Liberty Interactive to Underperform

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We downgrade our recommendation on Liberty Interactive Corp. (LINTA) to Underperform based on the companys weak financial results for the fourth quarter of 2012. While the top line barely met the Zacks Consensus Estimate, net income fell below the same.

Why the Downgrade?

A major concern for Liberty Interactive is that the growth rate of the companys QVC segment has slowed down significantly.This segment currently generates approximately 85% of the companys total revenue and 100% of operating profit. Therefore any fluctuations in the revenue stream of QVC will significantly affect the companys overall financials.

Furthermore, the stock price has also soared nearly 35% in the last year and is trading at the high end of its 52-week price range. With respect to several valuation metrics, the stock is trading at significantly higher multiples compared with the S&P 500. Liberty Interactive currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Other Causes of Concern

According to a report of Internet Retailer, after Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), QVC was the second-largest e-commerce retailer of the U.S. in 2012. Despite this,the e-commerce businesses of Liberty Interactive are still reeling under losses. In the reported quarter, adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization of this segment fell by an enormous 29%, year over year. Low advertising revenue and increased promotional activities are the primary reasons for this sorry state of affairs.

With 69% market share, QVC has become the market leader in the $8 billion TV home-shopping business. This places QVC far ahead of its rivals, HSN Inc. (HSNI) and ValueVision Media Inc. (VVTV). However,increasing deployment of personal video recorders, video-on-demand technology and IPTV network are gradually changing the distribution and viewing habits of the common people. These fundamental changes are taking a toll on the home shopping networks.

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Liberty Interactive to Underperform

Rand Paul Makes Libertarian Case For Abortion Rights Less Than A Week After Sponsoring Personhood Bill

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The medias sudden embrace of U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., as a plausible 2016 presidential candidate may be pushing the outspoken and maverick lawmaker back toward his libertarian roots.

During an appearance on CNNs The Situation Room, Paul appeared to waver from his previously professed belief that all abortion should be illegal, because it is tantamount to killing a living human being. In fact, the senator who, like his father former Rep. Ron Paul, is a physician only last week introduced a so-called personhood bill that would completely outlaw abortion in the U.S. by declaring that human life begins at conception.

But Pauls commitment to the personhood agenda apparently faltered when asked if he believes there should be exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger.

What I would say is there are thousands of exceptions, Paul responded. Im a physician, and every individual case is going to be different. Everything is going to be particular to that individual case and what is going on that mother and the medical circumstances of that mother. I think it is important we not be flippant one way or the other and pigeonhole and say this person doesnt believe in any sort of discussion between family and physician.

Paul added that there are a lot of complicated things the law may not ultimately be able to address in the early stages of pregnancy that would have to be part of what occurs between the physician and the woman and the family.

A call to Paul's Capitol Hill office was not immediately returned.

As a person who often identifies as a libertarian, Pauls comments appear to support the idea that a womans personal health should not be dictated by the government. But his Life at Conception Act would declare what most Americans believe and what science has long known that human life begins at the moment of conception, and therefore is entitled to legal protection from that point forward.

In a fundraising video for the National Pro-Life Alliance last year, Paul said the legislation could somehow outlaw abortion without contravening the U.S. Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision, under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. But that clause technically applies only to state governments.

And yet, in his CNN appearance, Paul not only seemed to make the case that outlawing abortion could undermine a womans health and well-being. He also implied it could violate doctor-patient confidentiality.

Paul was wrong, however, when he implied most of the country agrees with his personhood agenda. Forty-eight percent of Americans consider themselves to be pro-choice, according to a recent Gallup analysis. The numbers suggest that even those who identify themselves as pro-life believe there are exceptions although the organization reports only 28 percent of voters said they believe abortion should be legal under any circumstances.

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Rand Paul Makes Libertarian Case For Abortion Rights Less Than A Week After Sponsoring Personhood Bill

Jonah Goldberg The right’s libertarian -conservative fusion is nothing new

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"At CPAC, the Future Looks Libertarian," read a dispatch on Time magazine's website. "CPAC: Rand Paul's Big Moment," proclaimed The Week magazine. Meanwhile, the New York Times headlined its story about the annual conservative political action conference "GOP divisions fester at conservative retreat."

George Will, a man who actually knows a thing or two about conservatism, responded to the NYT's use of the word "fester" on ABC News' "This Week." "Festering: an infected wound, it's awful. I guarantee you, if there were a liberal conclave comparable to this, and there were vigorous debates going on there, the New York Times' headline would be 'Healthy diversity flourishes at the liberal conclave.'"

Will went on to note that social conservatives and libertarian free-market conservatives in the GOP have been arguing "since the 1950s, when the National Review was founded on the idea of the fusion of the two. It has worked before with Ronald Reagan. It can work again."

Will was right as far as he went, but I would go further. Fusionism was an idea hatched by Frank Meyer, a brilliant intellectual and editor at National Review. An ex-communist Christian libertarian, Meyer argued that freedom was a prerequisite for virtue and therefore a virtuous society must be a free society. (If I force you to do the right thing against your will, you cannot claim to have acted virtuously.)

Philosophically, the idea took fire from all sides. But as a uniting principle, fusionism worked well. It provided a rationale for most libertarians and most social conservatives to fight side by side against communism abroad and big government at home.

What often gets left out in discussions of the American right is that fusionism isn't merely an alliance, it is an alloy. Fusionism runs through the conservative heart. William F. Buckley, the founder of the conservative movement, often called himself a "libertarian journalist." Asked about that in a 1993 interview, he told CSPAN's Brian Lamb that the question "Does this augment or diminish human liberty?" informed most of what he wrote.

Most pure libertarians and the tiny number of truly statist social conservatives live along the outer edge of the Venn diagram that is the American right. Most self-identified conservatives reside in the vast overlapping terrain between the two sides.

Just look at where libertarianism has had its greatest impact: economics. There simply isn't a conservative economics that is distinct from a libertarian one. Adam Smith, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, Henry Hazlitt, Ludwig von Mises, James M. Buchanan & Co. are gods of the libertarian and conservative pantheons alike. When Pat Buchanan wanted to move America towards protectionism and statism, he had to leave the party to do it.

Libertarian and conservative critiques of Obamacare, the stimulus and other Democratic policies are indistinguishable from one another. On trade, taxes, property rights, energy, the environment, intellectual property and other issues, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you the difference, if any, between the conservative and libertarian positions.

On the Constitution, there are some interesting debates, but both factions are united in rejecting a "living Constitution." The debate on the right is over what the Constitution says, not what liberals think it should say.

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Jonah Goldberg The right's libertarian -conservative fusion is nothing new

Local Style – Curious George Monkey Surf Check Mentawai Islands, Indonesia Episode 3 – Video

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Local Style - Curious George Monkey Surf Check Mentawai Islands, Indonesia Episode 3
http://www.thesurfchannel.com - Music by Donavon Frankenreiter "LOCAL STYLE" Episode 3 - Some of Indonesia #39;s most amazing waves are in the Mentawai Islands. ...

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Local Style - Curious George Monkey Surf Check Mentawai Islands, Indonesia Episode 3 - Video

US, Japan Discuss Plan to Counter China over Disputed Islands

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Analysts say the Pentagon's recent announcement that it is working with Japan to counter any Chinese military action to seize disputed islands in the East China Sea is a surprisingly blunt warning to Beijing.

A U.S. defense official on Wednesday said the chief of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces Joint Staff, General Shigeru Iwasaki, will meet later this week with the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Locklear, to discuss a plan to retake the islands Japan calls the Senkaku, should China invade. It confirmed an earlier report by Japan's Nikkei newspaper.

Washington officials have repeatedly reaffirmed the islands fall under an American defense pact with Japan that obliges the United States to aid Tokyo in the event of an attack. But, they have been careful not to anger Beijing, insisting the U.S. does not take a position on the sovereignty of the islands, called the Diaoyu by China.

In recent months, China has conducted almost-daily maritime patrols around the Japanese-controlled islands, leading some analysts to believe it is trying to establish a new status quo in the strategic, energy-rich area. Both countries have also scrambled fighter jets to the area, raising fears of a military clash.

Mohan Malik, a professor of Asian security at the Hawaii-based Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, says the Pentagon's announcement is aimed at deterring China from further escalating the dispute.

"The Chinese are trying to challenge Japan's control of the islands through the deployment of civilian maritime surveillance vessels. They believe this will weaken Japan's control of the islands and reinforce China's sovereignty claims," said Malik.

Malik says the United States is also worried Japan may overreact to the Chinese patrols. He says the Pentagon's announcement is meant to reassure Japanese officials, who have long wanted explicit statements of support on the island issue.

"They want the U.S. to make unequivocal statements in support of Japan's claims, which has been done at the diplomatic level. But obviously, they want some sort of military demonstration of this commitment and this should be viewed as part of that," he said.

John Blaxland, a senior fellow at the Australian National University's Strategic and Defense Center, says is not surprised that the U.S. is discussing contingency plans with Japan.

"But what is surprising is the fact that it's being leaked to the media," he said. "The fact that a Pentagon official is saying that we're planning [to retake the islands] is, in itself, a significant turn of events. And, it speaks to what appears to be a deliberate attempt to convey a strong message to China about the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands."

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US, Japan Discuss Plan to Counter China over Disputed Islands

Worms: Battle Islands Review [PSP]

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The folks over at Team 17 apparently don't subscribe to the idea of opening a whole new can of worms. Each new incarnation of the popular Worms franchise plays like a mere expansion of the previous outing, and in many regards, Worms: Battle Islands for the PSP is no different. Granted, these worms work well for Team 17--so well that they've shied once again from drilling any new wormholes into the franchise. The difference here is in the details. The controls have never felt so effortlessly intuitive, the customization options have seldom been so extensive, and the multiplayer modes have rarely been so welcoming. That said, it's still simply Worms. Battle Islands is palatable bait for series newcomers, but even devoted veterans may find their time better spent elsewhere.

For the uninitiated, Worms places you control of a battalion of adorable oligochaetes as they assault another team with missile launchers, exploding sheep, and the occasional concrete donkey. Here you bounce over hills and burrow through tunnels with flamethrowers, worming your way out of dangers such as proximity mines. Combat is turn-based, and you have only a minute to slither over to your enemy and make your move. Of course, this same tactic works for your nightcrawling foes, so there's a chance that you'll find yourself staring straight at your killer with nowhere to run.

The single-player campaign comprises 30 moderately challenging missions spread across six islands based on widely different themes. For instance, you start out in a postapocalyptic nuclear test site and work your way through tropical jungles and frozen wastelands. In each case, you wreak havoc on the jagged landscape with your rocket launcher or some other goodie from your weapon stash, and in certain cases you can assign snipers to eliminate the competition before a round even starts. As a welcome new addition, blueprints now drop from the sky in each campaign level (and sometimes land in absurdly unreachable locations), and you can use these to modify items like your unassuming baseball bat into something decidedly more threatening.

Indeed, customization has always been at the heart of the Worms games, and easily pleased thrill seekers will be happy to know that you can customize your worm's appearance with prizes earned from missions (including new items like masks and backpacks). If you've always wanted to see your murderous worm squiggle about with a Jason Voorhees-style hockey mask, this is your chance. You can even customize your victory dance or what kind of tombstone appears after you die, and there's a welcome option to design your own level.

Aside from the campaign, you can also test your skills through a series of time attacks or challenging puzzles. In one of the timed trials, you need to speed through multiple laps in a cavern while using only your jetpack; in another, you swing through a canyon using only a ninja's grappling rope while avoiding a lake of ectoplasmic goo. The puzzles are considerably more rewarding: in one, you must kill two opponents in the same turn; elsewhere, you need to finish off an enemy with only a weak mine and a punch. Still need training? Battle Islands offers three training modes and a free-for-all firing range to test out your new toys.

Be prepared for several difficulty spikes as you progress through the levels. In earlier levels, your worms can sometimes stand in plain sight before their enemies and watch as the missiles intended for them head off in the other direction; in later levels, enemy projectiles find your worms as though guided by your very thoughts--even if you were "safely" buried several yards within a bunker.

The five options in Battle Islands' robust online and offline multiplayer modes will easily keep you occupied for hours--provided you can find anyone online. The usual suspects are all here, including Deathmatch, Racing, Triathlon, and Forts, which gives you a base of operations, and each features leaderboards for those eager to become the Emperor Worm. Of particular note is the new Tactics mode, which lets you return to your war room at any time during the battle as well as see the battlefield for a minute before the match so you can place traps in advance. Best of all, you can even win items from your opponents in an online session.

Thankfully, Worms has lost none of its peculiar charm. Worms shout things like "Bor-ing!" when enemy players miss, although the limited voice options ensure that you can usually predict which phrase you'll hear next. All the best weapons from previous incarnations are here, including favorites like the holy hand grenade, which triggers Handel's Hallelujah chorus when launched. Missions are preceded by well-animated cutscenes that are often good for a quick laugh. The backgrounds are decently lively but not distracting, and the island environments are filled with quirky obstacles like downed airplanes and half-sunken ships. The music, while usually subdued, is nevertheless appropriate for the often methodical pace of Worms. All in all, Battle Islands marks a welcome return to the series' two-dimensional roots after comparatively lackluster offerings like Worms 4.

Almost. Battle Islands suffers from a few minor drawbacks, such as load times that approximate the time it takes an earthworm to traverse a summer sidewalk. Elsewhere, an annoying bug repeatedly insists that your Memory Stick was recently replaced (when it wasn't) and that you need to reenable autosave. Even so, Battle Islands makes Worms seem like it was specifically developed for the PSP, and not ported from another platform. You can zoom in and out with the left and right bumpers, and you can view every corner of the whole map with the analog stick. You can control your worm and adjust your weapons with the D pad, and trigger chaos with the action buttons. Every other button is mapped as it intuitively should be.

But is it enough? Battle Islands approaches its source material as though all 17 previous incarnations of the game were but worthy betas. Here we have no giant leaps forward; only a finished product that's been a long time coming. To be sure, newcomers may enjoy worming their way into this enjoyable though worn artillery adventure, but experienced Worms players will likely balk at paying $24.99 for more of the same.

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Worms: Battle Islands Review [PSP]

Japan, US Drafting Plan to Defend Disputed Islands

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Japan and the United States will draft a plan to counter any Chinese military action to seize disputed islands in the East China Sea.

A U.S. defense official in Washington told VOA Wednesday that Japan's General Shigeru Iwasaki, the chief of staff of the Japanese Self Defense Forces Joint Staff, is meeting in Hawaii this week with the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Locklear, to discuss a plan to retake the islands, should China invade.

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China's General Liu Yuan said last week that "if there is any alternative" to war to solve the dispute, then there is "no need to resort to the means of extreme violence for a solution."

China and Japan have a long-running dispute over the tiny, uninhabited islands, known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. Both countries claim the islands, which Japan controls. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and possibly by energy deposits.

Chinese-Japanese ties sank to their lowest level in years last September, after Japan bought some of the islands from their private Japanese landowner. The move sparked days of angry protests in China. It also damaged trade ties between Asia's two largest economies.

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Japan, US Drafting Plan to Defend Disputed Islands

Nearly 1,000 acres in San Juan Islands to be national monument

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WASHINGTON President Obama announced that lands in the San Juan Islands will be designated as a federally protected national monument, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Thursday.

Obama will sign the proclamation Monday, a White House official said Thursday.

Todays announcement, Murray said in a statement, ensures that nearly 1,000 acres of cherished lands in the San Juan Islands will join our nations most iconic parks, wildlife refuges, and landmarks as a permanent, federally protected national monument.

From the bluffs on Stuart Island to Watmough Bay, the San Juan Islands are home to some of our nations most beautiful and important natural resources. I applaud President Obama for making this designation and thank (Interior) Secretary (Ken) Salazar for his incredible leadership to protect this beloved region, she said.

The San Juan Islands will become the third national monument in Washington, joining Mount St. Helens and Hanford Reach.

This historic monument designation will ensure that 60 locations across the islands ranging from pine forests, to wind-swept beaches, to rocky outcroppings, to proud old lighthouseswill remain a permanent part of what makes the San Juans so special, Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said. These nearly 1,000 acres will provide recreational, ecological, historical, cultural, and scientific benefits to island residents and around 70,000 tourists that visit each year.

Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., said: San Juan Islanders have been shouting from the rooftops for years: Protect these lands. Well, the president heard our message loud and clear.

President Obamas designation of the national monument in the San Juan Islands is the culmination of years of persistence by environmental and business leaders who built consensus and remained resolute in their mission. The national monument designation will protect this resource for residents and visitors today and in the future, Larsen said.

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Nearly 1,000 acres in San Juan Islands to be national monument

World Bank and Marshall Islands strengthen partnership

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World Bank and Marshall Islands launch new strategy to strengthen partnership

First project to help reform telecoms sector and improve connectivity for 53,000 people

Washington, March 19, 2013 - The World Bank launched its first Country Partnership Strategy with the Government of the Marshall Islands, beginning its support to strengthen the Pacific Island nations economy and reduce poverty. The Banks Board of Directors discussed the strategy today and approved its first project, a $3 million plan to help reform the telecommunications sector and boost access to mobile phones and internet for the country's 53,000 people.

The Marshall Islands is one of the worlds least connected countries, and telecommunications access is low. Just two percent of people subscribe to internet services, and only about one-quarter have a mobile phone. This hinders development efforts. It imposes a heavy toll on communities, including the countrys many overseas workers, government and local businesses. Communities in the outer islands are particularly disadvantaged.

The project aims to help the country attract new investment in telecommunications and bring down service costs, including through increased competition. In the Pacific region and Papua New Guinea, such reforms have given over two million more people access to mobile phones, with much cheaper calls.

We welcome our renewed partnership with the World Bank, and look forward to working together on an ambitious agenda, said the Honorable Dennis Momotaro, Minister of Finance. The telecommunications project is an ideal starting point improving telecommunications will make it easier for families and friends to keep in touch, promote business opportunities, and link communities to essential services.

The strategy was developed in consultation with the government and other stakeholders, and marks a deepening of the engagement between the Marshall Islands and the World Bank. In addition to the initial focus on telecommunications, the four-year strategy outlines other potential assistance to help improve the management of revenues and fisheries a key source of income for the country and its people. Other proposed areas of engagement could include support to strengthen the role of women, and measures to improve the sustainability of the energy sector and reduce high fuel costs.

Together with the government and our partners, this is a plan to build a more vibrant economy, said Franz Drees-Gross, Country Director for the Pacific Islands at the World Bank. It is the start of a critically important Partnership that will strive to better connect the country, and to get a better deal and lasting benefits from its resources.

The Marshall Islands will receive assistance through grants from the International Development Association. A US$3 million grant is being provided for the ICT Sector Development Operation, the first of a series of three operations to address telecommunications reform which will be implemented by the Marshall Islands Ministry of Finance.

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World Bank and Marshall Islands strengthen partnership

Former Cayman Islands premier charged

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Published: 8:22PM Thursday March 21, 2013 Source: Reuters

Former Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush has been formally charged in a corruption probe that led to his ouster more than three months ago as the leader of the British Caribbean territory.

Bush, a veteran politician who took office as premier in 2009, faces a total of 11 counts, including charges of misconduct in a public office, breach of trust and theft, Royal Cayman Islands Police spokeswoman Janet Dougall said in a statement.

Dougall declined to comment further and authorities have given few specific details of the investigation.

Bush, 58, was arrested on December 11 and later released on bail on allegations of theft, misuse of a government credit card and abuse of office over the alleged importation of explosives without valid permits.

The explosives were to be used by a local firm in a large construction project.

Bush had been the target of graft probes for more than two years before his arrest in the Caribbean island chain, the offshore home of most of the world's hedge funds and a leading global tax haven.

The former premier has denied the accusations and claimed he is the victim of a "political witch hunt" by the island's British-appointed governor.

After Bush refused to step down from office following his arrest, members of his ruling United Democratic Party joined the opposition in removing him from office in a no confidence vote. He was replaced by current Premier Julianna O'Connor-Connolly.

Bush is scheduled to appear in court next month, Dougall said.

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Former Cayman Islands premier charged

Former Cayman Islands premier charged in corruption probe

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By Shurna DeCou

GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, March 20 (Reuters) - Former Cayman Islands Premier McKeeva Bush was formally charged on Wednesday in a corruption probe that led to his ouster more than three months ago as the leader of the British Caribbean territory.

Bush, a veteran politician who took office as premier in 2009, faces a total of 11 counts, including charges of misconduct in a public office, breach of trust and theft, Royal Cayman Islands Police spokeswoman Janet Dougall said in a statement.

Dougall declined to comment further. Authorities have given few specific details of the investigation.

Bush, 58, was arrested on Dec. 11 and later released on bail on allegations of theft, misuse of a government credit card and abuse of office over the alleged importation of explosives without valid permits. The explosives were to be used by a local firm in a large construction project.

Bush had been the target of graft probes for more than two years before his arrest in the Caribbean island chain, the offshore home of most of the world's hedge funds and a leading global tax haven.

The former premier has denied the accusations and claimed he is the victim of a "political witch hunt" by the island's British-appointed governor.

After Bush refused to step down from office following his arrest, members of his ruling United Democratic Party joined the opposition in removing him from office in a no confidence vote. He was replaced by current Premier Julianna O'Connor-Connolly.

Bush is scheduled to appear in court next month, Dougall said. (Writing by Kevin Gray; Editing by Eric Walsh)

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Former Cayman Islands premier charged in corruption probe

Health care solutions, economic development aim of CajunCodeFest 2.0

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The University of Louisiana at Lafayette's CajunCodeFest 2.0 will be highlighted by a 27-hour coding competition for developing new health care technology.

Speakers in healthcare and technology, an economic development roundtable discussion and social events, including a crawfish boil, will also be part of the second-year event, from April 24-26 at the Cajundome. Software programmers and engineers, health care professionals, entrepreneurs, educators and undergraduate and graduate students will take part.

CajunCodeFest 2.0 is organized by UL Lafayette's Center for Business and Information Technologies, which started the event last year based on collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

The purpose of CajunCodeFest 2.0 is to showcase and optimize Lafayette's entrepreneurial culture, fiber optic capabilities and health care industry, said Cian Robinson, associate director for the Center for Business and Information Technologies. "We're looking to do a local roundtable where we talk about health care information technology, workforce development and the needs of employers," he said.

Speakers at CajunCodeFest 2.0 will include: Dr. Farzad Mostashari, national coordinator for health information technology; Bryan Sivak, chief technology officer for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Bruce Greenstein, secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals; and Greg Trahan, director of business development for Louisiana Economic Development.

For the coding competition, teams of up to seven members will analyze data, brainstorm ideas and create digital prototypes. The data will be used to create solutions that encourage patients to "Own Your Own Health."

"We're going to give them data sets in two different formats so they can pick whatever technology they want to use to solve the problem," Robinson said. The first-place team wins $25,000, but coming up with the best health care solution requires a complete team effort, he added. Other honors include for Best Student Team and Best Use of Microsoft HealthVault Technology.

"Application development isn't just done by software developers. There has to be a person who understands the marketing, who understands the marketplace need," Robinson said.

More than 275 people from three countries, 15 states and 40 cities attended last year. Of those, 45 were participants in the health care coding competition, 94 were health and information technology professionals, 42 were entrepreneurs and 35 were students.

This year, Robinson said he would like to see more students take part in the coding competition or attend CajunCodeFest 2.0 simply to network.

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Health care solutions, economic development aim of CajunCodeFest 2.0

The Super Protein That Can Cut DNA and Revolutionize Genetic Engineering

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When scientists Phillipe Horvath and Rodolphe Barrangou set out to find a better way to make yogurt, they didn't expect to stumble across one of the future's most promising discoveries: a super protein that can accurately cut DNAand could perhaps revolutionize genetic engineering.

The protein, called Cas9, can be exploited to snip strands of DNA in exactly the place researchers want. It doesn't make genetic engineering easy, but does make it much, much easieras it allows researchers to splice sequences of DNA together affordably, with unprecedented accuracy.

So how does it work? Well, Cas9 was found last year to join forces with bacteria in such a way that, combined, they home into viruses and kill them by cutting their DNA at specific, targeted points. That's interestingin fact, it made it a prime candidate for making yogurt production more efficient.

But what's more interesting is that Cas9 can be paired with any string of RNAstrings of molecules not unlike DNA which code and regulate gene expressionto target a matching piece of DNA and snip it with incredible accuracy. Kind of like a pair of tiny, custom DNA scissors. That's not interestingthat's amazing.

Now, though, reports Forbes, the world of biology is swarming over Cas9 and the possibilities it affords. George Church of Harvard University explains:

"It is spreading like wildfire from everyone who knows about it and it certainly is very tantalizing. It's easy to get in and start doing lots of experiments."

The embrace of Cas9 could bring with it massive advances, then. Not least the ability to study genetics in ways never before possible. Forbes explains:

[S]ay there are three changes in the DNA in or around a gene that might cause a disease. Right now, it's hard to study them directly. But now, Church says, you could take a cell from a person who has already had their DNA sequenced, as he is doing with his Personal Genome Project. Then you'd create what's known as an induced pluripotent stem cell, a cell that behaves much like one in an embryo. After that, you could use Cas9 to change each of those DNA spelling changes.

There is, of course, still a long way to gothis research is being conducted in Petri dishes right now, not living creaturesbut it's a long time since a single protein had the entire world of biology so excited. It's only a matter of time before something major comes of it; not bad, for a protein which was originally discovered to make better yogurt. [Forbes, Science]

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The Super Protein That Can Cut DNA and Revolutionize Genetic Engineering

Public supports gene therapy on IVF embryos

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Topics: babies, dna, ivf

THE possibility that babies could be born with the DNA of three different people is a step closer, after a consultation showed that most Britons would be happy to see the law changed to allow a radical form of gene therapy.

The IVF therapy would help women in danger of passing on mitochondrial disease to their babies - a potentially fatal metabolic disorder.

An exhaustive survey of public attitudes to the replacement of an affected mother's mitochondria - the tiny "power packs" of cells - with those from an egg donor has found widespread support for the technique.

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"We've found that there is broad support for permitting mitochondria replacement to give families at risk of mitochondrial disease the chance of having a healthy child," said Professor Lisa Jardine, the chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).

"Although some people have concerns about the safety of these techniques, we found that they trust the experts and the regulator to know when it is appropriate to make them available."

But David King, director of Human Genetics Alert, criticised the HFEA for ignoring the potential risks associated with the technique, which has had only limited testing on laboratory animals and is not medically practised anywhere in the world.

"These techniques go far beyond anything existing in both invasiveness to the embryo and complexity, so it's not surprising they pose serious health risks to the child - risks that the HFEA refuses properly to address," Dr King said.

Mitochondrial replacement involves fusing the egg-cell nucleus of the affected mother with an egg cell from an unaffected donor.

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Public supports gene therapy on IVF embryos

Funding gene therapy research: Local nonprofit supports efforts to find a cure for cancers

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By Anne W. Semmes

Greenwich resident Barbara Netter is no stranger to the extraordinary breakthroughs that gene therapy research has led to in cancer treatment. Her nonprofit foundation, the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), has funded some of the cutting-edge research that has allowed the word "cure" to become a part of the cancer conversation.

But when she's able to stand next to Emily Whitehead, a child of seven, free of cancer for nearly a year after being treated with gene therapy that came after ACGT-funded research -- the reality of what those breakthroughs can mean can be quite moving.

"It's really very exciting," says Netter. "At the time of her treatment it was such a breakthrough. She had lymphoblastic leukemia at age 5. When she was 6 she was on a ventilator. They gave her a day to live."

Netter met both Emily and her parents at a celebratory meeting held last Tuesday at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, where Dr. Carl June developed ground-breaking treatment of Emily's leukemia that involved genetically engineering her T cells to attack her cancer with a disabled AIDS virus acting as a delivery system. June treated Emily last April when she was near death. After surviving a severe reaction to the treatment, Emily emerged cancer- free.

Now, she is happy -- and healthy.

"We did provide the initial seed money to fund Dr. June's T cell research," said Netter. It was ACGT's initial support of June in 2004 and again in 2008 -- nearly $2 million worth of funding -- that helped his clinical trials get off the ground and lead to his breakthrough treatment.

Emily recently has been joined by another 7-year-old, Maddie Major, who also has been declared cancer-free after receiving June's gene therapy treatment. She is one of four other children with advanced leukemia reported to be in similar treatment.

June has had other successes, as well, with his gene therapy treatment. Eight of 10 adults with chronic leukemia he has treated are in full remission, and that treatment is now being adapted to target solid tumors: prostate, pancreatic, ovarian and breast cancers.

Also present at the UPenn meeting was Dr. Robert Vonderheide, a senior researcher at the university. Vonderheide received funding from Netter's nonprofit in 2003 when he was chosen as an ACGT Young Investigator. The Young Investigator Award funds assistant professors who are conducting independent and innovative cell and gene therapy for cancer research in their own labs. Vonderheide shared with those at Tuesday's meeting of a clinical trial for pancreatic cancer that he hopes will soon take place.

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Funding gene therapy research: Local nonprofit supports efforts to find a cure for cancers

‘ Gene Therapy for Human Disease: Clinical Advances and Challenges’

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Public release date: 21-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Barth s.barth@elsevier.com 215-239-6087 Elsevier

Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 2013 The April issue of Translational Research examines the progress and outlook of gene therapy research, with a specific focus on the clinical applicability of gene therapy today. Research articles included in the special issue highlight current studies that, after decades of trial and error, may provide evidence for a clear path of treatment and cure for many diseases. There are more than 1,800 genetic disorders known in humans, and only a small fraction of these can be treated and even fewer cured. Some of these disorders are exceedingly rare, others more common. The approach of gene therapy however may be applicable to all.

"The thirteen articles included in this special issue of Translational Research provide critical examples of the tools and practice of gene therapy today. They all focus on clinically meaningful studies that combine patient observations with smart experiments. The authors hope these articles will facilitate conversion of individual and disease-specific insight into a collective understanding of emerging gene transfer platforms and their subsequent translation to the bedside," explained contributing author Dr. Jakub Tolar of the Stem Cell Institute and Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the University of Minnesota, in his introduction to the issue. "The concept of gene therapy for genetic disorders is one of the most appealing in biomedicine because it is aimed at the cause rather than the symptoms of the disease."

Each article of this issue focuses on either a specific condition or a delivery method. Article topics included are: arthritis gene therapy, immunotherapies for type 1 diabetes mellitus, immune responses in liver-directed, lentiviral gene therapy, gene therapy for retinal disease, gene therapy in cystic fibrosis, evaluating risks of insertional mutagenesis by DNA transposons in gene therapy, pluripotent stem cells and gene therapy, gene therapy for hemoglobinopathies: progress and challenge, hemophilia clinical gene therapy-brief review, gene transfer for congestive heart failure, gene therapy for the prevention of vein graft disease, gene therapy for brain tumors, oncolytic virus therapy for cancer, and T cell-based gene therapy of cancer.

With the publication of this special issue, Translational Research identifies a need for clinical trial coordination among researchers worldwide, a focused goal of a world-scale change in medical practice, and real-time data exchange and evaluation, With these elements in place the true potential of gene therapy to treat and cure disease becomes apparent.

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Notes for Editors

The articles appear in Translational Research, Volume 160, Issue 5 (April 2013), titled "Gene Therapy for Human Disease: Clinical Advances and Challenges," published by Elsevier, now available on ScienceDirect.

Full text of the articles included in the special issue is available to credentialed journalists upon request. Contact Sarah Barth at +1 215 239 6087, s.barth@elsevier.com to obtain copies or to schedule an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, MD, Editor-in-Chief.

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' Gene Therapy for Human Disease: Clinical Advances and Challenges'