Ricochet - Teens Discuss Genetic Engineering
This discussion originally took place on CHEK-TV in Victoria, British Columbia, and demonstrates a way to facilitate discussion with teens about challenging ...
By: Rey Carr
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Ricochet - Teens Discuss Genetic Engineering - Video
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
13-Mar-2014
Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, March 13, 2014A soft-bodied, self-contained robotic fish with a flexible spine that allows it to mimic the swimming motion of a real fish also has the built-in agility to perform escape maneuvers. The innovative design and capabilities of this complex, autonomous robot is described in Soft Robotics (SoRo), a new peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Soft Robotics website at http://www.liebertpub.com/soro.
Andrew Marchese, Cagdas Onal, and Daniela Rus, from MIT (Cambridge, MA) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, MA), describe the design, modeling, fabrication, and control mechanisms of the robotic fish in the article "Autonomous Soft Robotic Fish Capable of Escape Maneuvers Using Fluidic Elastomer Actuators". A novel fluidic actuation system, embedded muscle-like actuators, and an onboard control system give the fish autonomy and the ability to perform continuous forward swimming motion and rapid accelerations.
"This innovative work highlights two important aspects of our emerging field; first it is inspired and informed by animal studies (biomimetics), and second it exploits novel soft actuators to achieve life-like robot movements and controls," says Editor-in-Chief Barry A. Trimmer, PhD, who directs the Neuromechanics and Biomimetic Devices Laboratory at Tufts University (Medford, MA).
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About the Journal
Soft Robotics (SoRo), a peer-reviewed journal published quarterly online with Open Access options and in print, combines advances in biomedical engineering, biomechanics, mathematical modeling, biopolymer chemistry, computer science, and tissue engineering to present new approaches to the creation of robotic technology and devices that can undergo dramatic changes in shape and size in order to adapt to various environments. Led by Editor-in-Chief Barry A. Trimmer, PhD and a distinguished team of Associate Editors, the Journal provides the latest research and developments on topics such as soft material creation, characterization, and modeling; flexible and degradable electronics; soft actuators and sensors; control and simulation of highly deformable structures; biomechanics and control of soft animals and tissues; biohybrid devices and living machines; and design and fabrication of conformable machines. Complete information is available on the SoRo website at http://www.liebertpub.com/soro.
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Robotic fish designed to perform escape maneuvers described in Soft Robotics journal
BIF 8: Andrew Hessel - Genetic Engineering From A Laptop
Andrew Hessel: Genetic Engineering From a Laptop From living cells to cell phones, Genomic Futurist Andrew Hessel draws our attention to life in all forms. I...
By: Business Innovation Factory
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BIF 8: Andrew Hessel - Genetic Engineering From A Laptop - Video
Researchers at Virginia Tech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used a computer-aided design tool to create genetic languages to guide the design of biological systems.
Known as GenoCAD, the open-source software was developed by researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech to help synthetic biologists capture biological rules to engineer organisms that produce useful products or health-care solutions from inexpensive, renewable materials.
GenoCAD helps researchers in the design of protein expression vectors, artificial gene networks, and other genetic constructs, essentially combining engineering approaches with biology.
Synthetic biologists have an increasingly large library of naturally derived and synthetic parts at their disposal to design and build living systems. These parts are the words of a DNA language and the "grammar" a set of design rules governing the language.
It has to be expressive enough to allow scientists to generate a broad range of constructs, but it has to be focused enough to limit the possibilities of designing faulty constructs.
MIT's Oliver Purcell, a postdoctoral associate, and Timothy Lu, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, have developed a language detailed in ACS Synthetic Biology describing how to design a broad range of synthetic transcription factors for animals, plants, and other organisms with cells that contain a nucleus.
Meanwhile, Sakiko Okumoto, an assistant professor of plant pathology, physiology, and weed science at the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Amanda Wilson, a software engineer with the Synthetic Biology Group at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, developed a language describing design rules for expressing genes in the chloroplast of microalgae Their work was published in the Jan. 15 issue of Bioinformatics.
"Just like software engineers need different languages like HTML, SQL, or Java to develop different kinds of software applications, synthetic biologists need languages for different biological applications," said Jean Peccoud, an associate professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, and principal investigator of the GenoCAD project. "From its inception, we envisioned GenoCAD as a framework allowing users to capture their expertise of a particular domain in languages that they could use themselves or share with others."
The researchers said encapsulating current knowledge by defining standards will become increasingly important as the number and complexity of components engineered by synthetic biologists increases.
They propose that grammars are a first step toward the standardization of a broad range of synthetic genetic parts that could be combined to develop innovative products.
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Languages written to design synthetic living systems useful for new products, health care
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Newswise Researchers at Virginia Tech and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have used a computer-aided design tool to create genetic languages to guide the design of biological systems.
Known as GenoCAD, the open-source software was developed by researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech to help synthetic biologists capture biological rules to engineer organisms that produce useful products or health-care solutions from inexpensive, renewable materials.
GenoCAD helps researchers in the design of protein expression vectors, artificial gene networks, and other genetic constructs, essentially combining engineering approaches with biology.
Synthetic biologists have an increasingly large library of naturally derived and synthetic parts at their disposal to design and build living systems. These parts are the words of a DNA language and the grammar a set of design rules governing the language.
It has to be expressive enough to allow scientists to generate a broad range of constructs, but it has to be focused enough to limit the possibilities of designing faulty constructs.
MITs Oliver Purcell, a postdoctoral associate, and Timothy Lu, an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, have developed a language detailed in ACS Synthetic Biology describing how to design a broad range of synthetic transcription factors for animals, plants, and other organisms with cells that contain a nucleus.
Meanwhile, Sakiko Okumoto, an assistant professor of plant pathology, physiology, and weed science at the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Amanda Wilson, a software engineer with the Synthetic Biology Group at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, developed a language describing design rules for expressing genes in the chloroplast of microalgae Their work was published in the Jan. 15 issue of Bioinformatics.
Just like software engineers need different languages like HTML, SQL, or Java to develop different kinds of software applications, synthetic biologists need languages for different biological applications, said Jean Peccoud, an associate professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, and principal investigator of the GenoCAD project. From its inception, we envisioned GenoCAD as a framework allowing users to capture their expertise of a particular domain in languages that they could use themselves or share with others.
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Bioscientists Write Languages to Design Synthetic Living Systems
Genetic engineering got wrong
Frankenstein version.
By: jacmalayter
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
11-Mar-2014
Contact: Jennifer Quigley jquigley@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2149 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, March 11, 2014Several young children suffering from a severe degenerative genetic disease received injections of therapeutic genes packaged within a noninfectious viral delivery vector. Safety, tolerability, and efficacy results from this early stage clinical trial are reported in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Human Gene Therapy website.
Marc Tardieu, Universit Paris-Sud and INSERM, and a team of international researchers administered the adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector carrying a normal copy of the N-sulfoglycosamine sulfohydrolase (SGSH) gene into the brains of four children affected by mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIA (MPSIIIA), an inherited lysosomal storage disease in which the SGSH gene is defective. The AAV vector also delivered a sulfatase-modifying factor (SUMF1), needed to activate the SGSH protein.
In addition to measures of toxicity, adverse events, and tolerability, the researchers evaluated the children for brain shrinkage (a characteristic of MPSIIIA) and for changes in behavior, attention, sleep, and cognitive benefit. They describe their findings in the article "Intracerebral administration of AAV rh.10 carrying human SGSH and SUMF1 cDNAs in children with MPSIIIA disease: results of a phase I/II trial."
"This is an important new approach for treating CNS manifestations of lysosomal storage diseases that could be applied across a wide array of disorders," 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.
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About the Journal
Human Gene Therapy, the official journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its sister journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly and focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of content for all three publications and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website.
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Gene therapy for lysosomal storage disease shown to be safe and well tolerated
How to say genetic engineering in Italian
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
10-Mar-2014
Contact: Kathryn Ruehle kruehle@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, March 10, 2014Nearly $7 billion is spent each year in the U.S. on diagnostic testing of the estimated three million people with symptoms of obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). A new blood test that detects specific genes activated in individuals with obstructive CAD could exclude the diagnosis without the need for imaging studies or more invasive tests, reducing health care costs, as described in an article in Population Health Management, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Population Health Management website at http://www.liebertpub.com/pop.
Louis Hochheiser (St. John's Medical Center, Jackson, WY), Jessie Juusola and Mark Monane (CardioDx, Palo Alto, CA), and Joseph Ladapo (New York University School of Medicine, NY), use a decision analysis model to compare the cost-effectiveness of "usual care" for obstructive CAD diagnosis with a strategy that includes "gene expression score (GES)-directed care." They present the results and potential value of this new diagnostic approach in the article "Economic Utility of a Blood-Based Genomic Test for the Assessment of Patients with Symptoms Suggestive of Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease".
"Work like this is vital to our understanding as we move from a world of volume to value," says Editor-in-Chief David B. Nash, MD, MBA, Dean and Dr. Raymond C. and Doris N. Grandon Professor, Jefferson School of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA.
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About the Journal
Population Health Management is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online that reflects the expanding scope of health care management and quality. The Journal delivers a comprehensive, integrated approach to the field of population health and provides information designed to improve the systems and policies that affect health care quality, access, and outcomes. Comprised of peer-reviewed original research papers, clinical research, and case studies, the content encompasses a broad range of chronic diseases (such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, depression, and obesity) in addition to focusing on various aspects of prevention and wellness. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Population Health Management website at http://www.liebertpub.com/pop. Population Health Management is the official journal of the Population Health Alliance.
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Genomic test to rule out obstructive CAD may reduce need for more invasive diagnostics
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
10-Mar-2014
Contact: David Ruth david@rice.edu 713-348-6327 Rice University
In a significant advance for the growing field of synthetic biology, Rice University bioengineers have created a toolkit of genes and hardware that uses colored lights and engineered bacteria to bring both mathematical predictability and cut-and-paste simplicity to the world of genetic circuit design.
"Life is controlled by DNA-based circuits, and these are similar to the circuits found in electronic devices like smartphones and computers," said Rice bioengineer Jeffrey Tabor, the lead researcher on the project. "A major difference is that electrical engineers measure the signals flowing into and out of electronic circuits as voltage, whereas bioengineers measure genetic circuit signals as genes turning on and off."
In a new paper appearing online today in the journal Nature Methods, Tabor and colleagues, including graduate student and lead author Evan Olson, describe a new, ultra high-precision method for creating and measuring gene expression signals in bacteria by combining light-sensing proteins from photosynthetic algae with a simple array of red and green LED lights and standard fluorescent reporter genes. By varying the timing and intensity of the lights, the researchers were able to control exactly when and how much different genes were expressed.
"Light provides us a powerful new method for reliably measuring genetic circuit activity," said Tabor, an assistant professor of bioengineering who also teaches in Rice's Ph.D. program in systems, synthetic and physical biology. "Our work was inspired by the methods that are used to study electronic circuits. Electrical engineers have tools like oscilloscopes and function generators that allow them to measure how voltage signals flow through electrical circuits. Those measurements are essential for making multiple circuits work together properly, so that more complex devices can be built. We have used our light-based tools as a biological function generator and oscilloscope in order to similarly analyze genetic circuits."
Electronic circuits -- like those in computers, smartphones and other devices -- are made up of components like transistors, capacitors and diodes that are connected with wires. As information -- in the form of voltage -- flows through the circuit, the components act upon it. By putting the correct components in the correct order, engineers can build circuits that perform computations and carry out complex information processing.
Genetic circuits also process information. Their components are segments of DNA that control whether or not a gene is expressed. Gene expression is the process in which DNA is read and converted to produce a product -- such as a protein -- that serves a particular purpose in the cell. If a gene is not "expressed," it is turned off, and its product is not produced. The bacteria used in Tabor's study have about 4,000 genes, while humans have about 20,000. The processes of life are coordinated by different combinations and timings of genes turning on and off.
Each component of a genetic circuit acts on the input it receives -- which may be one or more gene-expression products from other components -- and produces its own gene-expression product as an output. By linking the right genetic components together, synthetic biologists like Tabor and his students construct genetic circuits that program cells to carry out complex functions, such as counting, having memory, growing into tissues, or diagnosing the signatures of disease in the body.
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Rice synthetic biologists shine light on genetic circuit analysis
Kerala cannot afford to overlook the potential of Genetically Modified (GM) crops to emerge as a substitute for toxic chemicals used against plant parasites in polyhouse cultivation, Swapan K. Dutta, Deputy Director General (Crop Sciences), Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) has said.
Talking to The Hindu on the sidelines of the National Biennial Group Meeting of the All India Coordinated Research Project on Nematode pests here earlier this week, he said states like Kerala that were increasingly turning to protected cultivation could no longer ignore the benefits of genetic engineering for pest and disease control.
Dr. Dutta said biotechnology and genetic engineering would assume a greater role in the battle against pathogens and plant diseases that caused crop loss. The controlled conditions that help to optimise crop production inside a polyhouse are conducive for pests as well, forcing farmers to use toxic chemicals for control. Through genetic engineering, the plant itself develops protection against pathogens. That way you avoid toxic chemicals. States like Kerala will soon have to pay attention to GM technology.
Highlighting the potential of plant genetic resources, he said, In nature, plants continuously try to defend themselves against hundreds of thousands of pathogenic bacteria and nematodes. If scientists can understand the genes that plants activate against pathogens or diseases, it will be a million dollar discovery with potential impact on plant as well as human health. Understanding the resistance mechanism of the gene could provide a breakthrough in disease control.
Terming Keralas move to switch over to organic farming as a political gimmick, Dr. Dutta said it had no meaning. It is not possible for a whole State to make the switch to organic farming. Our experiments show that organic farming will not give sustainable production and high productivity.
Observing that farmers in Kerala, like their counterparts elsewhere in the country, used subsidized fertilizers and other chemicals, Dr. Dutta noted that there were some niche areas like speciality and high-value fruits and vegetables that could be kept organic. Organic farming helps in increasing soil fertility. But to keep production and productivity high, you need to have other fertilizers.
Dr. Dutta said plant-parasitic soil nematodes, a microscopic variety of worms, constituted a major threat for protected cultivation of fruits, vegetables and flowers. Surveillance, monitoring and pest management assume more importance in protected cultivation.
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ICAR stresses GM technology for Kerala
Infomercial 3: Genetic Engineering
Mrs Marsha, 3rd period, infomercial #3.
By: boricuarocky247
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Dear EarthTalk: Should those of us who care about our health and the planet be concerned about the new trend in genetic engineering called synthetic biology? Chrissie Wilkins, Bern, N.C.
Synthetic biology (or synbio) refers to the design and fabrication of novel biological parts, devices and systems that do not otherwise occur in nature. Many see it as an extreme version of genetic engineering (GE). But unlike GE, whereby genetic information with certain desirable traits is inserted from one organism into another, synbio uses computers and chemicals to create entirely new organisms.
Proponents of synbio, which include familiar players such as Cargill, BP, Chevron and Du Pont, tout its potential benefits. According to the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SYNBERC), a consortium of leading U.S. researchers in the field, some promising applications of synthetic biology include alternatives to rubber for tires, tumor-seeking microbes for treating cancer, and photosynthetic energy systems. Other potential applications include using synbio to detect and remove environmental contaminants, monitor and respond to disease and develop new drugs and vaccines.
While these and other applications may not be widely available for years, synthetic biology is already in use for creating food additives that will start to show up in products on grocery shelves later this year. Switzerland-based Evolva is using synthetic biology techniques to produce alternatives to resveratrol, stevia, saffron and vanilla. The companys synthetic vanillin is slated to go into many foods as a cheaper and limitless version of real vanilla flavor. But many health advocates are outraged that such a product will be available to consumers without more research into potential dangers and without any warnings or labeling to let consumers know they are eating organisms designed and brought to life in a lab.
This is the first major use of a synbio ingredient in food, and dozens of other flavors and food additives are in the pipeline, so synbio vanilla could set a dangerous precedent for synthetic genetically engineered ingredients to sneak into our food supply and be labeled as natural, reports Friends of the Earth (FoE), a leading environmental group. Synthetic biology vanillin poses several human health, environmental and economic concerns for consumers, food companies and other stakeholders.
For example, FoE worries that synbio vanilla (and eventually other synthetic biology additives) could exacerbate rainforest destruction while harming sustainable farmers and poor communities around the world. Synbio vanillacould displace the demand for the natural vanilla market, reports FoE. Without the natural vanilla market adding economic value to the rainforest in these regions, these last standing rainforests will not be protected from competing agricultural markets such as soy, palm oil and sugar. Critics of synbio also worry that releasing synthetic life into the environment, whether done intentionally or accidentally, could have adverse effects on our ecosystems.
Despite these risks, could the rewards of embracing synthetic biology be great? Could it help us deal with some of the tough issues of climate change, pollution and world hunger? Given that the genie is already out of the bottle, perhaps only time will tell.
EarthTalk is written and edited by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss and is a registered trademark of E-The Environmental Magazine http://www.emagazine.com. Send questions to: earthtalk@emagazine.com.
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Dear EarthTalk: Should those of us who care about our health and the planet be concerned about the new trend in genetic engineering called synthetic biology?
Chrissie Wilkins
New Bern, N.C.
"Synthetic biology" (or "synbio") refers to the design and fabrication of novel biological parts, devices and systems that do not otherwise occur in nature. Many see it as an extreme version of genetic engineering. But unlike genetic engineering, whereby genetic information with certain desirable traits is inserted from one organism into another, synbio uses computers and chemicals to create entirely new organisms.
Proponents of synbio -- which include familiar players such as Cargill, BP, Chevron and DuPont -- tout its potential benefits. According to the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, a consortium of leading U.S. researchers in the field, some promising applications of synthetic biology include alternatives to rubber for tires, tumor-seeking microbes for treating cancer, and photosynthetic energy systems. Other potential applications include using synbio to detect and remove environmental contaminants, monitor and respond to disease and develop new drugs and vaccines.
While these and other applications may not be widely available for years, synthetic biology is already in use for creating food additives that will start to show up in products on grocery shelves later this year. Switzerland-based Evolva is using synthetic biology techniques to produce alternatives to resveratrol, stevia, saffron and vanilla. The company's "synthetic vanillin" is slated to go into many foods as a cheaper and limitless version of real vanilla flavor. But many health advocates are outraged that such a product will be available to consumers without more research into potential dangers and without any warnings or labeling to let consumers know they are eating organisms designed and brought to life in a lab.
"This is the first major use of a synbio ingredient in food, and dozens of other flavors and food additives are in the pipeline, so synbio vanilla could set a dangerous precedent for synthetic genetically engineered ingredients to sneak into our food supply and be labeled as `natural,' " reports Friends of the Earth, a leading environmental group. "Synthetic biology vanillin poses several human health, environmental and economic concerns for consumers, food companies and other stakeholders."
For example, FoE worries that synbio vanilla (and eventually other synthetic biology additives) could exacerbate rainforest destruction while harming sustainable farmers and poor communities around the world. "Synbio vanilla ... could displace the demand for the natural vanilla market," reports FoE. "Without the natural vanilla market adding economic value to the rainforest in these regions, these last standing rainforests will not be protected from competing agricultural markets such as soy, palm oil and sugar." Critics of synbio also worry that releasing synthetic life into the environment, whether done intentionally or accidentally, could have adverse effects on our ecosystems.
Despite these risks, could the rewards of embracing synthetic biology be great? Could it help us deal with some of the tough issues of climate change, pollution and world hunger? Given that the genie is already out of the bottle, perhaps only time will tell.
EarthTalk is by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss of E -- The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to earthtalk@emagazine.com.
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EarthTalk / Synthetic vanilla may be just first of many 'synbio' additives
Dear EarthTalk: Should those of us who care about our health and the planet be concerned about the new trend in genetic engineering called synthetic biology?
Chrissie Wilkins
New Bern, N.C.
"Synthetic biology" (or "synbio") refers to the design and fabrication of novel biological parts, devices and systems that do not otherwise occur in nature. Many see it as an extreme version of genetic engineering. But unlike genetic engineering, whereby genetic information with certain desirable traits is inserted from one organism into another, synbio uses computers and chemicals to create entirely new organisms.
Proponents of synbio -- which include familiar players such as Cargill, BP, Chevron and DuPont -- tout its potential benefits. According to the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center, a consortium of leading U.S. researchers in the field, some promising applications of synthetic biology include alternatives to rubber for tires, tumor-seeking microbes for treating cancer, and photosynthetic energy systems. Other potential applications include using synbio to detect and remove environmental contaminants, monitor and respond to disease and develop new drugs and vaccines.
While these and other applications may not be widely available for years, synthetic biology is already in use for creating food additives that will start to show up in products on grocery shelves later this year. Switzerland-based Evolva is using synthetic biology techniques to produce alternatives to resveratrol, stevia, saffron and vanilla. The company's "synthetic vanillin" is slated to go into many foods as a cheaper and limitless version of real vanilla flavor. But many health advocates are outraged that such a product will be available to consumers without more research into potential dangers and without any warnings or labeling to let consumers know they are eating organisms designed and brought to life in a lab.
"This is the first major use of a synbio ingredient in food, and dozens of other flavors and food additives are in the pipeline, so synbio vanilla could set a dangerous precedent for synthetic genetically engineered ingredients to sneak into our food supply and be labeled as `natural,' " reports Friends of the Earth, a leading environmental group. "Synthetic biology vanillin poses several human health, environmental and economic concerns for consumers, food companies and other stakeholders."
For example, FoE worries that synbio vanilla (and eventually other synthetic biology additives) could exacerbate rainforest destruction while harming sustainable farmers and poor communities around the world. "Synbio vanilla ... could displace the demand for the natural vanilla market," reports FoE. "Without the natural vanilla market adding economic value to the rainforest in these regions, these last standing rainforests will not be protected from competing agricultural markets such as soy, palm oil and sugar." Critics of synbio also worry that releasing synthetic life into the environment, whether done intentionally or accidentally, could have adverse effects on our ecosystems.
Despite these risks, could the rewards of embracing synthetic biology be great? Could it help us deal with some of the tough issues of climate change, pollution and world hunger? Given that the genie is already out of the bottle, perhaps only time will tell.
EarthTalk is by Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss of E -- The Environmental Magazine (www.emagazine.com). Send questions to earthtalk@emagazine.com.
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EarthTalk / Synthetic vanilla may be just first of many 'synbio' additives
Cloned Human Embryos As Well As Animal Human Hybrids?
abominationFebruary 2014 Breaking News Labs Mixing Human DNA with Animal DNA 1 of 5 Last days final hour news prophecy update 2 of 4 ... 3 of 4 ... 4 of 4 .....
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Cloned Human Embryos As Well As Animal Human Hybrids? - Video
Genetic engineering talk show
By: Victor Rodriguez
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
4-Mar-2014
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-710-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, March 4, 2014Only about 37% of babies around the world are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers are well-established. The effectiveness of different types of interventions for promoting exclusive breastfeeding in high-income countries is the focus of a Review article published in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Breastfeeding Medicine website at http://www.liebertpub.com/bfm.
Most interventions designed to encourage women to breastfeed use supportive or educational approaches, with varying levels of success, according to study authors Helen Skouteris and colleagues from Deakin University and University of Melbourne (Melbourne, Australia), and Leeds Metropolitan University (Leeds, UK).
In the article "Interventions Designed to Promote Exclusive Breastfeeding in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review" the authors evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions, comparing prenatal and postnatal approaches, the duration of the interventions, and identify whether they focus on educating mothers or providing emotional support.
"The search for successful interventions that promote the international goal of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life has been continual but inconclusive," says Ruth Lawrence, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine. "Authors Helen Skouteris and colleagues in their extensive review point out that a trial of more support and interventions in the postpartum period may be critical to solving this issue."
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About the Journal
Breastfeeding Medicine, the Official Journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published 10 times per year in print and online. The Journal publishes original scientific papers, reviews, and case studies on a broad spectrum of topics in lactation medicine. It presents evidence-based research advances and explores the immediate and long-term outcomes of breastfeeding, including the epidemiologic, physiologic, and psychological benefits of breastfeeding. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Breastfeeding Medicine website at http://www.liebertpub.com/bfm.
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Which interventions are most effective to promote exclusive breastfeeding?
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
5-Mar-2014
Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News
New Rochelle, NY, March 5, 2014Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can lead to serious diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer of the liver, so viral clearance and prevention of relapse are important treatment goals. Low-dose oral interferon may reduce the risk of HCV relapse in patients with mild liver fibrosis according to a study published in Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research website.
In "A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Low-Dose Oral Interferon-Alpha in Preventing Hepatitis C Relapse," Chuan-Mo Lee and coauthors from several universities and hospitals in Taiwan present the results of a clinical trial comparing the effects of 24 weeks of treatment with two doses of oral interferon-alpha or placebo in patients who achieved viral clearance after successful HCV therapy.
"This is a highly significant study relevant to the optimal use of IFN for HCV treatment," says Co-Editor-in-Chief Ganes C. Sen, PhD, Chairman, Department of Molecular Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio.
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About the Journal
Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research (JICR), led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Ganes C. Sen, PhD, and Thomas A. Hamilton, PhD, Chairman, Department of Immunology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that covers all aspects of interferons and cytokines from basic science to clinical applications. JICR is an official journal of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed online on the Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research website.
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Can low-dose interferon prevent relapse of hepatitis C virus infection?
What many didnt realise was that the freaky looking ear was never grown, had nothing to do with genetic engineering and wasnt really a scientific breakthrough at all! Instead, it served as the publics introduction to the new field of tissue engineering, through which researchers attempt to create replacement tissues in the laboratory by combining resorbable materials with stem cells.
Tissue engineers, like those in my laboratory at Kings College London, work to build everything from cartilage to fix creaky arthritic knees to coronary arteries to patch up heart patients. What looked like a human ear grown on a mouse was simply what we call a scaffold, an implantable 3D structure made of a plastic that safely dissolves in the body.
Twenty years later, a UCL-based team led by Dr Patrizia Ferretti is continuing to build on this work to reconstruct ears. Surgeons currently treat microtia, a condition in which children are born with a malformed or missing ear, by taking cartilage from the patients rib and implanting it in the head to form something that looks like an ear.
Dr Ferretti hopes to eliminate the need for this second cartilage-harvesting surgery by growing ear cartilage in the laboratory.
The difference here is that whereas in the 1990s tissue engineers thought that merely forming a scaffold of the correct shape and size would allow us to create a tissue, we now understand that a stem cells perception of its nano-environment plays an important role in determining the tissue it creates.
In short, we can now tailor a scaffold with nano-cues that tell a stem cell to become a liver cell instead of lung.
Dr Ferrettis scaffold does just this. Her team utilises a new nanocaged POSS-PCU scaffold to coax stem cells collected from fat to form cartilage whilst the scaffold slowly melts away.
This exciting material came to light in 2011 when it was used to replace the windpipe of a patient who had to have his own removed because of cancer.
The scaffold here instructed stem cells to create the windpipes lining, essentially using the body as an incubator to help direct their fate. This time, the UCL team utilised a cocktail of chemicals to help push the stem cells to make cartilage, so it remains to be seen if the scaffold will similarly drive ear cartilage formation once placed in the body.
What is clear, however, is that the field of tissue engineering is progressing at a remarkable pace and tailor-made tissues to treat a range of conditions are a real possibility in the near future."
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Commentary: field of tissue engineering is progressing at remarkable pace