they can rapidly change the proteins on the surface of their host cells during the course of a single infection in order to hide from the immune system.

The findings, which overturn previous thinking about the Plasmodium falciparum parasite's lifecycle, could explain why so many attempts to create an effective vaccine have failed and how the parasites are able to survive in the human body for such long periods of time.

In the study, Plasmodium falciparum parasites were kept dividing in human blood for over a year in the laboratory, with the full parasite genome being sequenced regularly. This gave the scientists snapshots of the parasite's genome at multiple time points, allowing them to track evolution as it unfolded in the lab. They found that the 60 or so genes that control proteins on the surface of infected human blood cells, known as var genes, swapped genetic information regularly, creating around a million new and unrecognisable surface proteins in every infected human every two days.

"These genes are like decks of cards constantly being shuffled," explains William Hamilton, a first author from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. "The use of whole genome sequencing and the sheer number of samples we collected gave us a detailed picture of how the var gene repertoire changes continuously within red blood cells."

The results show, for the first time, that the process of swapping genetic information, known as recombination, happens not when the malaria parasite is inside the mosquito, as previously thought, but during the asexual stage of the parasite's lifecycle inside human blood cells. This may go some way to explaining how chronic asymptomatic infection, a crucial problem for malaria elimination, is possible.

"It's very likely that mosquitos are re-infected with Plasmodium falciparum parasites at the beginning of each wet season by biting humans who have carried the parasites, often asymptomatically, for up to eight months during the dry season," says Dr Antoine Claessens, a first author from the Malaria Programme at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. "During those months the parasite's var genes are busy recombining to create millions of different versions - cunning disguises that mean they remain safe from the immune system and ready for the new malarial season."

While further work will be required to fully understand the mechanism driving the recombination of Plasmodium falciparum's var genes, scientists were able to calculate the rate at which it happens. They found that var gene recombination takes place in about 0.2 per cent of parasites after each 48-hour life cycle in the red blood cell. With about a billion parasites living inside a typical infected human, there is huge potential for the parasite to create new, recombined var genes inside each person with malaria. This pace of change far exceeds that of genes in any other region of the parasite's genome.

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Fast-changing genes help malaria to hide in the human body

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18-Dec-2014

Contact: Shozo Yokoyama syokoya@emory.edu PLOS

The evolution of trichromatic color vision in humans occurred by first switching from the ability to detect UV light to blue light (between 80-30 MYA) and then by adding green-sensitivity (between 45-30 MYA) to the preexisting red-sensitivity in the vertebrate ancestor. The detailed molecular and functional changes of the human color vision have been revealed by Shozo Yokoyama et al. Emory University and is published in the journal PLOS Genetics.

The molecular basis of functional differentiation is a fundamental question in biology. To fully appreciate how these changes are generated, it is necessary to evaluate the relationship between genes and functions. This is a difficult task because new mutations can produce different functional changes when they occur with different preexisting mutations, causing complex non-additive interactions.

The blue-sensitive visual pigment in human evolved from the UV-sensitive pigment in the ancient Boreoeutherian ancestor by seven mutations. There are 5,040 possible evolutionary paths connecting them. The team examined experimentally the genetic composition and color perception of the visual pigment at every evolutionary step of all 5,040 trajectories. They found that 4,008 trajectories are terminated prematurely by containing a dehydrated nonfunctional pigment. Eight most likely trajectories reveal that the blue-sensitivity evolved gradually almost exclusively by non-additive interactions among the seven mutations.

These analyses demonstrates that the historical sequence of change is critical to our understanding of molecular evolution and emphasizes that genetic engineering of ancestral molecules is the key to decode the complex interactions of mutations within a protein and their effects on functional change.

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Originally posted here:

The fine-tuning of human color perception