DNA origami puts a smart lid on solid-state nanopore sensors

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This illustration shows how a DNA origami nanoplate with a central aperture can serve as a smart lid or "gatekeeper" for a solid-state nanopore sensor. Researchers at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have demonstrated that this arrangement can be used to filter biomolecules by size or to "fish" for specific target molecules by placing single-strand DNA receptors inside the aperture as "bait." With further research, they suggest, it might be possible to use such single-molecule sensors as the basis of a novel DNA sequencing system. Credit: TU Muenchen

The latest advance in solid-state nanopore sensors devices that are made with standard tools of the semiconductor industry yet can offer single-molecule sensitivity for label-free protein screening expands their bag of tricks through bionanotechnology. Researchers at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen have enhanced the capabilities of solid-state nanopores by fitting them with cover plates made of DNA. These nanoscale cover plates, with central apertures tailored to various "gatekeeper" functions, are formed by so-called DNA origami the art of programming strands of DNA to fold into custom-designed structures with specified chemical properties.

The results are published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition.

Over the past few years, Prof. Hendrik Dietz's research group at TUM has been refining control over DNA origami techniques and demonstrating how structures made in this way can enable scientific investigations in diverse fields. Meanwhile, Dr. Ulrich Rant's research group has been doing the same for solid-state nanopore sensors, where the basic working principle is to urge biomolecules of interest, one at a time, through a nanometer-scale hole in a thin slab of semiconductor material. When biomolecules pass through or linger in such a sensor, minute changes in electrical current flowing through the nanopore translate into information about their identity and physical properties. Now Dietz and Rant, who are both Fellows of the TUM Institute for Advanced Study, have begun to explore what these two technologies can accomplish together.

The new device concept purely hypothetical before this series of experiments begins with the placement of a DNA origami "nanoplate" over the narrow end of a conically tapered solid-state nanopore. "Tuning" the size of the central aperture in the DNA nanoplate should allow filtering of molecules by size. A further refinement, placing single-stranded DNA receptors in the aperture as "bait," should allow sequence-specific detection of "prey" molecules. Conceivable applications include biomolecular interaction screens and detection of DNA sequences. In principle, such a device could even serve as the basis of a novel DNA sequencing system.

Step by step, the researchers investigated each of these ideas. They were able to confirm the self-assembly of custom-designed DNA origami nanoplates, and then their placement after being electrically guided into position over solid-state nanopores. They were able to demonstrate both size-based filtering of biomolecules and bait/prey detection of specific target molecules. "We're especially excited about the selective potential of the bait/prey approach to single-molecule sensing," Dietz says, "because many different chemical components beyond DNA could be attached to the appropriate site on a DNA nanoplate."

High-resolution sensing applications such as DNA sequencing will face some additional hurdles, however, as Rant explains: "By design, the nanopores and their DNA origami gatekeepers allow small ions to pass through. For some conceivable applications, that becomes an unwanted leakage current that would have to be reduced, along with the magnitude of current fluctuations."

More information: DNA Origami Gatekeepers for Solid-State Nanopores, Ruoshan Wei, Thomas G. Martin, Ulrich Rant, and Hendrik Dietz, Angewandte Chemie International Edition online, April 4, 2012. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201200688

Provided by Technische Universitaet Muenchen

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Polar bears emerged far earlier than thought, DNA study indicates

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Polar bears were previously thought to have split from brown bears some 150,000 years ago. But a study of the bears' mitochondrial DNA indicates that they became a distinct species about 600,000 years ago.

Polar bears have been chilling on the ice far longer than is generally thought, new research suggests, and they probably interbred with brown bears at one point after the two species separated.

The new German study contradicts data from a study published last July in the journal Current Biology that suggested polar bearsseparated from brown bears150,000 years ago. The new study analyzed the bears' mitochondrial DNA, a special "additional genome" that lives in the cell's energy factories and is passed down only from the mother. The new study concludes that the bears became separate species closer to 600,000 years ago.

If the polar bears were only 150,000 years old, as suggested by the previous study, they would have had to evolve many specialized traits in a curiously brief time, the German researchers said.

"I've been long puzzled by the suggestion that the polar bears would have been such a miraculous and rapidly evolving species," Frank Hailer of the Senckenberg Nature Research Society in Frankfurt told LiveScience. "I had this lingering question: Is it really true?"

Hailer and his colleagues looked at the polar bear's nuclear DNA, which comes from both parents and is much larger than the mitochondrial genome. [Fun Facts About Polar Bears]

They compared 9,000 base-pair sequences (the chemicals that make up the "rungs" of DNA's ladderlike molecule) from the nuclear DNA of 45 polar, brown and black bears. This comparison let the researchers build a family tree, with the idea that the greater the genetic differences between the species, the farther they were apart in evolutionary time. They were able to estimate when the polar bears and brown bears separated.

"We found that polar bears are much older than we previously knew from other studies; their appearance dated to about 600,000 years ago," Hailer said. "That would make sense around that time for something like apolar bear to evolve, because Arctic habitats were much larger than they are today, so there would have been much larger habitats that would have been suitable for a species like a polar bear."

The researchers say the mitochondrial DNA data could have come from a hybridization event between polar and brown bears 150,000 years ago during the last warm interglacial period. During that time, sea ice melted and polar bears took to the shores, where they came intocontact with brown bears.

The researchers say this hybridization (similar to the hybrid "grolar" or "pizzly" bears seen in recent years in Canada) would have introduced the brown bear mitochondrial DNA into the polar bear population. If the DNA from the brown bears helped the polar bears survive the warm period, it's possible it could have easily spread throughout the population.

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Polar bears emerged far earlier than thought, DNA study indicates

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Polar bears emerged far earlier than thought, DNA study indicates (+video)

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Polar bears were previously thought to have split from brown bears some 150,000 years ago. But a study of the bears' mitochondrial DNA indicates that they became a distinct species about 600,000 years ago.

Polar bears have been chilling on the ice far longer than is generally thought, new research suggests, and they probably interbred with brown bears at one point after the two species separated.

The new German study contradicts data from a study published last July in the journal Current Biology that suggested polar bearsseparated from brown bears150,000 years ago. The new study analyzed the bears' mitochondrial DNA, a special "additional genome" that lives in the cell's energy factories and is passed down only from the mother. The new study concludes that the bears became separate species closer to 600,000 years ago.

If the polar bears were only 150,000 years old, as suggested by the previous study, they would have had to evolve many specialized traits in a curiously brief time, the German researchers said.

"I've been long puzzled by the suggestion that the polar bears would have been such a miraculous and rapidly evolving species," Frank Hailer of the Senckenberg Nature Research Society in Frankfurt told LiveScience. "I had this lingering question: Is it really true?"

Hailer and his colleagues looked at the polar bear's nuclear DNA, which comes from both parents and is much larger than the mitochondrial genome. [Fun Facts About Polar Bears]

They compared 9,000 base-pair sequences (the chemicals that make up the "rungs" of DNA's ladderlike molecule) from the nuclear DNA of 45 polar, brown and black bears. This comparison let the researchers build a family tree, with the idea that the greater the genetic differences between the species, the farther they were apart in evolutionary time. They were able to estimate when the polar bears and brown bears separated.

"We found that polar bears are much older than we previously knew from other studies; their appearance dated to about 600,000 years ago," Hailer said. "That would make sense around that time for something like apolar bear to evolve, because Arctic habitats were much larger than they are today, so there would have been much larger habitats that would have been suitable for a species like a polar bear."

The researchers say the mitochondrial DNA data could have come from a hybridization event between polar and brown bears 150,000 years ago during the last warm interglacial period. During that time, sea ice melted and polar bears took to the shores, where they came intocontact with brown bears.

The researchers say this hybridization (similar to the hybrid "grolar" or "pizzly" bears seen in recent years in Canada) would have introduced the brown bear mitochondrial DNA into the polar bear population. If the DNA from the brown bears helped the polar bears survive the warm period, it's possible it could have easily spread throughout the population.

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Polar bears emerged far earlier than thought, DNA study indicates (+video)

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Artificial DNA Can Replicate in Lab, Researchers Find

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By Robert Langreth - Thu Apr 19 18:00:00 GMT 2012

Scientists moved a step closer to synthesizing new life forms in the laboratory after researchers showed that artificial genetic material called XNA can be replicated in the test tube much like real DNA.

Researchers at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the U.K. demonstrated for the first time a way to extract information from the artificial genetic molecules and mass produce copies of them. The finding, published today in the journal Science, shows that DNA and its sister molecule RNA may not be the only chemical structures upon which a living unit can be based.

Life is based on this amazing ability of DNA and RNA to store and propagate information, said Philipp Holliger, a Medical Research Council molecular biologist and senior author on the study. We have shown that the basic functions of DNA and RNA can be recapitulated with new artificial molecules.

The scientists invented a lab method for making copies of synthetic DNA. They also developed a way to make XNA fragments that evolve with desired properties. In particular, they created XNA fragments that could bind with great specificity to a molecular target in the HIV virus. The discovery could create a new platform for devising targeted drugs to treat a variety of diseases, researchers said.

This brings us one big step closer to artificial life, said Gerald Joyce, a biochemist at Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, in a telephone interview. The heart of what life is, is the replication of genetic information, he said. Joyce wrote a commentary accompanying the study.

DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary molecule at the center of our cells. It contains code, in the form of chemical letters A, T, C and G, that tells the body how to make proteins that perform numerous bodily functions such as regulating blood sugar or fighting infections.

XNAs, or xeno-nucleic acids, maintain the same four-letter chemical code while altering the backbone of the DNA double helix molecule to add properties such as acid resistance.

While XNAs arent new, chemists have always had to make them one at a time, limiting their utility, Joyce said. With the new work, if I give you a few XNAs in the morning, I can come back in the afternoon and you can give me trillions of copies.

The work may give scientists a new method for creating designer drugs and diagnostic tools. There are a whole host of opportunities in biotechnology which now become possible, Holliger said.

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Artificial DNA Can Replicate in Lab, Researchers Find

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DNA reveals polar bear's origins

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19 April 2012 Last updated at 19:57 ET By Helen Briggs BBC News

The polar bear is much older than previously thought, according to new genetic evidence.

DNA studies suggest the Arctic predator split from its ancestor, the brown bear, about 600,000 years ago.

Previous estimates put the polar bear at about 150,000 years old, suggesting the mammal adapted very rapidly to Arctic life.

Conservationists say the new study, published in Science, has implications for bear conservation.

Polar bears are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act.

Conservationists say their survival is at risk, mainly due to the loss of the Arctic sea ice on which they spend much of their lives.

Dr Frank Hailer of the German Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt, who led the international study, said the genetic information shed new light on conservation issues.

"It fundamentally changes our understanding of polar bears and their conservation today," he told BBC News.

"They have survived previous warm phases but they carry scars from these times - they must have been close to extinction at times."

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DNA reveals polar bear's origins

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DNA tests show remains to be those of missing Virginia brothers

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DNA tests have determined that two sets of remains found in Fairfax County over the past two years belonged to brothers who disappeared from Prince William County in 2010, Fairfax police said Thursday.

Virginias medical examiner had previously determined that the cause of death in both cases was homicide because both sets of remains showed blunt force trauma to the upper body, police said.

Manuel Mireles-Garcia and Alberto de Jesus Mireles-Garcia were last seen by family members about 10 p.m. on May 10, 2010, in the Triangle area, according to Prince William police. Both were in their early 30s. Relatives reported their disappearance two days after they were last seen.

The brothers vehicles were at their Triangle residence, but their IDs and keys were gone, police said. A search of the brothers shared apartment in the 18700 block of Fuller Heights Road turned up no additional clues to their whereabouts, police said.

Family members remain baffled by the brothers disappearance and their apparent killings.

They were regular ... guys who went to work every day, Ruben Garcia, a cousin, said.

Manuels skeletal remains were discovered just off the road in the 10200 block of Furnace Road in the Lorton area July 12, 2010, police said. He was wearing a chain necklace with a stone, heart pendant and an evil eye talisman attached, police said.

He also had on a green American Eagle-brand track suit, Cherokee-brand pajama pants, a blue T-shirt with a picture of a hot rod and a pair of white Reebok sneakers, according to police.

Albertos skeletal remains were discovered about a mile away on Furnace Road on March 15, 2011, police said. They were found at the base of a railroad trestle bridge by a man walking between Richmond Highway and Old Colchester Road, police said.

Police released no other details about the case. They werent found too far apart from each other, but it wasnt exactly close, said Eddy Azcarate, a spokesman for the Fairfax police. We dont know when they died or where. Its all still under investigation.

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DNA tests show remains to be those of missing Virginia brothers

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Synthetic DNA Created, Evolves on Its Own

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Step aside, DNAnew synthetic compounds called XNAs can also store and copy genetic information, a new study says.

And, in a "big advancement," these artificial compounds can also be made to evolve in the lab, according to study co-author John Chaput of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. (See "Evolution vs. Intelligent Design: 6 Bones of Contention.")

Nucleotides, the building blocks of DNA are composed of four basesA, G, C, and T. Attached to the bases are sugars and phosphates. (Get a genetics overview.)

First, researchers made XNA building blocks to six different genetic systems by replacing the natural sugar component of DNA with one of six different polymers, synthetic chemical compounds.

The teamled by Vitor Pinheiro of the U.K.'s Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biologythen evolved enzymes, called polymerases, that can make XNA from DNA, and others that can change XNA back into DNA.

This copying and translating ability allowed for genetic sequences to be copied and passed down again and againartificial heredity.

Last, the team determined that HNA, one of the six XNA polymers, could respond to selective pressure in a test tube.

As would be expected for DNA, the stressed HNA evolved into different forms.

This shows that "beyond heredity, specific XNAs have the capacity for Darwinian evolution," according to the study, published tomorrow in the journal Science. (Read "Darwin's Legacy" in National Geographic magazine.)

"Thus, heredity and evolution, two hallmarks of life, are not limited to DNA and RNA."

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Synthetic DNA Created, Evolves on Its Own

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Evolution seen in 'synthetic DNA'

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19 April 2012 Last updated at 14:07 ET

Researchers have succeeded in mimicking the chemistry of life in synthetic versions of DNA and RNA molecules.

The work shows that DNA and its chemical cousin RNA are not unique in their ability to encode information and to pass it on through heredity.

The work, reported in Science, is promising for future "synthetic biology" and biotechnology efforts.

It also hints at the idea that if life exists elsewhere, it could be bound by evolution but not by similar chemistry.

In fact, one reason to mimic the functions of DNA and RNA - which helps cells to manufacture proteins - is to determine how they came about at the dawn of life on Earth; many scientists believe that RNA arose first but was preceded by a simpler molecule that performed the same function.

However, it has remained unclear if any other molecule can participate in the same unzipping and copying processes that give DNA and RNA their ability to pass on the information they carry in the sequences of their nucleobases - the five letters from which the genetic code is written.

There is nothing 'Goldilocks' about DNA and RNA - there is no overwhelming functional imperative for genetic systems or biology to be based on them

The classic double-helix structure of DNA and RNA are like a twisted ladder, where the steps are made from paired nucleobases.

Philipp Holliger of the UK Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular Biology and a team of colleagues created six different DNA- and RNA-like molecules - xeno-nucleic acids, or XNAs - by replacing not the nucleobases but the sugar groups that make up the sides of the ladder.

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Evolution seen in 'synthetic DNA'

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'DNA of Gerbil accused' on pistol

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19 April 2012 Last updated at 11:12 ET

The DNA of murder accused Ross Monaghan was found on one of the guns used to shoot gangland figure Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll to death, his trial has heard.

Forensic scientist Pauline McSorley told jurors the chance of the DNA belonging to anyone other than Mr Monaghan was one in a billion.

But the High Court in Glasgow heard the DNA of a laboratory technician was also found on the weapon.

Mr Monaghan denies murdering Mr Carroll in an Asda car park in January 2010.

The court heard that the gun - a black self-loading pistol - was found alongside a revolver behind Coatbridge Library on 26 January 2010.

Mr Carroll, 29, had been shot dead 13 days earlier at an Asda car park in the Robroyston area of Glasgow.

Giving evidence to the trial, Ms McSorley told advocate depute Iain McSporran, prosecuting, that the gun was swabbed and they found DNA from "at least three people."

It's horrendous that should have happened from a scientific point of view

She said the major source of the DNA was 30-year-old Mr Monaghan, and described it as a "perfect match".

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'DNA of Gerbil accused' on pistol

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PerkinElmer's 'Ensemble for Biology' Suite Arises from 2011 Informatics Acquisitions

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Knome has added some new faces to its executive team, naming Jay Therrien as senior VP and head of global sales, Charles Abdalian as chief financial officer, and Adam Rosenberg as senior VP and head of corporate development.

Therrien was VP of commercial operations and sequencing at Life Technologies, and also had spent five years in various sales leadership roles at Illumina. Abdalian recently was senior VP and CFO of Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, and he was senior VP of finance and CFO at Coley Pharmaceutical. Rosenberg previously was an adviser for emerging life sciences companies, co-founder of Clean Membranes, and CEO of Link Medicine.

The company also has appointed Hugh Reinhoff to serve on its scientific advisory board. Reinhoff is currently a managing director of Life Science Venture Partners, an adjunct scientist at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, and CEO of FerroKin BioSciences.

Pacific Biosciences said this week that Hugh Martin has resigned from its board of directors for personal reasons, effective immediately. Martin was previously the firm's president and CEO but resigned at the beginning of this year and was replaced by Michael Hunkapiller. He had led the company since 2004 and has been battling multiple myeloma, with which he was diagnosed in 2009.

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PerkinElmer's 'Ensemble for Biology' Suite Arises from 2011 Informatics Acquisitions

Synthetic Genetic Evolution

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Scientists show that manmade nucleic acids can replicate and evolve, ushering in a new era in synthetic biology.

Synthetic genetic polymers, broadly referred to as XNAs, can replicate and evolve just like their naturally occurring counterparts, DNA and RNA, according to a new study published today (April 19) in Science. The results of the research have implications not only for the fields of biotechnology and drug design, but also for research into the origins of lifeon this planet and beyond.

Its a breakthrough, said Gerald Joyce of The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, who was not involved in the studya beautiful paper in the realm of synthetic biology.

It shows that you dont have to stick with the ribose and deoxyribose backbones of RNA and DNA in order to have transmittable, heritable, and evolvable information, added Eric Kool of Stanford University, California, who also did not participate in the research.

Over the years, scientists have created a range of XNAs, in which the ribose or deoxyribose portions of RNA and DNA are replaced with alternative molecules. For example, threose is used to make TNA, and anhydrohexitol is used to make HNA. These polymers, which do not exist naturally, are generally studied with various biotechnological and therapeutic aims in mind. But some researchers, like Philipp Holliger of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, think XNAs might also provide insights into the origins of life. They might help to answer questions such as, why is life based on DNA and RNA, and, if we ever find life beyond earth, is it likely to be based on the same molecule or could there be other possibilities? Holliger said.

To get at some of these questions, Holliger and his colleagues had to first create enzymes that could replicate XNAs, a necessary first step to evolution. They did this both by randomly mutating and screening existing DNA polymerases for their ability to read XNA, and by an iterative process of selecting polymerase variants with capacities for XNA synthesis. In the end, they had several polymerases that could synthesize six different types of XNA.

To see whether XNAs could evolve, they generated random HNA sequences, then selected for those that could bind to two target molecules. After selection, the HNAs were amplified by the newly designed polymerases and again selected for their ability to bind the targets. Eight rounds of selection later, the HNA sequences were no longer random, as those with a particular target-binding motif became more abundant. Through selection and replication, the HNAs had evolved.

The finding in itself is not surprising, said Kool. Chemists have been working for 20 years to find new backbones for DNA and the feeling always was that it would be interesting and quite possible that some of them might be replicated one day. It was, nevertheless, impressive, he added. The hard part was finding the enzymes that could do it. So the big leap ahead for this paper was finding those enzymes.

The new polymerases synthesized XNA through rounds of DNA-to-XNA and XNA-to-DNA synthesis. Generating polymerases that can make XNA direct from XNA will be the next step, Holliger said, but it will be a lot harder because both strands would be foreign to the polymerase.

Holliger also explained that there was actually a benefit to having a DNA intermediate. It allowed us to access the whole gamut of technologies that are available for analyzing DNA sequences. Working with XNAs uniquely, he said, is like being thrown back to the way molecular biology was in the early 1970s, in that we have to develop all our tools afresh.

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Boundary between electronics and biology is blurring: First proof of ferroelectricity in simplest amino acid

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ScienceDaily (Apr. 19, 2012) The boundary between electronics and biology is blurring with the first detection by researchers at Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory of ferroelectric properties in an amino acid called glycine.

A multi-institutional research team led by Andrei Kholkin of the University of Aveiro, Portugal, used a combination of experiments and modeling to identify and explain the presence of ferroelectricity, a property where materials switch their polarization when an electric field is applied, in the simplest known amino acid -- glycine.

"The discovery of ferroelectricity opens new pathways to novel classes of bioelectronic logic and memory devices, where polarization switching is used to record and retrieve information in the form of ferroelectric domains," said coauthor and senior scientist at ORNL's Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) Sergei Kalinin.

Although certain biological molecules like glycine are known to be piezoelectric, a phenomenon in which materials respond to pressure by producing electricity, ferroelectricity is relatively rare in the realm of biology. Thus, scientists are still unclear about the potential applications of ferroelectric biomaterials.

"This research helps paves the way toward building memory devices made of molecules that already exist in our bodies," Kholkin said.

For example, making use of the ability to switch polarization through tiny electric fields may help build nanorobots that can swim through human blood. Kalinin cautions that such nanotechnology is still a long way in the future.

"Clearly there is a very long road from studying electromechanical coupling on the molecular level to making a nanomotor that can flow through blood," Kalinin said. "But unless you have a way to make this motor and study it, there will be no second and third steps. Our method can offer an option for quantitative and reproducible study of this electromechanical conversion."

The study, published in Advanced Functional Materials, builds on previous research at ORNL's CNMS, where Kalinin and others are developing new tools such as the piezoresponse force microscopy used in the experimental study of glycine.

"It turns out that piezoresponse force microsopy is perfectly suited to observe the fine details in biological systems at the nanoscale," Kalinin said. "With this type of microscopy, you gain the capability to study electromechanical motion on the level of a single molecule or small number of molecular assemblies. This scale is exactly where interesting things can happen."

Kholkin's lab grew the crystalline samples of glycine that were studied by his team and by the ORNL microscopy group. In addition to the experimental measurements, the team's theorists verified the ferroelectricity with molecular dynamics simulations that explained the mechanisms behind the observed behavior.

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Boundary between electronics and biology is blurring: First proof of ferroelectricity in simplest amino acid

GenScript Rush Gene Synthesis – Driving Molecular Biology Research Faster

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PISCATAWAY, N.J., April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- GenScript USA Inc., an internationally recognized biology contract research organization (CRO) has recently launched Rush Gene Synthesis service in the global market on Dec. 22, 2011, and has achieved 100% success and on time delivery rates ever since its kick-off.

"Two decades ago, a 2 Kb gene took me nearly two years to obtain the construct using conventional PCR cloning technologies in my PhD research. I did believe this could be changed. Nowadays, GenScript Rush Gene Synthesis service delivers synthetic genes in as little as 5 business days. The proprietary technology and a dedicated Rush Gene service team are the key points to making GenScript Rush Gene Synthesis service a big success," commented Frank Zhang, the CEO and co-founder of GenScript.

"Delivering synthetic genes in as little as 5 days, GenScript Rush Gene Synthesis service is not only fast but is accurate and worry-free to our customers," says Frank, "all our synthesized genes are packed into cloning vectors, picked from single clones and fully sequence-verified before the delivery. Therefore, none of our customers is bothered with picking up the right gene from the tube. With this rush service, we aim to drive molecular biology research faster than ever."

Besides the world-leading gene synthesis service, GenScript, as a contract research organization (CRO), also provides comprehensive services for biological research and early-phase drug discovery, such as bio-reagents, assay development & screening, lead optimization, antibody drug development and animal model services. The bio-reagents services include custom gene synthesis and molecular biology, custom protein expression and purification, custom peptide synthesis, antibody production, and custom cell line development. Headquartered in Piscataway, New Jersey, GenScript has three subsidiaries located in France, Japan, and China.

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Funding aids search for cancer killer

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WINDSOR, Ont. -- Windsor scientists whove recently confirmed that dandelion root extract inhibits the growth of tumours in mice have landed a $157,500 grant to help advance their research toward proving it kills cancer in humans.

University of Windsor biochemist Siyaram Pandey said Thursday the grant from the B.C.-based Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation is an exciting development. However, he added, hell be more excited should his team get approval for Phase I clinical trials from Health Canada, hopefully by the fall.

I think we managed to convince them with our published work, No. 1. No. 2, with our logic and going for a natural way of treating this, and No. 3, the fact that, if approved, people can take it safely at home.

Pandey emphasized the role played by local funders who believed in his work when the larger funding agencies in the country considered it a snake oil idea. First came the Knights of Columbuss council in St. Clair Beach, which gave $6,000 to help with initial research based on observations by Pandeys co-applicant Dr. Caroline Hamm.

Hamm, a Windsor Cancer Centre oncologist, noticed a number of patients whose conditions improved at least initially after they started to drink dandelion root tea as an alternative when traditional chemotherapy didnt work.

Their initial findings were enough to justify a $60,000 grant from Seeds4Hope, which provides seed money for local cancer research, in hope that promising results will receive further funding from the big national agencies. Pandey and his students got their initial samples of extract by digging the weeds out of local lawns.

This just matches exactly what we were hoping would happen when Seeds4Hope was established four years ago, said program administrator Michael Dufresne. This is the first example of local research receiving major funding as a result of a one-time infusion from Seeds4Hope.

He said the dandelion root extract results pose a brilliant possibility.

I say possibility because a lot still has to be done, but the potential is there.

The Windsor researchers have shown in the lab that the extract causes cancer cells to commit suicide, while not harming healthy cells, something that usually happens when toxic chemotherapy drugs are used.

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WAC Lighting Invitational Science Fair to Be Held at Commack High School on Sunday, April 22nd

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GARDEN CITY, NY--(Marketwire -04/19/12)- Over 400 high school students from across Long Island, New York will compete in The WAC Lighting Annual Invitational Science Fair, which will be held on Sunday, April 22nd from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM, at Commack High School.

The Science Fair features projects in eight major categories with winners selected in Senior (grade 12) and Junior Divisions (grades 9-11). Awards and scholarships will be presented to winners of First, Second and Third Places, as well as honorable mentions. Categories include Environmental Science, Prototype Engineering; Biochemistry; General Biology; Behavioral Science; Chemistry; Physical Science; and Computer Science.

For 14 years, students have presented their research experience to esteemed judges from universities, hospitals, private practices and industries from the New York Metropolitan area. Participating students have spent months or even years in their high school or local university labs exploring the nature of cancer or inexpensive methods to produce alternative fuels. Everything is open for exploration; from astronomy to biotechnology, to basic research and theoretical studies, to projects focused on the practical.

Organized by The Research Association, the fair is a consortium of 13 Long Island, NY high schools represented by teachers dedicated to the importance of science education that understand that future leaders in science, technology and business begin focusing their skills in today's classrooms. The 13 high schools include: Commack, Great Neck North, Great Neck South, Herricks, Jericho, Locust Valley, Manhasset, North Shore Hebrew Academy, Paul D. Schreiber, Roslyn, South Side, Syosset, and The Wheatley School.

Participating students have gone on to pursue advanced studies at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), SUNY at Stony Brook, Harvard, Yale University, Brown, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Rochester University and others. Many have become medical doctors and other highly respected professionals.

Judges include over 120 academicians and professionals affiliated with Brookhaven National Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Columbia University, Long Island University, New York University, North Shore University Hospital-LIJ Medical Center, Wiell Cornell Medical College, Hofstra University, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and other prestigious institutions.

The Science Fair is sponsored by WAC Lighting, a Garden City, New York-based global manufacturer of task and decorative lighting.

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WAC Lighting Invitational Science Fair to Be Held at Commack High School on Sunday, April 22nd

SeabuckWonders™, Leading Producer of USDA Organic Sea Buckthorn Oil, Earns Coveted 'Ashley Koff Approved' Seal of …

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CHICAGO, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --SeabuckWonders is pleased to announce its recent honor for two of its products: Ashley Koff Approved - the stamp of quality nutrition for optimal health.

SeabuckWonders Omega-7 Complete and SeabuckWonders USDA Certified Organic Sea Buckthorn Berry Oil were awarded the honors.

SeabuckWonders' berries are wild-crafted in the pristine Himalayan Mountains of Tibet. The annual harvest features over 190 bioactive nutrients as well as Omega 3, 6, 7, and 9 and are rich in vitamins A, C and E as well as carotenes, flavonoids and minerals such as sulfur, selenium, zinc and copper. The oil provides a wide spectrum of support for optimal health, and is an ideal supplement for people looking to transform their unhealthy lifestyles.

The climate in the Tibetan Plateau has equipped the fruit with extraordinary bio-defense mechanisms that provide many wholesome nutrients and health benefits. The Tibetan terrain holds 90 percent of the world's wild sea buckthorn forests. This area provides a higher concentration of Omega 7 than any other region due to high altitude, strong ultraviolet radiation, severe cold, scorching heat, and barren soil. SeabuckWonders' brand sea buckthorn oil guarantees a minimum of 30-35% Omega 7 content - the highest than that of any sea buckthorn product on the market today.

"The AKA stamp confirms that a product has been evaluated and approved by me, as a better quality and healthy choice," Koff stated. "More specifically, it means that the product does not contain any nutrition no-no's."

Ashley Koff is named among the Top 10 Registered Dietitians in the U.S. by Today's Dietitian Magazine. Koff appears regularly on national media outlets, including Dr. Oz, The Doctors, Good Morning America, CNN, AOL and E! Koff is also the dietitian for ESPN, the featured dietitian on the CW's "Shedding for the Wedding" and Lifetime's "Love Handles."

SeabuckWonders Omega -7 Complete combines berry and seed oil and offers the highest Omega-7 content in the industry with a concentration of 30%-35%. SeabuckWonders berries are wild-crafted in the pristine Himalayan Mountains of Tibet. The berries cultivated from the annual harvest feature over 190 bioactive nutrients as well as Omega 3, 6, and 9 and are rich in vitamins A, C and E as well as carotenes, flavonoids and minerals such as sulfur, selenium, zinc and copper. Sea buckthorn oil stands out in many Asian medical traditions in which it is described as "God Sent Medicine" or "liquid gold": http://www.ereleases.com/pic/2012-Seabuckthorn-Omega-7.jpg

SeabuckWonders Berry Oil is USDA Certified Organic and offers the highest Omega-7 content in the industry with a concentration of 30%-35%. Omega-7 is hailed as a special nutrient that protects, replenishes, moisturizes, and restores the skin and mucus membranes that line the digestive and urogenital tracts. It has strong pro-natural healing properties including infection and inflammation response. Sea buckthorn oil stands out in many Asian medical traditions in which it is described as "God Sent Medicine" or "liquid gold": http://www.ereleases.com/pic/2012-Seabuckthorn-Berry-Oil.jpg

About SeabuckWonders' Sea buckthorn

SeabuckWonders product line contains the highest Omega 7 content of all the products on the market today. It is the only full line of USDA Certified Sea Buckthorn Products. Sea buckthorn is widely used to heal wounds, clear up acne and eczema, stimulate collagen and fortify hair and nails. It has been referred to by dermatologists, ophthalmologists and dentists as the "miracle berry." Clinical studies have shown beneficial effects of sea buckthorn on mucus membranes, promoting tissue regeneration and improving brain, cardiovascular, oral and liver health. It is also practical in the treatment of inflammation and is used for anti-aging. Please visit: http://www.SeabuckWonders.com

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SeabuckWonders™, Leading Producer of USDA Organic Sea Buckthorn Oil, Earns Coveted 'Ashley Koff Approved' Seal of ...

Key genes that switch off with aging highlighted as potential targets for anti-aging therapies

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Public release date: 19-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Emma Reynolds emma.reynolds@kcl.ac.uk 44-207-848-4334 King's College London

Researchers at King's College London, in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, have identified a group of 'ageing' genes that are switched on and off by natural mechanisms called epigenetic factors, influencing the rate of healthy ageing and potential longevity.

The study also suggests these epigenetic processes that can be caused by external factors such as diet, lifestyle and environment are likely to be initiated from an early age and continue through a person's life. The researchers say that the epigenetic changes they have identified could be used as potential 'markers' of biological ageing and in the future could be possible targets for anti-ageing therapies.

Published today in PLoS Genetics, the study looked at 172 twins aged 32 to 80 from the TwinsUK cohort based at King's College London and St Thomas' Hospital, as part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre.

The researchers looked for epigenetic changes in the twins' DNA, and performed epigenome-wide association scans to analyse these changes in relation to chronological age. They identified 490 age related epigenetic changes. They also analysed DNA modifications in age related traits and found that epigenetic changes in four genes relate to cholesterol, lung function and maternal longevity.

To try to identify when these epigenetic changes may be triggered, the researchers replicated the study in 44 younger twins, aged 22 to 61, and found that many of the 490 age related epigenetic changes were also present in this younger group. The researchers say these results suggest that while many age related epigenetic changes happen naturally with age throughout a person's life, a proportion of these changes may be initiated early in life.

Dr Jordana Bell from King's College London, who co-led the study said: 'We found that epigenetic changes associate with age related traits that have previously been used to define biological age.

'We identified many age-related epigenetic changes, but four seemed to impact the rate of healthy ageing and potential longevity and we can use these findings as potential markers of ageing. These results can help understand the biological mechanisms underlying healthy ageing and age-related disease, and future work will explore how environmental effects can affect these epigenetic changes.'

Dr Panos Deloukas, co-leader of the study from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, said: 'Our study interrogated only a fraction of sites in the genome that carry such epigenetic changes; these initial findings support the need for a more comprehensive scan of epigenetic variation.'

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Key genes that switch off with aging highlighted as potential targets for anti-aging therapies

LME copper, the anatomy of a squeeze: Andy Home

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By Andy Home

LONDON (Reuters) - Supply, or rather the lack of it, has once again dominated the agenda of the annual CESCO Week gathering of the copper industry in Chile.

As the industry faces an uncertain short-term demand outlook, the CESCO narrative has reverted to the certainty of copper's problematic supply-side dynamic.

And the lack of supply has been the main theme in London copper trading this week as well.

The London Metal Exchange (LME) contract has witnessed the most acute squeeze on availability in over three years.

The benchmark cash-to-three-months period was valued Tuesday at $114 per tonne backwardation. The last time it was anything like that on a closing basis was October 2008.

As ever it has been those shorts caught drinking in the last-chance saloon - that is the LME's "tom-next" spread - who have paid the highest price. It traded as wide as $40 per tonne backwardation at one stage on Tuesday morning.

BIOMECHANICS

The mechanics of what happened this week, which included the prime "third Wednesday" April prompt date, are easily enough explained thanks to the exchange's daily positioning reports.

They showed that as of the Monday close, one player held cash and "tom-next" positions representing somewhere between 50 and 80 percent of available stocks.

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LME copper, the anatomy of a squeeze: Andy Home

Grey's Anatomy Recap: "Support System"

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This week's Grey's Anatomy was a gut-wrenching hour. While the residents were worrying about the upcoming medical boards get the scoop here and Mark was acting as Chief, Cristina was forcing Owen to recall every torturous detail of the night he cheated on her.

Let's check out the heartbreaking and sometimes heartwarming top moments from the hour:

Flashbacks! The episode began with flashbacks to the small, but equally momentous moments in Cristina and Owen's past, from the icicle in her gut to the bowl of cereal she threw in his face. The one flashback we didn't want to see? The night Owen cheated on Cristina at the bar which Owen recalls in detail to Cris throughout the episode. (The couple lies to the hospital and says they've come down with the flu.) It turns out, Owen cheated on her the day after they quit therapy. The woman in question was a friend of his patient. After drinking far too much, the lady convinces him to hook up with her much to Cristina's disappointment as she bawls her eyes out. The silver lining? After Owen leaves, Meredith is there to be her person, sharing a sweet moment on the phone where the twisted sisters sit in near silence, with only the sound of Cristina's muffled sobs in the background.

Outside the hospital! It's not often that we see outside of Seattle Grace, besides the docs' apartments, so it was fun when Callie and Meredith ventured to a park so Callie could quiz her mentee for the upcoming medical boards. Meredith is officially ready, but are the other doctors?

No! The rest of the new Fab Five (Alex, Jackson and April) stress over their upcoming tests and even enlist Lexipedia to use her photographic memory to memorize old cases they can use to study. Meredith decides to take the Torres method and turn it into the Grey method by helping the group study, including, eventually, the distraught Cristina, who worries that her preoccupation with a "boy" will make her fail her boards.

Chief Mark Sloan! Since Owen is dealing with his personal problems, Mark acts as chief in his absence. Everyone is unhappy about it, but can we just say that Sloan looks good in a suit? Mark does butt heads with Derek and also goes toe-to-toe with Richard after the former Chief tries to go over his head. Sloan turns out to be pretty adept in the position could this be a hint? Still, Owen reveals that he never contracted Sloan to help, but rather wanted Webber or Derek to fill in.

Ladies night! Since Teddy has been mourning Henry, she decides to get the girls (Callie, Arizona and Bailey) together for a ladies night. But when each of the ladies realizes they'd rather be having sex with their significant others, they all decide to bail. Realizing they're leaving Teddy out in the cold, they do the ladies night anyways. Who's up for some Beaches?

Sexual telepathy! Wasn't sure it was possible, but apparently Ben has special powers. With Tuck staying over at his dad's, Ben wants to treat Bailey to a special night, but doesn't want to say the torrid details at the hospital. Instead, with one look, he sends Bailey running off to get out of ladies night. Seriously, that man has powers.

What did you think of this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy? Should Cristina forgive Owen? Sound off in the comments.

Wondering what could happen in the Grey's Anatomy finale should some of the docs say farewell? Check out our theories

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Grey's Anatomy Recap: "Support System"

Grey's Anatomy Recap: "The Girl With No Name"

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Aww, the residents are all grown up!

In this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy, the docs are heading all over the country to interview for positions at different hospitals. For some, like Cristina, it's easy. For others, like Alex, it's a nightmare. Meanwhile, Seattle Grace becomes ground zero for all media when the victim of a highly publicized kidnapping case ends up there. Let's take a look at the top moments:

New jobs: Cristina is the Queen of the Residents, being wooed by the best hospitals across the country. Meredith is disappointed because she would like the new Fab Five to stick around Seattle Grace and even goes so far as to try to weasel out of one of her interviews in Boston. While April is an overachiever during her interviews, Alex is having trouble getting any hospital to see him in the first place. Turns out, Arizona has been tainting his recommendations in hopes he'll stay at Seattle Grace. As for Avery, he turns down a shot at UCLA because they only love him for his lineage. When Mer does finally make it to Boston, however, she reveals to the interviewer that she is very serious about moving there since their program is her top choice. Twist!

Jane Doe: When an unidentified young girl is rushed to the hospital, the doctors rally to treat her, discovering that she has been abused and tortured for a while. Once they realize she is Holly, a girl at the center of a kidnapping case that hit national headlines similar to the cases of Jaycee Dugard or Elizabeth Smart the hospital becomes the focus of her recovery. Meredith is enlisted to watch after Holly, helping her to cope with the transition back into the real world, which is made especially difficult since she also suffers from Stockholm Syndrome, a psychological phenomenon in which a hostage has positive feelings towards his/her captor. (Switched at Birth's Vanessa Marano was amazing as Holly in this episode.)

Bailey's freak-out: As a parent, Bailey struggles with the Holly case, which is showcased when Tuck goes missing from the daycare center. In a moment of panic, she screams for everyone to find her son. Turns out, Tuck had a nosebleed and was taken to the nurse. When Holly is going to get discharged, Bailey is overwhelmed once again with (Emmy-worthy) emotion.

Poor Webber: While Adele has been living at Rose Ridge, she has fallen in love all over again... but not with her husband. She met another man who also has Alzheimer's. Richard has Adele moved to another wing, much to her disappointment. In the end, Richard concedes and lets Adele be with who makes her happy. (Also, the Academy should just hand the Emmy to Loretta Devine again.)

CO on the mend: While the beginning of the hour continues to be rocky for the pair, with Cristina avoiding Owen at the hospital, the two begin to slowly talk again. Cristina offers for Owen to stay at the firehouse, while she camps out at Meredith's house to study. They also briefly discuss job opportunities, including the possibility of moving to Maryland (which is across the country. Eh? Eh?). She even claps for him with the rest of the docs when the hospital is able to close the book on Holly's case.

Should Owen and Cristina get back together? Anyone else cheer when Owen finally put a distraught Teddy in her place? Which docs do you think will leave Seattle Grace? Hit the comments with your thoughts.

Aww, the residents are all grown up!

In this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy, the docs are heading all over the country to interview for positions at different hospitals. For some, like Cristina, it's easy. For others, like Alex, it's a nightmare. Meanwhile, Seattle Grace becomes ground zero for all media when the victim of a highly publicized kidnapping case ends up there. Let's take a look at the top moments: read more

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Grey's Anatomy Recap: "The Girl With No Name"