Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

Why genetic engineering in medicine is good

By: Anthony Herrera

See the original post here:
Why genetic engineering in medicine is good - Video

The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) has approved field trials for 11 crop varieties but that clears only the first hurdle in the way of genetically-modified crops. Another major hitch could come from state governments, most of which do not seem to be in a mood to give their go-ahead anytime soon.

A survey conducted by Business Standard reveals that a majority of the countrys states are still firmly against the move, while a few are open to considering only conditionally. Some others are either neutral or might take a decision after the Lok Sabha elections.

According to GEAC officials, maize, mustard and rice are among the crops that have got approval for trials, but the states that are major producers of these crops remain opposed.

A piece of good news, though, has come from Maharashtra and Punjab, two of the largest agricultural states, which have favoured field trials for GM crops.

Officials say the use of high-yield GM crops could prove beneficial, given the growing demand for food grains, vegetables and oil seeds. But apprehensions of health hazard on the use of such seeds for consumable agricultural commodities seem to be playing a spoilsport. India had suspended field trials of these crops a few years ago but the GEAC approval last week for 11 varieties brought the issue back in the limelight.

The environment & forests ministry had in July 2011 made it mandatory for companies, institutes and research bodies to get no-objection certificates from states concerned before conducting trials. Also, GEAC analyses the sites for these trials on several parameters, including whether these are located too close to sanctuaries or water bodies.

Andhra Pradesh is home to several seed companies and BT Cotton was first introduced there. However, the state remains undecided on allowing field trials for GM crops. A decision on this will have to wait for the impending division of the state and formation of new governments. A technical committee is studying the issue.

Gujarat and Karnataka have not opposed the trials yet. The two are said to take a call only after the Lok Sabha elections. Major southern states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala, on the other hand, are against GM crops and unwilling to permit field trials. While Madhya Pradesh opposes field trials as a policy, Chhattisgarh might support if the Centre takes it on board. Punjab is open to field trials for maize, while Haryana is undecided.

The Maharashtra government has issued no-objection certificates to 28 applications for GM crop trials to seven private companies and the Nagpur-based Central Institute of Cotton Research.

Most of the 28 strains cleared for trials are of wheat, rice, maize and cotton. It will be Haryanas Bayer Bio Science for rice, Dow Agro Sciences, Pioneer Overseas Corporation and Syngenta Bio Sciences for maize, and Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds for wheat.

Continued here:
GM field trials: Regulator proposes but most states decline

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

25-Mar-2014

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, March 24, 2014The curative and therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) offers much promise, as these multipotent cells are currently being tested in more than 300 clinical trials in a range of diseases. A new, easier, and more reliable way to make large quantities of highly potent MSCs could accelerate progress toward their use in regenerative medicine, as described in an article in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available on the Stem Cells and Development website.

Robert Lanza, MD and colleagues from Advanced Cell Technology (Marlborough, MA) and the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA (Los Angeles, CA), developed an innovative method for deriving MSCs from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) through the use of a developmental precursor called the hemangioblast. They describe the technique and evidence of therapeutic efficacy using the hESC-MSCs to treat mouse models of lupus erythematosus and uveitis in the article "Mesenchymal Stem Cell Population Derived from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Displays Potent Immunomodulatory and Therapeutic Properties."

"This new population of hESC-derived MSCs has a 30,000-fold greater proliferative capacity than bone marrow-derived MSCs," says Dr. Lanza, Chief Scientific Officer, Advanced Cell Technology. "In addition to being easy to derive in very large numbers, they are more youthful and live much longer." Dr. Lanza is Editor-in-Chief of BioResearch Open Access, a peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers that provides a rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics.

###

About the Journal

Stem Cells and Development is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year online with Open Access options and in print. Led by Editor-in-Chief Graham C. Parker, PhD, 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 sample issue may be viewed on the Stem Cells and Development website.

About the Publisher

Originally posted here:
New method yields potent, renewable human stem cells with promising therapeutic properties

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

25-Mar-2014

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

New Rochelle, NY, March 25, 2014Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among military veterans and together with the often-related anxiety, depression, and psychological and emotional impairment can dramatically affect quality of life. A type of virtual reality (VR) treatment called Graded Exposure Therapy (GET) can improve PTSD symptoms and may also have a positive impact on these associated disorders, as described in an article in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

VR-GET helps sufferers of PTSD face their trauma-related fears rather than avoid them by exposing them to simulated stress-inducing events in a controlled, virtual reality environment, monitoring their physiologic responses, and providing training to develop coping skills.

The article "Effect of Virtual Reality PTSD Treatment on Mood and Neurocognitive Outcomes" is coauthored by a team of specialists led by Robert McLay, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA, including Editor-in-Chief of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN and colleagues from the Interactive Media Institute, Naval Center for Combat & Operational Stress Control, and Virtual Reality Medical Center, San Diego, and the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery National Centers for PTSD, Honolulu, HI.

"Our results indicate improvement of PTSD with VR-GET based on three different measures: neuropsychological, self-report, and clinician-administered scales," says Dr. Wiederhold.

###

About the Journal

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is a peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies, plus cybertherapy and rehabilitation. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

Link:
Can virtual reality-based therapy help veterans overcome posttraumatic stress disorder?

GCSE Biology - Genetic Engineering Insulin
A quick tutorial, showing how we use restriction enzymes to cut out a desired gene from one organism, and insert it into the plasmid of a bacterium. This all...

By: James Pollock

Read this article:
GCSE Biology - Genetic Engineering Insulin - Video

Genetic Engineering Infomercial
Bio Project 3rd Term AY 2013-2014 Sofia Suarez and Julia Saulog 8F -- Animation by Sofia (on Wideo.com) Voiceover and Final Editing by Julia -- ~more info~ M...

By: Julia Nicole

See original here:
Genetic Engineering Infomercial - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

24-Mar-2014

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

New Rochelle, NY, March 24, 2014Marina Cavazzana, MD, PhD, Paris Descartes University, France and Adrian J. Thrasher, MD, PhD, University College London Institute of Child Health, UK, have been honored with the Pioneer Award for basic and clinical gene therapy for immunodeficiency disorders. Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, is commemorating its 25th anniversary by bestowing this honor on the leading 12 Pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy selected by a blue ribbon panel* and publishing a Pioneer Perspective by the award recipients

Dr. Cavazzana has been at the forefront of advances in treating life-threatening inherited diseases of the immune system with gene therapy, using a patient's own modified stem cells. She describes the translation of this work to the clinic and its ongoing advances and novel applications in the article "Hematopoetic Stem Cell Gene Therapy: Progress on the Clinical Front." The article by Dr. Cavazzana is available free on the Human Gene Therapy website at http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/hum.2014.2504.

A pioneer of gene therapy in the UK, Dr. Thrasher has been at the leading edge of basic science research on the function of therapeutic genes for inherited disorders and the development of viral vectors to deliver them to affected patients. He has collaborated on gene therapy clinical trials targeting immunodeficiency disorders with groups in Europe and the USA.

"Cell therapy and gene therapy are advancing together to improve patient care," says Dr. Cavazzana. "We can expect to be able to rebuild a new immune system not only in primary immunodeficiencies but also in severe acquired clinical conditions (such as those in HIV-1-infected patients)."

"I've seen some very exciting times in the field, from the first evidence that biochemical defects can be corrected in vitro, to some remarkable clinical successes in patients with devastating diseases. I look forward with huge enthusiasm to the exciting developments on the horizon, which are likely to impact on more patients with an even wider range of disorders," says Dr. Thrasher.

"These pioneers contributed to the first real clinical successes of gene therapy through their work in inherited immune deficiency disorders," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy, and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

###

Read the rest here:
Pioneer Award recipients Marina Cavazzana and Adrian Thrasher recognized for advancing gene therapy to the clinic for ...

Genetic Engineering - The Interview

By: TavongaNyokaSchool

Continue reading here:
Genetic Engineering - The Interview - Video

Daniel Estulin: The Coming Age of Human Deconstruction
Michael Cross, author of the "Freedom from Conscience" series and host of "Unlock the Door" radio interviews Daniel Estulin, author of "TransEvolution: The C...

By: Michael Cross

See the rest here:
Daniel Estulin: The Coming Age of Human Deconstruction - Video

A farmers' body affiliated to the CPI(M) on Saturday criticised the decision of the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) to revalidate the field trials for 10 varieties of Genetically Modified (GM) food crops and sought the Election Commission's intervention to "stall the undemocratic move."

"This decision is a bonanza given on the eve of the elections to the Indian and MNC agri businesses and reeks of corrupt intentions. It is undemocratic and violation of Election Commission guidelines," the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) said. It said the decision was taken in a "hasty manner" despite serious concerns expressed by wide sections.

"AIKS requests the Election Commission to intervene to stall this undemocratic move bypassing Parliament and aimed at aiding profiteering by big agri businesses," it said. "The hasty and non-transparent decision of the environment ministry on the eve of announcement of Lok Sabha elections to allow field trials despite the absence of a stringent mechanism to ensure bio-safety as well as a strong regulatory body opened the floodgates for field trials and set in motion these fast-paced developments," it said.

The GEAC, a statutory body for approving GM crops, had yesterday decided to revalidated proposals for wider field trials for 10 GM crops including wheat and rice. Over 70 new proposals including of many food crops will also be examined by GEAC in April.

AIKS said the applications for revalidation were made by companies whose permits had lapsed as they were opposed by states.

The decision will allow Mahyco, BASF India and Monsanto India to go ahead with wider or phase-II field trials for these genetically modified crops.

The rest is here:
Govt nod for GM crop field trials violates EC guidelines, says farmers' body