Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

17-Nov-2014

Contact: Megan Fellman fellman@northwestern.edu 847-491-3115 Northwestern University @northwesternu

Metastasis is bad news for cancer patients. Northwestern University scientists now have demonstrated a simple but powerful tool that can detect live cancer cells in the bloodstream, potentially long before the cells could settle somewhere in the body and form a dangerous tumor.

The NanoFlare technology is the first genetic-based approach that is able to detect live circulating tumor cells out of the complex matrix that is human blood -- no easy feat. In a breast cancer study, the NanoFlares easily entered cells and lit up the cell if a biomarker target was present, even if only a trace amount. The NanoFlares are tiny spherical nucleic acids with gold nanoparticle cores outfitted with single-stranded DNA "flares."

"This technology has the potential to profoundly change the way breast cancer in particular and cancers in general are both studied and treated," said Chad A. Mirkin, a nanomedicine expert and a corresponding author of the study.

Mirkin's colleagues C. Shad Thaxton, M.D., and Chonghui Cheng, M.D., both of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, are also corresponding authors.

The research team, in a paper to be published the week of Nov. 17 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), reports two key innovations:

"Cancers are very genetically diverse, and it's important to know what cancer subtype a patient has," Mirkin said. "Now you can think about collecting a patient's cells and studying how those cells respond to different therapies. The way a patient responds to treatment depends on the genetic makeup of the cancer."

Mirkin is the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and professor of medicine, chemical and biological engineering, biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering.

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First genetic-based tool to detect circulating cancer cells in blood

Neil Young is swearing off Starbucks lattes.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Last week, the singer said on his website, that he was kicking his daily Starbucks latte habit because he claimed the coffee company had teamed up with Monsanto to sue Vermont over a new law on genetically engineered foods. Young called out to his fans to join a petition by the organization SumOfUs.

Now both companies are denying that they are part of the lawsuit.

Starbucks (SBUX) flatly denied, via Twitter, that the company has anything to do with the lawsuit. Vermont's new labeling law requires that companies identify whether its food products contain genetically modified organisms.

"Starbucks is not a part of any lawsuit pertaining to GMO labeling nor have we provided funding for any campaign," said Starbucks. "And Starbucks is not aligned with Monsanto to stop food labeling or block Vermont State law. The petition claiming that Starbucks is part of this litigation is completely false and we have asked the petitioners to correct their description of our position."

Related: Starbucks CEO tells Congress 'stop the polarization'

Neither company is named in the lawsuit, but both are members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a lobbying group that filed the suit. But Starbucks said that doesn't matter.

"While we are a member of the GMA, we disagree with the association and Monsanto on this issue, and we don't support the lawsuit," the company said in an email to CNNMoney. "It is important for Starbucks to participate in trade associations because participation gives us a voice in the industry debate about these kinds of issues."

GMA spokesman Brian Kennedy confirmed that Starbucks is an "affiliate member" without any involvement in the group's lawsuit.

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Starbucks: Neil Young is wrong on boycott

Neil Young is swearing off Starbucks lattes.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

Last week, the singer said on his website, that he was kicking his daily Starbucks latte habit because he claimed the coffee company had teamed up with Monsanto to sue Vermont over a new law on genetically engineered foods. Young called out to his fans to join a petition by the organization SumOfUs.

Now both companies are denying that they are part of the lawsuit.

Starbucks (SBUX) flatly denied, via Twitter, that the company has anything to do with the lawsuit. Vermont's new labeling law requires that companies identify whether its food products contain genetically modified organisms.

"Starbucks is not a part of any lawsuit pertaining to GMO labeling nor have we provided funding for any campaign," said Starbucks. "And Starbucks is not aligned with Monsanto to stop food labeling or block Vermont State law. The petition claiming that Starbucks is part of this litigation is completely false and we have asked the petitioners to correct their description of our position."

Related: Starbucks CEO tells Congress 'stop the polarization'

Neither company is named in the lawsuit, but both are members of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, a lobbying group that filed the suit. But Starbucks said that doesn't matter.

"While we are a member of the GMA, we disagree with the association and Monsanto on this issue, and we don't support the lawsuit," the company said in an email to CNNMoney. "It is important for Starbucks to participate in trade associations because participation gives us a voice in the industry debate about these kinds of issues."

GMA spokesman Brian Kennedy confirmed that Starbucks is an "affiliate member" without any involvement in the group's lawsuit.

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Starbucks: Neil Young is wrong about boycott

Mankind #39;s Creation from Alien Genetic Engineering Full Length Documentary [FDC]
Mankind #39;s Creation from Alien Genetic Engineering Full Length Documentary documentary national geographic history channel full documentary documentaries bbc documentary discovery channel ...

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Mankind's Creation from Alien Genetic Engineering Full Length Documentary [FDC] - Video

Genetic Engineering Discoveries

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Genetic Engineering Discoveries - Video

Will Genetic Engineering And Organ Growing Bring Us The Dawn Of The Superman?
The Fortean Slip Daily Dose 2 The Chris 2.0 Episode. In this episode Chris wonders if research into genetic engineering and organ growing will bring us the dawn of the superman. This webcast...

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Will Genetic Engineering And Organ Growing Bring Us The Dawn Of The Superman? - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

13-Nov-2014

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

New Rochelle, NY, November 13, 2014--The two U.S. FDA approved oligonucleotide-based drugs on the market both have a modified chemical backbone made of phosphorothioates. The therapeutic advantages of the phosphorothioate group and the new types of gene expression-regulation oligonucleotide drugs that it is enabling are detailed in a Review article in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers. The article is available free on the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics website until December 13, 2014.

In the article "Phosphorothioates, Essential Components of Therapeutic Oligonucleotides," Fritz Eckstein, Max-Planck-Institut fr Experimentelle Medizin, Gttingen, Germany, describes how the chemical and biochemical properties of this significant nucleic acid modification have made DNA suitable for use as therapeutic agents. Initial applications focused on cleaving the mRNA product of genes to block protein production. Dr. Eckstein explores novel applications including microRNA and long non-coding RNA targets and the use of decoy oligonucleotides.

"We will advance the field of nucleic acid therapeutics by looking to key opinion leaders to educate and initiate the experienced and newcomers alike. In this review, Dr. Eckstein has produced a tour de force concerning the therapeutic application of phosphorothioates," says Executive Editor Graham C. Parker, PhD, The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI.

###

Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is under the editorial leadership of Co-Editors-in-Chief Bruce A. Sullenger, PhD, Duke Translational Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, and C.A. Stein, MD, PhD, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA; and Executive Editor Graham C. Parker, PhD.

About the Journal

Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is an authoritative, peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online that focuses on cutting-edge basic research, therapeutic applications, and drug development using nucleic acids or related compounds to alter gene expression. Nucleic Acid Therapeutics is the official journal of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Nucleic Acid Therapeutics website.

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Modified DNA backbone enables success of existing and novel oligonucleotide therapeutics

Next time you pour a glass of wine, raise a toast to the 30-million-year-old viruses that have contributed to the genetic make-up of modern grapes.

A team of UQ-led plant scientists has discovered that the Pinot Noir grape variety owes a significant part of its genetic heritage to ancient plant viruses.

In a study published in Nature Communications, Dr Andrew Geering and colleagues have mapped the presence of 30-million-year-old viruses in Pinot Noir DNA.

Viruses are usually a curse to farmers because of the damage they cause to crops, but this study also suggests they play a vital evolutionary role.

Dr Geering, a plant pathologist at the UQs Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, said most flowering plant species, even the most primitive ones, contain sequence signatures of viruses in their genetic material.

Animals can move to avoid threats but because plants are anchored to the ground they are obliged to adapt to environmental pressures, such as those brought about by drought or grazing, using novel strategies.

Plants cope with such threats by acquiring new biochemical pathways or growth habits.

Pulling new genetic material from the environment, such as from viruses that infect the plant, means evolution can be sped up considerably.

Much like humans, plants are regularly exposed to harmful chemicals or radiation, which can cause damaging and heritable mutations to their genes which, if left unrepaired, could be lethal to their descendants.

Fortunately, there are special mechanisms to repair these mutations. Its during this repair procedure that foreign DNA such as that originating from viruses can be inserted into the plants own genetic code, much like using putty to fill a crack in the wall.

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Pinot Noir grapes owe a debt to ancient viruses

Next time you pour a glass of wine, raise a toast to the 30-milion-year-old viruses that have contributed to the genetic make-up of modern grapes.

A team of UQ-led plant scientists has discovered that the Pinot Noir grape variety owes a significant part of its genetic heritage to ancient plant viruses.

In a study published in Nature Communications, Dr Andrew Geering and colleagues have mapped the presence of 30-million-year-old viruses in Pinot Noir DNA.

Viruses are usually a curse to farmers because of the damage they cause to crops, but this study also suggests they play a vital evolutionary role.

Dr Geering, a plant pathologist at the UQs Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, said most flowering plant species, even the most primitive ones, contain sequence signatures of viruses in their genetic material.

Animals can move to avoid threats but because plants are anchored to the ground they are obliged to adapt to environmental pressures, such as those brought about by drought or grazing, using novel strategies.

Plants cope with such threats by acquiring new biochemical pathways or growth habits.

Pulling new genetic material from the environment, such as from viruses that infect the plant, means evolution can be sped up considerably.

Much like humans, plants are regularly exposed to harmful chemicals or radiation, which can cause damaging and heritable mutations to their genes which, if left unrepaired, could be lethal to their descendants.

Fortunately, there are special mechanisms to repair these mutations. Its during this repair procedure that foreign DNA such as that originating from viruses can be inserted into the plants own genetic code, much like using putty to fill a crack in the wall.

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Our wine owes a debt to ancient viruses

Book Review | Genetic Engineering, Biofertilisation, Soil Quality And Organic Farming
BOOK REVIEW OF YOUR FAVORITE BOOK =--- Where to buy this book? ISBN: 9789400732377 Book Review of Genetic Engineering, Biofertilisation, Soil Quality and Organic Farming by David...

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