Category Archives: Genome

Human Genome Project : Nanotech and Microchip Precision Medicine (Jun 27, 2013)
SOURCE: http://www.cbsnews.com News Articles: Computers That You Eat (or That Eat You?) http://bigthink.com/endless-innovation/computers-that-you-eat-or-that...

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Human Genome Project : Nanotech and Microchip Precision Medicine (Jun 27, 2013) - Video

The Incomplete Map of the Cosmic Genome Teaser #1
The original teaser trailer for new App #39;The Incomplete Map of the Cosmic Genome #39; featuring Robin Ince, Brian Cox, Richard Dawkins, Helen Czerski, Josie Long...

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The Incomplete Map of the Cosmic Genome Teaser #1 - Video

Smithsonian Genome Exhibit Unlocks 21st Century Science of Life
A new exhibit at the Smithsonian #39;s National Museum of Natural History in Washington celebrates two scientific milestones: The 10th anniversary of the complet...

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Smithsonian Genome Exhibit Unlocks 21st Century Science of Life - Video

Premiere Edition Preview - The Incomplete Map of the Cosmic Genome
A sneak peek at the premiere edition of TIMOTCG featuring Dr Lucie Green and Professor Lawrence Krauss. "The Incomplete Map of the Cosmic Genome" is a new Ap...

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Premiere Edition Preview - The Incomplete Map of the Cosmic Genome - Video

Singapore, July 2, 2013 - (ACN Newswire) - Scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG) in Berlin (Germany) have discovered a molecular network in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) that integrates cell communication signals to keep the cell in its stem cell state. These findings were reported in the June 2013 issue of Molecular Cell.

Human embryonic stem cells have the remarkable property that they can form all human cell types. Scientists around the world study these cells to be able to use them for medical applications in the future. Many factors are required for stem cells to keep their special state, amongst others the use of cell communication pathways.

Cell communication is of key importance in multicellular organisms. For example, the coordinated development of tissues in the embryo to become any specific organ requires that cells receive signals and respond accordingly. If there are errors in the signals, the cell will respond differently, possibly leading to diseases such as cancer. The communication signals which are used in hESCs activate a chain of reactions (called the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) pathway) within each cell, causing the cell to respond by activating genetic information.

Scientists at the GIS and MPIMG studied which genetic information is activated in the cell, and thereby discovered a network for molecular communication in hESCs. They mapped the kinase interactions across the entire genome, and discovered that ERK2, a protein that belongs to the ERK signaling family, targets important sites such as non-coding genes and histones, cell cycle, metabolism and also stem cell-specific genes.

The ERK signaling pathway involves an additional protein, ELK1 which interacts with ERK2 to activate the genetic information. Interestingly, the team also discovered that ELK1 has a second, totally opposite function. At genomic sites which are not targeted by ERK signaling, ELK1 silences genetic information, thereby keeping the cell in its undifferentiated state. The authors propose a model that integrates this bi-directional control to keep the cell in the stem cell state.

These findings are particularly relevant for stem cell research, but they might also help research in other related fields.

First author Dr Jonathan Goke from Stem Cell and Developmental Biology at the GIS said, "The ERK signaling pathway has been known for many years, but this is the first time we are able to see the full spectrum of the response in the genome of stem cells. We have found many biological processes that are associated with this signaling pathway, but we also found new and unexpected patterns such as this dual mode of ELK1. It will be interesting to see how this communication network changes in other cells, tissues, or in disease."

"A remarkable feature of this study is, how the information was extracted by computational means from the experimental data," said Prof Martin Vingron from MPIMG and co-author of this study.

Prof Ng Huck Hui added, "This is an important study because it describes the cell's signaling networks and its integration into the general regulatory network. Understanding the biology of embryonic stem cells is a first step to understanding the capabilities and caveats of stem cells in future medical applications."

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Genome Institute of Singapore Scientists Discover Molecular Communication Network in Human Stem Cells

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jun 26, 2013) -

Note to editors: B-roll video and still photographs are available for download at http://bccancerfoundation.com/media-resources

Researchers at the BC Cancer Agency will receive $10 million investment to further their work in finding a cost-effective, genomic approach to treat lymphoid cancer patients. The substantial support from Genome British Columbia, the BC Cancer Foundation, Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) will dramatically advance therapies for patients diagnosed with the disease: lymphoid cancers are the fourth most common cancer in BC.

"This funding allows BC to become a real world laboratory to show how we can use genomic analysis cost-effectively to treat more cancer patients in a way that can readily be duplicated elsewhere around the world," says Dr. Joseph Connors, project leader and clinical director at the BC Cancer Agency's Centre for Lymphoid Cancer. "It brings together a culmination of decades of meticulous record-keeping with cutting-edge technology to maximize our knowledge about lymphoid cancers."

Dr. Connors adds that recent research has shown that genomic sequencing can recognize specific lymphoid cancers that are often untreatable with current technology. These cancers could be treated more effectively using personally designed treatments - and Dr. Connors and his team intend to provide this type of treatment in the near future.

Each patient's cancer is distinct; therefore treating them with a one-size-all approach is not efficient or cost effective and can put patients through unnecessary treatments that will not be of benefit to them. Personalized cancer treatment means determining the specific genetic characteristics of a patient's cancer and prescribing therapies that are customized for the unique molecular makeup of their cancer. Genomic sequencing is now able to accurately and quickly decode the entire genetic instructions in malignant and normal cells. This opens the possibility that doctors will be able to use this information to choose treatments that are specifically designed for that individual patient's cancer.

The research project will study four specific lymphoid cancers of which there are more than 500 cases each year in our province. In more than half of these cases primary treatment fails, and associated costs of secondary treatment run over $60,000 and this amount is often exceeded in just the cost of anti-cancer drugs alone. Personalized medical care employing sophisticated genomic techniques may dramatically reduce this cost: in the last few decades a number of new drugs have come on the market to improve patient outcomes but a drastically new approach is now required in order to apply the genomic information now available. Core components of the project will include careful analysis of all the costs that result from personalized lymphoid cancer care and development of economic analytic tools that enable healthcare planners to assess the economic impact of applying similar techniques to treating other cancers and other diseases.

"Genome BC's investment into this work is farsighted-analysis of this cancer will provide a revised lymphoma treatment model for our province and analytical tools that can be applied to other types of the disease," says Dr. Alan Winter, President & CEO of Genome BC. "This funding closes a gap between novel research and real-time clinical application."

"The BC Cancer Foundation is proud to support this initiative as the BC Cancer Agency's Centre for Lymphoid Cancer is on a trajectory to establish a world-leading model of advanced care, which will truly benefit patients diagnosed with lymphoid cancer," says Douglas Nelson, President & CEO, BC Cancer Foundation.

The research project Personalized treatment of Lymphoid Cancer: British Columbia as a Model Province is funded through Genome Canada's 2012 Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition.

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Genome BC and BC Cancer Foundation: Changing the Face of Cancer Treatment; Genomic Research into Lymphoid Cancer ...

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Regulatory News:

Cellectis (ALCLS.PA), the genome engineering specialist, announced today that it has successfully used engineered nucleases to genetically reprogram diatoms with a view to producing biofuels. This technological breakthrough was revealed by Dr. Fayza Daboussi, the Cellectis Groups VP of Synthetic Biology and Technology of Cellectis Group on June 26 at the Molecular Life of Diatoms meeting in Paris, France.

The results presented at the Molecular Life of Diatoms meeting by Dr. Fayza Daboussi, who led the study, demonstrate the strength of Cellectis engineered nucleases for efficient gene inactivation and/or gene insertion in diatoms. Cellectis has generated a lipid-rich diatom which highlights the significance of this breakthrough. This work will lead to new opportunities in synthetic biology and especially biofuel production from photosynthesis and CO2.

Cellectis develops and produces engineered site-specific endonucleases such as meganucleases and TALENTM which have recently emerged as the most powerful approach in genome engineering1. By targeting specific sequences within diatoms genome, these nucleases can be used to accurately insert, correct, or inactivate specific genes. This first step offers a new opportunity for synthetic biology in microorganisms previously inaccessible to rational genome engineering.

With the recent whole genome sequencing of several diatom species such as Thalassiosira pseudonana and Phaeodactylum tricornutum, a new era of post-genomics research has begun. Full sequencing provides fresh opportunities to improve our fundamental understanding of the biology of diatoms, and to build a molecular foundation for new industrial applications. However the tools available for generating industrial strains are still based on non-targeted over-expression or gene repression using RNA interference (2&3). This is where Cellectis innovations and technologies can offer new perspectives.

About Cellectis

Founded in France in 1999, the Cellectis Group bases its work on highly specific DNA engineering technologies. Its application sectors are human health, agriculture and bio-energies. Cellectis was co-founded by Andr Choulika, its Chairman and CEO, and is now one of the worlds top companies in the field of genome engineering, with revenue of $27million in 2012. Leading the field of pluripotent stem cells, Cellectis has developed expertise in drug discovery, toxicity testing, and regenerative medicine. Cellectis has a solid background in the large-scale handling of stem cells up until their maturation and differentiation into functional cell types. We employ a workforce of 230 people at 5 sites worldwide: New Brighton (Minnesota) & Cambridge (Massachusetts) in the United States, Gothenburg in Sweden, and Paris & Evry in France.

The Group has signed more than 100 industry agreements with pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and biotechnology companies. Our clients and partners include University College London (UCL), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Novo Nordisk, the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) of Kyoto University, AFM, Novartis, BASF, Bayer, and Limagrain. Since 2007, Cellectis has been listed on the NYSE Euronext Alternext market (ALCLS.PA) in Paris.

For more information, visit our website: http://www.cellectis.com.

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Cellectis Has Successfully Engineered the Genome of Photosynthetic Algae with a View to Biofuel Production

Mexico leads the world #39;s human genome research
Mexico has become an international leader on the human genetic code research, this work is focused on meeting the epidemiological needs in the country. teleS...

By: telesurenglish

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Mexico leads the world's human genome research - Video

William Davidson - Understanding Salmonid Biology from the Atlantic Salmon Genome
William Davidson- Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada.

By: genome canada

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William Davidson - Understanding Salmonid Biology from the Atlantic Salmon Genome - Video

Allowing our organs and DNA to speak with Genome Healing
Reprogramming yourself at the DNA level.

By: Carol Roberts

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Allowing our organs and DNA to speak with Genome Healing - Video