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Category Archives: Transhuman News

Soyuz booster rolls out for launch with space station cargo freighter – Spaceflight Now

Posted: June 11, 2017 at 4:51 pm

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket arrives at Launch Pad No. 1 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sunday. Credit: Roscosmos

Russian launch crews stood up a Soyuz rocket Sunday on its launch mount in Kazakhstan for a scheduled liftoff Wednesday with approximately 5,500 pounds (2,500 kilograms) of supplies, experiments, fuel and several small satellites to be released by spacewalking cosmonauts at the International Space Station later this year.

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket emerged from an assembly building at the Baikonur Cosmodrome around sunrise Sunday, then trekked on a specialized train car to Launch Pad No. 31 at the historic space base, where technicians hydraulically hoisted the booster vertical. Access platforms raised into position around the Soyuz rocket for final launch preparations.

The launcher is topped with the Progress MS-06 supply ship, an unpiloted logistics freighter heading on a two-day voyage to the International Space Station.

Liftoff is set for 0920:13 GMT (5:20:13 a.m. EDT) Wednesday, or 3:20 p.m. local time at Baikonur.

The modernized Soyuz-2.1a booster, featuring redesigned third stage propellant tanks and a digital flight control computer, will deliver the Progress MS-06 spaceship to orbit less than nine minutes later. Immediately after separating from the Soyuz third stage, the resupply craft will extend its power-generating solar arrays and navigation antennas, kicking off a series of thruster burns to rendezvous with the space station.

Docking with the space stations Zvezda service module is scheduled for 1142 GMT (7:42 a.m. EDT) Friday after a radar-guided automated final approach.

Designated Progress 67P in the space stations sequence of crew and cargo vehicles, the upcoming Russian resupply mission will reach the research outpost nearly halfway through the visit of a SpaceX Dragon capsule that delivered nearly 6,000 pounds (2,700 kilograms) of experiments and equipment June 5.

The Progress MS-06 spaceship will carry around 2.5 metric tons (5,500 pounds) of cargo and supplies to the space station, according to a statement released by Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.

The supplies include dry cargo inside the ships pressurized compartment, fuel to refill the stations propulsion system, potable water, and high-pressure gases to replenish the research labs breathable atmosphere, Roscosmos said.

Four small satellites are set to launch inside the Progress MS-06 spacecrafts cabin for release by cosmonauts on a spacewalk later this year.

The Progress MS-06 supply ship will remain at the space station until December, when it will undock with a load of trash and re-enter the atmosphere for a destructive plunge over the South Pacific Ocean.

More photos of Sundays Soyuz rocket rollout are posted below.

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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

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Soyuz booster rolls out for launch with space station cargo freighter - Spaceflight Now

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NASA: SpaceX Dragon to Deliver Ground-Breaking Science Research to Space Station –"Neutron Stars to Human … – The Daily Galaxy (blog)

Posted: at 4:51 pm

SpaceX is scheduled to launch its Dragon spacecraft for its eleventh commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station June 1 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center's historic pad 39A. Dragon will lift into orbit atop the Falcon 9 rocket carrying crew supplies, equipment and scientific research to crew members living aboard the station. The flight will deliver investigations and facilities that study neutron stars, osteoporosis, solar panels, tools for Earth-observation, and more.

New solar panels test concept for more efficient power source

Solar panels are an efficient way to generate power, but they can be delicate and large when used to power a spacecraft or satellites. They are often tightly stowed for launch and then must be unfolded when the spacecraft reaches orbit. The Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA), is a solar panel concept that is lighter and stores more compactly for launch than the rigid solar panels currently in use. ROSA has solar cells on a flexible blanket and a framework that rolls out like a tape measure. The technology for ROSA is one of two new solar panel concepts that were developed by the Solar Electric Propulsion project, sponsored by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.

The new solar panel concepts are intended to provide power to electric thrusters for use on NASA's future space vehicles for operations near the Moon and for missions to Mars and beyond. They might also be used to power future satellites in Earth orbit, including more powerful commercial communications satellites. The demonstration of the deployment of ROSA on the space station is sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory.

Investigation studies composition of neutron stars

Neutron stars, the glowing cinders left behind when massive stars explode as supernovas, are the densest objects in the universe, and contain exotic states of matter that are impossible to replicate in any ground lab. These stars are called "pulsars" because of the unique way they emit light - in a beam similar to a lighthouse beacon. As the star spins, the light sweeps past us, making it appear as if the star is pulsing. The Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) payload, affixed to the exterior of the space station, studies the physics of these stars, providing new insight into their nature and behavior.

Neutron stars emit X-ray radiation, enabling the NICER technology to observe and record information about its structure, dynamics and energetics. In addition to studying the matter within the neutron stars, the payload also includes a technology demonstration called the Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT), which will help researchers to develop a pulsar-based, space navigation system. Pulsar navigation could work similarly to GPS on Earth, providing precise position for spacecraft throughout the solar system.

Investigation studies effect of new drug on osteoporosis

When people and animals spend extended periods of time in space, they experience bone density loss, or osteoporosis. In-flight countermeasures, such as exercise, prevent it from getting worse, but there isn't a therapy on Earth or in space that can restore bone that is already lost. The Systemic Therapy of NELL-1 for osteoporosis (Rodent Research-5) investigation tests a new drug that can both rebuild bone and block further bone loss, improving health for crew members.

Exposure to microgravity creates a rapid change in bone health, similar to what happens in certain bone-wasting diseases, during extended bed rest and during the normal aging process. The results from this ISS National Laboratory-sponsored investigation build on previous research also supported by the National Institutes for Health and could lead to new drugs for treating bone density loss in millions of people on Earth.

Research seeks to understand the heart of the matter

Exposure to reduced gravity environments can result in cardiovascular changes such as fluid shifts, changes in total blood volume, heartbeat and heart rhythm irregularities, and diminished aerobic capacity. The Fruit Fly Lab-02 study will use the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to better understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for the adverse effects of prolonged exposure to microgravity on the heart. Flies are smaller, with a well-known genetic make-up, and very rapid aging that make them good models for studying heart function. This experiment will help to develop a microgravity heart model in the fruit fly. Such a model could significantly advance the study of spaceflight effects on the cardiovascular system and facilitate the development of countermeasures to prevent the adverse effects of space travel on astronauts.

Investigation shapes the way humans survive in space

Currently, the life-support systems aboard the space station require special equipment to separate liquids and gases. This technology utilizes rotating and moving parts that, if broken or otherwise compromised, could cause contamination aboard the station. The Capillary Structures investigation studies a new method of water recycling and carbon dioxide removal using structures designed in specific shapes to manage fluid and gas mixtures. As opposed to the expensive, machine-based processes currently in use aboard the station, the Capillary Structures equipment is made up of small, 3-D printed geometric shapes of varying sizes that clip into place.

Using time lapse photography, on-ground research teams will observe how liquids evaporate from these capillary structures, testing the effectiveness of the varying parameters. Results from the investigation could lead to the development of new processes that are simple, trustworthy, and highly reliable in the case of an electrical failure or other malfunction.

Facility provides platform for Earth-observation tools

Orbiting approximately 250 miles above the Earth's surface, the space station provides views of the Earth below like no other location can provide. The Multiple User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES) facility, developed by Teledyne Brown Engineering, hosts Earth-viewing instruments such as high-resolution digital cameras, hyperspectral imagers, and provides precision pointing and other accommodations.

This National Lab-sponsored investigation can produce data to be used for maritime domain awareness, agricultural awareness, food security, disaster response, air quality, oil and gas exploration and fire detection.

These investigations will join many other investigations currently happening aboard the space station. Follow @ISS_Research for more information about the science happening on station.

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Scientist John Shine honoured for discovery that formed basis of genetic engineering – The Guardian

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Prof John Shine in 2015. Shine discovering a sequence of DNA now called the Shine-Dalgarno sequence which allows cells to produce proteins the basis for how all our cells operate. Photograph: Mal Fairclough/AAP

A man whose discovery was essential for the development of genetic engineering, and used that technology to create several therapies now helping many thousands of people, says receiving a Queens Birthday honour is a great recognition from the community of the value of scientific research.

John Shine started his career by discovering a sequence of DNA now called the Shine-Dalgarno sequence as part of his PhD in the mid 1970s.

That sequence, while a minuscule part of the human genome, allows cells to produce proteins the basis for how all our cells operate.

The discovery was essential for genetic engineering, spawned an entire biotech industry, and has now been used to produce therapies that have helped millions of people. In his own work, Shine used those techniques to clone of human insulin and growth hormone for the first time.

Other scientists honoured on Monday included astronomer Ken Freeman, who founded the field of galactic archaeology, and ethnobotanist Beth Gott.

Shine, who was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia today, told the Guardian he has been unusually lucky in his career to have been able to oversee discoveries he made in basic sciences, be translated into real therapies and become commercialised.

My PhD was really esoteric research, he said, referring to his discovery of the Shine-Dalgarno sequence . But then I went over to San Francisco when gene cloning was just beginning right place, right time.

Shine had discovered how to clone the human gene that produces insulin, but to make that useful, it needed to be inserted into another organism that could be farmed in this case, bacteria, which would be farmed in large vats.

But if you want to put [the gene] into bacteria to make human insulin, you needed to trick the bacteria into thinking the gene was one of its own, he said.

It turned out Shines earlier discovery of the Shine-Dalgarno sequence was essential for making that final leap. Although the genetic code is the same in animals and bacteria, the regulatory code was very different. Thats where the Shine-Dalgarno sequence comes in, Shine said.

He needed to find the bacterias version of the Shine-Dalgarno sequence, and put that on either side of the human insulin gene, inside the bacteria.

You needed to put the right Shine-Dalgarno sequence just in front in the right place in the insulin gene to make the bacteria produce human insulin.

The fact that both problems were so closely related was mostly an accident, Shine says.

But throughout the rest of his career, Shine continued to be involved in the translation of his discoveries in esoteric science, all the way through to commercialisation.

Since stepping down as the head of the Garvan Institute in 2011 one of Australias top medical research institutes Shine has been the chair of the biotech giant CSL, one of Australasias largest companies.

So Ive come full circle, Shine said. CSL ... in more recent years, were moving into genetic engineering and weve released several genetically modified proteins for haemophilia that are changing the lives of thousands of people around the world.

Ive been very lucky to be able to go through the basic research in my career, and now see a lot of these real health care products come to fruition and improve the lives of thousands of people. Its wonderful when you can have all the excitement of research but also the satisfaction of seeing something very good coming out of it.

It is not the first time Shine has been recognised publicly for his work. In 2010 he won the prime ministers prize for science something his brother Rick Shine won in 2016.

Apart from the obvious personal honour, its a demonstration that the community does appreciate the benefits that come from research, Shine said. The wellbeing of any society is intimately linked to good healthcare.

Another winner of the prime ministers science prize, astronomer Ken Freeman, was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia for his founding contributions to the field of galactic archaeology and his teaching work at the Australian National Universitys Mount Stromlo Observatory.

Honours were also awarded to Royal Melbourne hospitals Peter Grahame Colman (AM), for his work in endocrinology and diabetes research; aeronautical engineer Graeme Bird (AO), the former department head at the University of Sydney and a NASA consultant for 40 years; and Peter Klinken (AC), the chief scientist of Western Australia.

Ethnobotanist Beth Gott was made a Member of the Order of Australia for her work studying native plants and their use by Indigenous people. Gott founded Monash Universitys Aboriginal education garden in 1986 and has assembled databases of native plants in south-eastern Australia.

A paper she wrote in 2005 for the Journal of Biogreography found Indigenous fire-farming was crucial to the growth of plant tubers in southeastern Australia, allowing them to make up half of the local peoples diet.

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Solving cases in his DNA – Jackson Clarion Ledger

Posted: at 4:50 pm

Alex Holloway, The Commercial Dispatch Published 3:30 p.m. CT June 11, 2017 | Updated 14 minutes ago

Mack Fowler, 72, was found dead in the summer of 1996, the first of a string of elderly people killed in the area that prompted authorities to wonder if a serial killer was at work. Therese Apel/ The Clarion-Ledger

Forensic Crime Lab director Austin Shepherd kneels down in his lab to point out an example of what a crime scene may look like and how he would typically collect data in this file photo. Shepherds practice of collecting DNA evidence led to the arrest in a cold case murder May 24, 2017.(Photo: Luisa Porter/Dispatch Staff)

COLUMBUS - When Austin Shepherd graduated from high school in 1997, his native city of Columbus was amid reeling from a string of violent murders that had already claimed two elderly victims.

By the end of the next year, three were added to that tally. Though the cases remained unsolved for the next two decades, Shepherds key contribution led to a break in one of the cases and brought a suspect into custody. For the forensic scientist who is director of the Columbus Crime Lab, it was the first step toward his goal to solve those five murders he had set for himself years before a goal that drew him back home in 2004 from his former position with the state crime lab.

U.S. marshals recently arrested 52-year-old David Murray in Jackson for the capital murder of Mack Fowler a 71-year-old stabbed to death in his home in July 1996. Authorities matched a DNA sample Shepherd had entered in 2006 to the Federal Bureau of Investigations Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) from the Fowler case with a swab of Murray Jackson police collected from his October 2016 aggravated assault arrest.

The moment was a personal triumph for Shepherd, who said he did a lot of fist-bumping and maybe a little dancing when he found out DNA evidence produced a match in the nearly 21-year-old case.

David Solomon Murray(Photo: Lowndes County Adult Detention Center)

I think all the way back to 1997 when I was graduating high school thinking how great it would be to be able to help out, and here we are in 2017 and its kind of like weve come full-circle, he said. Its, for me, a really fulfilling and rewarding experience and I know it was for a lot of people.

Still, Shepherd said, as a forensic scientist, his primary objective with any case is to produce good science. Murrays arrest, fulfilling as it may be for Shepherd and a city thats wondered for 20 years if Fowlers killer would ever be caught, may prove to be a testament to the strength of DNA as a forensic science tool.

More: Arrest made in Columbus cold case tied to string of elderly murders

Shepherd said DNA analysis as with any other type of forensic analysis always starts with collection.

He said its best to collect a whole piece of evidence whenever possible, but thats not always doable. It isnt reasonable, for example, to expect a police department to have space to store a refrigerator with blood splatter on it. In those instances, investigators collect samples for analysis.

Any time you have a personal crime or a violent crime, DNA is going to be a viable option, Shepherd said. In those, we at least look for it 90 percent of the time. Those other 10 (percent), we still have evidence that could have DNA on it, but the fact that DNA from the bad guy is there may not offer us anything as far as the case goes.

DNAs usefulness is circumstantial, Shepherd said. For example, he said a sample taken from a convenience store countertop in an armed robbery investigation might not say anything more than a person was one of many whod been at the store at some point.

Its always good to try for it, but what Im saying is its much like fingerprints if the person is supposed to be there or they had the item in their possession, then you would expect to have their DNA on it, he said.

More: Man's head found on Jackson porch

Still, Shepherd said DNA is particularly useful for sexual assaults, homicides, some armed robberies and home invasions. He said it all depends on the circumstances.

Even sometimes in armed robberies at stores and stuff like that, depending on where its at your DNA could exist here and that would be fine, he said. But maybe behind the counter on the safe handle -- your DNA probably shouldnt be there.

Deedra Hughes, DNA technical leader and CODIS administrator for the Mississippi Crime Lab in Pearl, said DNA is also collected from all convicted felons and, more recently, anyone arrested for a felony offense or violent crime. Those samples are entered into the state and national databases.

Murray, who former police Chief Pete Bowen said was never considered as a suspect after Fowlers death, might never have been found if for two matched DNA samples.

DNA is very powerful data, Shepherd said. Its very powerful evidence.

The CODIS system, created in 1998, contains samples from State DNA Index System databases and the National DNA Index System. In Mississippi, according to the FBIs website, the system had aided 527 investigations as of April.

Once a sample is collected, its sent off for analysis. Shepherd said CPD sends samples to the state crime lab or to private labs.

The state crime lab serves every county in Mississippi and is the only lab out of the states network that can perform DNA analysis. Shepherd said it costs $100 to send a sample for testing to the state crime lab. Depending on the backlog, he said, it can take up to six months to get results. Private labs can work faster he said they can have results back in a month or two but are more expensive.

Hughes said the lab has seven DNA analysts who look at samples collected from crime scenes. The states four labs have workers that do serology analyzing samples to see if they contain physical evidence such as blood, semen or epithelial cells. Each lab can have 50 to 100 cases at a time, Hughes said.

Not every sample is the same, Hughes added. Some, such as bodily fluids, are easier to work with, compared to trace samples that require more intensive testing methods.

Blood and semen have a lot of DNA, she said. Touch DNA, when its just a small number of cells in cases like that, we do have to use a different type of extraction technique to be more sensitive and get whatever out of it we can.

How long analysis takes depends on the case. Hughes said sexual assault cases receive priority treatment. Serology can take 30 to 45 days, and DNA analysis can take up to another 45 days.

Once an analysis is complete, samples that meet the FBIs eligibility guidelines are entered into the CODIS system. For criminal cases, the samples have to be from a perpetrator or attributed to a crime scene. Victims DNA is not entered to the system. Hughes said the FBI audits labs stringently to make sure guidelines are followed.

If the analysis produces an immediate match, the lab notifies the investigating agency. Otherwise, it remains on the database in hopes of one day producing a hit.

The CODIS system, as a whole, contains samples from offenders, arrestees, unidentified human remains, missing persons and relatives of missing persons.

In April, according to the FBI, the system contained 110,058 offender profiles; 1,903 arrestee profiles; and 1,290 forensic profiles for Mississippi.

Hughes said the state lab can search the state database system daily and uploads samples every day to the national database. The national database runs searches twice a week.

Mississippi 16th Circuit District Attorney Scott Colom said DNA analysis is one of the best tools available in the criminal justice system, especially for sexual assaults and violent crimes.

The thing you want to do when youre dealing with victims and people accused of crimes is to make sure the right person is prosecuted and convicted, he said. ...If its collected properly, properly analyzed and properly stored, the results are as close to certainty as we can get in the criminal justice system. Its an absolutely critical tool to finding out the truth.

DNA, while very useful, isnt a common tool. Colom said drug cases make up about a third of the districts cases, and DNA isnt any help for those. He said the evidence also isnt very helpful for property crime. But for violent crime cases, he said it only comes into play about 15 percent of the time.

Colom pointed out that DNAs usefulness cuts two ways both for producing convictions and exonerating the innocent. Both, he said, are crucial functions for providing justice for everyone.

As a district attorney and a prosecutor, my job is to do justice, he said. To the extent that anybody has been wrongfully prosecuted or wrongfully convicted, if DNA can exonerate them, thats just as good as me being able to convict somebody. I take the duty of providing justice seriously, and that means not only protecting the rights of the victim, but also protecting the rights of the accused.

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DNA from zoo’s polar bears used in fight against poaching – Washington Times

Posted: at 4:50 pm

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium polar bear cubs arent just cute and cuddly.

Theyre also helping the federal government fight crimes against their wild relatives in the Arctic, thanks to advancements in forensic science and DNA testing.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Forensic Laboratory in Oregon often relies on zoos to maintain its database of DNA samples from protected animal species. But when the Columbus Zoo sent DNA from its six polar bears to the lab in March, it came with payoffs for both parties - including a confirmation of whether the zoos three newest cubs are male or female.

The labs scientists analyze evidence during investigations of violations of federal wildlife protection laws, including poaching, illegal trading of animals, theft of rare plants and creating products from endangered species.

For example, the lab could use DNA to identify a decaying carcass as a protected animal or confirm that a business is selling items made with bald eagle feathers or elephant ivory.

Scientists are trying to perfect a new, more accurate DNA test for bears and benefited from the Columbus Zoos controlled samples from a known family of animals. The reference data illustrate how genetic patterns change in a population over time. It could someday pin down criminals who harm polar bears, which are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, on which the bears are listed as threatened.

Only an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears are living in the wild, and there are just 40 or so bears in 27 U.S. zoos that are members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Our polar bear database is fairly small, so the more samples we can get, the better, senior forensic scientist Mary Burnham Curtis said.

The zoo, meanwhile, was seeking a non-invasive way to determine the sexes of its baby bears. Because the 6-month-old animals are being raised by their mothers and not hand-reared by zookeepers, staffers would have had to put them under anesthesia to examine their genitals and make an official determination.

That seemed like an unnecessary risk for something that was just curiosity, not critical, said Randy Junge, the zoos vice president of animal health.

Luckily, we were able to help each other out.

Junge sent emails to diagnostic labs across the country seeking options, including the Fish and Wildlife forensic lab. Zoos work with the lab frequently to provide DNA samples to use as reference data - the Columbus Zoo has provided samples of rhinoceros horn in the past, for example - and some zoos serve as holding facilities for living animals that are considered evidence in ongoing criminal investigations.

Although the lab doesnt perform sex determination tests as a service to the public, its scientists are usually willing to work with zoos that provide DNA samples, Curtis said.

Columbus Zoo staff provided hair clippings and saliva swabs from all six of its bears.

Ultimately, test results confirmed what keepers suspected based on their observations: mother bear Ananas cub is female and mother bear Auroras twin cubs are male and female.

Ananas cub was recently named Amelia Gray in an online naming contest. The twins were named Nuniq and Neva by zoo staff. Nuniq is a derivative of Nanuq, the name of all three cubs father, who died in late April from liver cancer at age 29.

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The shifting science of DNA in the courtroom – WFMZ Allentown

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Over the years, DNA has become one of forensic science's most powerful tools. Over the years, DNA has become one of forensic science's most powerful tools. Related Content

(CNN) - This summer marks 30 years since one of the biggest advances in criminal investigations, DNA profiling, identified a killer.

Every cell within every living creature contains DNA material. That material carries instructions that dictate everything from how tall you'll be to what diseases you may develop, and it's unique to you. Forensic scientists can find it in biological material left on a crime scene or body, like hair, saliva or even skin tissue.

Through DNA profiling, also known as DNA fingerprinting, scientists analyze that material and create a chart on which variations show up at different locations. These are visualized as peaks and are translated into numbers that can be matched with the DNA of other suspects or with material from missing people.

Over the years, DNA has become one of forensic science's most powerful tools, helping to identify suspects and victims, convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent. DNA science and technology have grown so advanced that a mere touch can link someone to a crime scene.

"When I told people in 1977 in high school that I wanted to be a forensic scientist, they literally thought I was talking about voodoo and witchcraft," said Jenifer Smith, director of the District of Columbia's Department of Forensic Sciences and a former FBI special agent. "What DNA did in the late '80s and early '90s was sort of bring a more objective science ... cool technology, molecular biology. It gave almost this credence to forensics, because now, it looks more like a science."

Dwight E. Adams was the first FBI official to testify on DNA evidence in the United States and helped oversee the FBI's establishment of DNA profiling rules and guidelines for labs across the country. He called DNA "the single greatest advance in forensic science."

"The technology has improved tremendously since 1988 when it would take us 6 weeks to perform one test," Adams wrote in an email. "Now, laboratories are performing the test in about 24 hours and able to work with samples that we could only dream about in the early days."

Still, forensic science and DNA profiling aren't foolproof.

During his years in the White House, President Obama implemented several initiatives to improve forensic evidence gathering. In a 2017 Harvard Law Review article, he said they were sparked by lingering concerns from a 2009 National Academy of Sciences report, along with a rash of "high-profile exonerations of wrongfully convicted individuals that indicated that testimony exceeded the scientific capabilities of the technique."

"Contrary to the perception of TV dramas, forensic science disciplines are subject to varying degrees of uncertainty and misinterpretation," Obama wrote.

Forensic evidence pinning a suspect to the scene of a crime can be powerful in the courtroom. But scientists agree that when investigators testify about that evidence, they haven't always emphasized to the jury that science can make mistakes, such as DNA contamination in labs or DNA transferred from one crime scene to another.

One of Obama's initiatives launched a review of FBI testimony in cases. Another brought together scientists, law enforcement officials, judges and lawyers to create the National Commission on Forensic Science. Both of these initiatives were ended in April by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said the Trump administration would seek its own path toward improving criminal investigations under a new task force.

Some investigators said that over the years, funding has not kept up with the demand for evidence analysis, and labs are overwhelmed.

"Forensic science has been dealing with a resource problem," said former investigator John M. Collins Jr., whose Forensic Foundations Group works to educate lab technicians.

Indeed, crime labs around the country now process over 3 million requests per year, one-quarter of which is DNA profiling, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Here are a few notable cases in which DNA evidence made a mark.

In 1986, authorities in Leicester, England, were investigating the rapes and murders of two young women. A suspect confessed to the crime involving one woman but not the other. Convinced the two crimes were linked, investigators sought the help of Dr. Alec Jeffreys, a geneticist who developed techniques to visualize bands of DNA in his lab.

With Jeffreys' help, authorities analyzed the DNA of hundreds of men living near the crime but found no match. But the analysis also cleared the man who had confessed. In 1987, authorities found that local baker Colin Pitchfork had avoided taking the test. His sample was a match for both killings, and under pressure from DNA evidence, he confessed to the crimes.

In 1989, Gary Dotson became the first person exonerated because of DNA testing. He'd been behind bars for over a decade after a woman accused him of rape in 1977.

Investigators used blood-type and hair analysis to convict him, but he appealed for years, until DNA testing could be applied to material still held from the case. DNA cleared him, and he won his release. Testing linked the evidence to the accuser's then-boyfriend, and the woman admitted she'd made up the rape.

DNA science was slowly becoming more precise. And a few years after Dotson's release, in 1994, the FBI expanded its Combined DNA Indexing System, known as CODIS, which allows law enforcement officials and crime labs to share and search through thousands of DNA profiles. It also sets guidelines for collection and analysis of DNA. It's helped in more than 350,000 investigations.

In the 1995 trial of star athlete O.J. Simpson, a huge television audience followed along as the defense picked apart forensic evidence gathered by the state, particularly a bloody sock, knife and glove. The defense team raised questions about whether the DNA could have been contaminated.

Ultimately, those questions made a difference: Simpson was acquitted in the June 1994 killings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

The case helped civilians understand that DNA and forensic science could be flawed. Marcia Clark, the prosecutor in the case, has said police mishandling of the evidence and shoddy forensic collections created a distrust of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Simpson is imprisoned in Nevada in a separate case and is up for parole this year.

Early on, scientists needed significant amounts of DNA in order to analyze it, which prevented its use in many cases. But that changed over time.

Starting in 1982, authorities in Seattle searched fruitlessly as a serial rapist and murderer killed dozens of women and buried their bodies along the Green River in Washington state. Many were prostitutes 16 to 36 years old.

The case went cold, but in 2001, authorities were able to review old evidence using a technology called PCR, or polymerase chain reaction. PCR takes tiny amounts of DNA, previously nearly impossible to analyze, and copies it over and over. Authorities matched DNA from the victims' bodies to one of their prime suspects, Gary Ridgway.

Under pressure from DNA and other forensic evidence, Ridgway confessed to 48 counts of murder. (The story is being retold by HLN's "Beyond Reasonable Doubt.")

After the 2007 killing of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher in Italy, American Amanda Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted of murder in 2009. But there was an outcry from scientists and investigators in the United States. They were suspicious of DNA collection throughout the crime scene and questioned, among other things, the finding of Sollecito's DNA on a small part of Kercher's bra.

After years of legal back and forth, Knox's and Sollecito's murder convictions were overturned in 2015. Another man, Rudy Guede, was convicted in Kercher's death and remains in prison.

As DNA technology became more sensitive, its uses expanded and demand grew -- but the tests can't always keep up.

"What happened in the Amanda Knox trial, in that investigation, is symptomatic of another issue, and that is that both the public and prosecutors have been pressuring ... and I suppose defense attorneys, the whole system ... is pressuring labs into pushing the envelope of what these tests can do," said Dan E. Krane, a biology professor at Wright State University who's reviewed cases for defense teams for decades, including the Knox case. "The crux there, the central issue, is ambiguity."

Forensic analysts give a statistical analysis of whether DNA can pinpoint the suspect in the case, but Krane and many others argue that analysts could go further to explain the possibility of error to the jury. DNA's presence on a scene, Krane said, does not indicate when or how it got there.

There's work to do on educating jurors and the public about DNA's limitations, but, Krane said, it remains "the gold standard of forensic science. It doesn't mean that there isn't room to improve that gold standard, but all the rest of forensic science, and I mean everything -- fingerprint, hair and fiber, handwriting, blood spatter, gunshot residue, you name it -- everything else needs to aspire to have that same sort of scientific rigor that is now in play for DNA profiling."

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The shifting science of DNA in the courtroom - WFMZ Allentown

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Sunflower genome code cracked by team that included Tel Hai researcher – The Jerusalem Post

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The Jerusalem Post

Sunflower genome code cracked by team that included Tel Hai researcher
The Jerusalem Post
The sunflower genome is composed of approximately 3.5 billion bases and is larger than the human genome, which is composed of about 3.2 billion bases. Some 85% of the genome consists of identical sections that make identification and separation ...

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Sunflower genome code cracked by team that included Tel Hai researcher - The Jerusalem Post

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5 Ways To Stop Eczema From Ruining Your Summer – Allure Magazine

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Since summer is synonymous with sunscreen, sweat, and splashing around in salt water and chlorine, it can often also mean skin flare-ups especially for those with eczema , the skin condition that causes patches of cracked, scaly skin.

Many people are well aware that eczema tends to flare in the winter, but it can flare even in the summertime, Sejal Shah , a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, tells Allure . The culprits? Everything from sweaty subway rides, to romping around in the sand to sticking to your strict sunscreen routine .

Molecular Genetics – Cell and Gene Therapy Conferences

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Sessions/Tracks

Track 1:Molecular Biology

Molecular biologyis the study of molecular underpinnings of the processes ofreplication,transcription,translation, and cell function. Molecular biology concerns themolecularbasis ofbiologicalactivity between thebiomoleculesin various systems of acell,gene sequencingand this includes the interactions between theDNA,RNAand proteinsand theirbiosynthesis. Inmolecular biologythe researchers use specific techniques native to molecular biology, increasingly combine these techniques and ideas from thegeneticsandbiochemistry.

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2nd World Congress onHuman Genetics&Genetic Disorders, November 02-03, 2017 Toronto, Canada; 9th International Conference onGenomicsandPharmacogenomics, June 15-16, 2017 London, Uk; 6th International Conference and Exhibition onCellandGene Therapy, Mar 27-28, 2017 Madrid, Spain; Gordon Research Conference,Viruses&Cells, 14 - 19 May 2017, Lucca, Italy;Human Genome Meeting(HGM 2017), February 5-7 2017, Barcelona, Spain; Embl Conference:Mammalian GeneticsAndGenomics:From Molecular Mechanisms To Translational Applications, Heidelberg, Germany, October 24, 2017;GeneticandPhysiological Impacts of Transposable Elements, October 10, 2017, Heidelberg, Germany.

American Society for Cell Biology;The Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution;American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;The Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology;Molecular Biology Association Search Form - CGAP.

Track 2:Gene Therapy and Genetic Engineering

Thegenetic engineeringis also called asgenetic modification. It is the direct manipulation of an organism'sofgenomeby usingbiotechnology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of the cell and including the transfer of genes across species boundaries to produce improved novelorganisms. Genesmay be removed, or "knocked out", using anuclease.Gene is targetinga different technique that useshomologousrecombinationto change anendogenous gene, and this can be used to delete a gene, removeexons, add a gene, or to introducegenetic mutations. There is an dna replacement therapy, Genetic engineering does not normally include traditional animal and plant breeding, gene sequencing, in vitro fertilization, induction of polyploidy,mutagenesisand cell fusion techniques that do not use recombinant nucleic acids or a genetically modified organism in the process,diseases treated with gene therapywas initially meant to introduce genes straight into human cells, focusing on diseases caused by single-gene defects, such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, muscular dystrophy and sickle cell anemia

RelatedMolecular Biology Conferences| Genetics Conferences|Gene Therapy Conferences|Biotechnology Conferences| Immune Cell Therapy Conferences

8thWorld Congress onMolecular Pathology, June 26-27, 2017 San Diego, USA; 11thInternational Conference onSurgical Pathology& Practice, March 27-28, 2017, MADRID, SPAIN; 13th EuropeanPathologyCongress, Aug 02-03, 2017, MILAN, ITALY; 28th Annual Meeting, Austrian Society ForHuman GeneticsAnd The Swiss Society OfMedical GeneticsCombined Meeting 2017 march 29, 2017 - March 31, 2017, bochum , Germany.

Association for Clinical Genetic Science;Genetics Society of America | GSA;Association of Genetic Technologists;Molecular Genetics - Human Genetics Society of Australasia;Genetic Engineering - Ecological Farming Association.

Track 3:Cell & Gene Therapy

Cell therapy is also calledcellular therapyorCyto therapy, in which cellular material is injected into patient this generally means intact, living cells. The first category iscell therapyin mainstream medicine. This is the subject of intense research and the basis of potential therapeutic benefit. Such research can be controversial when it involves human embryonic material. The second category is in alternative medicine, and perpetuates the practice of injecting animal materials in an attempt to cure disease.Gene therapyis the therapeutic delivery of nucleic acid polymers into a patient's cells as a drug to treat disease. Gene therapy is a way to fix agenetic problemat its source. The polymers are either translated into proteins, interfere with targetgene expression, or possibly correct genetic mutations. The most common form uses DNA that encodes a functional,therapeutic gene to replace a mutated gene. The polymer molecule is packaged within a "vector", which carries the molecule inside cells. Vectors used in gene therapy, the vector incorporates genes intochromosomes. The expressed nucleases then knock out and replace genes in the chromosome. The Center forCell and Gene Therapyconducts research into numerous diseases, including but not limited to PediatricCancer, HIV gliomaandCardiovascular disease.

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2nd World Congress onHuman Genetics&Genetic Disorders, November 02-03, 2017 Toronto, 27 Canada ; 7th International Conference onPlant Genomics, July 03-05, 2017, Bangkok, Thailand ; American Society ofGeneandCell Therapy(ASGCT) 20th Annual Meeting, 10 - 13 May 2017, Washington, DC;Genomic Medicine for Clinicians(course), January 25-27, 2017, Hinxton , Cambridge, UK; Embo Conference:ChromatinandEpigenetics, Heidelberg, Germany, May 3, 2017; 14th International Symposium on Variants in theGenomeSantiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain, June 5 - 8, 2017;

Genetics and Molecular Medicine - American Medical Association;Genetics Society of America / Gsa;British Society for Genetic Medicine;British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy; Australasian Gene Therapy Society.

Track 4:Cell Cancer Immunotherapy

Immunologydeals with the biological and biochemical basis for the body's defense against germs such as bacteria, virus and mycosis (fungal infections) as well as foreign agents such asbiological toxinsand environmental pollutants, and failures and malfunctions of these defense mechanisms. Cancer immunotherapy is the use of the immune system to treat cancer. Immunotherapies can be categorized as active, passive or hybrid (active and passive). Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system that bind to a target antigen on the cell surface. The immune system normally uses them to fight pathogens. A type of biological therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection, and other diseases. Some types of immunotherapy only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), and some monoclonal antibodies.

RelatedMolecular Biology Conferences| Genetics Conferences|Gene Therapy Conferences|Biotechnology Conferences| Immune Cell Therapy Conferences

9thAnnual Meeting onImmunologyandImmunologist, July 03-05, 2017 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 8th MolecularImmunology&ImmunogeneticsCongress, March 20-21, 2017 Rome, Italy; 8th EuropeanImmunologyConference, June 29-July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; July 03-05, 2017; B Cells and T Follicular Helper Cells Controlling Long-Lived Immunity (D2), April 2017, 2327, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada; Mononuclear Phagocytes in Health,Immune Defense and Disease, 304 May, Austin, Texas, USA;Modeling Viral Infections and ImmunityMAY 2017, 14, Estes Park, Colorado, USA; IntegratingMetabolism and Immunity(E4)292 June, Dublin, Ireland.

The American Association of Immunologists;Clinical Immunology Society ; Indian Immunology Society;IUIS - International Union of Immunological Societies;American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics.

Track 5:Clinical Genetics

Clinical geneticsis the practice of clinical medicine with particular attention tothe hereditary disorders. Referrals are made togenetics clinicsfor the variety of reasons, includingbirth defects,developmental delay,autism,epilepsy, and many others. In the United States, physicians who practice clinical genetics are accredited by theAmerican Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics(ABMGG).In order to become a board-certified practitioner of a Clinical Genetics, a physician must complete minimum of 24 months of his training in a program accredited by the ABMGG. Individual seeking acceptance intoclinical geneticstraining programs and should hold an M.D. or D.O. degree (or their equivalent)and he/she have completed a minimum of 24 months of their training in ACGME-accredited residency program internal medicine, pediatrics and gynecology or other medical specialty.

RelatedMolecular Biology Conferences| Genetics Conferences|Gene Therapy Conferences|Biotechnology Conferences| Immune Cell Therapy Conferences

Belgian Society OfHuman GeneticsMeeting 2017 february 17, 2017, Belgium; American College Of Medical Genetics 2017 AnnualClinical GeneticsMeeting march 21-25 2017, phoenix , United States; German Society Of Human Genetics 28th Annual Meeting, Austrian Society ForHuman GeneticsAnd The Swiss Society OfMedical GeneticsCombined Meeting 2017 march 29, 2017 - March 31, 2017, bochum , Germany; Spanish Society OfHuman GeneticsCongress 2017april 25, 2017 - April 28, 2017 madrid , Spain;

Clinical Genetics Associates;Clinical Genetics Society(CGS);The genetic associate;International Conference on Clinical and Medical Genetics;Association for Clinical Genetic Science;The American Society of Human Genetics.

Track 6:Pharmacogenetics

Pharmacogeneticsis the study of inherited genetic differences in drug metabolic pathways which can affect individual responses towards the drugs, both in their terms of therapeutic effect as well as adverse effects. In oncology, Pharmacogenetics historically is the study ofgerm line mutations(e.g., single-nucleotide polymorphisms affecting genes coding forliver enzymesresponsible for drug deposition and pharmacokinetics), whereaspharmacogenomicsrefers tosomatic mutationsin tumoral DNA leading to alteration in drug response.

RelatedMolecular Biology Conferences| Genetics Conferences|Gene Therapy Conferences|Biotechnology Conferences| Immune Cell Therapy Conferences

Spanish Society OfHuman GeneticsCongress 2017april 25, 2017 - April 28, 2017, madrid , Spain; 8th World Congress onPharmacology, August 07-09, 2017 Paris, France; World Congress onBio therapeutics, May 22-23, 2017, Mexico City, Mexico; 8th World Congress OnPharmacologyAndToxicology, July 24-26, 2017, Melbourne, Australia; German Society Of Human Genetics 28th Annual Meeting, Austrian Society ForHuman GeneticsAnd The Swiss Society OfMedical GeneticsCombined Meeting 2017march 29, 2017 - March 31, 2017 bochum , Germany.

Pharmacogenomics - American Medical Association;Associate Principal Scientist Clinical Pharmacogenetics;European Society of Pharmacogenomics and Personalised Therapy;Genome-wide association studies in pharmacogenomics.

Track 7:Molecular Genetic Pathology

Molecular genetic pathologyis an emerging discipline withinthe pathologywhich is focused in the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of molecules within the organs, tissues or body fluids. A key consideration is more accurate diagnosis is possible when the diagnosis is based on both morphologic changes in tissuestraditional anatomic pathologyand onmolecular testing. Molecular Genetic Pathology is commonly used in diagnosis of cancer and infectious diseases. Integration of "molecular pathology" and "epidemiology" led tointerdisciplinaryfield, termed "molecular pathological epidemiology" (MPE),which representsintegrative molecular biologicand population health science.

RelatedMolecular Biology Conferences| Genetics Conferences|Gene Therapy Conferences|Biotechnology Conferences| Immune Cell Therapy Conferences

8th World Congress OnMolecular Pathology, June 26-27, 2017 San Diego, USA; 11th International Conference OnSurgical Pathology& Practice, March 27-28, 2017, Madrid, Spain; 13th EuropeanPathologyCongress, Aug 02-03, 2017, Milan, Italy; Embl Conference:Mammalian GeneticsAndGenomics, Heidelberg, Germany, October 24, 2017; Embo|Embl Symposium: TheMobile Genome: Genetic And Physiological Impacts Of Transposable Elements, Heidelberg, Germany, October 10, 2017.

Clinical Pathology Associates Molecular Pathology; Association mapping Wikipedia;Association for Molecular Pathology(AMP);Molecular Pathology - Association of Clinical Pathologists;SELECTBIO - Molecular Pathology Association of India.

Track 8:Gene Mapping

Genomemappingis to place a collection of molecular markers onto their respective positions ongenome.Molecular markerscome in all forms. Genes can be viewed as one special type of genetic markers in construction ofgenome maps, and the map is mapped the same way as any other markers. The quality ofgenetic mapsis largely dependent upon the two factors, the number of genetic markers on the map and the size of themapping population. The two factors are interlinked, and as larger mapping population could increase the "resolution" of the maps and prevent the map being "saturated". Researchers begin a genetic map by collecting samples of blood or tissue from family members that carry a prominent disease or trait and family members that don't. Scientists then isolate DNA from the samples and closely examine it, looking for unique patterns in the DNA of the family members who do carry the disease that the DNA of those who don't carry the disease don't have. These unique molecular patterns in the DNA are referred to as polymorphisms, or markers.

RelatedMolecular Biology Conferences| Genetics Conferences|Gene Therapy Conferences|Biotechnology Conferences| Immune Cell Therapy Conferences

3rd WorldBio Summit&Expo, Abu Dhabi, UAE, June 19-21, 2017; 9th International Conference onGenomicsandPharmacogenomicsJune 15-16, 2017 London, Uk; Keystone Symposium: Mononuclear Phagocytes in Health,Immune DefenseandDisease, 304 May 2017, Austin, Texas, USA;Molecular Neurodegeneration(course) Hinxton, Cambridge, UK, January 9-14, 2017;

Association for Clinical Genetic Science;Genome-wide association study Wikipedia;Gene mapping by linkage and association analysis NCBI;Gene mapping by linkage and association analysis | Springer Link.

Track 9:ComputationalGenomics

Computational genomics refers to the use of computational and statistical analysis to decipherbiologyfromgenome sequencesand related data, including DNA and RNA sequence as well as other "post-genomic" data. This computational genomics is also known asComputational Genetics. These, in combination with computational and statistical approaches to understanding the function of the genes and statistical association analysis, this field is also often referred to as Computational and Statistical Genetics/genomics. As such, computational genomics may be regarded as a subset of bioinformatics and computational biology, but with a focus on using whole genomes rather than individual genes to understand the principles of how the DNA of a species controls its biology at the molecular level and beyond. With the current abundance of massive biological datasets, computational studies have become one of the most important means to biological discovery.The field is defined and includes foundations in thecomputer sciences,applied mathematics, animation, biochemistry, chemistry, biophysics,molecular genetics,neuroscienceandvisualization. Computational biology is different from biological computation, which is a subfield of computer engineering using bioengineering and biology to build computers, but is similar tobioinformatics.

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Modeling Viral Infections and Immunity,10. MAY 2017, 14, Estes Park, Colorado, USA;Integrating Metabolism and Immunity(E4)292 June, Dublin, Ireland; EMBL Conference:Mammalian GeneticsandGenomics, Heidelberg, Germany, October 24, 2017; EMBO|EMBL Symposium: The Mobile Genome:GeneticandPhysiological Impacts of Transposable Elements, Heidelberg, Germany, October 10, 2017;

American Association of Bio analysts - Molecular/Genetic Testing;ISCB - International Society for Computational Biology;International Society for Computational Biology Wikipedia;Bioinformatics societies OMICtools;Towards an Australian Bioinformatics Society.

Track 10:Molecular Biotechnology

Molecular Biotechnologyis the use of living systems and organisms to develop or to make products, or "any technological application that uses the biological systems, living organisms or derivatives, to make or modify products or processes for specific use. Molecular biotechnology results from the convergence of many areas of research, such as molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, immunology, genetics and cell biology. It is an exciting field fueled by the ability to transfer genetic information between organisms with the goal of understanding important biological processes or creating a useful product. The completion of the human genome project has opened a myriad of opportunities to create new medicines and treatments, as well as approaches to improve existing medicines. Molecular biotechnology is a rapidly changing and dynamic field. As the pace of advances accelerates, its influence will increase. The importance and impact of molecular biotechnology is being felt across the nation. Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with the related fields of bioengineering,biomedical engineering, bio manufacturing andmolecular engineering.Biotechnologyalso writes on the pure biological sciences animalcell culture, biochemistry,cell biology, embryology, genetics, microbiology, andmolecular biology.

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8th EuropeanImmunologyConference, June 29-July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; World Congress onBio therapeutics, May 22-23, 2017, Mexico City, Mexico;Human Genome Meeting(HGM 2017), February 5-7 2017, Barcelona, Spain;Integrating MetabolismandImmunity (E4), 292 June, Dublin, Ireland.

Biotech Associations - Stanford University;Indian Society of Genetics, Biotechnology Research & Development;Genetics and Molecular Medicine - American Medical Association;Genetics Society of America | GSA, British Society for Genetic Medicine;Heritability in the Era of Molecular Genetics - Association for Psychological science.

Track 11:Genetic Transformation

Genetic Transformationis the genetic alteration of cell resulting from the direct uptake and incorporation ofexogenous genetic materialfrom its surroundings through thecell membrane. Transformation is one of three processes for horizontal gene transfer, in which exogenous genetic material passes from bacterium to another, the other two being conjugation transfer of genetic material between two bacterial cells in direct contact andTransductioninjection offoreign DNAby a bacteriophage virus into thehost bacterium. And about 80 species of bacteria were known to be capable of transformation, in 2014, about evenly divided betweenGram-positiveandGram-negative Transformation" may also be used to describe the insertion of new genetic material into non-bacterial cells, including animal and plant cells.

RelatedMolecular Biology Conferences| Genetics Conferences|Gene Therapy Conferences|Biotechnology Conferences| Immune Cell Therapy Conferences

13th EuropeanPathologyCongress, Milan, Italy; Embl Conference:Mammalian GeneticsAndGenomics, Heidelberg, Germany, October 24, 2017; Embo|Embl Symposium: TheMobile Genome: Genetic And Physiological Impacts Of Transposable Elements, Heidelberg, Germany, October 10, 2017; 2nd World Congress onHuman Genetics&Genetic Disorders, November 02-03, 2017 Toronto, Canada; 9th International Conference onGenomicsandPharmacogenomics, June 15-16, 2017 London, Uk;

American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy: ASGCT;Gene Therapy Societies and Patient Organizations - Gene Therapy Net;European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT);British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy;Gene Therapy - American Medical Association.

Track 12:Genetic Screening

Genetic screenis an experimental technique used to identify and select the individuals who possess a phenotype of interest inmutagenized population. A genetic screen is a type ofphenotypic screen. Genetic screen can provide important information on gene function as well as the molecular events that underlie a biological process or pathway. While thegenome projectshave identified an extensive inventory of genes in many different organisms, genetic screens can provide valuable insight as to how thosegenes function.

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13th EuropeanPathologyCongress, Aug 02-03, 2017, Milan, Italy; 2nd World Congress onHuman Genetics&Genetic Disorders, November 02-03, 2017 Toronto, 27 Canada; 7th International Conference onPlant Genomics, July 03-05, 2017, Bangkok, Thailand; Embl Conference:Mammalian GeneticsAndGenomics, Heidelberg, Germany, October 24, 2017; Embo|Embl Symposium: TheMobile Genome: Genetic And Physiological Impacts Of Transposable Elements, Heidelberg, Germany, October 10, 2017, 10 - 13 May 2017, American Society ofGeneandCell Therapy(ASGCT) 20th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC;

Association for Clinical Genetic Science; Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP);Mapping heritability and molecular genetic associations with cortical;Genetics and Molecular Medicine - American Medical Association.

Track 13:Regulation of Gene Expression

Regulation of Gene expressionincludes a wide range of mechanisms that are used by cells to increase or decrease the production of specific gene products (protein or RNA), and is informally termed gene regulation. Sophisticated programs of gene expression are widely observed in biology, Virtually any step of gene expression can be modulated, fromtranscriptional initiation,RNA processing, and post-translational modificationof a protein. Often, one gene regulator controls another in a gene regulatory network. Any step of gene expression may be modulated, from theDNA-RNA transcriptionstep to post-translational modification of a protein.

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7th International Conference onPlant Genomics, July 03-05, 2017, Bangkok, Thailand; EMBO|EMBL Symposium: The Mobile Genome:GeneticandPhysiological Impacts of Transposable Elements, Heidelberg, Germany, October 10, 2017; 10. MAY 2017, 14, Estes Park, Colorado, USA,Modeling Viral Infections and Immunity; 292 June, Dublin, Ireland,Integrating Metabolism and Immunity(E4); MAY 2017, 14, Estes Park, Colorado, USA,Modeling Viral InfectionsandImmunity; 8th EuropeanImmunologyConference, June 29-July 01, 2017 Madrid, Spain; 9th International Conference onGenomicsandPharmacogenomics, June 15-16, 2017 London, Uk;

Gene Therapy Societies and Patient Organizations - Gene Therapy Net;European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT);British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy;Gene Therapy - American Medical Association

Track 14: Cancer Gene Therapy

Cancer is an abnormal growth of cells the proximate cause of which is an imbalance in cell proliferation and death breaking-through the normal physiological checks and balances system and the ultimate cause of which are one or more of a variety of gene alterations. These alterations can be structural, e.g., mutations, insertions, deletions, amplifications, fusions and translocations, or functional (heritable changes without changes in nucleotide sequence). No single genomic change is found in all cancers and multiple changes (heterogeneity) are commonly found in each cancer generally independent of histology. In healthy adults, the immune system may recognize and kill the cancer cells or allow non-detrimental host-cancer equilibrium; unfortunately, cancer cells can sometimes escape the immune system resulting in expansion and spread of these cancer cells leading to serious life threatening disease. Approaches to cancer gene therapy include three main strategies: the insertion of a normal gene into cancer cells to replace a mutated (or otherwise altered) gene, genetic modification to silence a mutated gene, and genetic approaches to directly kill the cancer cells. Pathway C represents immunotherapy using altered immune cells. Another unique immunotherapy strategy facilitated by gene therapy is to directly alter the patient's immune system in order to sensitize it to the cancer cells. One approach uses mononuclear circulating blood cells or bone marrow gathered from the patient.

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Track 15:Genetic Transplantation

Transplantation genetics is the field of biology and medicine relating to the genes that govern the acceptance or rejection of a transplant. The most important genes deciding the fate of a transplanted cell, tissue, or organ belong to what is termed the MHC (the major histocompatibility complex). Genetic Transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site to another location on the person's own body, to replace the recipient's damaged or absent organ. Organs and/or tissues that aretransplantedwithin the same person's body are calledauto grafts. Transplants that are recently performed between two subjects of the same species are calledallografts. Allografts can either be from a living or cadaveric source Organs that can be transplanted are the heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pancreas, intestine, and thymus. The kidneys are the most commonlytransplanted organs, followed by the liver and then the heart. The main function of the MHC antigens is peptide presentation to the immune system to help distinguish self from non-self. These antigens are called HLA (human leukocyte antigens). They consists of three regions: class I (HLA-A,B,Cw), class II (HLA-DR,DQ,DP) and class III (no HLA genes)

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8th World Congress onPharmacology, August 07-09, 2017 Paris, France; International Conference onClinicalandMolecular Genetics, Las Vegas, USA, April 24-26, 2017; Aug 02-03, 2017, 13th EuropeanPathologyCongress, Milan, Italy; Embl Conference:Mammalian GeneticsAndGenomics, Heidelberg, Germany, October 24, 2017; 7th International Conference onPlant Genomics, July 03-05, 2017, Bangkok, Thailand.

American society of Transplantation;American Society of Transplant Surgeons: ASTS; Patient associations. Donation and transplantation;American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy ASGCT;Gene Therapy Societies and Patient Organizations - Gene Therapy Net.

Track 16:Cytogenetics

Cytogeneticsis a branch ofgeneticsthat is concerned withstudy of the structure and function of the cell, especially thechromosomes. It includes routine analysis of G-banded chromosomes, othercytogenetic banding techniques, as well as molecular Cytogenetics such as fluorescent in suitable hybridization FISH and comparativegenomic hybridization.

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European Cytogeneticists Association;Association of Genetic Technologists;Association for Clinical Genetic Science;Cytogenetics - Human Genetics Society of Australasia;European Cytogeneticists Association

Molecular Biology 2016

Molecular Biology 2016 Report

2ndWorld Bio Summit & Molecular Biology Expowas organized during October 10-12, 2016 at Dubai, UAE. The conference was marked with the attendance ofEditorial Board Members of supporting journals, Scientists, young and brilliant researchers, business delegates and talented student communities representing more than 25 countries, who made this conference fruitful and productive.

This conference was based on the theme Recent advances in Bio Science which included the following scientific tracks:

Molecular Biology

Microbiology

Analytical Molecular Biology

Bioinformatics

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

Cancer Molecular Biology

Computational Biology

Molecular Biology of the Cell

Molecular biology of the cardiovascular system

Molecular Biology in Cellular Pathology

Molecular Biology of Diabetes

Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering

Enzymology and Molecular Biology

Molecular Biology of the Gene

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Molecular Genetics - Cell and Gene Therapy Conferences

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Is CRISPR Gene Editing Moving Ahead Too Quickly? – Healthline

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Researchers say they discovered hundreds of mutations during a gene editing experiment, casting doubt on CRISPR's safety and precision.

CRISPR gene editing technology has tantalized the public with its potential to cure disease.

However, new research suggests it could be more dangerous and less precise than previously believed.

CRISPR-Cas9 was discovered in 2012 by University of California molecular biologist Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues. It allows for genetic editing by snipping out small bits of defective or harmful DNA and replacing it.

Gene editing has existed since the 1970s, but CRISPR-Cas9 has reinvented it as a precise, accessible technology.

The potential applications seem almost limitless.

This year, Dr. Edze Westra of the University of Exeter, told the Independent that he expects the technology to be used to cure all inherited diseases, to cure cancers, to restore sight to people by transplanting genes.

Read more: Scientists find gene editing with CRISPR hard to resist

Still in its infancy, CRISPR-Cas9 has yet to deliver on these promises, in humans anyway.

One of the key talking points of CRISPR-Cas9 has been its precision its ability to accurately edit small sections of DNA without affecting nearby sections.

However, a new study from Columbia University says that CRISPR-Cas9 can introduce hundreds of unexpected mutations into the genome beyond what was intended.

We feel its critical that the scientific community consider the potential hazards of all off-target mutations caused by CRISPR, said co-author Dr. Stephen Tsang, a professor at Columbia University Medical Center, in a press release.

Tsang and his team discovered the mutations while conducting research on mice, using CRISPR-Cas9 to correct a gene that caused blindness.

The technology worked effectively in curing the blindness, but when the researchers later looked at the genome of the mice, they said they found additional, unintended mutations.

Despite this, the mice appeared to be in fine health.

We did not see any observable complications in the mice, despite having all these extra CRISPR-related mutations, Tsang told Healthline.

Sheila Jasanoff, professor of science and technology studies at Harvard University, told Healthline that precision can have a slippery definition in biotechnology.

Genetic engineering was also sold some 40 years ago as a highly precise technique. Now, CRISPR is being heralded as even more precise, she said.

Undoubtedly, there is some truth in that claim ... But we also know from older genetic engineering techniques that very precise interventions into one part of a genome can produce unexpected side effects or off-target impacts that scientists were not expecting, Jasanoff added.

Read more: CRISPR gene editing and cancer treatment

Tsang frames the message of his research in two ways.

First, he hopes that his work will bring a newfound awareness to the potential side effects caused by CRISPR.

Although the mutations he and his team observed did not appear to have any malignant effects, they should be a wake-up call for researchers.

Secondly, Tsang says that no matter what kind of medicine or treatment is being used, there is the potential for side effects.

If we apply CRISPR, its just like any other intervention medicine. There is always off-targeting and risks and benefits, he says.

Jasanoff is more tempered in her assessment of the risk vs. reward of CRISPR.

The assumption that there are untold benefits in store long before the work has been done to establish how a new technology actually will have an impact on any disease is a typical example of the hype that surrounds new and emerging technologies, she said.

Tsangs research offers no hard answers to the larger questions of efficacy, risk, and benefit of using CRISPR on humans.

Lets not go overboard, said Pete Shanks, a consultant who is an expert on genetics. Three blind mice dont prove much.

Tsangs research does provide some cautionary insight into how research must be conducted in order to make the technology safer.

Currently most studies of off-target mutations depend on computer algorithms to locate and examine affected areas. Tsang and his team say that this isnt sufficient when using live specimens.

These predictive algorithms seem to do a good job when CRISPR is performed in cells or tissues in a dish, but whole genome sequencing has not been employed to look for all off-target effects in living animals, Alexander Bassuk, professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa, and co-author of the study, said in a press release.

Researchers who arent using whole genome sequencing to find off-target effects may be missing potentially important mutations, Tsang said.

Read more: Gene editing could be used to battle mosquito-borne disease

This study comes at an important time.

China has begun its first round of human testing using CRISPR-Cas9.

The United States is due to start its own tests next year.

The research field is moving quickly perhaps too quickly.

We hope our findings will encourage others to use whole genome sequencing as a method to determine all the off-target effects of their CRISPR techniques and study different versions for the safest, most accurate editing, Tsang said.

Jasanoff is much blunter.

We should put aside the notion the benefits of CRISPR are already proven, and all we need to worry about is risks, she said.

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Is CRISPR Gene Editing Moving Ahead Too Quickly? - Healthline

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Category Archives: Transhuman News

Soyuz booster rolls out for launch with space station cargo freighter – Spaceflight Now

NASA: SpaceX Dragon to Deliver Ground-Breaking Science Research to Space Station –"Neutron Stars to Human … – The Daily Galaxy (blog)

Scientist John Shine honoured for discovery that formed basis of genetic engineering – The Guardian

Solving cases in his DNA – Jackson Clarion Ledger

DNA from zoo’s polar bears used in fight against poaching – Washington Times

The shifting science of DNA in the courtroom – WFMZ Allentown

Sunflower genome code cracked by team that included Tel Hai researcher – The Jerusalem Post

5 Ways To Stop Eczema From Ruining Your Summer – Allure Magazine

Molecular Genetics – Cell and Gene Therapy Conferences

Is CRISPR Gene Editing Moving Ahead Too Quickly? – Healthline

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