Monthly Archives: April 2021

A federal court of appeals turned down a request by death row inmate Rodney Reed in a late Thursday ruling that could prove fatal to a years-long efforts to clear his name and overturn his conviction.

In a first-ever attempt to address the issue, a trio of judges appointed by Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Barack Obama struck a significant blow against efforts to DNA test murder weapons.

The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that an August 2019 lawsuit filed against Bastrop County District Attorney Bryan Goertz must be dismissed because Reeds claim is barred by the statute of limitations.

The high-profile inmate sued Goertz under 42 U.S.C. 1983, a Civil Rights claim, based on the idea that prosecutors had violated his First, Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Amendment rights by refusing to conduct DNA testing on belt used to strangle and kill 19-year-oldStacey Stites.

The DAs office has long opposed efforts by Reed and his attorneys to test the belt and other crime scene evidence for DNAarguing that the results of such testing are not particularly trustworthy.

Specifically, Reed is challenging the applicability of Texass post-conviction DNA statute, Chapter 64, as it was applied to him by Lone Star State courts on appeal. The appeal directly calls into question Goertzs decision to forego a regime of DNA testing on multiple pieces of evidence that could be potentially exculpatory.

In state court, Reed asserted that he was entitled to post-conviction DNA testing of certain evidence, the nine-page opinion explains. The Court of Criminal Appeals rejected Reeds request for post-conviction DNA testing. In these proceedings, Reed challenges the constitutionality of [Chapter] 64 both on its face and as interpreted, construed, and applied by the state court.

Circuit Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod, writing for the court, said that Reeds objections were simply lodged too late.

Section 1983 claims are subject to a states personal injury statute of limitations, Elrod determined. In Texas, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years. As such, Reed cannot assert any claims that accrued prior to August 2017.

The court decided the issue here after crafting a question that produced a result unfavorable to Reed.

The question in this case is when Reed had sufficient information to know of his alleged injury, Elrod wrote.

Heres how the three-judge panel came down:

Reed alleges that he was denied access to the physical evidence that he wished to test. An injury accrues when a plaintiff first becomes aware, or should have become aware, that his right has been violated.Here, Reed first became aware that his right to access that evidence was allegedly being violated when the trial court denied his Chapter 64 motion in November 2014. Reed had the necessary information to know that his rights were allegedly being violated as soon as the trial court denied his motion for post-conviction relief.

Reed, on the other hand, argued that the statute of limitations only began to run when the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied his motion for reconsideration. Notably, the district court agreed with the defenses understanding of this discrete issuethough they denied him relief on other grounds. Goertz argued for a statute of limitations defense and the appellate court took his argument to heart.

Reed could have brought his claim the moment the trial court denied his Chapter 64 motion because there was a complete and present cause of action at that time [in 2014], Elrod writes. Because Reed knew or should have known of his alleged injury in November 2014, five years before he brought his 1983 claim, his claim is time-barred.

The defendant still has at least one extant avenue for potential salvation left: a case in the Texas court system based on a habeas corpus petition is currently ongoing. In that filing, Reeds defense is still proceeding at the trial court leveland is the reason hes still alive.

Based on that in-progress case, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals paused Reeds scheduled execution five days before he was slated to be killed by the state in 2019. In January of this year, Visiting Judge Doug Shaver set a tentative Aug. 31 deadline for the trial courts investigation.

[image via screengrab/Austin-American Statesman]

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Fifth Circuit Rules Rodney Reed Cannot Force Texas to DNA Test Weapon Used in 1996 Murder - Law & Crime

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "DNA Sequencing - Technologies, Markets & Companies" report from Jain PharmaBiotech has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report briefly reviews basics of human genome variations, development of sequencing technologies, and their applications. Current large and small sequencers are described as well as companies developing them. Various applications of sequencing are described including those for genetics, medical diagnostics, drug discovery, and cancer. Next-generation sequencing technologies, both second and third generations, are reviewed. Companies developing software for analysis of sequencing data are also included. Selected academic institutes conducting research in sequencing are also listed.

The current market is mostly for research applications and future markets will be other applications related to healthcare. The value of DNA sequencer market in 2020 is described with estimates for 2024 and 2030. Various methods and factors on which market estimates depend are described briefly. Markets are tabulated according to geographical areas as well as applications. Small sequencers form the basis of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis. Several marketing strategies have been outlined.

The report includes profiles of 149 companies involved in sequencing and their 173 collaborations. The report text is supplemented by 42 tables, 25 figures, and 500 selected references to the literature.

The report includes information on the following:

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

2. DNA Sequencing Technologies

3. Role of Bioinformatics in Sequencing

4. Comparative Analysis of Sequencing Technologies

5. Sequencing for Research

6. Applications of Sequencing in Healthcare

7. Applications of Sequencing in Oncology

8. Sequencing in Genetic Disorders

9. Sequencing in Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

10. Applications of sequencings in infections

11. Role of Sequencing in Personalized Medicine

12. Current Status and Future Prospects

13. Markets for Sequencing

14. Companies Involved in Sequencing

15. References

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vf9vtp

Source: Jain PharmaBiotech

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Insights on the DNA Sequencing Global Market to 2030 - Profiles of 149 Companies and Their 173 Collaborations - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

(THE CONVERSATION) Imagine discovering an animal species you thought had gone extinct was still living without laying eyes on it. Such was the case with the Brazilian frog species Megaelosia bocainensis, whose complete disappearance in 1968 led scientists to believe it had become extinct. But through a novel genetic detection technique,it was rediscovered in 2020.

Such discoveries are now possible thanks to a new approach that recovers and reads the trace amounts of DNA released into the environment by animals. Its called environmental DNA, or eDNA and it takes advantage of the fact thatevery animal sheds DNA into its environmentvia skin, hair, scales, feces, or bodily fluids as it moves through the world.

Wildlife biologistsat the University of FloridasWhitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience & Sea Turtle Hospital use eDNA to track a virusresponsible for asea turtle pandemic called fibropapillomatosis, whichcauses debilitating tumors. We also use eDNA to detect sea turtles in the wild.

But in 2020, human health researchers began repurposing eDNA techniques to track the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a prime example of how research in one area wildlife conservation can be adapted to another area human disease mitigation. Going forward, researchers believe eDNA will prove to be an essential tool for monitoring both human and animal health.

From soil microbes to sea turtles

Scientists in the 1980s beganhunting for microbe DNA in soil samples. Over the next 20 years, the technique was adapted for use with air and water samples, and scientists started using eDNA todetect larger animals and plants.

While the science behind eDNA techniques is complex, the actual process of collecting and testing a sample is relatively simple. Samples are filtered through very fine paper, which traps loose cells and strands of DNA. The techniques to read what DNA is present are the same as those used for tissue or blood samples, usuallyquantitative polymerase chain reactionorwhole-genome sequencing. Scientists can either read all of the DNA present from every organism or target just the DNA from species of interest.

Scientists now routinely use eDNA todetect endangered wildlife and invasive species. The ability to tell whether an animal is present without ever needing to lay eyes or a lens on it is an incredible leap forward, decreasing the time, resources, and human effort needed to monitor and protect vulnerable species.

However, to truly protect endangered species, its not just the animals that need to be monitored, but the pathogens that threaten their survival. Environmental DNA is able to monitor the parasites, fungi, andviruses that can cause disease in wildlife.

Tracking COVID-19

While scientists originallyapplied eDNA to human pathogen detectionover a decade ago, it wasnt until the beginning of the current COVID-19 human pandemic that the repurposing of eDNA took off on a large scale, allowing the technology to make staggering advancements in very short order.

Coronavirus genomes consist not of DNA, but rather its cousin molecule, RNA. So researchers have rapidly optimized a variation of eDNA eRNA to detect coronavirus RNA in air and human wastewater.

For example, at the University of Florida Health Shands Hospital, researchers collected air samples from the hospital room of two COVID-19 patients. Using eRNA, theysuccessfully isolated and sequenced the virus. Confirming air as a key route of transmission directly influenced public health guidelines.

When scientists apply eRNA toarchived wastewater samples, thetrue dates of SARS-CoV-2 appearance can be detected.SARS-CoV-2 concentration in wastewater in Valencia, Spain, peaked on March 9, 2020, but the number of clinical cases didnt peak until the start of April 2020 because of the lag time between infection and severe clinical symptoms.

This sort of predictive monitoring has profound implications for health care systems, allowing time to prepare not just for COVID-19, but for any future disease outbreaks that threaten human populations.

Intersection of diseases

Its vital that human and animal diseases are studied together.Sixty percent of emerging human pathogens come from animals with many of these (42%) originating in wildlife populations, including Ebola, Zika, West Nile, and Marburg viruses. Alternatively,people can also transmit pathogens to animals.

SARS-CoV-2 has already infectedapes at a zoo in San Diego,large cats at a zoo in New York,andminks at farms in Europe the latter of whichgave rise to new variants that could prove a new threat to people.

Medics, veterinarians, and scientists call this convergence of human, animal, and environmental well-beingOneHealthor EcoHealth. Studying and treating human and wildlife diseases togetherrecognizes their commonalitiesand often yields breakthroughs.

With eDNA, all pathogens can be monitored in an environment regardless of where they come from. An integrated eDNA monitoring program could cost-effectively provide advanced warning of human, livestock, and wildlife diseases.

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How a tool that detects endangered wildlife is helping in COVID-19 fight - KRQE News 13

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DNA vaccines target unique cancer mutations

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that personalized cancer vaccines made using DNA can program the immune system to attack malignant tumors, including breast and pancreatic cancers. The study was conducted in mice with breast cancer and one patient with late-stage pancreatic cancer.

The COVID-19 vaccines designed using bits of genetic information that prime our immune systems to recognize and fight off viral infections have become lifesavers in the global fight to end the pandemic.

Now, new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has shown that a similar vaccine approach can be used to create personalized vaccines that program the immune system to attack malignant tumors, including breast and pancreatic cancers.

The tailor-made vaccines are designed to target mutated proteins called neoantigens that are unique to a patients tumors. Unlike the COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech that rely on genetic material called mRNA, the personalized cancer vaccines are made using DNA.

We took a small tissue sample from a tumor in a 25-year-old male patient with late-stage pancreatic cancer and used it to develop a personalized vaccine based on the unique genetic information in that tumor, said William Gillanders, MD, senior author and professor of surgery at the School of Medicine. We think this is the first report of the use of a neoantigen DNA vaccine in a human, and our monitoring confirms the vaccine was successful in prompting an immune response that targeted specific neoantigens in the patients tumor.

Published April 20 in the journal Genome Medicine, the study explores how techniques used to create personalized cancer vaccines can be improved to help the body unleash a more effective, longer-lasting, tumor-fighting immune response.

The findings also show that a personalized DNA vaccine coupled with other immunotherapies can generate a robust immune response capable of shrinking breast cancers in mice. While the DNA vaccine did not shrink tumors in the pancreatic cancer patient, it did produce a measurable immune response that targeted the tumor.

Gillanders, who treats breast cancer patients at Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, said DNA vaccine platforms offer some important advantages over other personalized vaccine platforms now in early clinical trials, such as those relying on mRNA, dendritic cells and synthetic peptides.

Because the neoantigen DNA vaccine focuses the immune response on neoantigens that exist only in tumor cells, it lowers the risk of dangerous side effects, such as damage to normal healthy tissues or the triggering of an intolerance or bad reaction to the vaccine.

DNA vaccines are relatively easy and cost effective to manufacture compared with other neoantigen vaccine platforms such as those that use dendritic cells or mRNA, for example, making the DNA vaccine platform attractive for neoantigen vaccines, Gillanders said. The DNA vaccine platform also can be readily engineered to include multiple neoantigens. Additional immune modulators can also be integrated into the vaccine to increase the immune responses.

Like other personalized vaccines now under development, the DNA vaccine platform targets neoantigens, abnormal protein fragments that are created as cancerous tumor cells mutate and grow. Since each cancer generates unique mutations, each DNA vaccine is also unique and optimized to simultaneously target multiple neoantigens.

Each neoantigen included in the vaccine raises a red flag for the immune system, sending an army of specialized immune cells called T cells to seek and destroy the tumor.

While the process seems simple in theory, the devil is in the details, and those details reside within the complex inner workings of how cells process and present the neoantigens to the immune system.

For the vaccine to be successful, the neoantigens must be presented to cells in a precise format that maximizes the odds of triggering a complex, step-by-step cascade of natural immune responses. Any misstep may result in a weakened or even failed immune response.

As the new study documents, the neoantigen DNA vaccine can be optimized to improve the presentation process. Small differences in the length of an epitope (the part of the antigen recognized by the immune system), spacing and amino acid sequence can result in important changes in how neoantigens are presented to the immune system. Even then, cancers often find ways to evade successful attacks.

In this study, Gillanders and his team set out to address these challenges using the latest in next-generation gene sequencing tools, new predictive modeling techniques, and bioinformatics-based computational algorithms all designed to fine-tune the vaccine creation process.

The findings suggest that longer epitope fragments are more effective at triggering a longer-lasting immune response that includes both CD8 and CD4 T cells; that a mutant marker that tags neoantigens and is cloned to the end of an epitope string can significantly increase its recognition by the immune system; and that even the most well-presented epitopes are seldom successful at shrinking tumors unless accompanied by an additional immunotherapy tool, such as anti-PD-L1 checkpoint blockade.

Although the initial clinical experience is promising, there is more work to do to refine the vaccines and evaluate their effectiveness in animal models and clinical trials. But this is an important first step and points us in the right direction, Gillanders said.

This work was supported by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, grant number KG111025; the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center, Investment Program grant 4035; the National Institute of Health (NIH), R01CA240983; the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Center Support Grant P30-CA091842, and SPORE in Pancreatic Cancer, P50-CA196510; NCI training grant T32 CA 009621; and The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital.

Li L, Zhang X, Wang X, Kim SW, Herndon JM, Becker-Hapak MK, Carreno BM, Myers NB, Sturmoski MA, McLellan MD, Miller CA, Johanns TM, Tan BR, Dunn GP, Fleming TP, Hansen TH, Goedegebuure SP, Gillanders WE. Optimized polyepitope neoantigen DNA vaccines elicit neoantigen-specific immune responses in preclinical models and in clinical translation. Genome Medicine. April 20, 2021.

Washington University School of Medicines 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, consistently ranking among the top medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

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Personalized cancer vaccines for breast, pancreatic cancers show promise - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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/pzvevf

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$1.3 Billion Worldwide Synthetic DNA Industry to 2027 - Impact of COVID-19 on the Market - ResearchAndMarkets.com - Business Wire

New Delhi: India recorded the world's highest single-day spike with 3,32,730 fresh infections of COVID-19 on Friday. Reports of shortage of oxygen supply have been pouring in from several hospitals across the country.

Even as the countrys vaccination drive continues on full steam, lately it seemed like it was not going to be enough to get hold of the second wave of the COVID pandemic.

At a time like this, the arrival of a new drug could possibly be a game-changer.

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Friday (April 23) informed people all about Virafin, a drug manufactured by Zydus Cadila which is being said to be effective in the treatment of the coronavirus. He also discussed the directions issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a high-level meeting today to deal with the oxygen crisis prevailing in the country.

One of the biggest development of the day was that the Drugs Controller General of India approved a new drug, Virafin, for the treatment of COVID patients.

The drug, if given to a COVID patient in time, limits the effect of the virus and speeds up the recovery process. The manufacturer has informed that it works particularly well in moderate cases.

In a conversation with Zee News today, the Director of Zydus Cadila, Sharvil Patel, said that the drug speeds up the recovery of COVID patients.

The clinical trials of this drug took place at 20 to 25 centers in India and a total of 250 patients were administered the drug. About 91.15 percent of the patients recovered in just 7 days. When the RT-PCR test of these patients was done after 7 days, their report came back negative.

The patients undergoing trial required oxygen support for only 56 hours, whereas usually in moderate cases, the patients need an average of 84 hours of oxygen.

The trials indicated that the drug is effective even in cases where the lungs of the patient have been infected.

According to Zydus Cadila, the medicine can be given to people above the age of 18 years. Just like the vaccines, this drug is also is injected into the body using a syringe. The dose then helps the patient recover in just seven days.

The medicine will be given to patients starting from May. The company will provide the medicine to the hospitals and the patients will get it only if a doctor prescribes it.

The price of the drug has not been decided yet. It will likely be known in the next five to six days. However, there is a fear that the drug might find its way into the black market, just like it happened with Remdesivir.

In another major development today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting via video conferencing which was attended by chief ministers of 10 states including Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

During the meeting, PM Modi underlined four important points:

1. If all governments, states and the Centre, work as a nation, then there will be no shortage of resources.

2. State Governments should take strict measures to stop black marketing of essential medicines.

3. The central government has so far made available 15 crore doses of vaccine to the state governments for free.

4. The Railways and the Indian Air Force have taken up the charge of delivering oxygen to hospitals.

Throughout the day, oxygen was transported from one state to another through the help of railways and the IAF. The timely action helped saved many lives.

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DNA Exclusive: COVID 2.0, Virafin and PM Modi`s directions to rein in the pandemic - Zee News