Stem cell therapy possibly helpful in heart failure patients

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Public release date: 24-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Beth Casteel bcasteel@acc.org 240-328-4549 American College of Cardiology

CHICAGO -- A new study found that using a patient's own bone marrow cells may help repair damaged areas of the heart caused by heart failure, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session. The Scientific Session, the premier cardiovascular medical meeting, brings cardiovascular professionals together to further advances in the field.

Millions of Americans suffer from heart failure, the weakening of the heart muscle and its inability to pump blood effectively throughout the body. If medications, surgery, or stents fail to control the disease, doctors often have few treatment options to offer.

This is the largest study to date to look at stem cell therapy, using a patient's own stem cells, to repair damaged areas of the heart in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction. Researchers found that left ventricular ejection fraction (the percentage of blood leaving the heart's main pumping chamber) increased by a small but significant amount (2.7 percent) in patients who received stem cell therapy. The study also revealed that the improvement in ejection fraction correlated with the number of CD34+ and CD133+ cells in the bone marrow information that will be helpful in evaluating and designing future therapies and trials.

"This is the kind of information we need in order to move forward with the clinical use of stem cell therapy," said Emerson Perin, MD, PhD, director of clinical research for cardiovascular medicine at the Texas Heart Institute and the study's lead investigator.

This multi-center study was conducted by the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network and took place between April 2009 and 2011. At five sites, 92 patients were randomly selected to receive stem cell treatment or placebo. The patients, average age 63, all had chronic ischemic heart disease and an ejection fraction of less than 45 percent along with heart failure and/or angina, and were no longer candidates for revascularization.

"Studies such as these are able to be completed much faster because of the team approach of the network," said Sonia Skarlatos, PhD, deputy director of the division of cardiovascular sciences at the National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and program director of the network.

Bone marrow was aspirated from the patients and processed to obtain just the mononuclear fraction of the marrow. In patients randomly selected to receive stem cell therapy, doctors inserted a catheter into the heart's left ventricle to inject a total of 3 ccs comprising 100 million stem cells into an average of 15 sites that showed damage on the electromechanical mapping image of the heart. Dr. Perin said the procedure is relatively quick and painless, involving only an overnight stay at the hospital.

The study used electromechanical mapping of the heart to measure the voltage in areas of the heart muscle and create a real-time image of the heart.

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Stem cell therapy possibly helpful in heart failure patients

New Analysis Could Give Cues About When to Move Infants From NICU

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Article is published in the Journal of Applied Physiology

Newswise Bethesda, Md. (March 26, 2012)Late gestation is a busy time for babies getting ready for life outside the womb, particularly for functions critical to life such as breathing and maintaining an adequate heartbeat. These two functions are connected in mature infants and healthy people throughout life, so measuring their level of connectedness can give doctors a cue about whether an infant is ready to head home or needs to remain in the care of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Current methods to analyze this connection are not yet fully developed, leaving doctors and nurses without an optimal way to deal with periodically missing data or natural variations in breathing or heartbeat. Now, however, researchers in Virginia have found a way around this problem by using a new analytical method that looks for so-called cardiorespiratory interaction using individual breaths and heartbeats and relating the two in time. The findings shed light on which infants may be mature enough to leave the NICU, showing that postnatal age seems to be an indicator of maturity, but birth weight or gestational age at birth are not.

The article is entitled Breath-By-Breath Analysis of Cardiorespiratory Interaction for Quantifying Developmental Maturity in Premature Infants. It appears in the current edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology, published by the American Physiological Society.

Methodology The researchers collected data from the bedside monitors of 1,202 infants cared for in the University of Virginia NICU from January 2009 to June 2011. This data included both electrocardiogram waveforms (an indicator of heartbeats) and chest impedance signals (an indicator of breaths) from both infants considered to have very low birth weights and those with normal birth weights. The researchers paired these two measures in sliding four minute windows, using software to determine whether patterns in breathing correlated with patterns in heartbeats. They also collected other data on these patients, including gestational age at birth (a measure of prematurity), postnatal age (length of time after birth), and age at discharge from the hospital.

Results The researchers were able to gather 34,600 breathing and heartbeat records for the 1,202 patients, corresponding to an average of 13 days of data for each infant. Their results showed that their analytical method was useful for identifying the link between breathing and heartbeat in this population. Findings revealed that cardiorespiratory interaction steadily increased with each infants postnatal age. Surprisingly, researchers found no correlation between cardiorespiratory interaction and either birth weight or gestational age at birth, two factors often used to gauge infant maturity. The degree of cardiorespiratory interaction increased over time before the attending physicians decision to discharge each baby from the hospital without respiratory support or cardiorespiratory monitoring, suggesting that each infants brainstema critical structure that controls many functions vital to lifewas maturing over time.

Importance of the Findings These findings suggest that by coupling individual breaths to heartbeats, the researchers were able to avoid the pitfalls of earlier methods. The analytical method used by this research team could be useful for monitoring whether premature infants have developed enough to head home from the hospital without complications.

Since coupling of organs is correlated with good health, continuously measuring cardiorespiratory interaction may provide early detection of subacute, potentially catastrophic illness. Future studies should test the hypothesis that falling cardiorespiratory interaction precedes clinically evident deterioration, the authors say.

Study Team The study was conducted by Matthew T. Clark, and John L. Hudson of the University of Virginia; Craig G. Rusin, Brooke D. Vergales, Alix Paget-Brown, John Kattwinkel, Douglas E. Lake, and J. Randall Moorman of the University of Virginia Health System; and Hoshik Lee and John B. Delos of the College of William and Mary.

The work was supported by an NICHD GO (Grand Opportunities) Grant.

### NOTE TO EDITORS: The article is available online at http://bit.ly/yLip88. For additional information please contact Donna Krupa at dkrupa@the-aps.org, @Phyziochick, or 301.634.7209. *** Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society (APS; http://www.the-APS.org/press) has been an integral part of the discovery process for 125 years. To keep up with the science, follow @Phyziochick on Twitter.

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New Analysis Could Give Cues About When to Move Infants From NICU

Celebrate National Nutrition Month

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Use turkey sausage to lower your fat intake when making this spicy white bean soup.

March signifies the beginning of spring, March Madness and of course, National Nutrition Month.

If you havent already made healthy changes to your lifestyle, it is never too late to begin. Setting one or two goals at a time is a good place to start. At Evolution we find that small healthy changes to your diet can set you up for long-term success in future.

Here are some healthy suggestions you can make to celebrate National Nutrition Month:

Make an appointment with a dietitian. Its always good to have a professional to collaborate with when trying to make changes.

Use whole-grain products instead of refined grains for filling fiber and beneficial nutrients.

Try filling half of your dinner plate with vegetables including red peppers, broccoli, spinach, carrots and tomatoes. These vegetables contain antioxidants which can improve immune function.

Trim the fat from your meals by making lean protein choices such as skinless chicken breasts, fish, shellfish, turkey sausage and pork tenderloin.

Anyone can participate in National Nutrition Month; start by setting a goal and making informed food choices.

Turkey Sausage and Spicy White Beans

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Celebrate National Nutrition Month

SharecareNow Names the Top 10 Influencers of Online Nutrition Conversation

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ATLANTA, GA and SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire -03/26/12)- In an effort to help millions of Americans avoid the onset of life-threatening diseases such as obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and cancer caused by poor nutrition, SharecareNow, powered by WCG, today announced "SharecareNow 10 - Nutrition," a comprehensive list of the most influential online voices -- ranging from healthcare professionals and journalists to celebrity chefs -- who drive the conversation around nutrition. The list features some of the top names in nutrition today, including: Dr. Andrew Weil, a leader in integrative medicine; Jamie Oliver, television personality and founder of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution; and Michael Pollan, author of four New York Times bestsellers.

The release of the list corresponds with the close of National Nutrition Month, sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association) to raise awareness about the importance of making healthy food choices and adopting physical activity habits.

"Maintaining a balanced, daily nutrition plan is essential for a long, healthy life; however, as dietary recommendations frequently change, it may be difficult for most Americans to stay on top of the most accurate and up-to-date information," said Jeff Arnold, chairman and CEO of Sharecare. "Our goal is to quickly connect individuals with experts online who can empower them to develop a personalized plan for themselves and their loves ones early in life to prevent a lifelong struggle with their weight, which can lead to the development of severe, deadly conditions."

In the United States alone, 33.9 percent of adults aged 20 years and over are obese, while 34.4 percent of adults in the same age group are overweight.(1) However, these unhealthy habits can begin at an early age. In fact, approximately 17 percent (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents in the U.S. aged two to 19 are obese,(2) which can lead to health consequences in both the immediate and long term.

The SharecareNow 10 -- Nutrition list aims to help reduce the increasing rates of unhealthy Americans, particularly for those living in specific U.S. cities with poor nutritional habits. According to RealAge -- the leading consumer health assessment website centered around the groundbreaking RealAge Test and recently acquired by Sharecare -- the top five cities in the U.S. that are not eating the recommended 10 servings of fruits and vegetables are (1) Oklahoma City, OK (2) Louisville, KY (3) Knoxville, TN (4) Cincinnati, OH, and (5) Greenville, SC. Additionally, the top five cities that are not eating the proper amount of grains (at least 5 servings), includes: (1) Greenville, SC (2) Jacksonville, FL (3) Knoxville, TN (4) Memphis, TN, and (5) Greensboro, NC.

In order to be included in the SharecareNow 10 -- Nutrition list, influencers must have demonstrated a consistent impact on nutrition-specific conversations online over the past year. An individual's influence is measured and quantified through a proprietary algorithm based on more than 40 individual metrics, including nutrition relevance, syndication, presence and reach. These influencers are then ranked from most to least influential based on a unique scoring structure.

The following top influencers make up the SharecareNow 10 -- Nutrition list:

1. Andrew Weil, MD - http://www.drweil.com/ 2. Jamie Oliver - http://jamieoliver.com/ 3. Nanci Hellmich - http://yourlife.usatoday.com/ 4. Tara Parker-Pope - http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/ 5. Mitzi Dulan, RD - http://nutritionexpert.com/blog/ 6. Nicole German, RD - http://www.diet-blog.com/ 7. Lisa Lillien - http://www.hungry-girl.com/ 8. Rebecca Scritchfield, RD - http://rebeccascritchfield.wordpress.com/ 9. Michael Pollan - http://michaelpollan.com/ 10. William Davis, MD - http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/

A downloadable version of the SharecareNow 10 -- Nutrition list can be found here: http://www.sharecare.com/static/sharecare-now-nutrition-top-ten-infographic. Additional information, including bios and the methodology behind the influencer list, is available at http://now.sharecare.com.

In support of raising awareness around healthy nutritional habits, @SharecareNow will host a Twitter Chat on Sunday, April 1st from 8-9pm EDT. Participants must use #DietDbate to participate in the conversation, where nutritional experts will answer questions related to a healthy diet, including dieting facts vs. fiction and low carb vs. low fat diets.

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UNC professor has a different prescription on aging

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Nortin Hadler, a professor of medicine and microbiology/immunology at UNC Chapel-Hill, has been warning for years about the lack of evidence supporting many popular medical treatments and tests.

His work is controversial. In books such as Stabbed in the Back: Confronting Back Pain in an Overtreated Society and Worried Sick: A Prescription for Health in an Overtreated America, Hadler argues for holding medical interventions to a high standard: Do they reduce mortality or substantially lessen the burden of illness? Do potential benefits significantly outweigh potential harms? Unless research proves this, the interventions should be avoided, Hadler insists.

In his newest book, Rethinking Aging: Growing Old and Living Well in an Overtreated Society, the 69-year-old Hadler turns his attention to older Americans. The following interview has been edited.

Q: Youve called your book Rethinking Aging. What do you want readers to understand about aging?

This book is a celebration of the fact that the baby boomers and the traditionalists the generation that came before the boomers are the first in the history of the world to hit age 60 and to be able to say, What do I want to do with the next 25 years of my life?

We shouldnt worry so much about what will kill us. We should be focusing on making it to age 85 and having a pleasing journey along the way.

Q: Youre concerned about the medicalization of aging. Explain why.

You can be healthy well beyond 60, but youll be different than you were when you were 20. Youll have different posture, wrinkles and other changes that are age appropriate. We have to be very, very careful about calling any difference from when we were younger an illness or a disease. And we have to be even more careful about telling people that we have things we can do to fix these differences, but this happens all the time. Thats the medicalization of aging.

Q: You talk about the importance of older people making informed medical decisions.

For the first time in the history, we have a tremendous amount of information about efficacy: what makes sense to do medically and what doesnt.

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UNC professor has a different prescription on aging

Genetic Risk and Stressful Early Infancy Join to Increase Risk for Schizophrenia

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- Human genome and mouse studies identify new precise genetic links

Newswise Working with genetically engineered mice and the genomes of thousands of people with schizophrenia, researchers at Johns Hopkins say they now better understand how both nature and nurture can affect ones risks for schizophrenia and abnormal brain development in general.

The researchers reported in the March 2 issue of Cell that defects in a schizophrenia-risk genes and environmental stress right after birth together can lead to abnormal brain development and raise the likelihood of developing schizophrenia by nearly one and half times.

Our study suggests that if people have a single genetic risk factor alone or a traumatic environment in very early childhood alone, they may not develop mental disorders like schizophrenia, says Guo-li Ming, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurology and member of the Institute for Cell Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. But the findings also suggest that someone who carries the genetic risk factor and experiences certain kinds of stress early in life may be more likely to develop the disease.

Pinpointing the cause or causes of schizophrenia has been notoriously difficult, owing to the likely interplay of multiple genes and environmental triggers, Ming says. Searching for clues at the molecular level, the Johns Hopkins team focused on the interaction of two factors long implicated in the disease: Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) protein, which is important for brain development, and GABA, a brain chemical needed for normal brain function.

To find how these factors impact brain development and disease susceptibility, the researchers first engineered mice to have reduced levels of DISC1 protein in one type of neuron in the hippocampus, a region of the brain involved in learning, memory and mood regulation. Through a microscope, they saw that newborn mouse brain cells with reduced levels of DISC1 protein had similar sized and shaped neurons as those from mice with normal levels of DISC1 protein. To change the function of the chemical messenger GABA, the researchers engineered the same neurons in mice to have more effective GABA. Those brain cells looked much different than normal neurons, with longer appendages or projections. Newborn mice engineered with both the more effective GABA and reduced levels of DISC1 showed the longest projections, suggesting, Ming said, that defects in both DISC1 and GABA together could change the physiology of developing neurons for the worse.

Meanwhile, other researchers at University of Calgary and at the National Institute of Physiological Sciences in Japan had shown in newborn mice that changes in environment and routine stress can impede GABA from working properly during development. In the next set of experiments, the investigators paired reducing DISC1 levels and stress in mice to see if it could also lead to developmental defects. To stress the mice, the team separated newborns from their mothers for three hours a day for ten days, then examined neurons from the stressed newborns and saw no differences in their size, shape and organization compared with unstressed mice. But when they similarly stressed newborn mice with reduced DISC1 levels, the neurons they saw were larger, more disorganized and had more projections than the unstressed mouse neurons. The projections, in fact, went to the wrong places in the brain.

Next, to see if their results in mice correlated to suspected human schizophrenia risk factors, the researchers compared the genetic sequences of 2,961 schizophrenia patients and healthy people from Scotland, Germany and the United States. Specifically, they determined if specific variations of DNA letters found in two genes, DISC1 and a gene for another protein, NKCC1, which controls the effect of GABA, were more likely to be found in schizophrenia patients than in healthy individuals. They paired 36 DNA letter changes in DISC1 and two DNA letter variations in NKCC1 one DNA letter change per gene in all possible combinations. Results showed that if a persons genome contained one specific combination of single DNA letter changes, then that person is 1.4 times more likely than people without these DNA changes to develop schizophrenia. Having these single DNA letter changes in either one of these genes alone did not increase risk.

Now that we have identified the precise genetic risks, we can rationally search for drugs that correct these defects, says Hongjun Song, Ph.D., co-author, professor of neurology and director of the Stem Cell Program at the Institute for Cell Engineering.

Other authors of the paper from Johns Hopkins are Ju Young Kim, Cindy Y. Liu, Fengyu Zhang, Xin Duan, Zhexing Wen, Juan Song, Kimberly Christian and Daniel R. Weinberger. Emer Feighery, Bai Lu and Joseph H. Callicott from the National Institute of Mental Health, Dan Rujescu of Ludwig-Maximilians-University, and David St Clair of the University of Aberdeen Royal Cornhill Hospital are additional authors.

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Genetic Risk and Stressful Early Infancy Join to Increase Risk for Schizophrenia

Texas Police Use DNA Technique to Solve Property Crime

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A thief wearing gloves walks into a parking lot, perhaps using the cover of night, smashes a car window and takes whats inside the vehicle, all in a matter of minutes.

Its the general technique for many car burglaries, and thousands of them occur in Harris County, Texas, every year. Besides shattered glass, often theres not much visible evidence left at the scene, leaving investigators with few clues to catch the culprits.

But sometimes its what investigators cannot see that helps solve many of these types of crimes.

For the last few years, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences aided area law enforcement in solving property crimes by testing evidence for touch DNA microscopic skin cells containing DNA that naturally rub off when an object, like a car steering wheel, is touched. The technology can be used even if the suspect is wearing gloves because theres a high likelihood the skin cells were transferred onto the gloves when the perpetrator was slipping them on.

It was a pretty incredible tool for us to have to identify some of these suspects, said Sgt. Terry Wilson, of the Harris County Sheriffs Office auto-theft division. These (burglary of a motor vehicle) cases are some of the hardest cases for law enforcement to solve because theres almost never any eyewitnesses. Theres very rarely any good evidence left behind, fingerprint evidence and things like that, and once we started recovering some of this DNA, it was pretty exciting there for a while.

DNA testing is a practice typically reserved for personal crimes like rape and murder. However, the forensic institute, formerly the medical examiners office, has also been performing DNA testing on evidence containing either skin cells or bodily fluids, like blood and saliva from property crime cases such as car break-ins and home invasions.

Since January 2008, the forensic institute made more than 3,000 matches to crime suspects in the FBIs Combined DNA Index System database, or CODIS, a national database used to store DNA profiles. Of those, about 75 percent were for property crime cases.

Dr. Roger Kahn, director of the forensic genetics laboratory at the institute, said the crime lab is one of the few equipped to handle DNA testing for property crimes. The lab has no testing backlog on personal crime cases, so it can focus on property crimes, he said.

Kahn noted that when the forensic institute moves to its new expanded facility in the fall, the lab will have the capabilities to perform DNA testing in property crime cases for not only law enforcement agencies in the county, but the entire region.

Kahn believes it is a useful tool in solving many more crimes.

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Texas Police Use DNA Technique to Solve Property Crime

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Medgenics Reports Positive Meeting With NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee

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MISGAV, Israel & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Medgenics, Inc. (NYSE Amex: MDGN and AIM: MEDU, MEDG), the developer of a novel technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, today announced that it has received formal notification of recommendations from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) reflecting the Companys successful presentation of study findings during a meeting held on March 8, 2012. Completion of the RAC process is an important step in advancing toward the Companys proposed U.S. Phase II clinical study evaluating the safety and efficacy of sustained erythropoietin (EPO) therapy delivered via the Companys EPODURE Biopump for the treatment of anemia in dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

The RAC meeting was attended by an audience from the general public and was webcast live. An archive of this webcast is available at http://videocast.nih.gov/summary.asp?Live=11074.

EPODURE is an autologous dermal Biopump capable of the sustained secretion of therapeutic EPO in the body using a small tissue explant from the patients own skin. The EPODURE Biopump is subsequently implanted subcutaneously into the patient to provide continuous delivery of EPO.

We are delighted that the RAC has given such positive responses regarding our proposed Phase II clinical protocol for EPODURE to treat ESRD and we have already addressed most of their recommendations in our study planning, said Andrew L. Pearlman, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Medgenics. Clinical trials involving recombinant DNA products intended to be conducted in the U.S. generally need to satisfy review by the RAC, which iswidely recognized as a most thorough scientific and clinical review by leading experts in relevant areas. Key to this positive response was the safety and sustained clinical activity we showed from the EPODURE Phase I/II trial conducted in Israel. We believe the RAC recommendations can be incorporated into our proposed protocol without difficulty and will not pose any significant delay or expense. Following a positive pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) application meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last fall, completion of the RAC process clears an important hurdle toward the successful submission of our IND application and is a significant step in implementing our clinical strategy.

We look forward to submitting our IND to the FDA in the coming months and to obtaining FDA clearance for our Phase II clinical trial, which we expect will affirm the positive results from our earlier Phase I/II study of EPODURE in pre-dialysis patients, added Dr. Pearlman. In that study we demonstrated that a single administration can raise and maintain hemoglobin levels for many months without any injections of erythropoietin stimulating agents.

About Anemia

Anemia is a common complication of renal failure resulting primarily from insufficient production of the hormone EPO by the damaged kidneys, which leads to a decrease in production of red blood cells. Treatment with EPO typically involves intravenous or subcutaneous administration by injection at regular intervals followed by frequent laboratory tests to monitor hemoglobin concentration. Due to the short half-life of the protein, it is usually administered at doses that result in super physiological levels, which then decline into a more physiologic range. This variability in levels, and in particular the peak levels which then decline into a more physiologic range. This variability in levels, and in particular the peak levels, has been hypothesized to potentially increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular effects and may make maintenance of steady hemoglobin levels more challenging. The need for frequent injections and laboratory tests, medication compliance and lifestyle adjustment are potential barriers to achieving the desired hemoglobin goal. These barriers, together with the high costs of the currently available recombinant EPO products, provide an incentive to improve care with a sustained therapy approach.

About the National Institutes of Health Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee

The objective of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee is to provide advice to the Director of the NIH on matters related to the conduct and oversight of research involving recombinant DNA, including the content and implementation of the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules and other NIH activities pertinent to recombinant DNA technology. The RAC comprises experts in a wide range of scientific and medical disciplines and also includes medical ethicists and members of patient and other lay communities. Because of the dedication, effort, and thoughtful contributions of its members over the past 30 years, the RAC has been a vital national forum promoting critically important scientific progress in a transparent, responsible, and safe manner and enhancing public trust in the science.

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Medgenics Reports Positive Meeting With NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee

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Tiny Reader Makes Fast, Cheap DNA Sequencing Feasible

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Newswise Researchers have devised a nanoscale sensor to electronically read the sequence of a single DNA molecule, a technique that is fast and inexpensive and could make DNA sequencing widely available.

The technique could lead to affordable personalized medicine, potentially revealing predispositions for afflictions such as cancer, diabetes or addiction.

"There is a clear path to a workable, easily produced sequencing platform," said Jens Gundlach, a University of Washington physics professor who leads the research team. "We augmented a protein nanopore we developed for this purpose with a molecular motor that moves a DNA strand through the pore a nucleotide at a time."

The researchers previously reported creating the nanopore by genetically engineering a protein pore from a mycobacterium. The nanopore, from Mycobacterium smegmatis porin A, has an opening 1 billionth of a meter in size, just large enough for a single DNA strand to pass through.

To make it work as a reader, the nanopore was placed in a membrane surrounded by potassium-chloride solution, with a small voltage applied to create an ion current flowing through the nanopore. The electrical signature changes depending on the type of nucleotide traveling through the nanopore. Each type of DNA nucleotide cytosine, guanine, adenine and thymine produces a distinctive signature.

The researchers attached a molecular motor, taken from an enzyme associated with replication of a virus, to pull the DNA strand through the nanopore reader. The motor was first used in a similar effort by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, but they used a different pore that could not distinguish the different nucleotide types.

Gundlach is the corresponding author of a paper published online March 25 by Nature Biotechnology that reports a successful demonstration of the new technique using six different strands of DNA. The results corresponded to the already known DNA sequence of the strands, which had readable regions 42 to 53 nucleotides long.

"The motor pulls the strand through the pore at a manageable speed of tens of milliseconds per nucleotide, which is slow enough to be able to read the current signal," Gundlach said.

Gundlach said the nanopore technique also can be used to identify how DNA is modified in a given individual. Such modifications, referred to as epigenetic DNA modifications, take place as chemical reactions within cells and are underlying causes of various conditions.

"Epigenetic modifications are rather important for things like cancer," he said. Being able to provide DNA sequencing that can identify epigenetic changes "is one of the charms of the nanopore sequencing method."

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Tiny Reader Makes Fast, Cheap DNA Sequencing Feasible

Posted in DNA

DNA Mapped in a Day Prompts U.S. Review of Genome Ethics

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By Alex Wayne - Mon Mar 26 17:17:10 GMT 2012

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Greg Lucier, chief executive officer of Life Technologies Corp., talks about the company's DNA sequencer and the results of his own genome sequencing done last year. Lucier spoke with Bloomberg's John Lauerman on Oct. 4, 2011. (Source: Bloomberg)

Obtaining a complete transcript of a persons DNA is getting faster and cheaper, raising ethical and privacy questions that the government must examine, a U.S. presidential commission said.

The panel said today it wants public input on developments in human genome sequencing, including how to balance individual privacy against societal benefits. The Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, an advisory panel set up in 2009, plans to send President Barack Obama a report by the end of the year.

Translating an entire human genome required more than a decade of research and billions of dollars by the governments Human Genome Project, which completed the first sequence in 2003. Now, Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd. plans to sell a genome sequencer the size of a USB memory stick for $900 by the end of this year and companies including Life Technologies Corp. (LIFE) and Illumina Inc. (ILMN) promise genomes sequenced in a day.

Relatively inexpensive, rapid sequencing of whole human genomes appears not only likely, but imminent, the commission said in a regulatory filing. This prospect raises many questions for the scientific, medical, ethics and patient communities related to how this information can and ought to be collected, used and regulated.

Public comments are due by May 25, and the panel plans to spend six months on its research.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Wayne in Washington at awayne3@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Reg Gale at rgale5@bloomberg.net

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DNA Mapped in a Day Prompts U.S. Review of Genome Ethics

Posted in DNA

New dean named at Nicholls

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Published: Monday, March 26, 2012 at 12:57 p.m. Last Modified: Monday, March 26, 2012 at 12:57 p.m.

Longtime biology teacher, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Nicholls State University, and native son John Doucet will become a full dean, pending approval from the state University Board of Supervisors.

Doucet, who hails from Golden Meadow, has led the school since July, when Badiollah Asrabadi retired as dean.

Arts and Sciences is the largest academic unit on campus. It is responsible for many of the general education courses that all Nicholls students take and encompasses more than 150 faculty in 10 departments.

As a researcher, Doucet has contributed to 150 presentations, letters and workshops and more than 50 full-length publications. He has secured more than $1 million in research grants, and he also is the first certified public-health geneticist in the state of Louisiana.

He has served in several administrative roles, including heading up the schools honors program.

(Doucet) has been involved in projects and research related to both the arts and sciences, and his leadership is particularly evident through the continued growth of the University Honors Program, said Laynie Barrilleaux, vice president for academic affairs.

Aside from his scientific pursuits, Doucet has written stage plays and history books, most of which focus on his native south Louisiana.

Barrileaux said the focus on arts and sciences makes him a special fit for the head of the broadest college on campus. She also touts his ties to the local community.

Dr. Doucet brings with him an extensive knowledge of the university and the community it serves, she said.

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Undergrad researcher makes her mark in UNI biology department

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Taking a small amount of initiative outside of class has paid off academically for senior biology major Kelsey Hampton. Hampton has been selected to present her research on the morphology of fiddler crabs at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Utah, held at Weber State University from March 29 through March 31.

While working with Carl Thurman, a professor in the biology department, Hampton and several other students have been studying the effects of various conditions such as climate change and environmental damage from oil spills on two separate populations of crabs in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea.

Were using Brazilian fiddler crabs as a model organism to observe relationships among species, Hampton said. Were watching evolution happen right now.

In the summer of 2011, Hampton, Dr. Thurman, and other students collected field data on the crabs along the Gulf Coast between Panama City, Fla., and Galveston, Texas.

The trip last summer was my favorite part of this project, Hampton said. We met a lot of new people from different schools and programs, and collecting information in the field was just really fun.

Hampton primarily attributes her success to good old-fashioned hard work and dedication, but also commends the UNI biology departments accessibility to students.

I really feel like the smaller class sizes make it easier to talk with professors and ask questions, as well as just getting to know everyone better, she said. Early on in college I was nervous about asking to take part in research, but all you really have to do is go in and talk to the professors. A lot of it is just taking that initiative.

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New synthetic biology technique boosts microbial production of diesel fuel

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ScienceDaily (Mar. 26, 2012) Significant boosts in the microbial production of clean, green and renewable biodiesel fuel has been achieved with the development of a new technique in synthetic biology by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI). This new technique -- dubbed a dynamic sensor-regulator system (DSRS) -- can detect metabolic changes in microbes during the production of fatty acid-based fuels or chemicals and control the expression of genes affecting that production. The result in one demonstration was a threefold increase in the microbial production of biodiesel from glucose.

"The DSRS is an amazing and powerful new tool, the first example of a synthetic system that can dynamically regulate a metabolic pathway for improving production of fatty acid-based fuels and chemicals while the microbes are in the bioreactor," says Jay Keasling, CEO of JBEI and one of the world's foremost practitioners of synthetic biology, who led this research.

Keasling, who also serves as the Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is the corresponding author of a paper describing this research in Nature Biotechnology. The paper is titled "Design of a dynamic sensor-regulator system for production of FAbased chemicals and fuels." Co-authors are Fuzhong Zhang and James Carothers of JBEI's Fuels Synthesis Division, which is directed by Keasling.

The need for new transportation fuels that are renewable and can be produced in a sustainable fashion has never been more urgent. Scientific studies have consistently shown that liquid fuels derived from plant biomass are one of the best alternatives if a cost-effective means of commercial production can be found. Major research efforts to this end are focused on fatty acids -- the energy-rich molecules in plant cells that have been dubbed nature's petroleum. Fatty acids now serve as the raw materials not only for biodiesel fuel, but also for a wide range of important chemical products including surfactants, solvents and lubricants.

"Microbial production of fuels and chemicals from fatty acids is a greener and sustainable alternative to chemical synthesis," says Zhang, who is the lead author of the Nature Biotechnology paper. "However, high productivities, titers and yields are essential for microbial production of these chemical products to be economically viable, particularly in the cases of biofuels and low-value bulk chemicals."

Hampering microbial production of fatty acid-based chemicals has been metabolic imbalances during product synthesis.

"Expression of pathway genes at too low a level creates bottlenecks in biosynthetic pathways, whereas expression at too high a level diverts cellular resources to the production of unnecessary enzymes or intermediate metabolites that might otherwise be devoted to the desired chemical," Zhang says. "Furthermore, the accumulation of these enzymes and intermediate metabolites can have a toxic effect on the microbes, reducing yield and productivity."

Using the tools of synthetic biology, there have been several strategies developed to meet this challenge but these previous strategies only provide static control of gene expression levels.

"When a gene expression control system is tuned for a particular condition in the bioreactor and the conditions change, the control system will not be able to respond and product synthesis will suffer as a result," Zhang says.

The DSRS responds to the metabolic status of the microbe in the bioreactor during synthesis by sensing key intermediate metabolites in an engineered pathway. The DSRS then regulates the genes that control the production and consumption of these intermediates to allow their delivery at levels and rates that optimize the pathway for maximum productivity as conditions change in the bioreactor.

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Students create their own study abroad program to China

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Many University students will travel abroad this summer, but only two funded by the Honors International Scholars Program will travel toChinato study medicine.

JuniorMuhan Huand sophomoreMatthew Hess,biochemistry majors from Augusta, will leave for Beijing in June. From there they will travel toKaifeng,China,where they will shadow doctors in the city hospital. The couple will also visit a small village outside of the city to experience the differences between a big city hospital and a small town clinic.

Muhan Hu and her boyfriend Matt are going on a trip to China funded by the Honors program to learn about medicine in Asia. KATHRYN INGALL/Staff

TheHonors International Scholars Programis an award program granted to second and third year honors students through competitive application to support them so they may travel abroad.

We dont want lack of money to prevent students from studying abroad, saidMaria de Rocher, coordinator of honors programming. We select students depending on the money we have available, usually around 35 to 45 students. This year we were able to award scholarships to 50, so thats a great number we have been able to award.

De Rocher said the scholarship gets funding from individual donations, and applications are due in early November for travel the following year.

Students who apply can choose an already existing program or can make their own program. During the application process, students write a proposal of what they will do and from that they are judged on whether the idea is worth funding.

Hu and Hess chose to make their own program studying different types of medicine inChina, because Hu was able to connect with people there who could help her reach this goal.

The big challenge was actually getting in touch with someone inChinawho would sponsor us while we were there, Hu said. I do not foresee any huge problems once we get there. I am fluent in Chinese, but I think Matt might have a harder time since he doesnt speak the language.

Hu, who is originally fromChina, said she is enthusiastic about going back to be able to tour the country and see the sites with Hess while studying medicine there.

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The Anatomy of an Art Exhibition

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The Challenge: Create art for an exhibition to be shown during a visit to the School of Fashion by Jean Paul Gaultier.

The Participants: Fashion Illustration students in FSH 102, 112, 640, 371 and Fashion Merchandising students in FSH 320 Interpreting and Reporting Fashion Students

The Deadline: Mid-March

What goes into creating a mixed media exhibition using large-scale artwork? Create a meaningful activity and fill the task with a collective purpose while giving the project to fashion students and you will find out.

When the semester started, School of Fashion Executive Director Gladys Perint Palmer and Director Simon Ungless gave illustration students an opportunity to shine. Please create large scale mixed media work that will showcase the point of view of a fashion student in the School of Fashion. Work with each other using research about Jean Paul Gualtier from the Interpreting and Reporting Fashion class to help you get inspired. You have six weeks to complete the work and hang the show.

The first step was to form groups and this started the first week of school. Students met each other, collaborated and brainstormed ideas, and began the semester on a high note. What a great way to begin collaborating (a life long pursuit for a fashion student). Fellow students names were soon learned, interesting work began, and the excitement started to build.

Assisted by the students from Hersha Steinbocks FSH 320 class, the illustration classes began to receive research on a weekly basis. This helpful material allowed the creativity to be informed by extensive knowledge of Jean Paul Gaultiers work.

A group of students brainstorming and creating a mock up to present to the class. L-R: Clifford Grant, Rigo Garcia, Thomas Murphy, Isabella Sen, and Brandon Kee work on their presentation.

Following the initial project guidelines, students began working on drawings that would show a larger than life scale of their weekly workshop assignment. Combining curriculum and a special project proved to be no problem for the motivated students.

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The Anatomy of an Art Exhibition

Manatee school board talks nutrition, health insurance, reading tonight

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MANATEE -- New federal nutrition guidelines are coming to school cafeterias in Manatee County and elsewhere in the United States.

The new nutrition guidelines will require every public school student to have a fruit or vegetable on their plate, said Sandra Ford, the district's director of nutrition services. The new rules are a result of a federal law passed in December 2010 called the Healthy Hunger-free Kids

Act, Ford said.

The act earned support from not only President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who have been advocates of healthier eating habits among children, but from Republicans including former Sen. Bill Frist and former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

Because the Manatee School District already offers several fruits and vegetables at each meal, Ford said she anticipates little financial impact. But she does anticipate that about 20 percent of students who didn't previously eat a fruit or vegetable will now be more likely to.

The school board today is also set to review a status report on the district's health insurance fund deficit that shows the shortfall sitting at just over $3.5 million as of January 2012, the latest date for which figures are available. The board had decided last year to reduce that shortfall by imposing a 2.75 percent pay cut on teachers and other cuts on other employees, but the deficit will be lessened more slowly since the board decided not to make that pay cut retroactive to the start of this school year.

Another highlight of tonight's meeting is a report from Moody Elementary School, one of five schools that are part of a pilot program called Project Push, designed to improve the reading performance of children for whom English is a second language.

This is the first year of the project and so no data is yet available, said Joe Stokes, director of elementary education. Moody's experience and that of the other four participant schools -- Daughtry, Orange Ridge-Bullock, Palm View, and Rogers Garden -- will determine whether the program will be expanded to all Manatee County elementary schools next year, Stokes said.

The meeting is at 5:45 p.m. at school board headquarters, 215 Manatee Ave. W.

Follow the tweets of Christine Hawes, Herald education reporter, during the school board meeting on Twitter @chawesreports. Hawes can also be reached at 941-745-7081.

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The time is ripe for Salmonella

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

Contact: Laura Udakis l.udakis@sgm.ac.uk 44-118-988-1843 Society for General Microbiology

The ripeness of fruit could determine how food-poisoning bacteria grow on them, according to scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin this week. Their work could lead to new strategies to improve food safety, bringing many health and economic benefits.

A wide range of fresh produce has been linked to outbreaks of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica including melons, jalapeo and serrano peppers, basil, lettuce, horseradish sprouts and tomatoes. Researchers at Imperial College London are looking at how these bacterial pathogens latch onto fruits and vegetables and establish themselves in the first place.

They have discovered that strains of Salmonella behave differently when attached to ripe and unripe tomatoes. "Bacteria that attach to ripe tomatoes produce an extensive network of filaments, which is not seen when they attach to the surface of unripe tomatoes. This could affect how they are maintained on the surface," explained Professor Gad Frankel who is leading the research. "We are not completely sure yet why this happens; it might be due to the surface properties of the tomatoes or alternatively the expression of ripening hormones."

This is just one example of the subtle interplay between food-poisoning microbes and the fresh produce they contaminate, that determines how pathogens become established in the food chain. "Apart from Salmonella, strains of E. coli are also particularly devious in the way they interact with plant surfaces. They have hair-like appendages and flagella they can use as hooks to successfully secure themselves onto things like salad leaves."

Although fresh fruits and vegetables are recognized as important vehicles that transmit harmful bacteria, they are still important components of a healthy and balanced diet. "By and large, raw fruits and vegetables are safe to eat and provide numerous health benefits. By working out the reasons behind sporadic outbreaks of infections, we can control these better and help maintain consumer confidence. By improving food safety we would also see important economical and health benefits."

Understanding how bacteria interact with fresh produce is a crucial but only the first step, explained Professor Frankel. "Translating research into new policies or methods for decontamination is the challenge for future studies," he said.

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Using viruses to beat superbugs

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

Contact: Laura Udakis l.udakis@sgm.ac.uk 44-118-988-1843 Society for General Microbiology

Viruses that can target and destroy bacteria have the potential to be an effective strategy for tackling hard-to-treat bacterial infections. The development of such novel therapies is being accelerated in response to growing antibiotic resistance, says Dr David Harper at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin.

Bacteriophages are viruses that can infect bacteria and multiply within them, breaking down the cell and destroying the bacteria - amplifying themselves in the process to deal with more bacteria. They are found everywhere including in river water, soil, sewage and on the human body. Soon after their initial discovery in 1915, bacteriophages were investigated as antibacterial therapeutic agents. A limited understanding of their mode of action meant early work was often unsuccessful and with the advent of the chemical antibiotic era, bacteriophages were passed over as therapeutics.

Dr Harper, Chief Scientific Officer at AmpliPhi Bioscience in Bedfordshire explains why bacteriophages are being revisited as antibacterial agents. "Each bacteriophage is highly specific to a certain type of bacteria and needs the right bacterial host cell in order to multiply. The more bacterial targets there are, the quicker they grow by killing the host cells. Therefore it seems very likely that infections harbouring high numbers of bacteria will benefit most from bacteriophage therapy for example chronically infected ears, lungs and wounds," he said. "For these types of infection, only a tiny dose of the virus is needed - as small as one thousandth of a millionth of a gram. This can usually be administered directly to the site of infection in a spray, drops or a cream. The major advantage to bacteriophages is that they don't infect human cells so seem likely to be very safe to use."

Increasing resistance to antibiotics has meant that bacterial infections are becoming more and more difficult to treat. With fewer antibiotics available to treat drug-resistant infections, research into bacteriophage therapy has been accelerated. "The rate of new antibiotics coming onto the market does not match the rate of increasing drug-resistance. The need for new approaches to counter such high resistance is both urgent and vital. New approaches will save lives," stressed Dr Harper.

Clinical trials for bacteriophage therapy are now underway. The first clinical trial for safety was reported in 2005 and the results demonstrating the effectiveness of bacteriophage therapy were published in 2009. This clinical trial was conducted by AmpliPhi. The company is planning further clinical trials in conditions where existing antibacterial therapies are not able to help. "With the results of further clinical trials, once regulatory issues are overcome and future investment secured in this area of research, this should lead to the development of novel products suitable for widespread use to tackle bacterial diseases and overcome antibiotic resistance", said Dr Harper.

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Vaccinating chickens could prevent food-borne illness

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

Contact: Laura Udakis l.udakis@sgm.ac.uk 44-079-908-26696 Society for General Microbiology

A vaccine could be developed to prevent Campylobacter being carried in chickens. This approach could drastically cut the number of cases of food poisoning, saving the UK economy millions each year, says an American scientist presenting his work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin.

Food-borne illness costs the UK an estimated 2 billion each year. Campylobacter is the leading cause of food-borne illness and is responsible for about 30% of cases in the UK. Campylobacter jejuni was responsible for more than 371,000 estimated cases in England and Wales in 2009, resulting in more than 17,500 hospitalizations and 88 deaths.

Campylobacter jejuni is found in the gut of many animals, including chickens. If Campylobacter-contaminated poultry is not prepared and cooked properly, the micro-organism can be transmitted to humans where it may cause severe gastrointestinal disease.

Scientists at Washington State University are studying the maternal antibodies that are passed from hens to their chicks. "These antibodies protect chicks from becoming colonized by Campylobacter in the first week of life," explained Professor Michael Konkel who is leading the research. "Our group has now identified the bacterial molecules that these antibodies attack, which has given us a starting point for a vaccine against Campylobacter," he said. "We have already found that chickens injected with these specific molecules found on the surface of Campylobacter jejuni produce antibodies against the bacterium. This response partially protects them from colonization."

A vaccine could be a powerful weapon to help control food-borne illness. "Preventing contamination of poultry at slaughter has not been effective at reducing illness in humans. It has been shown that about 65% of chickens on retail sale in the UK are contaminated with Campylobacter," explained Professor Konkel. "Ideally, the best way to prevent contamination is to stop chickens on the farm from becoming colonized with this microorganism in the first place, which could be achieved by vaccination. Our goal within the next 6 months is to test a vaccine for chickens that will reduce Campylobacter colonization levels. There's still a long way to go, but I'm confident our lab and others are moving in the right direction."

Controlling food-borne illness through vaccination would have a significant impact both in the UK and globally. "A safe food supply is central to human health. If we can decrease the load of human pathogens in food animals, then we can reduce human illness. A 1% reduction in the number of cases of food-borne illness would save the UK around 20 million per year. In developing countries, where people and food animals often share the same environment, diseased animals also pose a direct public health risk; vaccination would help mitigate this risk," said Professor Konkel.

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Dental plaque bacteria may trigger blood clots

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

Contact: Laura Udakis l.udakis@sgm.ac.uk 44-118-988-1843 Society for General Microbiology

Oral bacteria that escape into the bloodstream are able to cause blood clots and trigger life-threatening endocarditis. Further research could lead to new drugs to tackle infective heart disease, say scientists presenting their work at the Society for General Microbiology's Spring Conference in Dublin this week.

Streptococcus gordonii is a normal inhabitant of the mouth and contributes to plaque that forms on the surface of teeth. If these bacteria enter into the blood stream through bleeding gums they can start to wreak havoc by masquerading as human proteins.

Researchers from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and the University of Bristol have discovered that S. gordonii is able to produce a molecule on its surface that lets it mimic the human protein fibrinogen a blood-clotting factor. This activates the platelets, causing them to clump inside blood vessels. These unwanted blood clots encase the bacteria, protecting them from the immune system and from antibiotics that might be used to treat infection. Platelet clumping can lead to growths on the heart valves (endocarditis), or inflammation of blood vessels that can block the blood supply to the heart or brain.

Dr Helen Petersen who is presenting the work said that better understanding of the relationship between bacteria and platelets could ultimately lead to new treatments for infective endocarditis. "In the development of infective endocarditis, a crucial step is the bacteria sticking to the heart valve and then activating platelets to form a clot. We are now looking at the mechanism behind this sequence of events in the hope that we can develop new drugs which are needed to prevent blood clots and also infective endocarditis," she said.

Infective endocarditis is treated with surgery or by strong antibiotics which is becoming more difficult with growing antibiotic resistance. "About 30% of people with infective endocarditis die and most will require surgery for replacement of the infected heart valve with a metal or animal valve," said Dr Petersen. "Our team has now identified the critical components of the S. gordonii molecule that mimics fibrinogen, so we are getting closer to being able to design new compounds to inhibit it. This would prevent the stimulation of unwanted blood clots," said Dr Steve Kerrigan from the RCSI.

The team are also looking more widely at other dental plaque bacteria that may have similar effects to S. gordonii. "We are also trying to determine how widespread this phenomenon is by studying other bacteria related to S. gordonii. What our work clearly shows is how important it is to keep your mouth healthy through regular brushing and flossing, to keep these bacteria in check," stressed Dr Petersen.

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Dental plaque bacteria may trigger blood clots