Monthly Archives: April 2021

A look at one of our most prominent genetics journals (Clinical Epigenetics) and its new companion publication (Epigenetics Communications), that both present the best in epigenetic research. Both titles are helmed by Professor Lucia Altucci and Professor Marianne Rots.

Vanessa Tse 23 Apr 2021

DNA Day, on the 25th of April every year, is meant to commemorate the discovery of the structure of DNA in 1953 by Watson and Crick and the successful completion of the Human Genome Project 50 years later. With this 68th DNA anniversary, we here highlight a topic that is closely associated with DNA: epigenetics.

The concepts of chemical modifications of histones associated with gene expression status were established after identification of the first mark histone acetylation began in 1964. The discovery of genomic imprinting in the mid-1980s led to the identification of DNA methylation, which soon became a well-established mechanism of epigenetic gene regulation. Together with histone acetylation, these epigenetic mechanisms were shown to play an important role in normal development of cells. It also explained the phenotype differences between individuals, for example, why identical twins might suffer from different diseases despite having identical genetic information. All these discoveries moved the field of Epigenetics forward.

Over the past years, with the rapid development of (epi)genome-wide technologies, there is a growing interest in epigenetics and its associations with a wide range of diseases. Epigenetics now is a fully independent research field next to genetics, providing biomarkers and new therapies.

The journal Clinical Epigenetics, founded by Dr Mahlknecht in 2009, covers all aspects of epigenetic (mis)regulation from before birth and early development, via healthy ageing and the influence of lifestyle and ageing on chromatin functioning, to clinical aspects including epigenetic biomarkers and epi-drugs. The expanding study of Epigenetics is revealing a significant impact on various disciplines with the journal currently well-positioned amongst other Genetics & Heredity titles.

The sister journal, Epigenetics Communications (EPIC) was recently launched by the Editors-in-Chief of Clinical Epigenetics (Drs Altucci and Rots) as an innovative, open-access journal devoted to the study of epigenetic principles and mechanisms in more basic research settings. The journal also provides a forum for null hypothesis-confirming results and therefore welcomes submissions of negative results systematic studies. It is supported by a strong and international editorial board. We are very excited to have our EPIC editors share their perspectives towards this rapidly growing field in a Meet the Editors interview series, which will be launched soon.

On this special day, we look forward to seeing more exciting advances in this important field as we work together in enriching it by providing platforms to exchange the latest research.

Read more here:
DNA and its (journal) children - On Biology - BMC Blogs Network

Sunday 25 April is DNA Day, which celebrates the discovery of DNA and the scientific advances made possible by uncovering this building block of life.

DNA Day celebrates two dates that are so important in cancer research the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA by scientists including Francis Crick, James Watson, Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin, which was published in the journal Nature on 25 April 1953, and the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003, after 13 years of research. This was the first time scientists had read the complete sequence of human DNA, paving the way for new discoveries about human biology.

Without understanding DNA, understanding cancer and developing new treatments for the disease would be nearly impossible. Genetics plays a huge role in treating cancer, and its crucial for the care of many patients with cancer to understand the genetics of their disease.

Cancer is ultimately a disease of DNA. Our cells are constantly exposed to factors that can damage DNA, but they have a remarkable ability to repair mistakes when they occur even putting cell division on hold until repairs are complete.

Cells use a complex network of signals called the DNA damage response to control the process of detecting and repairing damaged DNA. But as cancer develops, this response can become defective making cells genetically unstable and causing them to accumulate more and more cancerous mutations.

Although defects in the DNA damage response can help cancers develop, they are also key genetic weaknesses that could be exploited to treat the disease.

Professor Jessica Downs, Professor of Epigenetics and Genome Stability at the ICR, is one of a group of researchers who are investigating how the DNA damage response works in healthy cells and how it can become defective in cancer.

Cancer cells with defects in their DNA damage response become more reliant on other systems to repair their DNA. So they could be susceptible to drugs that block these systems. Understanding how cancer becomes reliant on these repair systems could also help researchers identify new vulnerabilities in cancer that could be targeted with new treatments.

Researchers at the ICR famously applied this principle, known as synthetic lethality, in the development of drugs called PARP inhibitors, which are now used as a treatment for cancers with mutations to the BRCA genes.

Now Professor Downs and her team are studying a substance in cells called chromatin a mixture of DNA and proteins that helps package DNA to prevent damage. She is interested in how the proteins within chromatin help to support DNA damage repair in healthy cells and what happens to chromatin during the development of cancer.

Her lab is studying a particular protein complex within chromatin called SWI/SNF. This complex plays a role in winding or unwinding DNA so it can be copied or repaired, which can go wrong in cancer.

Professor Downs explains: The winding and unwinding of DNA is a tightly regulated process in cells, and the proteins controlling it play an important role in preventing and repairing wear and tear to DNA. The SWI/SNF protein complex helps maintain DNA in cells but its inactivated in roughly 20 per cent of cancers. Our lab is trying to understand why this protein complex is so important in the DNA damage response network, and what goes wrong in cancer.

By studying the role SWI/SNF plays in our cells, Professor Downs and her team have started to identify potential weaknesses that might be targeted by new drugs.

She is now working with colleagues in our Cancer Therapeutics Unit to develop compounds to target these proteins to treat cancer.

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As well as designing drugs to target DNA repair mechanisms, researchers at the ICR are also interested in ways of triggering more DNA damage to kill cancer cells.

Radiotherapy and some chemotherapies work by causing so much genetic damage that cancer cells cannot survive, but cancers can become resistant to these treatments by finding ways of repairing their DNA.

Professor Downs is working with Dr Navita Somaiah, a clinician scientist at the ICR and an expert in radiotherapy, to understand how cells respond to DNA damage caused by radiotherapy.

They are investigating how radiation-induced damage is repaired in different genetic contexts. It is possible that drugs that block the DNA damage response could make cancer cells more sensitive to radiotherapy, by stopping them from repairing the damage it causes. That could in turn improve outcomes for patients.

Dr Somaiah says: Targeting the DNA damage response could re-sensitise cancer that has become resistant to radiotherapy, which would be of great benefit to patients.

By understanding and exploiting cancers dependency on DNA damage repair, our researchers are using their knowledge of DNA to turn a strength of cancer into a weakness, which could open up new avenues of treatment and give hope to many patients with the disease.

Read the rest here:
Science Talk - DNA Day: How we're turning the tables on cancer - The Institute of Cancer Research

Testing conducted by local conservation organization MountainTrue identified cattle and faulty or inadequate sewer, septic or water treatment infrastructure as the major sources of E. coli pollution in the French Broad River.

MountainTrues French Broad Riverkeeper conducts regular water quality monitoring of rivers and streams throughout the French Broad River Basin, including weekly testing of more than 30 recreation areas from May to September. After decades of slow but consistent improvement to the basins water quality, the organization has documented a sharp decline in water quality.

The difference over that past few years has been disturbing, explains French Broad Riverkeeper Hartwell Carson. Take Pearson Bridge in Ashevilles River Arts District: That site passed the EPAs safe threshold for swimming 81% of the time in 2016. Just four years later, that site failed 81% of the time in 2020. Or Mud Creek in Henderson County; that site passed 52% of the time in 2018, and now it fails 93% of our tests.

MountainTrues standard E. coli testing program measures the E. coli in the river. Levels in the French Broad have been high and rising year-over-year, but the nonprofit couldnt say for certain what the sources of the pollution were. Determining the major sources of E. coli required more expensive testing to look at the presence of DNA in the river.

The nonprofit says it approached Sen. Chuck Edwards, whose district includes Henderson and parts of Buncombe County, for help securing state funding to pay for sampling and lab costs. With that funding, MountainTrue looked at the DNA found in 55 water samples to look for genetic fingerprints of E. coli from people, cows, dogs, poultry, sheep and swine.

Of the 55 samples, 44 revealed DNA from cows. Human DNA was the second-most prevalent. The results vary, but at nearly every site the primary sources of pollution were cattle followed by human. Dog DNA also showed up as a moderate contributor to E. coli pollution at a few sample sites.

The French Broad has some clean and clear streams that run through protected public lands, but were seeing more and more problem sites that consistently fail the EPAs safe water standard for E. coli, says Carson. Until now, weve only had educated guesses about where the E. coli was coming from. With this testing, we have the data we need to make more informed decisions about how to clean up our rivers.

MountainTrue encourages the public to advocate for the adoption of a clean rivers policy agenda that includes funding to help farmers, property owners and local governments reduce water pollution.

The public can read about issues affecting water quality, and the policies and reforms MountainTrue says are needed to fix them at iloverivers.org.

Starting Friday, April 23, Asheville Hiking Tours will offer wildflower and birding walks guided by wildflower authority Scott Dean and wildlife biologist and birding expert Bill Sanderson. Guided wildflower or birding walks are $20 using the promo code OUTSIDE2021. Information and reservations are available at AshevilleHikingTours.com or 828-476-8687.

To reduce the number of birds that die each year as the result of window collisions, the Coalition for a Bird-friendly Asheville is advocating for bird-safe window treatments and a lights-out commitment during migration months.

The coalition is made up of students at UNC Asheville, members of the Blue Ridge Audubon chapter and Audubon North Carolina. The groups website at birdsafeavl.org outlines strategies and products for reducing bird-window collisions. Incident data on collisions can be submitted via a form at avl.mx/prvu to aid in the organizations advocacy and mitigation efforts.

Tracy Swartoutis the new superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The South Carolina native is a 21-year veteran of the National Park Service, serving most recently as the deputy superintendent at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington.

Throughout my life, the Blue Ridge Parkway has played a prominent role, with some of my most treasured memories being shaped along that winding road and in the national parks and communities beyond, Swartout said in a press release. The areas landscape, arts, music and culture are deeply meaningful for me. I am honored to join the talented park team and dedicated network of community and nonprofit partners to serve in this critical leadership role.

Conserving Carolinas 2021 Habitat at Home photo contest kicked off April 1 and runs through Saturday, May 15. The local conservation nonprofit is looking for photos or videos that show any of these three things: 1. native plants in gardens or landscaping; 2. projects to improve habitat; 3. wildlife (of any size) seen at or near home.

To enter, create a public post of a photo or video on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #habitatathome2021. Entries may also be submitted by email to rose@conservingcarolina.org. A judging panel will select five finalists, and the contest winner will be chosen through online voting. The finalists and the winner will win garden-themed prizes.

Complete contest rules and information are available at avl.mx/99i.

Dreaming of a garden makeover? Conserving Carolina, True Ridge and Tierra Frtil Collective are offering a free community seed swap throughout April.

Community members can visit True Ridges office, 110 Edney St., Hendersonville weekdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. to pick up free seed packets. Empty seed packets are also available on-site for growers to drop off excess locally saved and store-bought seeds, as well as native plants, flowers and food sources.

For more information, visit avl.mx/99l.

Local nonprofits Green Opportunities and the YMI Cultural Centers Operation Gateway are offering a three-week paid training program to prepare members of marginalized communities to succeed in living-wage trade jobs, including solar installation.

The groups are partnering with solar installer SolFarm Solar Co. and TP Howards Plumbing to teach participants soft skills like leadership and accountability, followed by two weeks of on-the-job training with plumbing or solar crews. The program runs Monday, April 26, through Friday, May 14; companies have the option of hiring participants as full-time employees at the end of the training period. For more information, visit avl.mx/99o.

Read more:
Green in brief: DNA testing reveals sources of water pollution - Mountain Xpress

For decades popular culture has portrayed babies born to the survivors of nuclear accidents as mutants with additional heads or at high risk of cancers. But now a study of children whose parents were exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 suggests they carry no more DNA mutations than children born to any other parents.

The study, published in Science, is one of the first to systematically evaluate alterations in human mutation rates in response to a manmade disaster, such as accidental radiation exposure.

As well as providing fresh insights into how radiation affects the human body, the findings should help reassure other people who may have been exposed to radiation, such as those living near the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan in 2011, that it is safe to return home or have children.

Theres a lot of reticence among people to go back, and one of the major concerns is the transgenerational effects, said Dr Stephen Chanock, of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland, who supervised the research. Theres this science-fiction societal view of three-headed babies, which is really accentuated in the Fukushima setting right now.

Although ionising radiation can damage DNA in the cells of people exposed to it, potentially their risk of cancer, it was less clear whether egg and sperm cells were similarly affected. In theory, mutations in these cells could be transmitted down the generations, potentially triggering developmental disorders or cancers in the descendents of radiation-exposed individuals.

To investigate this possibility, Chanock and his colleagues analysed the genomes of 130 children born to parents who were either involved in the cleanup of the Chernobyl site after the accident, or were evacuated from nearby towns and settlements, as well the parents genomes. All of the children were conceived after the accident.

Even though their parents had been exposed to high levels of radiation, there was no increase in the number of new mutations those not detected in either parent but that could have arisen because of damage to their eggs or sperm in these children.

These mutations may be in the parents blood, but were not seeing this horrific science-fiction-like mutation of sperm and eggs, said Chanock. I think this should be reassuring data that theres a lack of evidence for substantial or significant transgenerational effects.

Dr Alex Cagan, a postdoctoral fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Hinxton, England, said: While these findings do not diminish the innumerable personal tragedies associated with the Chernobyl nuclear accident they do provide a glimmer of hope that the potentially damaging effects to DNA do not appear to have been passed down to the children of those involved.

Here is the original post:
Children of Chernobyl parents have no higher number of DNA mutations - The Guardian

St. Petersburg Police say they've identified a head found by a jogger in early July 2020.

According to police, the remains are that of 80-year-old Donald Edward Coston. His cause of death is still under investigation, police say.

Coston's head was found near the intersection of 38th Ave. S and 31st St. S. near the I-275 overpass. The jogger who found the remains called police around 7 a.m. July 7.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Homicide detectives investigating after jogger finds human head near road in St. Pete

Police are trying to get information on the last few days of Conston's life. They're asking anyone with details on where he might have been to call them at 727-893-4823.

Anonymous tips can also be sent by texting the letters "SPPD" and tip information to TIP-411.

See the article here:
DNA identifies human head found by jogger in St. Pete in July - ABC Action News

SAN DIEGO, April 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bionano Genomics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BNGO), announced today the publication of a study that analyzed the mechanisms of DNA replication, a fundamental process of cell growth implicated in cancer that was previously hard to study in human genomes. The study, led by Dr. Nicholas Rhind from the University of Massachusetts Medical School with an international team of scientists from France, Canada and the USA, described a method combining optical genome mapping (OGM) with Bionanos Saphyr system with a labeling method developed by the scientists. The Saphyr-based method was capable of determining the timing, speed and origin of DNA replication in human cells at a coverage level that is thousands of times higher than what earlier methods such as nanopore sequencing allowed. The breakthrough quality and quantity of single molecule data generated by Saphyr in this study illustrates the importance of novel technologies such as OGM in driving a wave of big biology and innovation in genomics.

The body of humans and other organisms develop and grow when cells divide, and for each division the entire genome needs to be replicated. Mistakes in DNA replication can lead to genome instability and mutations that drive cancer. Because cancer cells divide excessively, many chemotherapeutic drugs target and disrupt DNA replication. A better understanding of these mechanisms could help develop new cancer drugs with reduced side effects.

The study of DNA replication in human cells has been difficult because existing technologies dont allow for a thorough investigation of this extremely complex process in human cells. For that reason, replication studies using single molecule technologies such as nanopore sequencing have typically been limited to yeast cells because the sequencing throughput does not allow the genomewide analysis of human cells. The largest replication study to date analyzed no more than the equivalent of a single fiber for each part of the human genome. In this study, the optical replication mapping with Saphyr was able to collect more than 2,500 fibers for each part of the genome, or 27 million fibers total with an average length thats 10 times larger than previous studies using long-read sequencing. The authors stated that the Saphyr-based method can become a central technique for studying DNA replication, DNA repair and genome instability.

Erik Holmlin, PhD, CEO of Bionano Genomics commented: At Bionano we are focused on driving what we believe will be next wave of big biology and innovation in genomics by unlocking access to genome structure, structural variation, and functional information derived from high volume single molecule analysis. For all the transformative technology thats available to researchers and clinicians today, none of them handles genomic structure, location and organization very well.This limitation leaves a gap in the basic understanding of genome function and the search for new medicines and diagnostic tests while other areas of genome analysis are being transformed by new technology. The optical replication mapping described here is a novel application of our technology that contributes to solving unique scientific questions, and illustrates one of the areas of growth for OGM that the research market provides. We are excited about the possibilities for improved insight in cancer biology and the potential discoveries of novel treatments for cancer that this application could enable.

The publication is available at https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.24.263459v3

About Bionano GenomicsBionano is a genome analysis company providing tools and services based on its Saphyr system to scientists and clinicians conducting genetic research and patient testing, and providing diagnostic testing for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disabilities through its Lineagen business. Bionanos Saphyr system is a research use only platform for ultra-sensitive and ultra-specific structural variation detection that enables researchers and clinicians to accelerate the search for new diagnostics and therapeutic targets and to streamline the study of changes in chromosomes, which is known as cytogenetics. The Saphyr system is comprised of an instrument, chip consumables, reagents and a suite of data analysis tools. Bionano provides genome analysis services to provide access to data generated by the Saphyr system for researchers who prefer not to adopt the Saphyr system in their labs. Lineagen has been providing genetic testing services to families and their healthcare providers for over nine years and has performed over 65,000 tests for those with neurodevelopmental concerns. For more information, visitwww.bionanogenomics.com or http://www.lineagen.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as may, will, expect, plan, anticipate, estimate, intend and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes and are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things: Saphyrs capabilities in comparison to and in conjunction with other genome analysis technologies, including in the comprehensive analysis of human genomes; the potential for Saphyr to become a central technique for studying DNA replication, DNA repair and genome instability; the potential for Saphyr-based DNA replication methods to enable the discovery of novel cancer treatments; our expectations regarding the broader adoption of Saphyr as a clinical tool to replace other diagnostic testing and genome analysis technologies; and the execution of Bionanos strategy. Each of these forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include the risks and uncertainties associated with: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and the global economy; general market conditions; changes in the competitive landscape and the introduction of competitive products; changes in our strategic and commercial plans; our ability to obtain sufficient financing to fund our strategic plans and commercialization efforts; the ability of medical and research institutions to obtain funding to support adoption or continued use of our technologies; the loss of key members of management and our commercial team; and the risks and uncertainties associated withour business and financial condition in general, including the risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and in other filings subsequently made by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management's assumptions and estimates as of such date. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of the receipt of new information, the occurrence of future events or otherwise.

CONTACTSCompany Contact:Erik Holmlin, CEOBionano Genomics, Inc.+1 (858) 888-7610eholmlin@bionanogenomics.com

Investor Relations Contact:Ashley R. RobinsonLifeSci Advisors, LLC+1 (617) 430-7577arr@lifesciadvisors.com

Media Contact:Darren Opland, PhDLifeSci Communications+1 (617) 733-7668darren@lifescicomms.com

Read the rest here:
Bionano Genomics Announces Publication of New Approach to Study DNA Replication Using Optical Genome Mapping With Saphyr, Potentially Supporting...

A young boy named Dawson leans back in a white rocking chair on a balcony: "I bought some rocks from Home Depot and we just painted them. Let me show you over here."He points to his collection; there's a blue rock with orange stars and another with a flower. A few seconds later, the video carousel switches to another clip. This time it's a girl named Avery who pops a few quarters into her gumball machine and tells her 97 subscribers, "It's blue! I guessed right."If not for the tiny voices and faces, you might think you've fallen down a TikTok rabbit hole. But this is the world of Zigazoo, a social media app for kids ages three to 12.The short-form video platform launched last summer with a mission to develop healthy social media and streaming habits at an early age. It lets kids browse or participate in 30-second video challenges or activities created by zoos, museums, teachers, musicians and TV studios, encouraging them to answer questions such as "What's on your mind?" or "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Kids can then share recorded responses with their Zigazoo friends or its network of 120,000 subscribers. There's singing, dancing and pet show-and-tells.At a time when Facebook faces backlash for reportedly working on a kids version of Instagram, with advocacy groups citing excessive time on devices and social media as a main concern, Zigazoo is attracting positive attention. The company said the platform has grown by about 100% since the beginning of 2021 and has had 20 million video views to date -- two-thirds of that occurring in 2021.File video: Children could be at risk of online predators through virtual learning, FBI saysOn Thursday, the company announced a $4 million round of funding led by MaC Venture Capital, and a handful of celebrity investors, including Jimmy Kimmel, Serena Williams through her venture capital firm Serena Ventures, and Matthew Rutler, investor and head of talent at MasterClass.Williams, a serial tech investor and mother to 3-year-old Olympia, said she was drawn to Zigazoo because it was designed specifically for kids, rather than retrofitting a product made for adults."Existing social media sites were not necessarily designed with young children in mind and require parental supervision to make sure kids only consume content intended for their age group," Williams told CNN Business in an email. "Kids-first platforms like Zigazoo are important because safety is in their DNA and content is specifically developed to meet children's social and emotional needs."Zigazoo co-founders Zak and Leah Ringelstein, former elementary school teachers, created the app in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic after struggling to find interactive, engaging content for their three young children."We know the highest level of thinking happens at creation, and we were watching our own kids zone out and binge on YouTube," Zak Ringelstein said. "We recognized that not only was there a lot of content that we would never select for our child to watch but that kids can and want to do more. They want to be with friends. They want to create, build, and interact."Leah Ringelstein said they started orchestrated challenges around the house for their kids, such as "Does it sink or float?" or hunting for items that start with each letter of the alphabet. With a background as tech entrepreneurs -- the Ringelsteins launched and sold Dropbox-for-education platform UClass to Renaissance Learning, a Google Capital Company, for an undisclosed sum in 2015 -- they folded these exercises into an app and made the traditionally passive experience of viewing videos into something creative and social.The app's challenges fall into various categories -- art, math, health and fitness, and more -- and come from its content partners. For example, a Netflix challenge features character Chico Bon Bon: Monkey With a Tool Belt demonstrating downhill acceleration with toy cars, while a Peanuts challenge highlights how Zigazoo users can help protect the planet for Earth Day.The app requires an adult over the age of 18 to sign up via a Facebook, Google or Apple account. Parents can then decide if they want their child's videos to be seen on the Zigazoo feed or set to private.Each video is run through a third-party professional moderation service; the company has posted 125,000 so far in 2021. Its moderators work during a 19 hour window 7 days a week to ensure videos stay on topic for each challenge, do not include personal information -- no last names or addresses -- language is clean and content is free of "shoving, throwing, anger, yelling, bullying, sarcasm, or sulking," according to its policy page. Videos that check these boxes appear on the app's made feed; those that do not are made private.Zigazoo is also part of the kidSAFE Seal Program, an independent safety certification service designed for children-friendly technologies.The app has earned high praise from nonprofit Common Sense Media, which makes tech recommendations for families. "It's really impossible to stress how favorable and critical this approach is," said Christine Elgersma, senior editor of social media and learning apps at Common Sense. "If all social media had been designed with the notion that kids might use it, we'd be in a very different place today. Instead, we're playing catch-up and trying to put bandaids on issues that perhaps could have been avoided if initial design and launch placed kids and teens at the center."As Zigazoo grows through word of mouth, it has also fallen into the hands of celebrity parents -- including Rutler and his partner, singer Christina Aguilera -- whose 6-year-old daughter consumes videos on the app. "There's nothing else out there like this at all in the kids education space," said Rutler on why he wanted to invest. "I didn't really want my daughter to be spending time on some of the we found early on in the pandemic. I love that there are more exciting options now."Elergsma believes existing social media platforms and other apps for kids can look to Zigazoo as an example of how to offer a social yet safe place for children to be online."Kids aren't messaging each other, responding to lots of notifications, trying to get 'Zigazoo famous,' shop within the app, meet strangers, or doing any of the other things that make TikTok popular," Elergsma said. "Because Zigazoo encourages offscreen exploration and learning and then allows kids to show what they discovered, it strikes a great balance. It's absolutely okay for kids to be on apps like this."

A young boy named Dawson leans back in a white rocking chair on a balcony: "I bought some rocks from Home Depot and we just painted them. Let me show you over here."

He points to his collection; there's a blue rock with orange stars and another with a flower. A few seconds later, the video carousel switches to another clip. This time it's a girl named Avery who pops a few quarters into her gumball machine and tells her 97 subscribers, "It's blue! I guessed right."

If not for the tiny voices and faces, you might think you've fallen down a TikTok rabbit hole. But this is the world of Zigazoo, a social media app for kids ages three to 12.

The short-form video platform launched last summer with a mission to develop healthy social media and streaming habits at an early age. It lets kids browse or participate in 30-second video challenges or activities created by zoos, museums, teachers, musicians and TV studios, encouraging them to answer questions such as "What's on your mind?" or "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Kids can then share recorded responses with their Zigazoo friends or its network of 120,000 subscribers. There's singing, dancing and pet show-and-tells.

At a time when Facebook faces backlash for reportedly working on a kids version of Instagram, with advocacy groups citing excessive time on devices and social media as a main concern, Zigazoo is attracting positive attention. The company said the platform has grown by about 100% since the beginning of 2021 and has had 20 million video views to date -- two-thirds of that occurring in 2021.

File video: Children could be at risk of online predators through virtual learning, FBI says

On Thursday, the company announced a $4 million round of funding led by MaC Venture Capital, and a handful of celebrity investors, including Jimmy Kimmel, Serena Williams through her venture capital firm Serena Ventures, and Matthew Rutler, investor and head of talent at MasterClass.

Williams, a serial tech investor and mother to 3-year-old Olympia, said she was drawn to Zigazoo because it was designed specifically for kids, rather than retrofitting a product made for adults.

"Existing social media sites were not necessarily designed with young children in mind and require parental supervision to make sure kids only consume content intended for their age group," Williams told CNN Business in an email. "Kids-first platforms like Zigazoo are important because safety is in their DNA and content is specifically developed to meet children's social and emotional needs."

Zigazoo co-founders Zak and Leah Ringelstein, former elementary school teachers, created the app in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic after struggling to find interactive, engaging content for their three young children.

"We know the highest level of thinking happens at creation, and we were watching our own kids zone out and binge on YouTube," Zak Ringelstein said. "We recognized that not only was there a lot of content that we would never select for our child to watch but that kids can and want to do more. They want to be with friends. They want to create, build, and interact."

Leah Ringelstein said they started orchestrated challenges around the house for their kids, such as "Does it sink or float?" or hunting for items that start with each letter of the alphabet. With a background as tech entrepreneurs -- the Ringelsteins launched and sold Dropbox-for-education platform UClass to Renaissance Learning, a Google Capital Company, for an undisclosed sum in 2015 -- they folded these exercises into an app and made the traditionally passive experience of viewing videos into something creative and social.

The app's challenges fall into various categories -- art, math, health and fitness, and more -- and come from its content partners. For example, a Netflix challenge features character Chico Bon Bon: Monkey With a Tool Belt demonstrating downhill acceleration with toy cars, while a Peanuts challenge highlights how Zigazoo users can help protect the planet for Earth Day.

The app requires an adult over the age of 18 to sign up via a Facebook, Google or Apple account. Parents can then decide if they want their child's videos to be seen on the Zigazoo feed or set to private.

Each video is run through a third-party professional moderation service; the company has posted 125,000 so far in 2021. Its moderators work during a 19 hour window 7 days a week to ensure videos stay on topic for each challenge, do not include personal information -- no last names or addresses -- language is clean and content is free of "shoving, throwing, anger, yelling, bullying, sarcasm, or sulking," according to its policy page. Videos that check these boxes appear on the app's made feed; those that do not are made private.

Zigazoo is also part of the kidSAFE Seal Program, an independent safety certification service designed for children-friendly technologies.

The app has earned high praise from nonprofit Common Sense Media, which makes tech recommendations for families. "It's really impossible to stress how favorable and critical this approach is," said Christine Elgersma, senior editor of social media and learning apps at Common Sense. "If all social media had been designed with the notion that kids might use it, we'd be in a very different place today. Instead, we're playing catch-up and trying to put bandaids on issues that perhaps could have been avoided if initial design and launch placed kids and teens at the center."

As Zigazoo grows through word of mouth, it has also fallen into the hands of celebrity parents -- including Rutler and his partner, singer Christina Aguilera -- whose 6-year-old daughter consumes videos on the app. "There's nothing else out there like this at all in the kids education space," said Rutler on why he wanted to invest. "I didn't really want my daughter to be spending time on some of the [apps] we found early on in the pandemic. I love that there are more exciting options now."

Elergsma believes existing social media platforms and other apps for kids can look to Zigazoo as an example of how to offer a social yet safe place for children to be online.

"Kids aren't messaging each other, responding to lots of notifications, trying to get 'Zigazoo famous,' shop within the app, meet strangers, or doing any of the other things that make TikTok popular," Elergsma said. "Because Zigazoo encourages offscreen exploration and learning and then allows kids to show what they discovered, it strikes a great balance. It's absolutely okay for kids to be on apps like this."

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'Safety is in their DNA': This social media app is geared toward kids and learning - 4029tv

DUBLIN, April 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Synthetic DNA - Global Market Trajectory & Analytics" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Synthetic DNA estimated at US$1.3 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$4.2 Billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 18% over the analysis period 2020-2027.

Pharmaceuticals & Diagnostics, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record a 19.5% CAGR and reach US$1.8 Billion by the end of the analysis period. After an early analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Chemicals segment is readjusted to a revised 16.6% CAGR for the next 7-year period.

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $350.2 Million, While China is Forecast to Grow at 23.4% CAGR

The Synthetic DNA market in the U.S. is estimated at US$350.2 Million in the year 2020. China, the world`s second largest economy, is forecast to reach a projected market size of US$999.3 Million by the year 2027 trailing a CAGR of 23.4% over the analysis period 2020 to 2027. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 12.9% and 16% respectively over the 2020-2027 period. Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 14.2% CAGR.

Biofuels Segment to Record 20% CAGR

In the global Biofuels segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 18.9% CAGR estimated for this segment. These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of US$178 Million in the year 2020 will reach a projected size of US$596.4 Million by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach US$653.7 Million by the year 2027, while Latin America will expand at a 21.9% CAGR through the analysis period.

Select Competitors (Total 34 Featured):

Key Topics Covered:

I. METHODOLOGY

II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. MARKET OVERVIEW

2. FOCUS ON SELECT PLAYERS

3. MARKET TRENDS & DRIVERS

4. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

III. MARKET ANALYSIS

IV. COMPETITION

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rl7srm

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

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SOURCE Research and Markets

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Insights on the Synthetic DNA Global Market to 2027 - Featuring Codexis, Creative Enzymes and Cyrus Biotechnology Among Others - WFMZ Allentown