Daily Archives: January 22, 2013

By mapping the genome of the diamondback moth, scientists have uncovered some of the genes that make it such a destructive agricultural pest. The discovery may lead to new ways to protect crops.

Two Australian scientists have helped reveal the "evolutionary trick" which makes the diamondback moth one of the world's worst agricultural pests.

University of Adelaide Ramsay research fellow Dr Simon Baxter and Charles Sturt University Professor Geoff Gurr, from the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, were part of an international consortium which today revealed the genetic blueprint of the moth in a paper in the international journal Nature Genetics.

Diamondback moth wreaks billions of dollars worth of damage to crops around the world each year, costing producers $4-5 billion in crop loss and control measures, and has caused major problems for the Australian canola industry.

The caterpillars feed on cabbage and related plants and are difficult to control because they can quickly develop resistance to all types of insecticide.

Dr Baxter said the moth had spread throughout the world and could be found in vegetable gardens and farms across Australia.

"They have an incredible ability to migrate long distances and to quickly adapt to the environments they encounter, making outbreaks of these insects difficult to predict and control," Dr Baxter said.

"This project has helped identify the genes that make diamondback moth such a successful pest and will enable new insecticide resistance monitoring techniques and pest management strategies to be developed."

Professor Gurr said the successful sequencing of the moth's genome revealed the moth's "evolutionary trick"; its ability to detoxify the defence compounds produced by plants in the cabbage family.

"These are the same compounds that make mustard so pungent and cabbage so smelly," Professor Gurr said.

Read more:
Genome reveals how moths detoxify pesticides

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Since the new year began, Rainbow Coral Corp. (RBCC) has wasted no time in searching for new targets to add to its portfolio of projects for commercialization. Last week, the Companys executive leadership accepted an invitation to tour a genome-mapping facility in Houston with which RBCC could soon partner.

New healthcare innovations related to the human genome represent a target-rich area of interest for RBCC.The Texas company currently being reviewed performs tests to identify genetic markers in patients that can potentially boost or nullify the effects of certain medications.

Such testing could dramatically change the way medications are prescribed, potentially fostering a significant reduction in global health care costs.

Knowing specifics about an individuals genetic make-up can greatly assist a patients doctor in determining correct doses of medications as well as ruling out medications that could prove harmful, said RBCC CEO Patrick Brown. Genome mapping opens up a host of new possibilities for doctors and patients alike, and were very interested in the technologys economic potential.

As the company searches for its next partner, RBCCs biotech subsidiary Rainbow Biosciences remains close to a joint venture deal with Amarantus Bioscience, makers of exciting new diagnostic tools and therapies for neurological diseases such as Parkinsons.

Amarantus recently announced highly promising results in new animal trials of its forthcoming Parkinsons therapeutic, known as MANF.

For more information on RBCC and its biotechnology targets, please visitwww.rainbowbiosciences.com/investors.

Rainbow BioSciences is dedicated to developing new medical and research technology innovations to compete alongside companies such as Amgen Inc. (AMGN), Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTIC) and Abbott Laboratories (ABT).

Follow us on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/RBCCinfo.

Read more here:
RBCC Visits Texas Genome-Mapping Target