Category Archives: Transhuman News

ScienceDaily (Nov. 6, 2012) A presentation at the American Society of Human Genetics 2012 meeting updated genetics experts about a one-year-old research initiative that brought together researchers, clinicians and policy experts to tackle the challenges of incorporating new genomic technologies into clinical care of newborns, infants and children with anatomical defects whose causes are unknown.

Among the challenges is interpreting how variations in patients' DNA cause or contribute to their medical problems, said Duke University Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Erica E. Davis, Ph.D., who presented the update and is based in the Center for Human Disease Modeling in the university's medical center.

In 2011, the center founded the Duke Task Force for Neonatal Genomics to act as a nucleus for a group of physicians and scientists with the diverse skills sets needed to bridge genetics, genomics, cell biology, ethics and clinical investigation and to offer a "360 degree" view of challenging clinical pediatric cases, Dr. Davis said.

"Strikingly, preliminary analysis of the task force's first year of work has suggested definitive or strong candidate diagnoses in some 90% of the recruited cases," she noted.

During its first year, the task force screened over 150 newborns, infants and children, enrolled 20 patients and developed the capacity to enroll about 100 patients each year.

"Our patients come from the Duke fetal diagnostic center, the Duke intensive care nursery and various pediatric specialty clinics," she said.

In one child with severe epilepsy, the task force used sequencing of the protein-coding regions of the genome (about 2% of the entire human genome) to identify a broken gene that impairs the ability of sodium to move in and out of cells.

"We determined that the child's condition was caused by a new mutation in a gene named SCN2A," Dr. Davis said.

This approach was also used to help diagnose genetic disorders in babies with a variety of conditions including congenital muscle weakness, fluid in the brain and kidney cysts.

"The task force's goal is to create a model of how and when genetic sequencing should be a first-tier diagnostic tool to inform and guide clinical management and treatment of young children with unexplained congenital defects," she said.

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DNA sequencing of infants and children with anatomical defects of unknown causes

Ottawa, ON (PRWEB) November 07, 2012

DNA Genotek, a subsidiary of OraSure Technologies Inc. and a leading provider of products for biological sample collection, today launched GenoFIND Genomic Services, a new offering that delivers nucleic acid extraction and detailed analysis optimized for samples collected with the companys products. The GenoFIND service leverages the companys established expertise with DNA from saliva (Oragene) to deliver superior support, analysis and easy-to-understand reporting of genomic data designed for geneticists and non-geneticists alike.

GenoFIND provides a full range of solutions for industry and academic researchers including: project design consulting (including technology selection), logistics and coordination, automated nucleic acid extraction, whole genome and targeted sequencing, array-based SNP and expression profiling, custom assay development, and full bioinformatic analysis. Available platforms include Illumina, Affymetrix, Life Technologies, Ion Torrent, and others. Services for GenoFIND are performed in a CLIA and CAP certified environment, ensuring quality laboratory procedures.

Our close communications with thousands of customers around the world enables us to recognize a real need for researchers to get much higher levels of support from genomic service providers, said Ian Curry, President, DNA Genotek Inc. To meet this need, we designed GenoFIND to integrate our intimate customer service and expert advice with the higher quality downstream services that our customers need. Our reputation for quality products and service means our customers can now trust us to fulfill an even broader spectrum of their needs, reaching their goals faster and more effectively.

About DNA Genotek

DNA Genotek Inc., a subsidiary of OraSure Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSUR), focuses on providing high-quality biological sample collection, stabilization and preparation products. The companys Oragene.Dx product line is the only FDA 510(k) cleared saliva-based collection kit for in vitro diagnostic use. DNA Genotek also offers Research Use Only products to collect and preserve large amounts of DNA or RNA from saliva for use with humans, animals or livestock. The reliability and ease-of-use of the companys products have resulted in rapid adoption at top-tier health research institutions globally, including Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge, and Johns Hopkins. DNA Genotek markets its products worldwide and has a global customer base with thousands of customers in over 100 countries. For more information about DNA Genotek, visit http://www.dnagenotek.com

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DNA Genotek Inc. Launches GenoFIND™ Genomic Services

DNA technology has been used to prove a haul of female mud crabs seized in Sydney were illegally taken from Queensland.

Investigators from Fisheries Queensland are increasingly using DNA technology to prosecute people involved in illegal fishing activities.

In the latest case, tests led to a $35,000 fine for a central Queensland fisherman.

He pleaded guilty in the Gladstone Magistrates Court last month to possessing 232 female mud crabs and attempting to sell them across the border in NSW.

The haul was seized at the Sydney Fish Markets earlier this year after fisheries officers in Queensland were tipped off by an industry contact.

'The suspect later confirmed he had taken the crabs from the Turkey Beach area before freighting them south. This was his third offence of this nature,' Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) investigator Deryk Smith said in a statement on Monday.

Crabs from the Queensland coast have a different DNA profile to crabs from other parts of Australia.

Female mud crabs can be lawfully sold in NSW, but they've been protected in Queensland since 1914.

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DNA tests help nab illegal Qld crabber

Public release date: 6-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Kurt Gothelf EScoDNA@inano.au.dk 45-60-20-27-25 Aarhus University

The use of DNA strands as nano building materials is on the way to creating revolutionary new opportunities in the development of medicine, optics and electronics.

The idea of using artificial DNA strands as tiny self-assembly kits was originally developed by American scientists in the 1990s, and the continued development has in great parts taken place in the USA.

However, during the last decade European researchers have contributed significantly to the progress of this rapidly evolving field, and have built up strong expertise at the European universities to be able to set up a joint graduate school in this subject, enhancing European research and development in DNA nanotechnology. The school will mainly cover fundamental research, but it is also set up to promote innovations and the development of commercial applications.

EScoDNA

The new graduate school is called the European School of DNA Nanotechnology (EScoDNA), and it has been awarded approximately EUR 4 million as an Initial Training Network (ITN) under the European Commission's Marie Curie Actions research fellowship programme. EScoDNA will foster the development of a new generation of scientists with the skills required to meet futures challenges in bionanotechnology, from fundamental science to novel applications.

"We have an excellent pool of talent at the undergraduate level: if we provide excellent conditions to study DNA nanotechnology we will be able to educate a pool of highly competent European-based PhDs and we will gain access to some of the best young researchers in the world," says Professor Gothelf at Aarhus University, Denmark, who is the coordinator of the EScoDNA programme.

By addressing the present shortage of experienced researchers in this field, EScoDNA will also promote the foundation of new bionanotechnology start-up companies and the strong links between industrial partners and research labs within this training network will help to establish the rising field of DNA nanotechnology as a market for biotechnology-related industries.

Initially fourteen new PhD students and two postdoctoral fellows will join the network in 2013. The new DNA nano researchers will be distributed among the participating universities as follows:

Original post:
European boost for DNA nanotechnology

November 6, 2012

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Researchers from Arizona State University (ASU) recently revealed novel technology that could help protect against a number of pathogens at lower costs and with improved methods.

A re-engineered bacterium that can quicken the delivery of the DNA vaccines to host cells, the new platform was found to provide complete protection against influenza in mice. The team of investigators believes that the new technique could be manufactured to defend against almost any infection at low cost and will not bring any risk to individuals who are already vaccinated or to other members of the public.

The technology that were describing in this paper can be used to develop a vaccine against any virus, any parasite, any fungus, whereas this was never possible before the development of recombinant attenuated bacterial strains like those produced in our lab, explained Roy Curtiss, director of the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccinology at ASU, in a prepared statement.

The findings of the study were recently published in the online Early Edition (EE) of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

By delivering the DNA vaccine using a recombinant attenuated bacterium, we can get 10,000-100,000 doses per liter of culture, commented the studys lead author Wei Kong, a research assistant professor at ASU, in the statement. This crucial safety feature ensures that Salmonella are unable to persist as living organisms to survive if excreted into the environment.

In completing this project, the scientists faced a number of challenges. For one, they had to make sure that the live pathogenic strains would not lead to illness or migrate into the environment. They also worked to produce orally administrative vaccines that were safe and effective but at reduced costs. The team of investigators ended up pioneering a new technique using Salmonella to deliver a group of disease antigens to the recipient cell. The scientists were able to develop recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines (RASVs) that could initiate a significant, system-wide immune response and provide immunity.

The most recent results of the study involve a universal DNA vaccine delivery vehicle that was changed from a delayed-lysis Salmonella strain. With the DNA vaccine, cellular and humoral immune responses would be stimulated against protein antigens and allow the host cells to produce particular gene products. This would allow antigens to be produced and then undergo hosted cell modification.

Here, we were able to deliver a vaccine whose DNA sequence induces the immunized individual to make the protective glycoprotein the way you would during a viral infection, continued Curtiss in the statement.

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DNA Vaccine Technology Paves The Way For Effective, Low Cost Protective Methods

Cutting corners with substandard or counterfeit electronics won't be as easy for suppliers whose parts end up with the U.S. military, as the Department of Defense turns to DNA barcodes to track components.

In the next month, certain kinds of electronic components sold to the military will have to be tagged with an artificial DNA sequence, which will, its designers say, make it well nigh impossible to ship a fake piece of equipment.

DNA sequences are made of four different molecules: adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine.

Applied DNA Sciences adds sequences of them to ink painted on a chip.

Finding the tag indicates a product is legitimate.

For the military it's a big issue, because the chips that go into a fighter jet, helicopter or infrared night vision goggles are built to exacting specifications. If the circuits don't work, a plane might not fly -- or worse, fly with a malfunctioning piece of vital equipment. In November 2011, a Senate Armed Services Committee investigation found 1,800 instances of suspect parts, and the committee grilled contractors about their supply chains.

[Future Battlefields: Less 'Star Wars,' More Tiny Robots]

Stony Brook, N.Y.-based Applied DNA Sciences, working with the Defense Logistics Agency, offered a solution that was originally applied to textiles: plant DNA. The DNA is incorporated into the ink that gets printed on the top of the chip. Shining a laser light on it makes it fluoresce, or glow, so it's easy to see that the chip was tagged. But that isn't all: the DNA tags can't be duplicated at least not easily so it's a pretty good indicator that the component came from the right factory.

The reason it's so hard to copy is the nature of DNA sequencing. DNA sequences are made of four different molecules: adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine. They can only be connected in pairs, called base pairs, that are written as GC or AT. The base pairs line up to make the familiar double helix of DNA.

To sequence DNA, one has to "amplify" it basically dissolving it in a solution and then adding chemicals to make the sequences duplicate themselves. In a living organism, DNA sequences come in certain patterns the placement of GC and AT molecular structures are not random. When they are sequenced, a scientist can figure out what order they are supposed to be in. From there, she can say what proteins the DNA codes for.

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Military uses DNA to tackle counterfeit gear

DALLAS, Pa., Nov. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Digital Net Agency, Inc. (DNA), a leading performance-based digital agency, today announces its acquisition of Plaid Skirt Marketing, a comprehensive digital marketing agency specializing in branding and social media. The acquisition will elevate the social media capabilities of DNA, whichare increasingly critical to SEO, and provide current and future clients with a one-stop digital marketing solution. As part of the acquisition, Plaid Skirt Marketing's president Skip Graham, widely recognized as a pioneer of digital branding and social media marketing, will join the company as Chief Strategy Officer.

Launched earlier this year with a mission to upend traditional agency models, the rapidly growing DNA focuses on maximizing agency accountability and minimizing client risk, all while fueling massive client growth. DNA is staffed by a team of veterans from Top 10 Search agencies, who have helped hundreds of advertisers from start-ups to Fortune 500 brands manage the most complex search programs in the world, while propelling them to the top of the search engines. Dedicated to putting talent, research, technology, and proven strategies at the forefront of its business, DNA offers unique revenue and equity-based models to its clients.

"We are incredibly pleased with the acquisition of Plaid Skirt Marketing. Search is in our 'DNA,' Social and Branding is in Plaid Skirt Marketing's 'DNA' and the match is perfect," said Digital Net Agency CEO Aaron Baker. "This is a business move that just makes sense; advertisers are increasingly looking for full-service, digital marketing solutions, and innovative ways to engage social media outlets and, with this acquisition, DNA completes the digital marketing equation for current and future clients."

Plaid Skirt Marketing provides clients with an innovative approach that emphasizes both creativity and performance. With a portfolio that includes award-winning, international marketing campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, as well as start-ups, Plaid Skirt specializes in branding and social media, as well as mobile marketing, email marketing, viral marketing, and eCRM development. The company also provides website design, online branding and campaign development, landing pages, and banner ads.

The acquisition will shift DNA from a formerly search-centric firm, to a robust search and digital marketing agency. DNA will gain Plaid Skirt Marketing's digital marketing expertise, particularly in product branding and social media, while expanding Plaid Skirt Marketing's digital platform.

A key element in the acquisition is the appointment of Plaid Skirt Marketing's president Skip Graham as DNA's chief strategy officer. A 20-year marketing veteran and innovator, Graham has helped launch Internet marketing efforts for national brands such as Bali, GlaxoSmithKline, Hanes, Champion, and many others. Graham was a founding partner in one of the world's first digital agencies, now part of Mediaplex, and led program and product development on the industry's first 3rd-party ad serving technology for agencies. Graham currently serves as the Executive Director for the Internet Oldtimers Foundation, whose 500+ members include many of theindustry'smost seniorinfluencersand decision makers.

"DNA was the perfect fit for us. Their commitment to digital market innovation is matched only by their commitment to their clients," stated Skip Graham, president of Plaid Skirt Marketing. "We look forward to joining DNA and providing the most robust search, social, affiliate, and digital brand solutions to current and future clients."

The acquisition was finalized on November 1st, 2012. The integrated company will operate as a whole under the name Digital Net Agency, Inc. (DNA).

About DNADigital Net Agency, Inc. (DNA) is a leading performance-baseddigital agency with a concentration on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). DNA also offers social media and affiliate marketing to their clients with the same innovative approach and expertise. Founded by a team of veteran search experts and technologists from Top 10 agencies, DNA is dedicated to partnering with clients to fuel growth while delivering maximum accountability through its performance-based models. DNA is based in Dallas, PA, with offices in New York City.

About Plaid Skirt Marketing Plaid Skirt Marketing is one of the Southeast's leading new media research, planning and placement agencies.Plaid Skirt's approach to interactive and social media marketing marries old school marketing principles and new forms of applied data to inspire new media strategies with superior results. Plaid Skirt's specialties include: Brand Building and Awareness, Social Media, Social CRM for Business, Mobile Marketing, Email Marketing, Viral Marketing, eCRM development, Lead Generation and Co-registration.

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Digital Net Agency (DNA) Acquires Top Social Media Agency Plaid Skirt Marketing

FARMINGTON, Conn., Nov. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Techniques such as PCR, DNA microarray, DNA sequencing, mass spectrometry and flow cytometry have driven discoveries that have changed our understanding of the world. By 2015, the combined global markets for these five areas are expected to exceed $50 billion.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121105/CG06410)

From now until December 31, Global Information Inc (GII), in exclusive partnership with our premium research partner BioPharm Reports,, is offering a special discount on all BioPharm market research reports, forecasts, and studies. How will your organization use the critical information contained within these reports to support growth and sales strategies and seize market opportunities in the life sciences field?

Life Science Software: Markets and Opportunities

This report is the result of six life science studies examining the use of specialist software and databases related to the conduct of PCR, DNA sequencing, DNA microarray, flow cytometry, mass spectrometry and disease biomarker studies. In total, 2,200 end-users in 70 countries participated in these studies. This is an excellent study for software developers and vendors to identify market opportunities in the life science field.

The major components of the report are as follows: breakdown of end-user practices in use of life science software and databases to conduct studies of PCR, DNA microarray, DNA sequencing, mass spectrometry, flow cytometry, and disease biomarker; breakdown of end-user practices by field (e.g. biotech, hospital, defence, pharmaceuticals, food and drink); breakdown by region, including Europe, North America, Asia and RoW countries; list of participating organizations and anticipated growth; and estimates of global market sizes of software and databases related to the respective life science fields.

An Executive Summary for this report and free sample pages from the full document are available at http://www.giiresearch.com/report/bph251023-life-science-software-markets-opportunities.html

DNA Microarray 2012: A Focus on Sales Growth

Based on the prevailing and emerging market conditions in the DNA microarray field, this report was created to assist marketing and sales with the identification of new opportunities. The analysis and report findings provide a "focus on sales growth" to developers and vendors in the microarray field and the changes driving these developments.

Market areas covered in this study include: routine use, suppliers, methods, applications, preferred companies, products, strengths, weaknesses, financial budgets, budget breakdown, future budget breakdown, future budgets, consumables, quality control, challenges, innovation, recent innovations, future innovation, biomarkers, organizations, fields, bioinformatics software, purpose, samples and sample preparation.

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Markets for PCR, DNA Microarray, DNA Sequencing, Mass Spectrometry and Flow Cytometry to Exceed $50 billion by 2015