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Young Blood and Old Blood | In the Pipeline – Science Magazine

Posted: June 13, 2020 at 12:53 am

So lets do a non-coronavirus post for the weekend. Over the years, Ive sporadically reported on the (rather contentious) field of aging and its biochemical implications. Many readers will recall the results of the past few years that claim that infusion of young-animal plasma into aged animals seems to have many beneficial effects. Of course, this field is well stocked with controversy. Not everyone believes the results, from what I can see (although, for what its worth, there seem to be an increasing number of papers on it). If theyre real, not everyone thinks that they can be readily extrapolated to humans. And even if they can, it doesnt take very much thought to see a number of ethical implications as well.

There have been a couple of recent papers that will stir things up even more. This preprint from a multinational research team (UCLA and many others) details work on several methylation clocks of molecular aging. DNA is methylated (especially on cytosine residues) to a number of transcriptional effects, and the number and distribution of such methyl groups definitely change over the lifespan of most animals. The Horvath lab at UCLA has made a specialty out of this epigenetic research area for some years now, and the changes in DNA methylation with aging seem pretty well established (even if quantifying them is trickier). This new paper draws on a large number of rat samples, with an overall methylation clock detailed, as well as more specific ones for brain, liver, and blood tissue. The addition of an even larger set of human tissue samples provides two more cross-species methylation clocks as well. Previous work from the group has provided similar clocksfor mice, which correlate well with known lifespan-extending interventions such as caloric restriction (reviewed here).

This new preprint details the readouts of such clocks after treatment of two-year-old rats (and their various tissues) with a proprietary plasma preparation from a company called Nugenics Research (update: corrected spelling of the name). I dont think thats going to make publication of this paper in a journal any easier, because that preparation is resolutely not described in any detail at all in the paper, from what I can see. This is no indictment of the paper or its results, but it does make them rather difficult to reproduce, doesnt it? Two of the papers authors are founders and/or owners of Nugenix, and Horvath and another author are consultants for the company (all this, to be sure, is stated in detail).

At any rate, the effects of the plasma preparation on both the methylation signatures and on more traditional readouts of physiological function seem to be pretty dramatic, after two rounds of treatment in elderly rats. By the DNA methylation clock, the ages of the blood, heart, and liver tissue were basically halved (there was much less effect on the hypothalamus, interestingly). Markers of inflammation and oxidative stress went down significantly in the treated animals, and many other blood parameters changed for the better as well (HDL, creatinine, and more). The animals performed better in physical and cognitive tests (grip strength, maze test) with numbers approaching that of the young animals themselves. The authors say that this work supports the notion that aging can be systemically controlled, at least in part through the circulatory system with plasma as the medium.

Meanwhile, this paper has also just come out, which looks at whether such effects are due to factors coming in from the young animals or things being removed from the old ones. The authors, from UC-Berkeley and the California Pacific Medical Center, are looking at what they call a neutral blood exchange. They replace half the blood volume in mice (both young and old) with isotonic saline plus added albumin protein. The effect of this on the older animals was also significant, with noticeable improvements in wound-healing ability, neurogenesis, and fibrosis/fatty deposits in the liver. The younger mice were not really changed by the treatment. The authors tried several control experiments to make sure that this wasnt an effect being driven by added albumin protein, and it apparently isnt. They conclude that removal and substitution of old plasma is sufficient for most if not all observed positive effects on muscle, brain and liver in parabiosis-type experiments. It doesnt exclude the idea of there being beneficial factors in young plasma, but suggests that this is not the driver of many of the results seen. (It would be very interesting to check the DNA methylation status of various tissues before and after this treatment!)

The paper wastes no time in noting that therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is already an FDA-approved process (as witness convalescent plasma treatment in the current coronavirus epidemic), and it says that Phase II and III human trials are being planned on the basis of these results.That will be quite interesting to watch, says the 58-year-old dude writing this blog. Overall, I still find such results hard to believe, but at the same time they seem to be showing up from multiple experiments. This second paper especially seems to be a very testable hypothesis indeed. Thats a good thing, because in the end, its going to be reproducible human clinical data that decide whether this is real or not so Im glad that feasible experiments will allow such data to be collected. Something to watch. . .

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BLM’s anti-Semitism must be addressed – San Diego Jewish World

Posted: at 12:53 am

By Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel

CHULA VISTA, California Jews have always possessed this ability to reorient themselves to the challenges of a changing world. Our ancestors demonstrated a certain toughness when it came to survival. Mark Twain expressed this idea best in 1897:

But nowadays, here in the United States, I am seriously beginning to doubt whether the American Jew has what it takes to survive as a minority faith in our country.

On May 30th, 2020, the nation witnessed a spectacle that was reminiscent of the time Hitler and his brownshirts seized power in Germany. As my fellow writer, Bruce S. Ticker observed in his penetrating article, Rioting in Los Angeles was an anti-Jewish pogrom for San Diego Jewish World, The Jews of the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles were exposed to a modern, American-style pogrom on May 30 that should enrage us all. Not only were Jewish businesses sacked but five synagogues and three Jewish schools were reportedly vandalized in George Floyds name by thugs. Ticker drew inspiration from Daniel Greenfield, who wrote on his blog, One small business owner described a Late Saturday night with people driving down the Fairfax district streets screaming effing Jews.

Close your eyes.

Imagine listening to the sound of broken glass.

Can you visualize the horror the peaceful Jewish community of Fairfax experienced?

With the eye of your imagination, think back to the date of November 9-10, 1938, when the German paramilitary led their thugs to initiate a pogrom against the German Jews throughout Nazi Germany, as the German population looked on. Some were cheering, most were probably shocked, and others chose not to get involved.

Now open your eyes to our present.

This time, the pogrom took place in the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles. And the local Jewish reaction?

Jewish leaders have gone out of their way to show support for the wrongful death of George Floyd. This is very understandable.

But our fellow Jews have gone out of their way to show complete solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, ignoring the fact this movement calls Israel an Apartheid State and in a manifesto, accuses Israel of perpetuating a genocide against the Palestinians.[1] In addition, Jews are considered racist by virtue of being white.

And the Jewish reaction?

What reaction?

Call it Silence of the Lambs.

One local rabbinical colleague, whose name I will keep anonymous, claimed that we must honestly and genuinely address the root causes of the local protests the inequity in enforcement and the systemic racism.

I must take issue with my esteemed colleague.

The conflation of looting and peaceful protests is antithetical to one another. The looting in many of the countrys inner cities have harmed Black and other minority businesses. Several Black officers have been shot by the militant anarchists.

Did their lives matter?

Lets be honest. Many of those who scream, Black Lives Matter are among the most racist people you can find in our country. They have demonstrated by their words and by their deeds, they do not care about their fellow Black Americans. This is a movement that has done nothing to address the problems of Black on Black murders. In cities like Chicago, sometimes hundreds of innocent people are gunned down by their fellow Blacks.

Apparently, the inner citys Black lives, do NOT matter.

Until the social activists start addressing their legitimate grievances at the leaders who continue to exploit their communitys misery, it is doubtful there will be any kind of meaningful change. Black Lives Matters is a movement that continues to demonize white people for their skin color. Throughout this past week, one could see white Americans admitting they are racist because of their skin-color; some paraded wearing chains, to be yoked like animals.

What can be more racist than that?

The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., who condemned this type of behavior throughout, had this to say:

Hillel used to say, , . , . , If I am not for myself, who is for me? When I am for myself only, what am I? And if not now, when? Jews can be active in helping other minorities by championing civil rights.

But we cannot turn a blind eye to this retrograde form of anti-Semitism that exists in the Black community.

And the rest, my friends, is commentary.

[1] https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/from-left-to-right-jewish-groups-condemn-repellent-black-lives-matter-claim-of-israeli-genocide

*Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista. He may be contacted via michael.samuel@sdjewishworld.com

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Writing History on the Banks of Spoon River – Patheos

Posted: at 12:53 am

I have been posting about using American poetry as primary historical sources, and last time, I talked about Wallace Stevenss Sunday Morning. That appeared in 1915, in an era of extraordinary social, religious and political ferment. Today Ill discuss another work from that same year, which is famous as a name, but when you actually explore it, it offers some treasures for the historian.

I am referring to Edgar Lee Masters (1868-1950), and his Spoon River Anthology, which endlessly repays close reading for its assumptions about the everyday lives and beliefs of ordinary Americans. The couple of hundred poems within the collection are interlaced to form a perfect community portrait. This really is the Great American Novel That Never Was. It has been said that no other volume of poetry except The Waste Land (1922) made such an impact during the first quarter of [the 20th] century.

Each poem its way stands as a short story, which speaks volumes about community assumptions. The Anthology is a goldmine for social history of all kinds, including gender, sexuality, politics, and religion. You actually could teach a whole course about early twentieth century America with this as the core text, and it would fit beautifully into a typical college offering on the era 1877-1919 or so.

In a time of tight censorship, Masters was boldly going into many topics that were deeply sensitive, including (and not limited to) rape, child abuse, abortion, drug abuse, adultery, promiscuity, and sexual diseases. Virtually every poem gets into some issue that would have attracted the wrath of the Hays Code if it had ever found its way into the later cinema. Here is the whole of Julia Miller:

We quarreled that morning,For he was sixty-five, and I was thirty,And I was nervous and heavy with the childWhose birth I dreaded.I thought over the last letter written meBy that estranged young soulWhose betrayal of me I had concealedBy marrying the old man.Then I took morphine and sat down to read.Across the blackness that came over my eyesI see the flickering light of these words even now:And Jesus said unto him, VerilyI say unto thee, To-day thou shaltBe with me in paradise.

Just to take one daring theme of countless, Masters was writing during the first great American discovery of child sexual abuse. Back in 1998 I published a book called Moral Panic: Changing Concepts of the Child Molester in Modern America (Yale), which offered a wide-ranging history of that theme throughout American history. Among my discoveries, I found the first ever study ever written on the topic in the US, in a collection entitled A System of Legal Medicine (1894). This included a path-breaking essay on Indecent Assault of Children, by the young gynecologist W. Travis Gibb (1863-1939), which reads as if it could have been written a century later.

Over the next quarter century or so, Americans became firmly conscious of the sexual abuse threat in a way they would not be again until the 1980s. Also as in the 1980s, awareness of that threat was firmly linked to feminist causes and agitation. And if I want to illustrate that concern, how better to do so than to use Spoon River? Here is the wrenching Nellie Clark:

I was only eight years old;And before I grew up and knew what it meantI had no words for it, exceptThat I was frightened and told myMother; And that my Father got a pistolAnd would have killed Charlie, who was a big boy,Fifteen years old, except for his Mother.Nevertheless the story clung to me.But the man who married me, a widower of thirty-five,Was a newcomer and never heard itTill two years after we were married.Then he considered himself cheated,And the village agreed that I was not really a virgin.Well, he deserted me, and I diedThe following winter.

Ye young debaters over the doctrine Of the souls immortality I who lie here was the village atheist, Talkative, contentious, versed in the arguments Of the infidels. But through a long sickness Coughing myself to death I read the Upanishads and the poetry of Jesus. And they lighted a torch of hope and intuition And desire which the Shadow, Leading me swiftly through the caverns of darkness, Could not extinguish. Listen to me, ye who live in the senses And think through the senses only: Immortality is not a gift, Immortality is an achievement; And only those who strive mightily Shall possess it.

Note the assumption that in the early twentieth century, in a small mid-Western town, a very ordinary person had access to all the arguments of the militant anti-religious writers, the infidels, not to mention the (Hindu) Upanishads. He appreciates Jesuss own words, which he originally read as poetry not revelation. The coughing reference sadly has a strong relevance today.

Less fortunate was the outspoken anti-religious militant and amateur Bible critic, Wendell P. Bloyd. Jailed for blasphemy, Bloyd was then locked up as insane, and beaten to death by a Catholic guard.

I fight the temptation to quote every last poem here, but just one more, please. In 1915, Americans were deeply divided over the thought of intervening in Europes Great War. Masters was obviously thinking of this in his poem about the Philippine war veteran, Harry Wilmans:

I was just turned twenty-one, And Henry Phipps, the Sunday-school superintendent, Made a speech in Bindles Opera House. The honor of the flag must be upheld, he said, Whether it be assailed by a barbarous tribe of Tagalogs Or the greatest power in Europe. And we cheered and cheered the speech and the flag he waved As he spoke. And I went to the war in spite of my father, And followed the flag till I saw it raised By our camp in a rice field near Manila, And all of us cheered and cheered it. But there were flies and poisonous things; And there was the deadly water, And the cruel heat, And the sickening, putrid food; And the smell of the trench just back of the tents Where the soldiers went to empty themselves; And there were the whores who followed us, full of syphilis; And beastly acts between ourselves or alone, With bullying, hatred, degradation among us, And days of loathing and nights of fear To the hour of the charge through the steaming swamp, Following the flag, Till I fell with a scream, shot through the guts. Now theres a flag over me in Spoon River. A flag! A flag!

Have you ever read accounts of how US soldiers went off to war in 1917 expecting the experience to be romantic and idealistic, with no idea of the realities they would be facing? Uh-huh. If something like Harry Wilmans had appeared a decade later, we would immediately attribute it to Lost Generation disillusion.

Its interesting, or depressing, to note that when the US actually entered the Great War in 1917, Masters yielded to nobody in his exalted rhetoric about the mystical experiences that young men would face in the approaching combat. In that movement from his earlier positions, he shared the trajectory of a great many other liberals, pacifists, and specifically religious believers in that short time span between 1915 and 1917.

Spoon River Anthology offers a wonderfully readable portrait of American society around 1915, and very much from the grass roots. Its well worth reading, and citing.

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These are the Winners of the 2020 Sony World Photography Awards – PetaPixel

Posted: at 12:53 am

The World Photography Organization has revealed the winners of this years Sony World Photography Awards, one of the most prestigious competitions in the industry. Each imagefrom the overall winner, to the category winners, to the Open, Student, and Youth winnersdemonstrate the power of photography to not only capture a meaningful moment, but to send a powerful message.

The overall winner and title of Photographer of the Year goes to Pablo Albarenga of Uruguay for his striking portrait series titled Seeds of Resistance. For this series, Albarenga created diptychs by photographing environmental activists alongside the land they are risking their lives to defend, both shot from above.

According to the projects description, the series explores the bond between the defenders and their landa sacred area in which hundreds of generations of their ancestors rest. The top-down view is meant to represent how these activists are willing to literally lay down their lives for their territory.

Photographer: Pablo Albarenga

Title: Seeds of Resistance 3

Image Description: Jos is one of the leaders of the Achuar indigenous people in the Sharamentsa community. He defends his rainforest by generating projects in collaboration with external organizations. One of them aims to create an indigenous group to monitor their territory from the ground and also by using aerial technology such as drones.

Left: Jos lying down in his yard over a banana leaf, dressed in traditional Achuar clothing.

Right: The Achuar rainforest at the back of Joss house. Sharamentsa, Pastaza, Ecuador.

Scroll down to see all of this years Professional Category winners, as well as the winners of the prestigious Open Photographer of the Year, Student Photographer of the Year, and Youth Photographer of the Year awards.

Photographer: Tom Oldham

Title: Black Francis

Image Description: Photographers for MOJO Magazine enjoy a rare degree of freedom and trust with what is usually an open brief. This allows us to capture our own experience with very high profile musicians. However, when photographing famous singers, we are often painfully aware of how many times the sitter has, well, sat. I like to acknowledge this and asked Charles (aka Black Francis) to show me the level of frustration photoshoots can generate. He offered up this perfect gesture of exasperation, and the image ran as the lead portrait for the feature.

Photographer: Ioanna Sakellaraki

Title: Aeiforia

Series Description: In an era of climate change and challenges around sustainability, islands are particularly vulnerable. Insular by their very nature, these land masses usually depend on fossil fuels and imports for energy (despite the high transportation costs). Until a few years ago, the idea of an island being fully reliant on clean energy was almost unthinkable, and yet it is about to become a reality on Tilos in Greece.

This tiny island in the Dodecanese archipelago is the first in the Mediterranean to run almost entirely on renewable energy. Over the years it has received energy from a diesel power plant on the neighboring island of Kos, via an undersea cable, but during the tourist season this has proven unreliable, leading to frequent power cuts. Since 2015, however, the supply on Tilos has been reinforced with a hybrid system exclusively powered by renewable sources including solar and wind power.

These images were taken in the islands capital, Meglo Chori, which is home to just 70 people during the winter. At night the passageways, rooftops and yards are illuminated by moonlight, presenting plenty of opportunities for photography. The islanders use various solar panels and energy devices including some handmade versions. The aim is to keep these running for as long as possible to help sustain households throughout the winter.

My series looks at how these strangely-shaped devices and wires become an organic part of the scenery at night. As darkness falls, a harmonic symbiosis exists between this technology and the dry and mountainous landscape of Tilos. Aeiforia is a Greek word for defining progress based on the use of natural ecosystems and energy sources to ensure future resources.

Photographer: Hsien-Pang Hsieh

Title: Hurry

Image Description: This image was taken shortly after I came to Germany to study. It was the first time I had travelled abroad alone, and I felt under enormous pressure. There were so many things to learn at school, and I was also trying to fit in with everyone else.

Although this man looks as though hes in a rush to get to work, hes actually standing still and its this dichotomy that appealed to me. These days, with life moving at such a frantic pace, its important for people to slow down. When Im facing challenges I look at this picture and it reminds me to take a moment and just breathe.

Photographer: Sandra Herber

Title: Ice Fishing Hut XV

Series Description: Winters in Manitoba, Canada, are long and often bitterly cold. When the temperature drops, and thick ice forms, lakes and rivers in the province play host to some amazing folk architecture in the form of ice fishing huts. These huts, shacks or permies (as they are called in Manitoba) must be transportable, protect their occupants from the elements and allow access to the ice below for fishing. Once these requirements have been met, the owners are free to express their personalities in the shape, structure and decoration of their huts they are large or small, decorated or plain, luxurious or utilitarian and everything in between.

I captured these images on Lake Winnipeg in December 2019. My hope for this series, which is a continuation of work I started in 2018, is to showcase the quirky charm of these huts by presenting a select few in a typology. The typology showing the huts framed in the same, minimalist style and in the same lighting allows the viewer to notice similarities in function and uniqueness in form, as well as to display these utilitarian structures as beautiful works of art.

Photographer: Maria Kokunova

Title: Motherhood

Series Description: It has been four years since I voluntarily isolated myself in a cosy cave of maternity, living in a country house in Leningrad Oblast. I deliberately restrict social contact and limit media consumption my whole life is bound up in my home, children and art practice. Against all expectations, however, my life is far from calm and quiet.

The notion of the cave has become, for me, the quintessence of what a personal experience is made up of. It has been linked to the Anima and the cult of the earth mother, the symbol of fertile soil that both gives life and takes it away. Francis Bacon, developing the idea of Plato, stated that the Idols of the Cave arise from education and custom in short, the past of each individual determines how they perceive things.

For me, isolation in my own cave triggered a childhood trauma that had not been resolved emotionally a stress disorder triggered by a series of four deaths and a suicide in the family over a very short period of time. In this project, I am constructing my own personal cave by combining photographs I have made in my parents house with pictures of the place I am living in now. I pair these images with the experience of a physical presence in Sablinskiye Caves, near my home. In a cave your senses are deprived, encouraging hallucinations. Under similar conditions, my memory produces its own illusions.

My work explores the idea that motherhood, and the awakening of primitive instincts such as unconditional love, aggression and fear of death, make life extremely meaningful. Despite its challenges, in-cave living boosts creativity: it becomes a personal myth, provides a plot for the project and initiates reflective processes.

Photographer: Chung Ming Ko

Title: Wounds of Hong Kong 7

Image Description: Chu, a 17-year-old Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE) student, was hit by a police baton while taking part in a human chain at Tai Po Station, Hong Kong, on 7 September 2019. He was seen lying in his own blood on cable TV. Chus head needed stitches and the phalanx of the little finger on his right hand was broken, requiring six bone screws. He has decided to postpone his DSE for a year in order to tackle his PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Photographer: Robin Hinsch

Title: Natural gas flaring site, Ughelli, Niger Delta, Nigeria.

Series Description: Covering 70,000 sq km (27,000 sq miles) of wetlands, the Niger Delta was formed primarily by sediment deposition. The region is home to more than 30 million people and 40 different ethnic groups, making up 7.5% of Nigerias total land mass. It used to boast an incredibly rich ecosystem, containing one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet, before the oil industry moved in.

The Nigerian department of petroleum resources estimates that 1.89 million barrels were spilled in to the Niger Delta between 1976 and 1996. Whats more, a report from the United Nations suggests there have been a total of 6,817 spills between 1976 and 2001, amounting to some three million barrels of oil. So far, the authorities and oil companies have done little to clean up and neutralize the Delta, and oil spills are still very common. Half of the spills are caused by pipeline and tanker accidents, while others are the result of sabotage (28%), oil production operations (21%), and inadequate production equipment (1%).

Another issue in the Niger Delta is gas flaring, a byproduct of oil extraction. As the gas burns it destroys crops, pollutes water and has a negative impact on human health. Wahala was shot in Nigeria in 2019 and draws attention to untamed economic growth and its negative impact on ecology.

Photographer: Ronny Behnert

Title: Torii Einootsurugi

Image Description: Einootsurugi was one of the torii which was totally hidden. It was difficult to find that amazing spot but after a few hours of searching and exploring I found the torii. The special feature here was the symmetrical arrangement through the two lamps in the foreground. I spent more than three hours at this spot because of the spiritual atmosphere at this place!

Photographer: Brent Stirton

Title: Pangolins in Crisis 1

Image Description: A Temmincks Pangolin learns to forage again after being rescued from traffickers on the Zimbabwe/South Africa border. Pangolin caregivers at this anonymous farm care for rescued, illegally trafficked pangolins, helping them to find ants and termites to eat and keeping them safe from predators and poachers.

This is one of only three true Pangolin rescue and rehabilitation sites in the world. Pangolins are the worlds most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million being trafficked to Asia in the last ten year. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and all trade or consumption is illegal.

The Tiki Hywood trust undertakes public awareness campaigns on Pangolins, trains law enforcement and judiciary personnel, conducts research, and rehabilitates pangolins that have been confiscated from the illegal trade. They are based in Zimbabwe but operate with partners across Africa and Asia.

Photographer: Cesar Dezfuli

Title: Oumar. Guinea Conakry (1999).

Image Description: Left: Oumar portrayed on 1st August 2016 on board of a rescue vessel in the Mediterranean sea.

Right: Oumar portrayed on 19th January 2019 in Italy, where he currently lives.

Photographer: ngel Lpez Soto

Title: Senegalese Wrestlers 3

Series Description: Wrestling has become the number one national sport in Senegal and parts of The Gambia. It belongs to a larger West African form of traditional wrestling (known as Lutte Traditionnelle) and is more popular than football.

Senegalese wrestlers practice two forms of the sport: Lutte Traditionnelle avec frappe and Lutte Traditionnelle sans frappe (international version). The sport has become a means of social ascendance, making some athletes millionaires. Fights have been known to attract audiences of around 50 thousand in a stadium. For many, its a slice of African life, tradition and culture, in which there is a mix of animist and Muslim beliefs.

These pictures show wrestlers training on a beach in Dakar.

Photographer: Alessandro Gandolfi

Title: Immortality 8

Image Description: Pieve Emanuele (Milan, Italy), the Simulation Lab with a robot-patient created by Humanitas University: an extremely realistic scenario but one with zero risks, enabling the students to train for every type of emergency.

To learn more about the images above, or if you want to see the 2nd and 3rd place winners in each category, or explore some of the previously-announced Open and National Award winners, head over to the World Photography Organizations website.

About the author: All photos credited individually, used courtesy of the World Photography Organization.

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Italy and Israel bet on GM microalgae to develop edible COVID vaccine – Alliance for Science

Posted: at 12:45 am

The rush to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 has extended to Italy and Israel, where scientists are using the tools of genetic engineering to develop algae-based edible vaccines against the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

As I explained ina previous reportabout work under way in Mexico to develop an edible COVID-19 vaccine delivered through a tomato, plants have numerous advantages mainly sanitary, storage and transport over conventional methods for obtaining recombinant vaccines. In the bibliographic search for that report, I observed that microalgae a type of small, unicellular algae is another way to obtain recombinant proteins and edible vaccines, with notable results so far.

Under this approach, a series of experimental developments have already been carried out in oral vaccines against pathogens such as hepatitis B, malaria, human papilloma virus (HPV), hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), classical swine fever (CSF) and Staphylococcus aureus, with some successful pre-clinical trials. Most of these works use Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a small unicellular and eukaryote algae, as a model for research and production of drugs and vaccines due to its practical laboratory management and genetic transformation.

With this background, it wasnt surprising to find that not only aredetection kits, nasal sprays and potential drugs for COVID-19 being developed with algae, but two scientific groups are also working to develop algae-based edible vaccines for the same virus. Before delving into the details of both investigations, my initial doubt fell on the technical and management differences that algae could have compared to field or greenhouse crops.

Their cultivation can be carried out on land infertile or unsuitable for cultivation, because they are capable of using residues as a source of nutrients and transforming them into a large quantity of high-quality molecules, explained biotechnologist Daniel Garza, the Mexican scientist who leads the tomato-vaccine research for COVID, in an email exchange. Garza previously developed an environmental biotechnology project for air decontamination through microalgae in Mexico, so I took advantage of his expertise before continuing to investigate on algae-based vaccines.

Its also a sustainable process, because during cultivation they are able to use atmospheric carbon (CO2), removing it and transforming it into high-value biomass, Garza added. They have an important cost advantage derived from their high growth rate and low cultivation cost, which makes them ideal for expressing new vaccines and replacing those that are expensive.

The first work to develop an algae-based vaccine comes from Italy, one of the countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the research is being carried out by the Laboratory of Photosynthesis and Bioenergy of the Department of Biotechnology at the University of Verona, directed by professors Roberto Bassi and Luca DallOsto.

This laboratory works with a wide range of phototrophic organisms, including unicellular algae, mosses and higher plants, and also has a strong line of genetic engineering in model plants and unicellular algae to express recombinant products and enzymes with industrial and renewable energy applications.

The ability to perform genetic engineering, especially on the single-celled alga of the model organism Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, has provided the basis for contributing to the development of an oral vaccine against the recently emerged SARS-VOC-2 viral strain responsible for the current pandemic threatening the global health, stated Dr. Edoardo Cutolo in a detailed interview (supplemented by valuable bibliography) with the Alliance for Science. This pioneering project involves Cutolo and his colleague, Dr. Max Angstenberger, in addition to the support of Dr. Simone Barera.

The scientific team applied two different approaches to introduce a DNA sequence that encodes an antigen derived from SARS-COV-2 into the microalgae genome. Remember that the antigen, in this case, is a protein or a protein portion that produces a response immune in our body, finally generating antibodies against the virus. The inserted DNA sequence corresponds to a portion of the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the viral spike protein from the famous virus, required to bind to the ACE2 receptor and thus enter and infect host cells.

We use both conventional nuclear transgenesis and chloroplast transformation. In the second case, we aim at integrating the transgene inside the semi-autonomous polyploid genome of the photosynthetic organelle, Cutolo said. In the case of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the chloroplast represents the largest cell compartment, and since it is made of multiple copies of a circular chromosome, it leads to the accumulation of higher levels of recombinant proteins compared to transgenesis in the nucleus.

Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, the chloroplast not only allows greater accumulation of the antigen necessary for a vaccine due to its large size in the microalgae, but also facilitates a more stable integration of the transgene, avoiding the random integration problems that most common when the nucleus is genetically modified. But on the other hand, the cell nucleus has a machinery that allows subsequent modifications, such as glycosylation, of the new protein (or antigen), giving it functionality to generate adequate immunization.

Of note, in this project we employ selection methods that dont rely on antibiotic resistance genes, Cutolo said in reference to a supposed risk widely cited by critics of this technology. But we exploit the metabolic flexibility of this organism and a novel selectable marker strategy based on the selective metabolism of an essential nutrient to produce algae that comply with both health and environmental related concerns.

One of the great advantages of algae is that they grow and multiply quite quickly. According to Cutolo, if contamination is prevented, it is possible to accumulate up to 1 mg of the recombinant antigen for each gram of biomass of dried algae. Subsequently, the dehydrated/lyophilized algae can be encapsulated to generate an oral vaccine.

The cell wall from the dry algae protects the antigens from the harsh acidic and protease-rich gastric environment, enabling the bioactive molecule to reach the intestinal immune system where it can stimulate cellular and humoral responses, hopefully, leading to effective immunization, Cutolo explained.

When could they have an oral vaccine ready to test on animals? Very soon, according to Cutolo: Six weeks is a probable date.

Meanwhile, across the Mediterranean Sea, TransAlgae, abiotech company based in Rehovot, Israel, established itself in just over a decade as a development platform for oral animal vaccines, the aquaculture sector and pest-control in agriculture. A few months ago, the company embarked on applying this technology in a vaccine for COVID-19. To achieve this, they have opened a US$5 million investment round to support the development of an oral vaccine based on genetically modified algae, according to Eyal Ronen, vice president of business development of the company.

When asked about further technical, regulatory and obstacle details for this new oral vaccine, the company preferred not to respond or provided only brief answers to questions, citing the need for confidentiality.

However, in an informative publication by company President Daniel Gressel, a strategy similar to that of Italian scientists can be elucidated. For example, they would also be using the DNA sequence from a portion of the SARS-COV2 spike protein as transgene to insert into algae, and according to various previous company patents for vaccines in animals and fish, its very likely that they are using the same algae model C. reinhardtii for genetic modification and accumulate large amounts of the antigen modified algae that would be lyophilized to generate an oral capsule.

Ronen claims that the algae are genetically engineered to grow in a fermenter. This increases production rate 30-fold over wild algae. And we can control all the inputs in an accurate way for consistency, he added.

With this high speed, they calculate that they will begin animal trials in a few months, and in addition, they would seek collaborations and partnerships with companies in the United States to advance the development of the vaccine.

In general, microalgae have all the advantages of producing vaccines in land plants, with some additional benefits.

Microalgae thrive in very simple cultivation media, dont require complex infrastructure and their cultivation doesnt compete with crops for arable lands, Cutolo said. Anotherimportant detail to highlight is that microalgae are much more efficient than higher plants to convert sunlight into biomass.

As in plants, the recombinant antigen obtained from the collected algae biomass doesnt require purification or extraction, since it can dry out and the algae cell wall protects the antigens with a long useful life of up to 20 months without loss of efficacy at room temperature. This is very practical for developing countries, which often have problems with cold chain in storage/transport for conventional vaccines.

Perhaps the main advantage is the microalgae fast multiplication speed, which facilitates the work of the researchers. From a pure technical perspective, algae are preferable since the development of a new algal strain requires approximately one month, while the establishment of a GM plant can last up to one year, Cutolo said.

TransAlgaes Gressel also emphasized reproduction speed as a clear advantage in one of the few responses he gave me by email. Algae double every day if you start with 1 gram, in 32 days you have 8.8 billion grams, which in the case of coronavirus is enough for the world, Gressel said.

However, difficulties arent unrelated to this approach. According to Cutolo, a major drawback in the cultivation of algae resides in the omnipresent risk of culture contamination by outcompeting parasites, which occurs both in closed photobioreactors and open high-rate speed systems.

This issue makes algal biotechnology cost-inefficient because of high management costs to prevent that, Cutolo said. However, we are employing a recently introduced sustainable technology that enables the management of target monoculture of algae in non-sterile conditions, making this production system very attractive.

Regarding biological containment risks, in Cutolos experience, these wouldnt be a problem. Most of the naturally occurring (wild type) algal strains used for genetic engineering lack essential genes required for nitrogen assimilation (nitrate reductase), making them strictly dependent on the nitrogen source provided in the cultivation medium, thus making their survival in the wild impossible, he said.

There is no containment problem because the algae lack nitrate reductase and therefore die outside the photobioreactor.

Before entering the market, algae-based oral vaccine would face regulatory obstacles similar to those discussed in my earliertomato vaccine report. Transalgae had no previous problems when it worked with oral vaccines using GM microalgae for the aquaculture sector, as the final product was a deactivated algae powder (dead material). Due to this, the material is considered GMO-derived, not a GMO, a distinction that has allowed the company to successfully operate in markets with strict GMO regulations.

Meanwhile, neither the scientists in Verona nor in Revohot are resting on their laurels. If TransAlgae succeeds with a COVID-19 edible vaccine, its planned next step will be to produce an influenza oral vaccine by rapidly growing antigens against a wide variety of strains of the pathogen. The Italian scientists are working in parallel with gene editing, a tool that would allow them to introduce additional modifications to the algae nuclear genome, which could improve the productivity of its biomass.

Given the urgency dictated by the current situation, but also due to the very likely possibility that similar pandemics will hit our global society in the future, its of paramount importance to develop technologies that afford a rapid production of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals that are safe and easy to deliver, especially in those areas which have limited access to medical infrastructure, Cutolo concluded.

Undoubtedly, the versatile genetic manipulation, speed of reproduction and minimal resources necessary for the growth of algae make it a viable and sustainable alternative and candidate for urgently needed medical and environmental solutions across the globe.

Recommended references

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Viral Vector and Plasmid DNA Testing Services Market Players focusing on the invention of new techniques in a bid to better the characterization of…

Posted: at 12:45 am

The global viral vector and plasmid DNA testing services market is estimated to be influenced by the increased innovation and spending in research and development activities relating to the field. Viral vectorsare those tools that are popular amongst the molecular biologists and they make wide use of these tools to deliver genetic materials into cells. This same procedure can be conducted in cell culture (in vitro) or inside a living organism (in vivo). Viruses have developed into specialized molecular mechanisms in a bid to carry their genomes inside the cells that they infect. On the other hand, plasmids are small DNA molecules, which are separated physically from the chromosomal DNA and then they are able to replicate on their own. Abundantly found in bacteria as double-stranded, circular DNA molecules, these organisms are utilized widely in laboratories of biotechnology and genetic engineering. It is there where they are utilized for the purpose of amplifying and cloning or expressing certain types of genes.

The players in the global viral vector and plasmid DNA testing services market are increasingly focusing on the invention of new techniques in a bid to better the characterization of viral vectors is estimated drive the demand for the testing services over the period of analysis, from 2019 to 2029.

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The global viral vector and plasmid DNA testing services market has been segmented based on testing services, end user, and region. The main objective of providing such a comprehensive report is to provide a deep insight into the market.

Global Viral Vector and Plasmid DNA Testing Services market: Notable Developments

The global viral vector and plasmid DNA testing services market has witnessed some of the major developments in the last few years. One such significant development of the market is mentioned below:

Some of the key market players of the viral vector and plasmid DNA testing services market comprise the following

Global Viral Vector and Plasmid DNA Testing Services Market: Growth Drivers

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Inorganic Growth Strategies Likely to Shape Contours of the Market

Viral vectors are customized as per their requirements in certain specific applications but these vectors usually come with a few key characteristics, such as safety, low toxicity, stability, cell type specificity, and identification. These properties of viral vectors are likely to play an important role in supporting growth of the global viral vector and plasmid DNA testing services market. Viral vectors are seldom created from pathogenic viruses and they are altered in such a way that the risk of handling is minimized. Besides, viral vector causes no or minimal effect on the physiology of the infected cell.

A rise in the focus of market players on the development of innovative technologies in an attempt to improve characterization of viral vectors is likely to encourage development of the global viral vector and plasmid DNA testing services market in the years to come. A case in point is the development of Vac-Man 96 Vacuum Manifold by US-based Promega Corporation. This invention supports the processing of SV 96 plates for PCR product, genomic, and plasmid purification. The product finds utilization in Wizard SV 96 plasmid DNA purification system to isolate plasmid DNA.

Global Viral Vector and Plasmid DNA Testing Services market: Regional Outlook

In the global viral vector and plasmid DNA testing services market, North America is likely to emerge as one of the prominent regions in market. Such growth of the region is attributed to the various inorganic growth strategies taken by market players such as acquisitions, partnerships, and mergers. These strategies are taken to strengthen and widen the product portfolio of the market players present in the region. This factor is likely to boost the growth of the North America in the years to come.

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The global viral vector and plasmid DNA testing services market is segmented as:

Testing Services

End User

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GM seeds: the debate, and a sowing agitation – The Indian Express

Posted: at 12:45 am

Written by Parthasarathi Biswas | Pune | Updated: June 12, 2020 12:56:06 pm Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects. (File Photo)

Last week, Shetkari Sanghatana the farmers union founded by the late leader Sharad Joshi announced fresh plans in its agitation for use of genetically modified seeds. In the current kharif season, farmers would undertake mass sowing of GM seeds for maize, soyabean, mustard brinjal and herbicide tolerant (Ht) cotton, although these are not approved. Farmers had carried out a similar movement last year, too.

What are genetically modified seeds?

Conventional plant breeding involves crossing species of the same genus to provide the offspring with the desired traits of both parents. Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects. The alien gene could be from a plant, an animal or even a soil bacterium.

Bt cotton, the only GM crop that is allowed in India, has two alien genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the common pest pink bollworm. Ht Bt, on the other, cotton is derived with the insertion of an additional gene, from another soil bacterium, which allows the plant to resist the common herbicide glyphosate.

In Bt brinjal, a gene allows the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borer.

In DMH-11 mustard, developed by Deepak Pental and colleague in the South Campus of University of Delhi, genetic modification allows cross-pollination in a crop that self-pollinates in nature.

Across the world, GM variants of maize, canola and soyabean, too, are available.

What is the legal position of genetically modified crops in India?

In India, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body that allows for commercial release of GM crops. In 2002, the GEAC had allowed the commercial release of Bt cotton. More than 95 per cent of the countrys cotton area has since then come under Bt cotton. Use of the unapproved GM variant can attract a jail term of 5 years and fine of Rs 1 lakh under the Environmental Protection Act ,1989.

Why are farmers rooting for GM crops?

In the case of cotton, farmers cite the high cost of weeding, which goes down considerably if they grow Ht Bt cotton and use glyphosate against weeds. Brinjal growers in Haryana have rooted for Bt brinjal as it reduces the cost of production by cutting down on the use of pesticides.

Unauthorised crops are widely used. Industry estimates say that of the 4-4.5 crore packets (each weighing 400 gm) of cotton sold in the country, 50 lakh are of the unapproved Ht Bt cotton. Haryana has reported farmers growing Bt brinjal in pockets which had caused a major agitation there. In June last year, in a movement led by Shetkari Sanghatana in Akola district of Maharashtra, more than 1,000 farmers defied the government and sowed Ht Bt cotton. The Akola district authorities subsequently booked the organisers.

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Environmentalists argue that the long-lasting effect of GM crops is yet to be studied and thus they should not be released commercially. Genetic modification, they say, brings about changes that can be harmful to humans in the long run.

What is the movement about?

The Sanghatana has announced that this year they are going to undertake large-scale sowing of unapproved GM crops like maize, Ht Bt cotton, soyabean and brinjal across Maharashtra. Farmers who plant such variants will put up boards on their fields proclaiming the GM nature of their crop. Anil Ghanwat, president of the union, has said this action will draw attention to the need for introduction of the latest technology in the fields. He said farmers will not be deterred by any action taken against them by the authorities.

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What scientists are learning about COVID-19 from animals – WISHTV.com

Posted: at 12:45 am

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) Health experts say a vaccine is the worlds best hope to ending the coronavirus pandemic.

And while there are currently dozens of human clinical trials underway, other trials are enlisting animals. Some are house pets, some live in pastures, and others in tropical rain forests.

Ferrets

Ferrets are vulnerable to many respiratory illnesses found in humans, including lung cancer, cystic fibrosis and the novel coronavirus,thus making them great candidates for experimentation, scientists say.

Researchers now know ferrets can contract and transmit COVID-19. This has a lot to do with how the virus enters the body and attacks the lungs. The mechanism mirrors how COVID-19 attaches to human lungs, scientists say.

Scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization in Australia have started two pre-clinical trials to test a potential COVID-19 vaccine using the animal.

Monkeys

Scientists from The Jenner Institute at Oxford University began working on a coronavirus vaccine back in 2019. While its not for COVID-19, the virus responsible for this pandemic, its very similar.

The vaccine was tested at the National Institutes of Healths Rocky Mountain Laboratory in Montana. Scientists injected six rhesus monkeys with the 2019 vaccine and then exposed them to the novel coronavirus. Less than a month later, all six monkeys showed no signs of COVID-19.

Cows

Researchers are also looking to cows in an effort to develop a treatment. Scientists at SAB Biotherapeutics in South Dakota, through genetic engineering, created an embryo that contains parts of human chromosomes. The embryo is then implanted into the cow.

The resulting calf then grows into what scientists call a genetically humanized cow. The only overlap between the cow and a person is a portion of their immune system.

The genetically humanized cows are then injected with COVID-19. The cows immune system now similar to a persons would then attack the coronavirus. From there, scientists would look to see if the cows develop antibodies against it. The idea is that these antibodies would then be extracted from the cows blood and used as a drug to combat the coronavirus.

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How Receptive are Consumers to Agricultural Biotech? – Food Institute Focus – Food Institute Blog

Posted: at 12:45 am

After decades of being sidelined by consumers concerned over whether they were safe, foods made with genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, may finally find a place on more meal plates along with other new agricultural biotechnologies aimed at making plants drought- or flood-tolerant and increasing yields.

The changing climate and growing population are pressuring the food system, experts said. At the same time younger generations like Gen Z are interested in the environment and sustainability and are more likely to be open to eating food created with new technologies that could boost yields.

Consumers should think less about the technology and more about what we can do to enhance the sustainability of agriculture, said Pamela Ronald, PhD, professor in the department of plant pathology at the University of California at Davis. There will be different technologies, now and into the future. There is a critical challenge to feed the growing population without destroying the environment.

Dr. Roland and her colleagues developed a rice that can withstand the heavy flooding in Africa and Asia and increase yields. She coauthored a paper entitled Crop Biotechnology and the Future of Food that appeared in the May 19 issue of Nature Food on genetic tools to help increase food production.

By 2050 the global population is predicted to reach 9.7 billion. Meeting this higher food demand, if consumption practices and food waste do not change, requires estimated food production increases of 25% to 200%, she wrote. Cultivated crops using food technologies are part of the solution, she said.

Meanwhile, anti-GMO groups including the Organic Consumers Association in Finland, MN, and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis, MN, argue there isnt enough research yet on GMOs to assure they are safe to eat.

Some companies even use a non-GMO label as an advantage when marketing to consumers. Meat alternative company Beyond Meat utilized that label to distinguish itself from competitor Impossible Burger, which uses two genetically engineered ingredients: soy leghemoglobin and soy protein.

However, debates over GMO or non-GMO labeling are unlikely to fundamentally change consumers views of GMOs, said William Hallman, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

Sales of the Impossible Burger dont appear to be flagging because people are concerned about the fact that it has GMO-based ingredients, he said. In fact, it is more likely that people are attracted to the idea that both the Beyond and Impossible burgers are plant-based, which creates a health halo around the products.

He mentioned most consumers will freely admit they know little about GMOs or gene-editing technologies, so they are not changing their habits about eating GMO foods.

One of the pioneers of GMOs was Norman Borlaug, PhD, who in the 1950s created a disease-resistant, high-yield, semi-dwarf wheat that fed millions of people in Mexico and South Asia.

GMOs continue to be used to relieve famines and get more crop yield out of available land. In January, Zimbabwe quietly lifted its 12-year-old ban on GMO corn in an effort to avert a severe famine, according to Bloomberg News.

The current and anticipated challenges to the food system arent lost in the U.S. Three federal agencies in March got behind an effort to educate consumers about GMOs. The U.S. FDA, USDA, and EPA launched the Feed Your Mind program, which aims to answer questions about what GMOs are, how and why they are made, how they are regulated, and whether they are healthy and safe.

A GMO is a plant, animal, or microorganism that has had its genetic material modified, including transferring DNA from one organism to another. Apples, potatoes, and soybeans are among the many genetically modified foods that are available in supermarkets.

While foods from genetically engineered plants have been available to consumers since the early 1990s and are a common part of todays food supply, there are a lot of misconceptions about them, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, said when the initiative was launched. This initiative is intended to help people better understand what these products are and how they are made. Genetic engineering has created new plants that are resistant to insects and diseases, led to products with improved nutritional profiles, as well as certain produce that dont brown or bruise as easily.

The COVID-19 pandemic could have a role in consumer awareness of potential food shortages, even though distribution issues may be at the root of the problem now, said Oliver Peoples, PhD, president and CEO of Yield10 Bioscience of Woburn, MA, a company that uses the gene-editing technology CRISPR and other technologies to improve crop yields.

The public has gone to the grocery store and seen empty shelves, including basic staples like meats, chicken, and eggs, he said. This has forced many consumers to try genetically modified products that they might have not typically opted to buy before.

Furthermore, the Millennial and Gen Z generations are making a big difference in the acceptability of food made with technology because they are very focused on climate change and sustainability, said Dr. Peoples.

Marketing company Ketchum found that 77% of Gen Z consumers it polled are likely to try food made with technology and 71% are comfortable with its use to grow food (see Food Tech Consumer Perception table below).

This bodes well for food companies, as Gen Z is the newest generation of food consumers with purchasing power, said Bill Zucker, managing director of food at Ketchum.

By Lori Valigra, journalist based in Harrison, ME. Reach her at valigra@gmail.com.

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Fat alternative Epogee gains traction: ‘The low-fat ship sailed 25 years ago, this is not about low fat, it’s about caloric reduction’ -…

Posted: at 12:45 am

Products already on the market containing Epogeeinclude enrobed caramel clusters and a fast-growing low-calorie ice cream brand delivering asuper-premium creamy mouthfeel,Epogee chief commercial officer Jayme Caruso told reporters in a briefing on Wednesday.

We have a customer about to launch a peanut spread and a chocolate hazelnut spread with EPG and we expect to see many more products hitting the market with EPG in the coming months.

EPG (esterified propoxylated glycerol) which be listed on food labels as EPG (modified plant-based oil) - can be used to replace up to 85% of the fat in scores of applications from confectionery to baking mixes, said Caruso, who said the FDA had just confirmed it had no objections to extending a GRAS determination for EPG to include potato chips, corn-based savory snacks, chicken nuggets, plant-based protein products, dairy analogs, and beverages/beverage bases.

To make EPG, the company splits rapeseed oil (although other vegetable oils can also be used) into glycerin and fatty acid, inserts a food-grade link, and reconnects them (see box below for details).

The modified fat (EPG) has a high melting point of 102F, which means that it doesnt liquify when it passes through the body (which typically has a temperature of around 98.6F) and has the consistency of soft candlewax, Caruso told FoodNavigator-USA.

It largely resists digestion because digestive enzymes are prevented from breaking it down, so hardly any of its calories are released, added Caruso, who is talking to potential partners from leading CPG brands to disruptive startups.

To put this into perspective, 1g of fat contains 9 calories, while 1g of Epogee contains 0.7 calories.

Unlike Olestra (which had a lower melting point and messy side effects) or fat replacers made from sugars, gums, starches or fibers (which provide bulking, humectancy and mouthfeel but many firms dont want to include on the ingredients list), EPG functions like fat in food products and in the human body because its made from fat, said Caruso.

In a nutshell, he said, EPG is unique in the food formulation space because its analternative fat, not a fat substitute EPG looks feels, tastes, and functions like fat because its made from fat, it just doesnt deliver the calories.

While fat reduction and replacement might have been all the rage in the 80s and 90s, consumers today some of whom are actively embracing high fat keto diets are more worried about sugar, acknowledged Caruso.

But theyre also worried about their weight, and they are still paying attention to calories, and given that fat contains a lot more calories per gram (9) than carbs or protein (4), it is the easiest target to drive calories out of products, he said.

The low-fat ship sailed 25 years ago, but this is not about low fat, its about caloric reduction.

And if food culture has undoubtedly changed since the technology behind EPGs was first developed three decades ago, most Americans are still consuming more calories than they are burning off, and many of them come from fat, added Caruso.

There is currently nothing like this is on the market. We have two products, a confectionery EPG with a very sharp melting curve designed to mimic cocoa butter or fractionated palm kernel oil, and our workhorse spreadable EPG, which works in all of the other applications.

As to whether EPG would be considered clean label, theres no simple answer as this is not a legally defined term, said Caruso, although he conceded that some natural and organic brands might not be interested.

However, brands that are trying to appeal to calorie-conscious consumers are particularly excited by Epogee's potential to cut calories but also eliminate ingredients such as gums, starches and binders, preservatives and flavor enhancers that are often used in low calorie or low fat foods, he said.

The road to commercialization has been lengthy for EPGs, which were first developed in the 1980s by ARCO Chemical Company, which teamed up with Bestfoods to explore their potential as fat replacers in foods.

However, Bestfoods withdrew from the joint venture shortly thereafter, and work did not resume until late 2003 when the technology was assigned to a non-profit affiliated with Kansas State University. A new partner, Choco Finesse, LLC, was later granted development rights and changed its name to Epogee.

'Not another Olestra'

Epogee is not anotherOlestra(a hybrid molecule of sucrose esterified with eight fatty acids from Procter & Gamble that attracted a wave of negative PR over its messy side effects... notably anal leakage), says founder and CTO David Rowe.

"We got to learn from their experiences and essentially avoid some things that they did but we also have better chemistry. Our product is safer in terms of things like vitamin depletion[Epogee does not inhibit the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins], but another key thing is that Epogee is made from fat and tastes like fat.

Olestra had kind of a weird mouthfeel and for people old enough to remember the potato chips, they didnt quite taste like potato chips, but French fries or donuts made with Epogee will actually beat regular French fries or donuts[on taste/mouthfeel].

What are EPGs?

EPGs are a family of fat- and oil-like substances that resemble triglycerides in structure and appearance, but have been modified to prevent or limit their digestion when consumed in food.

How is Epogee made?

*According to aGRAS noticesubmitted to the FDA in 2015, esterified propoxylated glycerol (EPG) is produced by a three-step process: First, fats and oils are split into glycerol and fatty acids. Next, glycerol is reacted with propylene oxideto produce glycerol with propyleneglycol units (PGUs) inserted on its hydroxyl groups. Finally, the propylene glycol-substituted glycerol is reacted with fatty acids to produce EPG, which largely resists digestion because the PGUs prevent the digestive enzyme lipase from breaking down the fat.

Is it safe?

The FDA has no questions regarding the GRAS status of EPG for multiple food applications including confectionery products; frying; baked goods and baking mixes; frozen desserts and mixes; nut products (including peanut butter); grain products; pasta; granola and snack bars; sauces and gravies; soft candy; snack foods (potato chips, corn-based savory snacks, chicken nuggets); plant-based protein products; dairy product analogs; beverages/beverage bases; coffee, and tea.

EPGs have been evaluated for safety at levels as high as 150 grams per day.

How is it labeled?

Epogee - the brand name for EPG (esterified propoxylated glycerol) can be listed on food labels as EPG (modified plant-based oil).

While the word modified might conjure up images of genetic engineering (which isnotinvolved in its production), Epogee has not experienced any pushback from manufacturers or consumers on the name, claimed Caruso, who noted that modified starch is a common term on food labels.

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