Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

Health risks, environmental damage and placards featuring corn cobs grimacing menacingly: the discussion about genetic engineering is ridden above all with anxieties. In a poll from environmental organization Greenpeace, the majority of German consumers strongly opposed the cultivation of the genetically modified (GM) corn variety 1507. This maize has been approved to be grown Europe-wide. DW gets to the bottom of the possible anxieties which regularly arise when it comes to this controversial crop.

No, it doesn't. One of the biggest concerns about the introduction of genetically modified corn is that consuming it could cause illness. But agricultural scientist Friedhelm Taube asserts that, to his knowledge "there are no scientific studies which have documented a danger to health." Furthermore, the vast majority of the corn under the German Farmers' Association ("Deutscher Bauernverband") would be produced as feed for dairy cows; the remainder would be used for the generation of energy in biogas plants. Therefore, the corn cultivated on a large-scale would not end up on the plates of consumers.

What about the cows' milk, though? The TUM Technical University in Munich ("Technische Universitt Mnchen") proved in 2008 that the genetically modified material in corn could be excluded from being passed on to consumers through milk. In a two-year study, cattle were fed with the genetically modified maize MON810, which like the currently-discussed GM corn variety 1507 has the gene of the naturally occurring bacteria bacillus thuringensis (Bt) introduced into its genetic makeup. The researchers detected neither illness in the cows, nor could they find traces of the genetically-modified material from the corn in the cows' milk.

Yes, it could be dangerous for vermin and other animals. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) examined the maize variety 1507 amongst others to see whether the protection from insects, for which it had been genetically modified, also endangered other animals apart from those which posed a danger to corn. The EU body based its statement on expert advice received from member states, for example the German Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL). According to that, the pollen of the maize had the highest concentrations of the self-produced insecticide. This successfully killed the damaging European corn borer, but also a related butterfly, the wax moth, which poses no threat to the maize. Greenpeace accused the EFSA of not adequately investigating the negative consequences of the Bt-protein on other types of insects.

For bees, researchers currently see no threat from the GM maize. Animal ecologists from the University of Wrzburg have probed the possible effects of Bt-maize pollen on honeybees and their larvae. They could not determine any negative consequences. However, this pollen can end up in the honey which the bees produce. Honey which has been gathered from the flowers of genetically modified plants is no longer allowed to be marketed as organic.

There's no definite answer yet. Corn is a cultivated plant and grows mainly in sunny and warm regions of the world. It originated from Mexico. In Germany, maize, no matter whether it is genetically modified or not, cannot by itself spread out from the land on which it is cultivated. There are no plants native to Germany with which the maize plants can successfully cross-breed. Furthermore, the corn is not able to survive a German winter.

However, agricultural ecologist Rdiger Gra from the University of Kassel gives some food for thought: "If like this year we have a very mild winter, or the maize becomes ploughed into the earth, the plants could germinate afresh."

All plants have an effect on their environment and the soil, and here genetically modified maize is neither an exception nor a larger danger, adds Gra. "Maize pollen, which is blown into streams and rivers, does however serve as basic nourishment for smaller animals." All possible impacts of the GM corn have not yet been conclusively examined.

Possibly. In Germany about 2.5 million hectares of maize will be cultivated, that covers about a fifth of the country's total arable land. Europe-wide there are more than 500 maize varieties and hybrids. So, is it possible to prevent genetically modified maize from mixing with other maize types?

Wild pigs, bees and other animals could have a hand in mixing up maize varieties, says plant researcher Rdiger Gra, who believes, however, that the flight of pollen is the biggest contamination risk: "In areas of law relating to genetic modification technology there is talk about different minimum distances between the fields. At the same time, no-one can seriously answer how much of a gap is safe." Whether maize pollen can travel for 100 or 1000 meters, the agricultural scientist says, depends among other things on the wind strength and air temperature - and has nothing to do with the type of maize.

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Five fears about GM corn

Genetic Engineering pt II
Applications of Genetic Engineering Human Genome Project.

By: fcpsthwilkowske

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Genetic Engineering pt II - Video

UK Scientists Make Body Parts in Lab
Scientists in a London hospital are growing noses, ears and blood vessels in a bold attempt to make body parts using stem cells. The lab is among several aro. TEST | 3rd best version --- Scientist...

By: worldnewsstoday

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UK Scientists Make Body Parts in Lab - Video

Ap genetic engineering 1

By: Kelly Bender

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Ap genetic engineering 1 - Video

Is This A Human/Alien Genetically Engineered?
Mankind #39;s Creation from Alien Genetic Engineering (Full Documentary) . . . 2013 This documentary and the rest of the documentaries here are about impor. Wow....

By: Alien Ufo Paranormal

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Is This A Human/Alien Genetically Engineered? - Video

mr i explains: The Process of Genetic Engineering (for KS4)

By: mr i explains

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mr i explains: The Process of Genetic Engineering (for KS4) - Video

AP genetic engineering 2

By: Kelly Bender

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AP genetic engineering 2 - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

10-Apr-2014

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, April 10, 2014Men are three to four times more likely to get bladder cancer than women. The possible causes for this greater risk among men, the importance of early and accurate diagnosis, and the scope of available and emerging surgical, chemotherapeutic, and immunotherapeutic approaches for treating bladder cancer in men are the focus of a comprehensive Review article in Journal of Men's Health, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Journal of Men's Health website.

Coauthors R. Jeffrey Karnes, MD and Christopher Murphy, DO, Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), offer a detailed discussion of the three main types of malignancy that can derive from the epithelial lining of the bladder in the Review article "Bladder Cancer in Males: A Comprehensive Review of Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder." Each of these types of bladder cancernonmuscle-invasive, muscle-invasive, and metastaticrequires different management strategies. Prompt diagnosis and appropriate surveillance for disease progression and recurrence are critical.

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About the Journal

Journal of Men's Health is the premier peer-reviewed journal published quarterly in print and online that covers all aspects of men's health across the lifespan. The Journal publishes cutting-edge advances in a wide range of diseases and conditions, including diagnostic procedures, therapeutic management strategies, and innovative clinical research in gender-based biology to ensure optimal patient care. The Journal addresses disparities in health and life expectancy between men and women; increased risk factors such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and obesity; higher prevalence of diseases such as heart disease and cancer; and health care in underserved and minority populations. Journal of Men's Health meets the critical imperative for improving the health of men around the globe and ensuring better patient outcomes. Tables of content and a sample issue can be viewed on the Journal of Men's Health website.

About the Societies

Journal of Men's Health is the official journal of the International Society of Men's Health (ISMH), American Society for Men's Health, Men's Health Society of India, and Foundation for Men's Health. The ISMH is an international, multidisciplinary, worldwide organization, dedicated to the rapidly growing field of gender-specific men's health.

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Therapeutic options and bladder-preserving strategies in bladder cancer

April 10, 2014

Image Caption: Independent genetic circuits are linked within single cells, illustrated under the magnifying glass, then coupled via quorum sensing at the colony level. Credit: Arthur Prindle, UC San Diego

By Kim McDonald, UC San Diego

Programming living cells offers the prospect of harnessing sophisticated biological machinery for transformative applications in energy, agriculture, water remediation and medicine. Inspired by engineering, researchers in the emerging field of synthetic biology have designed a tool box of small genetic components that act as intracellular switches, logic gates, counters and oscillators.

But scientists have found it difficult to wire the components together to form larger circuits that can function as genetic programs. One of the biggest obstacles? Dealing with a small number of available wires.

A team of biologists and engineers at UC San Diego has taken a large step toward overcoming this obstacle. Their advance, detailed in a paper which appears in this weeks advance online publication of the journal Nature, describes their development of a rapid and tunable post-translational coupling for genetic circuits. This advance builds on their development of biopixel sensor arrays reported in Nature by the same group of scientists two years ago.

The problem the researchers solved arises from the noisy cellular environment that tends to lead to highly variable circuit performance. The components of a cell are intermixed, crowded and constantly bumping into each other. This makes it difficult to reuse parts in different parts of a program, limiting the total number of available parts and wires. These difficulties hindered the creation of genetic programs that can read the cellular environment and react with the execution of a sequence of instructions.

The teams breakthrough involves a form of frequency multiplexing inspired by FM radio.

This circuit lets us encode multiple independent environmental inputs into a single time series, said Arthur Prindle, a bioengineering graduate student at UC San Diego and the first author of the study. Multiple pieces of information are transferred using the same part. It works by using distinct frequencies to transmit different signals on a common channel.

The key that enabled this breakthrough is the use of frequency, rather than amplitude, to convey information. Combining two biological signals using amplitude is difficult because measurements of amplitude involve fluorescence and are usually relative. Its not easy to separate out the contribution of each signal, said Prindle. When we use frequency, these relative measurements are made with respect to time, and can be readily extracted by measuring the time between peaks using any one of several analytical methods.

Link:
Researchers Develop Bacterial FM Radio

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

10-Apr-2014

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, April 10, 2014In early fetal development, skin wounds undergo regeneration and healing without scar formation. This mechanism of wound healing later disappears, but by studying the fetal stem cells capable of this scarless wound healing, researchers may be able to apply these mechanisms to develop cell-based approaches able to minimize scarring in adult wounds, as described in a Critical Review article published in Advances in Wound Care, a monthly publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers and an Official Journal of the Wound Healing Society. The article is available free on the Advances in Wound Care website.

Michael Longaker, Peter Lorenz, and co-authors from Stanford University School of Medicine and John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, describe a new stem cell that has been identified in fetal skin and blood that may have a role in scarless wound healing. In the article "The Role of Stem Cells During Scarless Skin Wound Healing", the authors propose future directions for research to characterize the differences in wound healing mechanisms between fetal and adult skin-specific stem cells.

"This work comes from the pioneers in the field and delineates the opportunities towards scarless healing in adults," says Editor-in-Chief Chandan K. Sen, PhD, Professor of Surgery and Director of the Comprehensive Wound Center and the Center for Regenerative Medicine and Cell-Based Therapies at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH.

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About the Journal

Advances in Wound Care is a monthly journal published online and in print that reports the latest scientific discoveries, translational research, and clinical developments in acute and chronic wound care. Each issue provides a digest of the latest research findings, innovative wound care strategies, industry product pipeline, and developments in biomaterials and skin and tissue regeneration to optimize patient outcomes. The broad scope of applications covered includes limb salvage, chronic ulcers, burns, trauma, blast injuries, surgical repair, skin bioengineering, dressings, anti-scar strategies, diabetic ulcers, ostomy, bedsores, biofilms, and military wound care. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Advances in Wound Care website.

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Scarless wound healing -- applying lessons learned from fetal stem cells