1. Genetic Engineering

Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

SAGE(r) Labs Licenses CRISPR/Cas9 Technology from the Broad Institute

Posted on by

Contact Information

Available for logged-in reporters only

Newswise ST. LOUIS, July 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- SAGE Labs Inc., a leading provider of products, services and technologies in the field of genome engineering, announced today that they have licensed CRISPR/Cas9 technology from the Broad Institute. The license enables SAGE Labs to use the CRISPR/Cas9 system to engineer cell and animal models for their clients as well as distribute validated CRISPR reagents. This is the second license obtained by SAGE Labs around CRISPR/Cas9 technology; SAGE also obtained a license from Caribou Biosciences in September 2013.

The Broad Institute was recently issued the first patent for CRISPR/Cas9 technology based on the research of Feng Zhang, PhD, published in Science in January of 2013. CRISPR/Cas9 technology represents the latest advancement in nuclease-based gene editing tools, which have revolutionized genetic engineering by markedly reducing development times and enabling genetic engineering in potentially any species.

David Smoller, PhD., CEO of SAGE Labs, explained, "At SAGE Labs we use the latest technologies to provide our clients with the most advanced models of human disease, and in the shortest timelines possible. It's also essential that our clients receive the freedom-to-operate with their research models, and we're committed to obtaining the necessary licenses."

About SAGE Labs

SAGE Labs is a leading provider of advanced gene editing tools, research models, and support services. Harnessing the latest technologies for genome engineering including Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFN) and CRISPR/Cas9, SAGE produces complex research models in less than half the time as conventional technologies. In addition, SAGE Labs is a premier source for custom-designed and stringently validated CRISPR/Cas9 reagents. For more information, visit http://www.sageresearchlabs.com.

About the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard: The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was launched in 2004 to empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine. The Broad Institute seeks to describe all the molecular components of life and their connections; discover the molecular basis of major human diseases; develop effective new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods, and data openly to the entire scientific community.

Founded by MIT, Harvard, and its affiliated hospitals, and the visionary Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Broad Institute includes faculty, professional staff and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over a hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide. For further information about the Broad Institute, go to http://www.broadinstitute.org.

CONTACT:

See original here:
SAGE(r) Labs Licenses CRISPR/Cas9 Technology from the Broad Institute

PM for greater research in agriculture, RSS linked outfits oppose GM crop

Posted on by

New Delhi: Two Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) linked outfits on Tuesday sought a ban on field trials of genetically-modified crops cleared by biotech regulator Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi pressed for greater use of research for boosting the agriculture sector.

However, the government said that it is yet to take a final call. Sources said that it has assured RSS affiliated outfits that it will deal with the issue of GM crops with caution, adding that no decision will be taken in haste.

Representatives of Swadeshi Jagran Manch and Bhartiya Kissan Sangh on Tuesday met the Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on the issue of field trials of GM crops of certain varieties of rice, brinjal and cotton among others. The outfits claim that the minister assured them that the decision about field trials of GM crops has been "put on hold".

They apprised him about their concerns while claiming that the Minister assured them that the decision about field trials of GM crops has been "put on hold". "The minister assured the delegation that the decision about the field trials of GM crops has been put on hold by the government," All-India co-convener of the Manch Ashwani Mahajan said.

When contacted, Javadekar confirmed the meeting but asserted that the government has not taken any decision on the contentious issue. He said that GEAC has taken such a decision but government has not acted upon it yet.

"The government has not taken any decision on the contentious issue. The government will not take any decision in haste," he said. The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) had earlier this month cleared 15 proposals for confined field trials for rice, brinjal, chickpea, mustard and cotton.

The delegation reminded the minister that Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture in its report on GM food crops - prospects and impacts, tabled in Parliament on August 9, 2013 has clearly recommended the 'stopping of all field trials under any garb'.

The Manch and Sangh members told the minister that it is "not advisable" to allow GM crops without proper scientific evaluation about their probable long term impact on human health and soil. They said, "The technology, which involves introducing a 'foreign' gene, is dangerous because once introduced, it is irreversible. Once you have a GM crop, you cannot reverse the process if you find that it is causing harm."

They contended that there is no scientific study to prove that GM technology does increase productivity as is claimed by the promoters of the technology. They also pointed out that environmental costs might outweigh any benefits that the introduction of such a technology brings. The delegation told the minister that there is major issue of food security of the nation attached to this issue.

The Manch urged the minister that government should not rely on the biased and manipulated reports of vested interests among the industry and institute enquiries about the likely impact of GM food crops on soil, human and other species' health to ensure that no harm is done to traditional gene pool and biodiversity of the nation, soil, food security and health of the people of India.

More:
PM for greater research in agriculture, RSS linked outfits oppose GM crop

DBT guidelines questioned on toxicity studies for Bt brinjal

Posted on by

Even as the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) decided to constitute a sub-committee to review the toxicology data generated by two applicants for genetically modified brinjal, biologist Dr. Pushpa M. Bhargava has questioned the guidelines of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) on transgenic crops.

Dr. Bhargava and others had asked for the raw data on toxicity studies on rats using transgenic brinjal, which were carried out by Dr. Sesikeran, former director of National Institute of Nutrition at Hyderabad.

He found statistically quite significant differences between rats fed on Bt Brinjal and those fed on a normal meal in respect of several important parameters, said Dr. Bhargava.

However, Dr. Sesikeran had said that as all the values (both of the control and of the experimental animals) fell within the normal range of variation, the differences were not significant, and that there was no need to repeat the experiment.

Our point was that if on repetition the same differences are found again, they are bound to be significant, Dr. Bhargava pointed out. Further, he used only 20 animals (10 female and 10 male) in both experimental and the control groups, which is the minimum number for such tests. Dr. Sesikeran must explain why only a minimum number was used, he said.

In a letter to Dr. Ranjini Warrier, member-secretary, GEAC, on July 23, Dr. Bhargava, who was responding to the two emails of July 20 from Dr. Sesikaran to all the members of GEAC, said, According to Dr. Sesikeran, DBT guidelines of 2008 say the following in regard to Interpretation of results of safety studies: The design and analysis of the study should be kept as simple as possible, avoiding unnecessarily complex, sophisticated statistical techniques. If the design is simple, the statistics are likely to give straightforward results. Non-statistical knowledge must be applied in study design and proper interpretation of the biological significance of the results. Just because two treatments are statistically significantly different does not mean that the difference is large enough to have any biological importance or any practical significance.

Dr. Bhargava said he would like to know which international body endorsed this as scientifically; it does not make any sense. In fact, every sentence in this statement is flawed. For example, what is meant by the statement, If the design is simple, the statistics are likely to give straight forward results. Then, what is Non-statistical knowledge that must be applied in study design and proper interpretation of the biological significance of the results.

Further, the last sentence is biased and misleading, he said.

Surely, if the same statistically significant difference between the control and the experimental group in regard to a particular parameter is observed in repeated experiments, it is bound to have biological importance irrespective of the values falling or not falling between the normal range of variation. This can be verified by referring to any independent biology-oriented statistician of stature in India or abroad, Dr. Bhargava pointed out.

He asked the GEAC to respond to some questions he has raised in the next meeting.

Continue reading here:
DBT guidelines questioned on toxicity studies for Bt brinjal

Christofer Toumazou (DNA Electronics Ltd): 99 seconds for the future – Video

Posted on by


Christofer Toumazou (DNA Electronics Ltd): 99 seconds for the future
Innovations that make a difference: day after day scientists work hard to make our life better. Christofer Toumazou is one of those, who will revolutionise t...

By: 99 seconds for the future

Go here to read the rest:
Christofer Toumazou (DNA Electronics Ltd): 99 seconds for the future - Video

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash: DNA forensics tests identify 298 victims – Video

Posted on by


Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash: DNA forensics tests identify 298 victims
Malaysian and Dutch teams are working together to identify and tag bodies recovered from the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 that crashed last Thursday in Ukra...

By: TomoNews US

View post:
Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash: DNA forensics tests identify 298 victims - Video

Dissecting DNA to cure cancers: the legacy of Dr. Janet Rowley | Victoria Forster | TEDxJesmondDene – Video

Posted on by


Dissecting DNA to cure cancers: the legacy of Dr. Janet Rowley | Victoria Forster | TEDxJesmondDene
This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Inspiration can be found in many ways! The Person: Dr. Vicky Forste...

By: TEDx Talks

Read the original post:
Dissecting DNA to cure cancers: the legacy of Dr. Janet Rowley | Victoria Forster | TEDxJesmondDene - Video

Scientific Proof God Exists (Odds of life without a creator)(DNA part6) – Video

Posted on by


Scientific Proof God Exists (Odds of life without a creator)(DNA part6)
God does exist!!! watch the other videos in this series watch the odds of life without a creator section of this series part 1: http://youtu.be/beJe3i5bM6k part 2: http://youtu.be/Owwic6b2Iug...

By: proof vid

Go here to see the original:
Scientific Proof God Exists (Odds of life without a creator)(DNA part6) - Video

Malcolm K. Brenner receives Pioneer Award for advances in gene-modified T cells targeting cancer

Posted on by

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

24-Jul-2014

Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, July 24, 2014Malcolm K. Brenner, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX) has devoted his career in basic and clinical research toward understanding how tumors are able to escape detection by the body's immune defense system, and developing genetically modified T cells that can effectively target tumors. In recognition of his scientific achievements and leadership in the field, Dr. Brenner is the recipient of a Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Human Gene Therapy is commemorating its 25th anniversary by bestowing this honor on the leading 12 Pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy selected by a blue ribbon panel* and publishing a Pioneer Perspective by each of the award recipients. The Perspective by Dr. Brenner is available on the Human Gene Therapy website.

In "Gene Modified Cells for Stem Cell Transplantation and Cancer Therapy", Dr. Brenner recounts the highlights of his career to date. He describes the evolution of his research, which has contributed significantly to advancing the field of gene transfer using retroviral vectors in the development of both autologous (AUTO) and allogeneic (ALLO) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) approaches to cancer immunotherapy, and the strategy of using chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to modify T cells stimulating their activation, proliferation, and anti-tumor activity.

Dr. Brenner received a PhD in immunology and early in his career sought to understand how B cells interact with T cells to produce antibodies. After pursuing the development of cellular therapies to treat immune disorders, Dr. Brenner shifted the focus of his research to bone marrow transplantation, or what is now called HSCT. Together with colleagues he developed and tested an approach to improve patients' immune recovery after their T cells are depleted in preparation for a transplant. As Dr. Brenner explains, "This work was the forerunner of our later efforts to improve antiviral and antitumor immunity by adoptive transfer of T cells."

"Malcolm has been driving the field of cell-based gene therapy forward since its infancy. His contributions have been truly seminal," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

*The blue ribbon panel of leaders in cell and gene therapy, led by Chair Mary Collins, PhD, MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, University College London selected the Pioneer Award recipients. The Award Selection Committee selected scientists that had devoted much of their careers to cell and gene therapy research and had made a seminal contribution to the field--defined as a basic science or clinical advance that greatly influenced progress in translational research.

###

About the Journal

The rest is here:
Malcolm K. Brenner receives Pioneer Award for advances in gene-modified T cells targeting cancer


  1. Genetic Engineering