Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

The authors at a clinic in Palpite in Cuba. Photo: Odalys Miranda/Twitter

Palpite, Cuba, is just a few miles away from Playa Girn, along the Bay of Pigs, where the United States attempted to overthrow the Cuban Revolution in 1961. Down a modest street in a small building with a Cuban flag and a large picture of Fidel Castro near the front door, Dr. Dayamis Gmez La Rosa sees patients from 8 am to 5 pm. In fact, that is an inaccurate sentence. Dr. Dayamis, like most primary care doctors in Cuba, lives above the clinic that she runs. I became a doctor, she told us as we sat in the clinics waiting room, because I wanted to make the world a better place. Her father was a bartender, and her mother was a housecleaner, but thanks to the Revolution, she says, she is a primary care doctor, and her brother is a dentist. Patients come when they need care, even in the middle of the night.

Apart from the waiting room, the clinic only has three other rooms, all of them small and clean. The 1,970 people in Palpite come to see Dr. Dayamis, who emphasizes that she has in her care several pregnant women and infants. She wants to talk about pregnancy and children because she wants to let me know that over the past three years, not one infant has died in her town or in the municipality. The last time an infant died, she said, was in 2008 when a child was born prematurely and had great difficulty breathing. When we asked her how she remembered that death with such clarity, she said that for her as a doctor any death is terrible, but the death of a child must be avoided at all costs. I wish I did not have to experience that, she said.

The region of the Zapata Swamp, where the Bay of Pigs is located, before the Revolution, had an infant mortality rate of 59 per 1,000 live births. The population of the area, mostly engaged in subsistence fishing and in the charcoal trade, lived in great poverty. Fidel spent the first Christmas Eve after the Revolution of 1959 with the newly formed cooperative of charcoal producers, listening to them talk about their problems and working with them to find a way to exit the condition of hunger, illiteracy, and ill-health. A large-scale project of transformation had been set into motion a few months before, which drew in hundreds of very poor people into a process to lift themselves up from the wretched conditions that afflicted them. This is the reason why these people rose in large numbers to defend the Revolution against the attack by the US and its mercenaries in 1961.

To move from 59 infant deaths out of every 1,000 live births to no infant deaths in the matter of a few decades is an extraordinary feat. It was done, Dr. Dayamis says, because the Cuban Revolution pays an enormous attention to the health of the population. Pregnant mothers are given regular care from primary care doctors and gynecologists and their infants are tended by pediatriciansall of it paid from the social wealth of the country. Small towns such as Palpite do not have specialists such as gynecologists and pediatricians, but within a short ride a few miles away, they can access these doctors in Playa Larga.

Walking through the Playa Giron museum earlier that day, the museums director Dulce Mara Limonta del Pozo tells us that the many of the captured mercenaries were returned to the US in exchange for food and medicines for children; it is telling that this is what the Cuban Revolution demanded. From early into the Revolution, literacy campaigns and vaccination campaigns developed to address the facts of poverty. Now, Dr. Dayamis reports, each child gets between 12 and 16 vaccinations for such ailments as smallpox and hepatitis.

In Havanas Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), Dr. Merardo Pujol Ferrer tells us that the country has almost eradicated hepatitis B using a vaccine developed by their Center. That vaccineHeberbiovac HBhas been administered to 70 million people around the world. We believe that this vaccine is safe and effective, he said. It could help to eradicate hepatitis around the world, particularly in poorer countries. All the children in her town are vaccinated against hepatitis, Dr. Dayamis says. The health care system ensures that not one person dies from diarrhea or malnutrition, and not one person dies from diseases of poverty.

What ails the people of Palpite, Dr. Dayamis says, are now the diseases that one sees in richer countries. It is one of the paradoxes of Cuba, which remains a country of limited meanslargely because of the US governments blockade of this island of 11 million peopleand yet has transcended the diseases of poverty. The new illnesses that she says are hypertension and cardiovascular diseases as well as prostate and breast cancer. These problems, she points out, must be dealt with by public education, which is why she has a radio show on Radio Victoria de Girn, the local community station, each Thursday, called Education for Health.

If we invest in sports, says Ral Forns Valenciano, the vice-president of the Institute of Physical Education and Recreation (INDER), then we will have less problems of health. Across the country, INDER focuses on getting the entire population active with a variety of sports and physical exercises. Over 70,000 sports health workers collaborate with the schools and the centers for the elderly to provide opportunities for leisure time to be spent in physical activity. This, along with the public education campaign that Dr. Dayamis told us about, are key mechanisms to prevent chronic diseases from harming the population.

If you take a boat out of the Bay of Pigs and land in other Caribbean countries, you will find yourself in a situation where healthcare is almost nonexistent. In the Dominican Republic, for example, infant mortality is at 34 per 1,000 live births. These countriesunlike Cubahave not been able to harness the commitment and ingenuity of people such as Dr. Dayamis and Dr. Merardo. In these other countries, children die in conditions where no doctor is present to mourn their loss decades later.

Excerpt from:
How Cuba is eradicating child mortality and banishing the diseases of the poor - Peoples Dispatch

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a debilitating illness affecting up to 40% of the population in some African countries. Its caused by mutations in the gene that makes haemoglobin the protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells.

It might one day be possible to treat this disease using gene editing by switching back on the production of a healthy form of haemoglobin called foetal haemoglobin, which is usually only produced by the body when were in the womb.

But a new study testing this promising new treatment in mice has found that scientists still have a long way to go before it can be attempted in humans. The research has been published in Disease Models & Mechanisms.

Healthy red blood cells (RBCs) are shaped similar to a donut but with an indentation instead of a hole.

In sickle cell disease the abnormal haemoglobin distorts the RBCs shape when they arent carrying oxygen. Instead, sickled RBCs are C-shaped, like the farm tool called a sickle, and they become hard and sticky, and die earlier.

Because of their shape, sickled RBCs can become stuck and stop blood flow when travelling through small blood vessels. This causes patients to suffer from episodes of excruciating pain, organ damage and a reduced life-expectancy.

Although current treatments have reduced complications and extended the life expectancies of affected children, most still die prematurely.

Red blood cells are made from haematopoietic stem cells in our bone marrow. These stem cells are able to develop into more than one cell type, in a process called haematopoiesis.

Researchers hope to edit the genes of these stem cells so that they produce RBCs with foetal haemoglobin instead of the abnormal protein and can be reintroduced into the body to alleviate the symptoms of SCD.

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Unfortunately, they found that although two types of lab mice had the symptoms of sickle cell disease, their foetal haemoglobin gene and surrounding DNA were not properly configured, making the stem-cell treatment ineffective or even harmful.

These mice called Berkley and Townes mice were genetically engineered in different ways to carry several human haemoglobin genes (replacing the mice genes) so scientists could study sickle cell disease in an animal model.

The researchers removed stem cells from the mice and used CRISPIR-Cas9 to try to turn on the healthy foetal haemoglobin gene. They then put the reprogrammed stem cells back into the mice and monitored the animals for 18 weeks to find out how the treatment affected them.

Surprisingly, 70% of Berkley mice died from the therapy and production of foetal haemoglobin was activated in only 3.1% of the stem cells. On the other hand, treatment did not affect the survival of Townes mice and even activated the foetal haemoglobin gene in 57% of RBCs.

Even then, the levels of foetal haemoglobin produced were seven to 10 times lower than seen when this approach was used in human cells grown in the laboratory and were not high enough to reduce clinical signs of sickle cell disease.

We realised that we did not know enough about the genetic configurations of these mice, says senior author Dr Mitchell Weiss, chair of the haematology department at St Jude Childrens Research Hospital, US.

The researchers sequenced the mices haemoglobin genes and surrounding DNA, and discovered that Berkley mice instead of having a single copy of the mutated human gene had 22 randomly arranged, broken-up copies of the mutated human sickle cell disease gene and 27 copies of the human foetal haemoglobin.

This caused the fatal effects seen and meant that the mice cannot be used to test this treatment in the future.

Our findings will help scientists using the Berkeley and Townes mice decide which to use to address their specific research question relating to sickle cell disease or haemoglobin, concludes Weiss.

Additionally, this work provides a reminder for scientists to carefully consider the genetics of the mice that they are using to study human diseases and find the right mouse for the job.

See the original post here:
Sickle cell disease gene therapy study set back by the mice - Cosmos

GAITHERSBURG, Md., July 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Novavax,Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a biotechnology company dedicated to developing and commercializing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has approved the expanded conditional marketing authorization (CMA) of Nuvaxovid (NVX-CoV2373) COVID-19 vaccine in the European Union (EU) for adolescents aged 12 through 17. The approval follows the positive recommendation made by the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use on June 23, 2022.

"With this authorization, we are extremely pleased to be able to offer our Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents in the EU," said Stanley C. Erck, President and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax. "Our protein-based vaccine was developed using an innovative approach to traditional technology and has demonstrated efficacy and safety in both adolescents and adults."

The authorization was based on data from the ongoing pediatric expansionof PREVENT-19, a pivotal Phase 3 trial of 2,247 adolescents aged 12 through 17 years across 73 sites in the U.S., to evaluate the safety, effectiveness (immunogenicity), and efficacy of Nuvaxovid. In the trial, Nuvaxovid achieved its primary effectiveness endpoint and demonstrated 80% clinical efficacy overall at a time when the Delta variant was the predominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 strain in the U.S.

Preliminary safety data from the trial showed the vaccine to be generally well-tolerated. Serious and severe adverse events were low in number and balanced between vaccine and placebo groups, and not considered related to the vaccine. Local and systemic reactogenicity was generally lower than or similar to adults, after the first and second dose. The most common adverse reactions observed were injection site tenderness/pain, headache, myalgia, fatigue, and malaise. There was no increase in reactogenicity in younger (12 to <15 years old) adolescents compared to older (15 to <18 years old) adolescents. No new safety signal was observed through the placebo-controlled portion of the study.

The EC granted CMA for Nuvaxovid to prevent COVID-19 in individuals aged 18 and over in December 2021. In addition to the EC's expanded CMA, Indiahas granted emergency use authorization in the 12 through 17 year-old population.

Authorization in the U.S.

NVX-CoV2373 has not yet been authorized for use in the U.S. and the trade name Nuvaxovid has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Important Safety Information

For additional information on Nuvaxovid, please visit the following websites:

About NVX-CoV2373NVX-CoV2373 is a protein-based vaccine engineered from the genetic sequence of the first strain of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. The vaccine was created using Novavax' recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike (S) protein and is formulated with Novavax' patented saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. NVX-CoV2373 contains purified protein antigen and can neither replicate, nor can it cause COVID-19.

The Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is packaged as a ready-to-use liquid formulation in a vial containing ten doses. The vaccination regimen calls for two 0.5 ml doses (5 mcg antigen and 50 mcg Matrix-M adjuvant) given intramuscularly 21 days apart. The vaccine is stored at 2- 8 Celsius, enabling the use of existing vaccine supply and cold chain channels. Use of the vaccine should be in accordance with official recommendations.

Novavax has established partnerships for the manufacture, commercialization and distribution of NVX-CoV2373 worldwide. Existing authorizations leverage Novavax' manufacturing partnership with Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume. They will later be supplemented with data from additional manufacturing sites throughout Novavax' global supply chain.

About the NVX-CoV2373 Phase 3 TrialsNVX-CoV2373 continues being evaluated in two pivotal Phase 3 trials.

PREVENT-19 (thePRE-fusion protein subunitVaccineEfficacyNovavaxTrial | COVID-19) is a 2:1 randomized, placebo-controlled, observer-blinded trial to evaluate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373 with Matrix-M adjuvant in 29,960 participants 18 years of age and over in 119 locations inthe U.S.andMexico. The primary endpoint for PREVENT-19 was the first occurrence of PCR-confirmed symptomatic (mild, moderate or severe) COVID-19 with onset at least seven days after the second dose in serologically negative (to SARS-CoV-2) adult participants at baseline. The statistical success criterion included a lower bound of 95% CI >30%. A secondary endpoint was the prevention of PCR-confirmed, symptomatic moderate or severe COVID-19. Both endpoints were assessed at least seven days after the second study vaccination in volunteers who had not been previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. In the trial, NVX-CoV2373 achieved 90.4% efficacy overall. It was generally well-tolerated and elicited a robust antibody response after the second dose in both studies. Full results of the trial were published in theNew England Journal of Medicine(NEJM).

The pediatric expansion of PREVENT-19 is a 2:1 randomized, placebo-controlled, observer-blinded trial to evaluate the safety, effectiveness, and efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 with Matrix-M adjuvant in 2,247 adolescent participants 12 to 17 years of age in 73 locations in the United States, compared with placebo. In the pediatric trial, NVX-CoV2373 achieved its primary effectiveness endpoint (non-inferiority of the neutralizing antibody response compared to young adult participants 18 through 25 years of age from PREVENT-19) and demonstrated 80% efficacy overall at a time when the Delta variant of concern was the predominant circulating strain in the U.S.Additionally, immune responses were about two-to-three-fold higher in adolescents than in adults against all variants studied.

PREVENT-19 is being conducted with support from the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health at HHS. BARDA is providing up to$1.75 billionunder a Department of Defense agreement (# MCDC2011-001).

Additionally, a trial conducted in the U.K. with 14,039 participants aged 18 years and over was designed as a randomized, placebo-controlled, observer-blinded study and achieved overall efficacy of 89.7%. The primary endpoint was based on the first occurrence of PCR-confirmed symptomatic (mild, moderate or severe) COVID-19 with onset at least seven days after the second study vaccination in serologically negative (to SARS-CoV-2) adult participants at baseline. Full results of the trial were published inNEJM.

About Matrix-M AdjuvantNovavax' patented saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant has demonstrated a potent and well-tolerated effect by stimulating the entry of antigen-presenting cells into the injection site and enhancing antigen presentation in local lymph nodes, boosting immune response.

About NovavaxNovavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) is a biotechnology company that promotes improved health globally through the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases. The company's proprietary recombinant technology platform harnesses the power and speed of genetic engineering to efficiently produce highly immunogenic nanoparticles designed to address urgent global health needs. NVX-CoV2373, the company's COVID-19 vaccine, has received conditional authorization from multiple regulatory authorities globally, including the European Commission and the World Health Organization. The vaccine is currently under review by multiple regulatory agencies worldwide and will soon be under review in the U.S. for use in adults, adolescents and as a booster. In addition to its COVID-19 vaccine, Novavax is also currently evaluating a COVID-seasonal influenza combination vaccine candidate in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial, which combines NVX-CoV2373 and NanoFlu*, its quadrivalent influenza investigational vaccine candidate, and is also evaluating an Omicron strain-based vaccine (NVX-CoV2515) as well as a bivalent Omicron-based / original strain-based vaccine. These vaccine candidates incorporate Novavax' proprietary saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies.

For more information, visitwww.novavax.comand connect with us on LinkedIn.

*NanoFlu identifies a recombinant hemagglutinin (HA) protein nanoparticle influenza vaccine candidate produced by Novavax. This investigational candidate was evaluated during a controlled phase 3 trial conducted during the 2019-2020 influenza season.

Forward-Looking StatementsStatements herein relating to the future of Novavax, its operating plans and prospects, its partnerships, the timing of clinical trial results, the ongoing development of NVX-CoV2373, a COVID-seasonal influenza investigational vaccine candidate, the scope, timing and outcome of future regulatory filings and actions, including Novavax' plans to supplement existing authorizations with data from the additional manufacturing sites in Novavax' global supply chain, additional worldwide authorizations of NVX-CoV2373 for adolescents, the potential impact and reach of Novavax and NVX-CoV2373 in addressing vaccine access, controlling the pandemic and protecting populations, and the efficacy, safety and intended utilization of NVX-CoV2373 are forward-looking statements. Novavax cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, challenges satisfying, alone or together with partners, various safety, efficacy, and product characterization requirements, including those related to process qualification and assay validation, necessary to satisfy applicable regulatory authorities; difficulty obtaining scarce raw materials and supplies; resource constraints, including human capital and manufacturing capacity, on the ability of Novavax to pursue planned regulatory pathways; challenges meeting contractual requirements under agreements with multiple commercial, governmental, and other entities; and those other risk factors identified in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Novavax' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press release. You are encouraged to read our filings with the SEC, available at http://www.sec.gov and http://www.novavax.com, for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this document, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of the statements. Our business is subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, including those referenced above. Investors, potential investors, and others should give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties.

Contacts:InvestorsAlex Delacroix | 240-268-2022[emailprotected]

MediaAli Chartan | 240-720-7804[emailprotected]

SOURCE Novavax, Inc.

Read the original:
Novavax Nuvaxovid COVID-19 Vaccine Conditionally Authorized in the European Union for Adolescents Aged 12 Through 17 - PR Newswire

This article is excerpted from Tom Yeungs Moonshot Investor newsletter. To make sure you dont miss any of Toms potential 100x picks,subscribe to his mailing list here.

On Tuesday, the price of West Texas Intermediate briefly dipped below $100 for the first time since May.

Wall Street says a recession is coming, Philip Aldrick at Bloomberg News reported. Consumers say its already here.

Its hard to miss the warning signs. This year, my neighbors July Fourth celebrations involved no secret trip to New Hampshire for fireworks. Instead, the pyrotechnics were limited to Roman candles, the tiniest of pencil-sized firecrackers and a sigh of relief that their car will soon be paid off.

The numbers dont lie either. In May, the University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment hit 58.4, one of its lowest points since the depths of the 2008 financial crisis. When the average lease payments for a new vehicle swallow up nearly 20% of a median households income, it doesnt take an economist to know that somethings wrong.

Thats the reason why the core Profit & Protection buy list contains no oil or commodity-based stocks. With the U.S. facing the prospect of a drawn-out slowdown, demand for cyclical, low-value materials will be volatile at best.

Instead, regular readers will notice a growing focus on healthcare and other non-cyclical companies that can thrive even during slowdowns. And today, well consider the three healthcare stocks investors need to put on their radar.

On Tuesday, I introduced nine biotech stocks with outstanding growth potential. After decades of development, the first CRISPR gene editing technologies could hit markets by 2023.

Of the group, my top picks are Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP) and Beam Therapeutics (BEAM).

The largest pure-play gene-editing firm is an obvious pick for the Profit & Protection watchlist. It has the most high-quality shots-on-goal among gene-editing startups, and is the blue-chip pick for the watchlist. The firm now has five drugs in clinical trials, while nearest rival Intelliaonly has two.

Crispr also has greater upside potential than Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a diversified biopharma company and drug marketing firm. Vertexs $74 billion market capitalization gives little room for anything better than a 50% gain over the next several years. Meanwhile, Crisprs $5.8 billion market cap gives the smaller startup a 100% upside if just one of its five drug candidates reaches FDA approval in the coming years. Multiple wins could send shares into the $30 billion range, given the average value of a blockbuster drug.

Finally, Crispr has some of the best proof of a working CRISPR-Cas9 platform so far. In 2021, the company revealed positive trial results for CTX001, its treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) and transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia (TDT). All 15 patients with TDT ended the trial transfusion-free, while all seven SDC patients were free of vaso-occlusive crises, a common complication of sickle cell. The drug could launch as soon as 2023, according to industry watchers.

The smaller gene-editing firm is a less obvious choice for the Profit & Protection watchlist. The firm only has three candidates in IND-enabling studies to secure in-human clinical trials and is about 3 to 5 years behind Crispr when it comes to approvals.

Yet Beam makes the Profit & Protection watchlist because it is a leader in base editing the fiercest competitor to CRISPR-Cas9 systems. Rather than acting as genetic scissors the way CRISPR does, Beams base editing chemically transforms individual base pairs from A-T to G-C.

Its a far more precise (and valuable) method of gene editing.

More than 31,000 such mutations in the human genome are known to be associated with human genetic diseases. But CRISPR is not particularly efficient at correcting them, notes Sandeep Ravindran at Nature. Instead, its base editors that excel at single-site mutations.

Base editors also cause fewer genetic errors. Cutting genetic code with CRISPR creates the risk that random bases can be inserted or deleted (indels), altering the gene sequence, Mr. Ravindran continues. By altering just a specific nucleotide without making double-stranded breaks, base editors cause fewer unwanted mistakes. For in-vivo treatments, that gives a far better chance of curing a patient instead of causing uncontrolled genetic mutations.

That gives Beam Therapeutics an unusually high degree of downside protection. Though its drugs might be years away from commercialization, the company could realistically get acquired for its intellectual property if share prices drop another 50%. And if the firms drugs reach viability in 5 to 10 years, investors can expect BEAM shares to rise 5x in short order.

Finally, Luke Lango has one final biotech pick thats upending the world of gene-editing. Rather than focus on specific therapies, this picks and shovels play wraps software and automation around cell engineering workflows.

In other words, its a synthetic biology firm that designs, writes and inserts DNA directly into target cells.

Looking for cells that can produce vaccines? Or yeast that can create food-grade protein through fermentation? These futuristic goals are surprisingly close, thanks to this biotech marvel.

Additionally, the firm currently trades around $3, giving investors a potential 5x to 10x upside. Lukes found plenty of 1,000%+ tech winners before. And this one is a blue-chip gene-editing one that will interest you.

To learn more, check out Lukes Innovation Investor presentation by clicking here.

For all of biotechs potential, every firm has the same problem:

Crispr, Beam and all other research-based firms are long duration stocks that suffer during rate hikes.

These drug research firms typically have zero revenue; their entire business involves testing therapies and selling successful candidates to larger companies. Its how BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) managed to trounce rival Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) in Covid-19 vaccine development; the former partnered with Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) to help with production and distribution, while the latter struggled to go it alone.

This research-only business model, however, has a significant downside. Because a biotechs profits are all in the future, a more significant share of its value must be discounted back compared to companies with profits today.

Rising interest rates have biotech investors on the back foot. Discount rates tend to move together with interest rates, so tightening cycles tend to torpedo the value of long duration stocks. Shares of Crispr Therapeutics have already fallen 50% over the past year. And Beam as an earlier-stage startup has naturally fallen even further.

Though Im adding CRSP shares to the Profit & Protection shortlist of stocks to buy, it will take signals of Fed easing before the company earns a place on the core buy list. But when that happens, investors would be wise to scoop up shares of these high-potential stocks with downside protection to match.

P.S. Do you want to hear more about cryptocurrencies? Penny stocks? Options? Leave me a note atfeedback@investorplace.comor connect with me onLinkedInand let me know what youd like to see.

On the date of publication, Tom Yeung did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.

Tom Yeung, CFA, is a registered investment advisor on a mission to bring simplicity to the world of investing.

Original post:
The 3 Leaders of the Gene Editing Revolution - InvestorPlace

The government is twisting science and mangling the concept of natural to force gene-edited foods, unlabelled, onto our plates.

Environment secretary George Eustice promotes gene editing as a precision scienceone that is all benefits, no downside. Much of the media has fallen for this reassuring but thoroughly fallacious sales pitch, when in fact genome editing is just another form of risky genetic engineering.

Gene editing isnt just a single snip or tweak. As well as any intended genetic modification, it invariably involves large numbers of unintended alterationsto the plant or animal in question.It can also entail multiple cuts into an organisms DNA and the insertion of foreign genes.

For instance, Professor Cathie Martin, who led the development of the gene-edited tomato that could be the first crop of its kind to go on sale in the UK, told The National thatthe process did insert foreign genes that were removed before the final plant was put to market.

And be in no doubt that, as the European Court of Justice has ruled, gene editing does indeed create genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Yet if the UK government gets away with its new legislation, it would allow plants created using foreign genes to be classified as natural and they will be exempt from regulation and labelling.

This should alarm us. A recent experiment in the US serves as a timely warning of how this volatile technology produces unpredictable, negative and irreversible results.

Researchers at Georgia State University just reported on how their gene editing experiment to reduce aggression in hamsters misfired when their precision alterations instead bred ultra-vicious rodents.In other words, the scientists anticipated a favourable outcome, but got the opposite result.

In the realm of food, the most obvious risks of gene editing are the production of toxins and allergens that could wreak havoc with human and animal health. Who has an appetite for that?

Last years government consultation found 88% of citizens dont want gene-edited foods treated differently to other genetically modified products.

Is it any wonder that, very sensibly, no UK supermarket is willing to say it will stock gene-edited food?

Read more from the original source:
Gene-edited foods shouldn't be enabled in the UK while risks are ignored - The Grocer

The emergence of CRISPR technology, which can be used for gene modification and editing, has been revolutionary for the science community and research field due to its applications for disease and health. Additionally, combining nanotechnology and CRISPR can hold tremendous potential for widening the opportunities for versatile applications, from diseases to agriculture.

Image Credit:Yurchanka Siarhei/Shutterstock.com

CRISPR is an acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats and is a critical tool that can be used to find specific DNA within cells for the purpose of gene editing; this can also include turning a gene on or off without modifying the sequence.

Conventional gene therapy methods have taken researchers years to gain traction and can be quite expensive; however, the emergence of CRISPR has revolutionized this process into a cheaper and relatively simpler strategy for gene editing.

CRISPR Cas9 proteins found in bacteria can be programmed to find and bind to targeted DNA sequences by providing a complimentary piece of RNA, which can guide the tool for its purpose. Once found, the Cas9 protein can cut the target DNA, which during repair, can lead to mutations and the disablement and overall dysfunction of the gene.

Other types of applications for CRISPR can also include replacing dysfunctional genes, turning genes on and off, instead of modifying the DNA, and even modifying single nucleotide bases within the DNA sequence from one letter to another. However, these can have varying levels of difficulties in practice.

CRISPR/Cas9 delivery can be used for innovative cancer therapy; however, this would require the gene-editing tool to be delivered directly into target cancer cells, requiring the passing of physical barriers and maintaining functionality.

The strategies for delivery of the CRISPR system can include physical and viral vectors.

The physical vectors can include (i) microinjection, (ii) electroporation, and (iii) hydrodynamic delivery. These delivery methods have demonstrated efficiency within in vitro application; however, in vivo results have been more challenging.

Viral vectors have also been subject to challenges within in vivo applications, with limitations comprising immunogenic responses, high production expense, limited capacity with cargo packaging, as well as having possible effects outside of the target area.

Research into non-viral vectors and the possible use of nanotechnology to advance delivery has been explored as a result.

Non-viral nanotechnology-based delivery methods may include the use of nanocarriers, such as polymers, lipids, silica nanoparticles and metallic nanoparticles.

These have been revered for various applications in different fields due to their versatility and have also been used within cancer therapy due to advantages such as having low immunogenicity and a high cargo delivery capacity.

The high potential of the CRISPR/Cas9 system within clinical applications has been recognized globally by researchers, evident from 18 CRISPR-based clinical trials that have been launched since 2016, with almost half being a type of immunotherapy.

Additionally, the use of nanotechnology for furthering this gene-editing tool for diverse applications such as cancer, HPV treatment, as well as agriculture may advance the field of science and healthcare on a global scale.

A previous clinical trial has demonstrated the use of CRISPR/Cas9 on the human papillomavirus (HPV) that is associated with cervical cancer, where the correlated genes, E6 and E7, were destroyed to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and overall survival.

However, while trials have shown effective results, human safety remains a priority, with off-target effects and delivery being a concern for the CRISPR/Cas9 system.

The use of a lipid nanoparticle-based CRISPR/Cas9 system has recently been applied to treat transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR), becoming the first clinical data of therapeutic gene editing within patients. This nanotechnology incorporation into CRISPR gene editing has demonstrated the potential of using nanotechnology to advance the treatment of genetic disorders through innovative delivery.

With the global CRISPR market being valued at $846.2 million in 2019 and estimations of $10,825.1 million by the year 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of 26.86%, this gene-editing tool is predicted to have a significant impact worldwide.

The potential of editing the genome to modify human disease and disorders may be a tangible reality in the near future, with clinical trials already launched and set in motion.

Additionally, the use of nanotechnology for this advanced gene-editing tool may aid in satisfying concerns over have off-target effects due to the precise targetability characteristic for which this innovative field is known.

The versatility of nanotechnology enables the possibility of aiding the field of medicine as well as other fields, such as agriculture. This is critical as CRISPR systems also face delivery challenges within plants and with the use of nanomaterials, these may be solved.

With the growth of the global population, the essential survival of plants has become even more imperative to sustain the global demand for food, therapeutics, and bioenergy.

Genetic engineering methods are not only significant for medicine, but also for one of the most critical elements of life, namely, plants, to ensure species survival, higher yield, and nutrient density.

Nanotechnology uses for interdisciplinary applications have become a common theme and the opportunities for advancing the lives and health of humans are a critical component for research. The use of nanotechnology-based CRISPR can only advance the field further, providing promising solutions for current challenges.

Demirer, G., Silva, T., Jackson, C., Thomas, J., W. Ehrhardt, D., Rhee, S., Mortimer, J. and Landry, M., 2021. Nanotechnology to advance CRISPRCas genetic engineering of plants.Nature Nanotechnology, 16(3), pp.243-250. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-021-00854-y

Markets, R., 2022.Outlook on the CRISPR Gene Editing Global Market to 2030 - Analysis and Forecasts. [online] GlobeNewswire News Room. Available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/02/08/2171285/0/en/Outlook-on-the-CRISPR-Gene-Editing-Global-Market-to-2030-Analysis-and-Forecasts.html

New Scientist. 2022.CRISPR. [online] Available at: https://www.newscientist.com/definition/what-is-crispr/

Uddin, F., Rudin, C. and Sen, T., 2020. CRISPR Gene Therapy: Applications, Limitations, and Implications for the Future.Frontiers in Oncology, 10. Available at: 10.3389/fonc.2020.01387

Xu, X., Liu, C., Wang, Y., Koivisto, O., Zhou, J., Shu, Y. and Zhang, H., 2021. Nanotechnology-based delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 for cancer treatment.Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 176, p.113891. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2021.113891

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Nanotechnology and CRISPR; Opportunities and Outlook - AZoNano

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Insights of OPs and PYR cytotoxic potential Invitro and genotoxic impact on PON1 genetic variant among exposed workers in Pakistan | Scientific...

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ambys Medicines, a company pioneering cell-replacement therapies for patients with liver disease, today announced that data from its universal hepatocyte program will be presented at the 2022 International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting, which will be held June 15-18, 2022, in San Francisco and virtually. Ambys will present proof-of-concept data on its genetically engineered hypoimmunogenic human hepatocytes during an oral session.

We look forward to presenting data on our universal hepatocyte program that demonstrate the efficient ex vivo genetic engineering of primary human hepatocytes in a metabolic liver disease model using a range of gene editing and delivery technologies, said Markus Grompe, M.D., Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Ambys Medicines. Were progressing multiple liver cell replacement therapies in development, including our universal human hepatocyte therapy which eliminates the need for immune suppression. These preclinical findings show proof of concept for our engineered hepatocyte replacement approach for severe liver diseases.

Presentation details follow:

Title: Rescue of a Metabolic Liver Disease Model by Genetically Engineered Hypoimmunogenic Human HepatocytesSession: Biotech, Pharma and Academia Bringing Stem Cells to PatientsDate & Time: Thursday, June 16, 2022, at 6:10 p.m. PTRoom: 2004, Level 2

About Ambys Medicines

Ambys Medicines is focused on pioneering cell replacement therapies for patients with liver failure. Ambyss proprietary platform enables the company to be the first and only company able to develop and manufacture functional human hepatocytes at scale. Our scientific approach has the potential to fundamentally transform the treatment paradigm for patients with acute and chronic liver failure and genetic diseases of the liver. Our lead program, AMI-918, is a hepatocyte replacement cell therapy in development to restore lost hepatic function. Beyond AMI-918, we are building a pipeline of next-generation modified hepatocytes that will rapidly expand the range of treatable patient populations. Learn more at ambys.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

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Ambys Medicines to Present Data from Universal Human Hepatocyte Program at the 2022 ISSCR Annual Meeting - Business Wire

Thus far, researchers have not identified ancestral viruses that could have plausibly given rise to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19so says a new report from the Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins (SAGO) of Novel Pathogens set up by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The report, however, notes that "the current available data on the closest related SARS-like viruses and susceptibility of many animal species to SARS-CoV-2 suggest a zoonotic source." Assuming a natural outbreak, horseshoe bats are a likely reservoir of the virus in the wild, although it could also have passed through an unknown intermediate species before infecting humans.

An alternative hypothesis is that the COVID-19 virus somehow escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, whose researchers were known to be experimenting with coronaviruses. Although three of the 27 members of the SAGO objected to consideration of the "lab leak" theory for the possible origin of the COVID-19 virus, the report states that "it remains important to consider all reasonable scientific data that is available either through published or other official sources to evaluate the possibility of the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into the human population through a laboratory incident."

Interestingly, a Chinese team reported the results of testing 1380 samples taken from the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where the outbreak was first identified. None of the samples from 188 live animals sold as meat detected the presence of the COVID-19 virus, but the researchers did find it in 73 samples from the ground, sewer wells, and various containers. "Skeptics of the natural origin theory maintain the market cluster could merely be a superspreader event touched off when a person infected with a lab-escaped coronavirus visited it," noted Science back in February.

Further investigation into the lab leak hypothesis would require that the Chinese government provide "access to and review the evidence of all laboratory (both in vitro and in vivo studies) with coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2-related viruses or close ancestors." Going forward, the SAGO would like to obtain more information about "the nature of the studies performed before the first reported COVID-19 cases in Wuhan and whether they involved reverse engineering or gain-of-function, genetic manipulation or animal studies with strains of SARS-like CoV."

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sent two letters in February to Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and National Health Commission head Ma Xiaowei asking for any updates with respect to ongoing studies focused on the origins of the COVID-19 virus. However, the SAGO report notes that the Chinese government and researchers have "not provided any information related to studies conducted evaluating the laboratory hypotheses as a possible introduction into the human population."

The SAGO reports that it will remain open to "any and all scientific evidence that becomes available in the future to allow for comprehensive testing of all reasonable hypotheses," including the lab leak hypothesis.

The Chinese government's continued stonewalling of independent investigations of the origin of the COVID-19 virus strongly suggests that it has something to hide.

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COVID-19 'Lab Leak' Origin Theory Merits Further Investigation, Says New WHO Report - Reason

ITHACA, N.Y.Graduating high school seniors lined up, smiled and posed with their diplomas on Monday at Ithacas Stewart Park to the joyous sound of applause as they were congratulated for receiving the New York State Seal of Biliteracy.

The seal is a unique distinction for graduating seniors in New York State. It requires a year of independent study in addition to their regular curriculum. Students journal, research, read, speak, and write, in English and the language which theyre pursuing proficiency in, and ultimately, give a formal presentation before a panel of judges to earn the seal, or seal the deal, so to speak.

Students dont necessarily need to have studied a language in the Citys School System to pursue the seal. In fact, Emily Ufford, the teacher that pushed for the introduction of the Seal of Biliteracy program to the school district, emphasized the importance of the program for students whose families speak different languages at home. Ufford said that connecting students with their heritage languages was the original inspiration for her to get the program going locally.

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Of the Ithaca City School Districts (ICSD) graduating seniors, 30 received the seal, conferring the states highest official distinction for proficiency in a second language. The seal was earned by 2 students attending Lehman Alternative Community School, and 28 from Ithaca High School. The seal of biliteracy was given to students proficient in languages ranging from Bulgarian, to Spanish, Russian, French, Hebrew, Chinese, as well as among others.

The final presentations students worked on had titles like: A Comparison of Bullying in Russian, French, and U.S. Schools; the Urban Rural Gap in U.S. and Spain; Sustainable Architecture in the U.S., France, and Senegal; Access to Music Education in the U.S. and Israel; or Similarities and Differences in American and German Genetic Engineering.

One student, Daniela Rivas, shared that for her final project compared the childhoods experienced at-large in the U.S. and El Salvador, where her family is from. She relied on help from her Mom while doing research, and said that project made her aware of the prevalence of child labor in El Salvador. While the year of independent study for the seal made Rivas become more familiar with the Spanish language, she said that her final project constituted the biggest takeaway of her experience earning the Seal of Biliteracy.

Shaqued Menda, a student whose Seal of Biliteracy was in Hebrew, said that she has remained verbally fluent in Hebrew since moving from Israel to the U.S. in early childhood, but she saw herself losing the ability to read and write in the language as shes grown up.

I lost my ability to read and write in Hebrew because growing up here I worked so hard to learn English [] I was motivated to be able to text my grandparents again. Its kind of difficult to call them whenever I want to because of the time difference, said Menda, excited to confirm that she achieved her goal of being able to keep in touch with distant relatives.

Sofia Trigueros-Ufford daughter of Emily Ufford earned a seal of biliteracy in Spanish, and shared that it allowed her to get even closer with her dad. It definitely made me able to connect to my Dad more. I feel like the mothers language is the one that children speak most at home, so it was a lot of English at home. My dad has always spoken Spanish to me, but I used to always respond in English. Her studying to pursue the seal shifted the language spoken at home to Spanish, which her mom is also fluent in.

Nomi Falk, a student who is the first in the school district to have ever earned the seal of biliteracy in three languages Hebrew, Spanish, and French looked at the program as a great opportunity for students to flex their linguistic muscles.

I think whats cool about the seal is that it isnt just a language learning opportunity, so much as a preening opportunity, said Falk, adding, It was a good opportunity to show off what we can all do.

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Talking the talk: 30 ICSD students earn NYS Seal of Biliteracy - The Ithaca Voice