Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

8-Sep-2014

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

New Rochelle, NY, September 8, 2014Highly valuable for modeling human diseases and discovering novel drugs and cell-based therapies, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are created by reprogramming an adult cell from a patient to obtain patient-specific stem cells. Due to genetic variation, however, iPSCs may differ from a patient's diseased cells, and researchers are now applying new and emerging genomic editing tools to human disease modeling, as described in a comprehensive Review article published in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Stem Cells and Development website until September 30, 2014.

In "Genomic Editing Tools to Model Human Diseases with Isogenic Pluripotent Stem Cells," Ihor Lemischka, Huen Suk Kim, Jeffrey Bernitz, and Dung-Fang Lee, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York, NY), provide a detailed overview of the development of patient-specific iPSCs for modeling a disease. The authors describe the many factors that need to be considered when generating an iPSC-based disease model comprised of cells that are genetically identical, and they discuss the advantages and limitations of the three leading genomic editing tools: zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and the most recent, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) system.

"As our appreciation of iPSCs as primarily therapeutic screens and disease models matures, we look to advanced gene editing tools to assist in appropriate experimental design. Ihor Lemischka and colleagues provide a much needed examination of the advantages and shortcomings of such techniques," says Editor-in-Chief Graham C. Parker, PhD, The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.

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About the Journal

Stem Cells and Development is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online. The Journal is dedicated to communication and objective analysis of developments in the biology, characteristics, and therapeutic utility of stem cells, especially those of the hematopoietic system. Complete tables of content and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Stem Cells and Development website.

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New genomic editing methods produce better disease models from patient-derived iPSCs

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

4-Sep-2014

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

New Rochelle, NY, September 4, 2014--Imagine a non-rigid, shape-changing robot that walks on four "legs," can operate without the constraints of a tether, and can function in a snowstorm, move through puddles of water, and even withstand limited exposure to flames. Harvard advanced materials chemist George Whitesides, PhD and colleagues describe the mobile, autonomous robot they have created in Soft Robotics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Soft Robotics website.

In "A Resilient, Untethered Soft Robot," Michael Tolley, PhD and a multidisciplinary team of coauthors from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), and the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), detail the innovative composite materials, design features, and fabrication methods they used to develop a soft robot capable of functioning for several hours using a battery pack or for longer periods with a light-weight electrical tether, and able to carry payloads of up to 8 kg.

"This paper marks the emergence of soft robot technology from the research lab into the real world," 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, 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. Tables of content and a sample issue can be viewed on the Soft Robotics website.

About the Publisher

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Harvard and Cornell researchers develop untethered, autonomous soft robot

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

4-Sep-2014

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

New Rochelle, NY, September 4, 2014--Imagine a non-rigid, shape-changing robot that walks on four "legs," can operate without the constraints of a tether, and can function in a snowstorm, move through puddles of water, and even withstand limited exposure to flames. Harvard advanced materials chemist George Whitesides, PhD and colleagues describe the mobile, autonomous robot they have created in Soft Robotics, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Soft Robotics website.

In "A Resilient, Untethered Soft Robot," Michael Tolley, PhD and a multidisciplinary team of coauthors from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA), and the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), detail the innovative composite materials, design features, and fabrication methods they used to develop a soft robot capable of functioning for several hours using a battery pack or for longer periods with a light-weight electrical tether, and able to carry payloads of up to 8 kg.

"This paper marks the emergence of soft robot technology from the research lab into the real world," says Editor-in-Chief Barry A. Trimmer, PhD, who directs the Neuromechanics and Biomimetic Devices Laboratory at Tufts University (Medford, MA).

###

About the Journal

Soft Robotics, 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. Tables of content and a sample issue can be viewed on the Soft Robotics website.

About the Publisher

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Harvard & Cornell researchers develop untethered, autonomous soft robot

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

3-Sep-2014

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

New Rochelle, NY, September 3, 2014If continuing increases in health care costs are inevitable, as some economists predict, is it possible for health care delivery reform to succeed in reducing the overall burden of health care expenditures on the U.S. economy? According to the results of a new study, the focus should shift from cost control to improving utilization rates and quality outcomes, as described in detail 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 until October 3, 2014.

In the article "Evaluating Health Care Delivery Reform Initiatives in the Face of 'Cost Disease'," Steven Thompson, PhD, University of Richmond, VA, Rajiv Kohli, PhD, College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA), Craig Jones, MD and Nick Lovejoy, Vermont Blueprint for Health (Williston, VT), and Katharine McGraves-Lloyd and Karl Finison, Onpoint Health Data (Portland, ME), analyzed claims by patients in Vermont covered by Medicaid and commercial insurance for the 5-year period 2007-2011. The authors evaluated utilization rates and cost of care for inpatient services for individuals treated in patient-centered medical homes, which are part of a novel delivery system model in Vermont that focuses on enhancing preventive health services. Through disease prevention and improved disease management, a goal of this delivery model is reduced inpatient care, with a corresponding decrease in per patient cost of care.

"Research like this is very important in building the evidentiary basis for the Patient Centered Medical Home," 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. "It is especially important when it comes to helping persons in the Medicaid program."

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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 Contents and a sample issue may be viewed on the Population Health Management website. Population Health Management is the official journal of the Population Health Alliance.

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Are rising health care costs inevitable?

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

3-Sep-2014

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

New Rochelle, NY, September 2, 2014A lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD) is the conventional approach to managing celiac disease, a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting the small intestine that can result in malnutrition. However, recent evidence shows that a GFD may not be sufficient to prevent serious complications related to celiac disease. A detailed discussion of the metabolic disorders and functional abnormalities that can develop, and nutritional treatments for these is presented in a Review article published in Journal of Medicinal Food, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Medicinal Food website until October 2, 2014.

Sara Farnetti and coauthors, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Rome, Italy), cover a broad scope of digestive and nutrient absorptive processes in individuals with celiac disease that may be compromised due to increased inflammation. In the article "Functional and Metabolic Disorders in Celiac Disease: New Implications for Nutritional Treatment", the authors discuss how diminished gallbladder and pancreatic function, and increased gut permeability may contribute to the development of overweight and obesity, and impaired glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin secretion in these patients.

"This article reviews the extensive literature on lifelong gluten-free diet supplementation to celiac disease patients and makes outstanding recommendations," says Journal of Medicinal Food Editor-in-Chief Sampath Parthasarathy, MBA, PhD, Florida Hospital Chair in Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Central Florida, Orlando. "The authors conclude that plant oils and products are able to stimulate the gall bladder to promote the absorption process and provide better nutrition to these patients. The conclusion that a lifelong gluten-free diet provision must be accompanied by proper nutrient supplementation is a sound one; however, caution must be exercised in using fried oil as a gall bladder stimulant."

About the Journal

Journal of Medicinal Food is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published monthly in print and online. Led by Editors-in-Chief Sampath Parthasarathy, MBA, PhD, and Young-Eun Lee, PhD, Wonkwang University, Jeonbuk, Korea, this scientific journal publishes original research on the bioactive substances of functional and medicinal foods, nutraceuticals, herbal substances, and other natural products. The Journal explores the chemistry and biochemistry of these substances, as well as the methods for their extraction and analysis, the use of biomarkers and other methods to assay their biological roles, and the development of bioactive substances for commercial use. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Medicinal Food website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

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Is a gluten-free diet enough to control the complications of celiac disease?

Due to the largest-ever Ebola virus outbreak in Africa and the treatment of a handful of patients with an experimental drug, there has been a resurgence of interest in therapeutics to treat the disease. One aspect that has been largely ignored is that the drug, called ZMapp, a mixture of three varieties of humanized monoclonal antibodieswhich bind, in vivo, to proteins on the surface of the Ebola virusrepresents an exquisite tour de force of genetic engineering.

The drug is obtained from genetically engineered tobacco plants that have been infected with genetically engineered plant viruses. During infection of the tobacco plants over the course of a week, the viruses, which are completely harmless to animals and humans, produce huge amounts of the antibodies. The plants are then harvested and homogenized and the antibodies are purified and formulated for administration. They bind to proteins of the Ebola virus in patients and elicit a humoral (antibody) and cellular (lymphocyte) response to the virus.

A seminal study of ZMapp in monkeys experimentally infected with Ebola virus was reported last week in the journal Nature. All 18 rhesus macaques treated with the drug recovered, even when it was administered beginning up to five days after infection. According to the journals press release, Three doses of ZMapp, administered at three-day intervals starting on day three, four or five after rhesus macaques were infected with Ebola virus, resulted in the survival of all 18 animals, while the three rhesus macaques that did not receive ZMapp all succumbed to Ebola virus infection by day eight. The drug reversed severe Ebola virus disease symptoms such as excessive bleeding, rashes and elevated liver enzymes. These findings are particularly encouraging because they provide precisely the kind of evidence of efficacy needed for regulatory approval of ZMapp, which will be evaluated by FDA under the animal rule. This applies to the development of drugs when human efficacy studies are not ethical or feasible.

Obtaining medicines from plants is not new. Many common medicines, such as morphine, codeine, cocaine and the laxative Metamucil are all purified from plants. But the promise of a relatively new approach called biopharming lies in using genetic engineering techniques to induce crops such as corn, tomatoes and tobacco to produce high concentrations of high-value pharmaceuticals.

Biopharming emerged with great promise about 15 years ago, with clinical trials of vaccines and drugs made in bananas, tomatoes and tobacco. Unfortunately, the field confronted the zeal and risk-aversion of regulators. In 2002, a company called Ventria purified two human proteins from genetically engineered rice and found that when added to oral rehydration solution given to children with diarrhea, they markedly shortened the duration of symptoms and reduced the incidence of recurrence. This potential public health breakthrough has been effectively blocked by the FDA: In 2010 the company approached the Food and Drug Administration for recognition that these proteins, which are found in human tears and breast milk, are generally recognized as safe (a regulatory term of art), but received no response. Ventria was unwilling to market the product without the FDAs endorsement, so it isnt available, depriving children in developing countries of a life-saving therapy.

More than a decade ago, scientists at Arizona State University created a biopharmed vaccine against Norwalk virus, the bug that annually causes millions of cases of diarrhea on cruise ships and in nursing homes. This vaccine, initially produced in tomato fruit and more recently in tobacco leaves, is still being studied to find an optimal formulation for administration.

The field testing of biopharmed plants has proved particularly problematic. In 2003 the U.S. Department of Agricultures Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced onerous new rules for the field testing of biopharmed crops. That ended most entrepreneurial interest in biopharming. Mapp Biopharmaceutical, the privately-owned company that makes the experimental Ebola drug ZMapp, boasts a workforce of nine people and has been completely financed by government grants and contracts.

USDAs rules on the cultivation of the biopharmed plants in the field impose highly prescriptive, one-size-fits-all design standards, as contrasted with performance standards, which would specify an end-pointsuch as gene-transfer below a certain levelthat must be achieved by whatever means. USDAs regulation fails to take into account the actual risks of a given situation.

The ostensible objective of the regulation is to avoid biopharmed drugs contaminating food, if crop plants are used in the drug production. The food industry, including groups such as the Grocery Manufacturers of America and the U.S. Rice Producers Association, has raised NIMBYnot in my backyardobjections. They claimed that biopharmed plants could contaminate their food-grade crops, but that fear is overblown and can be avoided in several ways. Production in a non-food crop is an obvious one, and that has affected manufacturing decisions for many new biopharmed vaccines and drugs. For example, the developers of the Norwalk virus vaccine switched from tomato to tobacco both to improve drug yields and to avoid becoming embroiled in disputes with NGOs and regulators about the supposed risks of genetic engineering and possible contamination of food.

The risk of plant-made drugs getting into food products is now virtually nonexistent because the companies involved have switched to production in facilities with rigidly controlled environments, mainly using tobacco. This approach was greatly advanced by the investment in 2010 of more than $80 million in facilities by the federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to expand the tobacco-growing capacity at several companies. The investment was driven by DODs desire to expand the nations ability to respond with new drugs and vaccines to emerging diseases or attacks with biological agents. These sorts of facilities, which have a high degree of control over growth conditions, are essential for the reproducible production of high-quality drugs. This constructive public-private collaboration set the stage for ZMapp, the Ebola drug, to be produced by one of the companies Kentucky Bioprocessing.

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'Biopharming' Offers A Powerful New Approach To Ebola And Other Diseases

First published in News Last updated by Robert Merrick, Parliamentary Correspondent

PROTESTS by a group of MPs have failed to derail plans for a controversial gene therapy, to stop incurable diseases passing to the next generations.

Ministers vowed to plough ahead with preparations for the DNA-altering procedure, which is being pioneered by a team at Newcastle University.

However, the department of health declined to say when the issue would be put to a vote in Parliament, despite suggestions that it could be before the end of the year.

The treatment involves replacing faulty mitochondria responsible for inherited diseases, including muscle wasting, heart problems, vision loss, organ failure and epilepsy.

Embryos are given healthy DNA from donor eggs, meaning a baby has the DNA of three people from two parents, plus less than one per cent from the donor.

Professor Doug Turnbull, who leads the Newcastle team, has urged the Government to draw up legislation as soon as possible, because of the number of patients waiting for treatment.

But, in the Commons, MPs brought forward a motion demanding further research and for new regulations to be delayed in light of public safety concerns.

Fiona Bruce, a Conservative backbencher, claimed the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) wanted further research, saying: This is a case of genetic engineering.

It is the alteration of a potential human being - the removal of certain genes and their replacement with others, to create children.

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MPs' protests fail to derail "three parent family" plans

GENETOS - Genetic Engineering
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Chinese scientists recently revealed the history of domesticated peach.

The fuzzy fruit has been one of mankinds favourite treats for thousands of years. Today, the world produces 23 million tons of peaches and nectarines a year. China accounts for over half of global production, while Italy grows the most in Europe (1.5 million tons).

In 2013, the US produced one million tons of peaches, according to the Department of Agriculture. Georgia, the Peach State, is the third-largest producer (35,250 tons) grows half as much as South Carolina (69,650 tons).

But by far the largest producer is California (648,000 tons of fruit), where peach growers create 3,240 jobs and contribute $374 million to the states annual economy.

Peaches (CC BY 2.0: skyseeker / https://flic.kr/p/2MynV)

Peach and its close relatives stony fruits such as almonds, apricots, cherries and plums are important agricultural crops, providing vitamins and antioxidants in many diets. For example, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that eating two peaches a week reduces the relative risk of breast cancer.

The fuzzy fruit is clearly valuable to our health and wealth. And by asking questions about its genetics, scientists are revealing why peaches are so appealing to us.

Where Do Peaches Come From?

According to historical records, domesticated peach originated in China and is at least 4,000 years old, although archaeological evidence suggests humans were eating wild fruits up to 7,000 years ago. Ornamental peach trees first appeared about 2,000 years ago. Peach spread to the West along the Silk Road and was once thought to have come from Persia, hence its scientific name, Prunus persica.

DNA is now providing further details of how peach was domesticated, and why its evolution continues to be shaped by man.

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Fuzzy, Sweet, Sexy: How Man Shapes Peach

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