Daily Archives: January 7, 2022

For many people, extinction is a term that refers to the past. Its meant for dinosaurs, woolly mammoths and so many other species only found in textbooks or on display at museums.

Extinction is an abstract concept to many people. It was to me as a kid, says Oliver Ryder, director of conservation genetics at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

But the planet us growing less biodiverse each year. And extinction is a very real and present crisis. In September 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared 23 species to be newly extinct. And many species arent technically considered extinct because they live in captivity, even though they no longer exist in the wild. Where conventional conservation methods have stalled, there may be another option, one thats highly contentious, to pull a species back from the brink: cloning.

Right now, conventional conservation measures are struggling to keep up with the pace of the threats that face the world. Weve crippled populations to such fragmented and small sizes, says Ben Novak, lead scientist at Revive and Restore, a nonprofit organization that works to boost biodiversity through whats known as genetic rescue of endangered and extinct animals.

Biotechnologies, like cloning and gene editing, now give us a chance to accelerate the evolution of species so they can actually cope with change and survive it.

Cloning is one type of genetic rescue, an approach used to restore genetic diversity in a population and lower the risk of extinction. Today, we can clone some mammals, fish and amphibians, and potentially even marsupials, Novak says.

Often, when a species population crashes to very low levels, it undergoes a genetic bottleneck, where only a few individuals remain to pass on genes to future generations. That reduces the overall genetic diversity of the population, increasing the likelihood of inbreeding, which in turn raises the chances of offspring carrying recessive traits, further undermining the species survivability.

Where the conventional conservation methods of captive and assisted breeding are limited to working with the genetic material currently circulating within a species, cloning can reinject lost genetic diversity into the population, says Beth Shapiro, an evolutionary molecular biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who also serves on the board of directors at Revive and Restore.

Increasing genetic diversity is likely to benefit by providing genetic fodder for natural selection, she says.

Right now, cloning is the only way to produce an actual copy of an animal from a non-reproductive cell, Novak says.

In December 2020, a team of researchers led by Revive and Restore cloned the first black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), which they named Elizabeth Ann. Today, all black-footed ferrets descend from only seven individuals, so every ferret is related in some way. Elizabeth Ann is a clone from a different population and has three times more genetic diversity than any other ferret alive. So if she breeds successfully, she will contribute new genetic diversity to the population.

Earlier in 2020, scientists from Revive and Restore also successfully cloned a Przewalskis horse (Equus ferus przewalskii), which they named Kurt.

Cloning cant happen unless tissues samples, like skin, are biobanked, which means theyre frozen for preservation and stored in a biorepository. As a species declines, it loses genetic diversity within the populations. Thats why its important for researchers to collect tissue samples whenever possible to leave options open for the future, Novak says.

For any species on the brink of extinction, what we can be doing right now is saving as many tissue samples as possible so that in the future if they go extinct or they get really rare we can reach into the past and get something back that weve lost, he says.

However, an animal can only be cloned if the technology already exists to breed it in captivity, because researchers need to know how to handle it and how it reproduces, Novak says. So cloning should never be aimed at replacing captive-breeding programs or nudging out other reproductive technologies, he says. But there will be different scenarios that favor different approaches.

With cloning, scientists take cells from tissues, like the skin, and a reproductive egg from a common ancestor. They remove the nucleus, the part that holds the genetic material, and then fuse the ancestor cell with the skin cell, so that the fused cell then only contains the genes from the animal theyre cloning. The fused cell is now an embryo that a surrogate will carry.

Proponents of cloning say such a method could work to revive the northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni), a subspecies down to its last two individuals. Theres currently another project underway to save the northern white rhino, not with cloning but with stem cell technology. In this case, scientists revert cells from tissues samples to stem cells. Once they are stem cells, they have the potential to become any kind of cell, like reproductive egg and sperm cells.

The difference between cloning and stem cell technologies is that, with the latter, scientists arent making an identical copy of the donor. Instead, they are creating the circumstances so that cells can produce offspring through sexual reproduction, says the Wildlife Alliances Ryder.

There are only two northern white rhinos left in the world: Najin and her daughter, Fatu. In October 2021, Najin was retired as a potential egg donor due to age and illness, so now Fatu is the only donor left.

Experts like Ryder and Shapiro say theyre confident that one day they will successfully create a northern white rhino, but it will take a long time and there are a lot of challenges and unknowns along the way.

In mid-2021, the German government-funded initiative BioRescue announced that it had successfully created 12 northern white rhino embryos.

But still, the embryos need to be successfully transferred to a surrogate that is a common ancestor with the same gestational period. And in this case, that would be the southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum simum).

However, there has never been a successful embryo transfer in a rhino to date, Ryder says.

Southern white rhinos also faced a population decline and subsequent genetic bottleneck due to poaching. The population crashed to as low as 30 individuals, limiting genetic diversity, before bouncing back to a population today of more than 10,000 individuals, but with much less diversity than before.

In fact, researchers at the Wildlife Alliance sequenced the 12 cell cultures that they have in their Frozen Zoo and found more genetic diversity in those 12 cultures than in the entire population of southern white rhinos, Ryder says.

So genetically, they have the potential to recover, he says. The technology just isnt there yet to make the jump from frozen embryo to live rhino calf.

Although some may argue that intervening in the evolution of plants and animals is unnatural, Shapiro points out that humans have been intervening for tens of thousands of years already. She says we shouldnt reject new technologies until the risks and potential are fully evaluated.

I think in biotechnology, sometimes we get lost in the can we do this? And the goal of an ethics analysis is to answer the question, should we do this biotechnology? says Samantha Wisely, a conservation geneticist at the University of Florida.

Wisely was a part of a team that recently published an ethics analysis of cloning as a form of genetic rescue and looked at black-footed ferrets as a case study.

The ethical analysis took into consideration whether the goals of the program are justified, whether cloning can be done responsibly, and whether theres support from the public and within the conservation community.

For the ferrets, cloning was really the only way, Wisely says. The remaining individuals were highly inbred and there were no new individuals to bring in and add to that genetic diversity.

Revive and Restores Novak points out that captive-breeding programs are already heavily managed. Animals dont get to choose who they mate with; theyre paired together based on whos related to who. With cloning, scientists are just expanding their options, he says.

The use of somatic cells, like skin cells, is also much less invasive than collecting reproductive cells, the analysis points out. Using somatic cells to create genetically identical animals has been used in the livestock industry in the U.S. for more than a decade.

And ultimately, whether or not cloning should be done as a means of genetic rescue should be considered on a case-by-case basis, Wisely says.

The way to save species is to save them in their habitats, Ryder says. But the fact that we have species going extinct means that its not being realized to the fullest extent.

An additional set of options offers the future the possibility that wouldnt otherwise have existed, he adds.

Over the next few years, Revive and Restore hopes to make more clones of Elizabeth Ann and Kurt as well as some new, unique Przewalskis horses, Novak says.

He says this also gives them an opening to use gene editing or genetic engineering. For instance, they can sequence the genomes of ferrets that died in the early 1900s and find genes that are potentially beneficial, like ones for disease resistance. Scientists can write those genes back into living ferrets, providing a genetic boost to the current population.

The technology is unfolding in real time. And its important to engage global stakeholders who will be affected by the adoption of these approaches, while the technology is still developing, Shapiro says.

The pace of change is too fast today for evolution by natural selection to keep up, she says.

If we want to live in a future that is both biodiverse and filled with people, then we have no choice but to continue to intervene as we always have in more deliberate, thoughtful, and careful ways.

Banner image of a cloned Przewalskis horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) named Kurt. Kurt was born on April 6, 2020. Courtesy of Revive & Restore.

Citation:

Sandler,R.L., Moses,L., & Wisely,S.M. (2021). An ethical analysis of cloning for genetic rescue: Case study of the Black-footed ferret.Biological Conservation,257, 109118. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109118

Editors note: This story was supported by XPRIZE Rainforest as part of their five-year competition to enhance understanding of the rainforest ecosystem. In respect to Mongabays policy on editorial independence, XPRIZE Rainforest does not have any right to assign, review, or edit any content published with their support.

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For species on the very brink of extinction, cloning is a loaded last resort - Mongabay.com

DUBLIN, January 06, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Synthetic Biology Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Product (Enzymes, Cloning Technologies Kits), by Technology (PCR, NGS), by Application (Non-Healthcare, Healthcare), by End Use, and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global synthetic biology market size is estimated to reach USD 31.97 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 20.8%

Extensive applications of synthetic biology in multiple fields is a major impact rendering driver of the market. For instance, the technique is used for the development of biofuel from microorganisms in the bioenergy field.

Several market participants have produced materials and textiles with the use of synthetic biology. Bolt Threads, a material developing company that produced engineered spider silk ties, and Colorifix are developing dyes with biological systems.

In addition, the market has provided the agriculture industry with alternative fertilizer options, which are not harmful. For instance, Pivot Bio, a California-based company, has established a technique of fertilizing crops without relying on a harmful polluting chemical process.

Extending clinical applications of synthetic biology, the potential of the technique to accelerate drug development, and enhancing market competition are some key aspects driving the industry. The COVID-19 pandemic is set to drive applications and investments in this space.

For instance, in January 2021, FDA approved Phase III trials of carrimycin - a synthetic biological drug treatment for COVID-19. This drug includes anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anti-fibrosis, as well as antibacterial effects.

Synthetic Biology Market Report Highlights

Oligonucleotide/oligo pools and synthetic DNA held the dominant share in the product segment owing to the increased application scope of the product in the research field

The enzymes product segment is expected to witness the second-fastest CAGR over the forecast years owing to the growing application of enzymes in biofuel, textile industry, and molecular biology applications

Healthcare application is the largest revenue-generating as well as the fastest-growing application segment due to a rise in the application of synthetic biology in research, diagnostics, and other clinical fields

The biotechnology & pharmaceutical companies end-use segment led the market in 2020 due to heavy investments to enhance R&D activities for the production of vaccines and other drugs

PCR was the largest revenue-generating technology segment in 2020. With the accelerated development of modern life science, PCR technology has been widely applied to different biological, medical research, virus detection, and the food industry

The availability of advanced research facilities, increased investments in private companies, favorable regulations, and government assistance & funding have contributed to the dominance of the North America regional market in 2020

For Instance, in September 2020, a U.S.-based startup, Zymergen Inc., received USD 300 million in funding from Baillie Gifford & Co. to increase the R&D activities in synthetic biology

The key operating players are focusing on exploring synthetic biology to its highest potential across different emerging applications

For instance, in April 2020, Barcelona-based Luis Serrano and Maria Lluch received USD 2.35 million of seed financing from Barcelona-based Invivo Ventures to develop novel treatments for lung infections

Story continues

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Methodology and Scope

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 Market Variables, Trends & Scope

3.1 Market Segmentation

3.2 Synthetic Biology Market Lineage Outlook

3.2.1 Parent Market Outlook

3.3 Penetration And Growth Prospect Mapping

3.4 Market Driver Analysis

3.4.1 Extensive Applications Of Synthetic Biology

3.4.2 Funding And Assistance From Government And Private Organization

3.4.3 Growing Research And Development Activities In Synthetic Biology

3.5 Market Restraint Analysis

3.5.1 Biosafety, Biosecurity Issue

3.5.2 Ethical Issues And Unintended Consequences

3.6 Market Opportunity Analysis

3.6.1 Development Of Vaccines And Personalized Medicines

3.6.2 Demand For Biofuel

3.7 Market Challenge Analysis

3.7.1 Lack Of Standard Regulation For Synthetic Biology Products

3.8 Business Environment Analysis

3.8.1 SWOT Analysis; By Factor (Political & Legal, Economic And Technological)

3.8.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

3.9 Competitive Analysis

Chapter 4 Products Business Analysis

4.1 Synthetic Biology Market: Products Movement Analysis

4.2 Oligonucleotide/Oligo Pools And Synthetic Dna

4.3 Enzymes

4.4 Cloning Technologies Kits

4.5 Xeno - Nucleic Acids

4.6 Chassis Organism

Chapter 5 Technology Business Analysis

5.1 Synthetic Biology Market: Technology Movement Analysis

5.2 Pcr

5.3 Genome Editing

5.4 Ngs

5.5 Bioprocessing Technology

Chapter 6 Application Business Analysis

6.1 Synthetic Biology Market: Application Movement Analysis

6.2 Healthcare

6.2.1 Global Synthetic Biology Market For Healthcare Synthetic Biology Market Estimates And Forecast, 2018 - 2027 (USD Million)

6.2.2 Clinical

6.2.2.1 Global Synthetic Biology Market For Clinical Synthetic Biology Market Estimates And Forecast, 2018 - 2027 (USD Million)

6.2.2.1.1 Bio/Pharmaceuticals

6.2.2.1.2 Diagnostics

6.2.3 Non - Clinical

6.3 Non - Healthcare

Chapter 7 End Use Business Analysis

7.1 Synthetic Biology Market: End Use Movement Analysis

7.2 Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical Companies

7.3 Academic & Government Research Institutes

Chapter 8 Regional Business Analysis

8.1 Synthetic Biology Market: Regional Movement Analysis

Chapter 9 Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gzc6ya

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220106005512/en/

Contacts

ResearchAndMarkets.comLaura Wood, Senior Press Managerpress@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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Global Synthetic Biology (Enzymes, Cloning Technologies Kits) Market Report 2021-2027 - Opportunities in the Development of Vaccines and Personalized...

Aston Martins decision to effectively clone the Mercedes car in 2020 will definitely help the team in 2022, says Andrew Green.

Back when they were known as Racing Point, the British team opted to base the design of their 2020 challenger on the title-winner Mercedes car from the previous season.

It proved to be a somewhat successful strategy for them with their car more often than not being the third fastest on the grid and their drivers claiming one win and three podiums between them.

Green, the teams technical officer, thinks its also one that opened their eyes and thus will have definitely helped them build and develop their car for the 2022 campaign.

It definitely opened our eyes to new ways of working new concepts, new ideas, he told The Race.

And it has enabled that thinking then to follow through to some degree on the 21 car but the 2022 car definitely.

Greens team were heavily criticised for what became widely known as their pink Mercedes with a number of teams viewing the copying as a form of cheating and protesting the design.

He remains adamant they did nothing wrong though and that trying to replicate another design was far from the easy option for them, requiring a huge amount of work and skill.

Anger from rivals stemmed from the successful way in which they carried out such work, he says.

What we did was look at the car and went about working out why that car was significantly quicker than everybody else, he added.

We did our own learning. Theres no shortcut to doing it. Its not a copy, its developing a solution where youve got a rough idea of what you think the answer is, but youve still got to get there and it takes a lot of development and a lot of work to understand.

In some ways, its even harder because sometimes the directions pull you away from what you believe to be the right answer. I think the team did a great job in understanding the philosophy behind it.

If you look up and down the grid, a lot of other teams have taken the same philosophy. They did what we did last year and theyve taken the philosophy of the fastest car and developed it as their own.

Its not a new concept, its just that everybody latched on to it because I think we did quite a good job and other teams were a little bit upset that wed done quite a good job.

Link:

Mercedes cloning will 'definitely' help Aston Martin in 2022 - PlanetF1

Many drivers have been stung by fines wrongly attributed to their cars since the introduction of clean air zones and the expansion of Londons Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). With the number of fines increasing for drivers who have not entered the car tax zones, it has been suggested that more rogue motorists are using fake plates to cheat city centre enforcement cameras.

Bath, Birmingham and Portsmouth all launched their clean air zones last year, with some more polluting vehicles being charged a daily fee for driving in the zone.

A number of other cities are also set to launch a clean air zone this year, including Greater Manchester, Oxford, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Some clean air zones charge older cars between 7 and 10 per day to drive inside the emissions area, whilst larger vehicles like HGVs and buses can be charged between 50 and 100.

There are fears that as more clean air zones are introduced, more fake number plates could be seen.

READ MORE:Car tax band: How to work out your car's tax band ahead of changes

In 2019, the number of drivers complaining to the DVLA about correspondence, fines or penalties wrongly linked to their vehicles has more than doubled.

The DVLA had 9,384 complaints about correspondence, fines or penalties wrongly linked to vehicles in 2019, up from 4,021 in 2018.

In 2020 the figure fell to 7,400, thought to be due to traffic levels in the pandemic.

Between January 1 and July 31 last year, the latest period figures are available for, it was 4,110.

DON'T MISSBanning car ownership would do more harm than good[INSIGHT]Drivers urged to check new European driving law changes for 2022[URGENT]Hydrogen vehicles 'need to be used' for UK's push for net zero[ANALYSIS]

Jack Cousens, head of policy at the AA, said: With cities across the country introducing clean air zones, plate cloning could increase as fraudsters hope to cheat the charges.

A policy from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) stipulates that if a driver is stopped more than once with a plate which doesnt meet regulations, the registration should be rescinded.

In this case, the driver would be issued with a new, random number plate.

This is done so all number plates meet the UKs regulations and can be more easily identified by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.

A quick Google search can lead drivers to find fake number plates, which could potentially be used to navigate around the charges.

There have been a number of instances where drivers have been wrongly fined for supposedly driving inside a clean air zone.

Richard Gregory-Gibbons, from Staffordshire, says a driver with the exact same car and same licence plate is frequently travelling through Birminghams CAZ zone and claims his registration plate was cloned.

This case of mistaken identity has left him inundated with penalty charge notices (PCN).

In August, he had received almost 30 letters and needed to appeal each fine individually via the councils website.

He received six letters in just one day three of which were for bus lane fines and one warning letter from the clean air zone.

Another driver, Ruth Costello from West Sussex, said she had been receiving the 120 penalty charge notices (PCNs) since the launch of Birminghams CAZ in June.

The motorist, who lives 160 miles away from Birmingham, received 19 fines totalling 2,280, despite having never driven in the city.

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Drivers warned of surge in illegal number plate cloning as older cars look to avoid fines - Express