CHALFONT, Pa., Nov. 8, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genomind, a personalized medicine company for neuropsychiatry, is excited to announce that company representatives will be attending and exhibiting at the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Annual Conference and the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress, two respected conventions of mental health professionals that will occur this week.

Genomind will be on hand to share the most recent research and advancements in the field of personalized medicine, including their groundbreaking GeneceptTM Assay, a saliva-based test that quickly identifies biomarkers and genes that may influence or assist a clinician in developing a treatment plan for patients with depression and other neurological disorders. Genomind staff will share information with attendees on how such tests can be implemented into their practices, as well as how use of the test can often lead to better patient outcomes.

The American Psychiatric Nurses Association Annual Conference runs from November 7-10, 2012, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress will take place November 8-11, 2012, at the San Diego Convention Center.

About the Genecept Assay

The Genecept Assay is a comprehensive, simple-to-use tool for understanding genetic and biological markers that best inform response to different psychiatric treatments. The Assay is Genomind's core product, and contains a proprietary panel of biomarker tests, an analytic report, and a psychopharmacologist consultation. The Assay can be used for a range of psychiatric conditions including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, OCD and ADHD. For more information on the Assay, including information about the specific genes in the panel, please visit http://www.genomind.com/products/assay.

About Genomind

Genomind is a personalized medicine company, comprised of innovative researchers and expert leaders in psychiatry and neurology. Genomind is committed to discovery of the underlying causes of neuropsychiatric disorders and supports the development of personalized medicine that improves patients' lives. Genomind was founded by Ronald I. Dozoretz, MD, a psychiatrist who has devoted his career to improving mental health. Jay Lombard, DO, a neurologist and co-founder of Genomind, is a critically acclaimed author and nationally recognized thought leader in neuropsychiatry practice and research. Learn more at http://www.genomind.com.

For more information, contact:

Doreen Korba Director of Marketing 215.396.5596 Doreen.Korba@genomind.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://www.cisionwire.com http://www.cisionwire.com/genomind/r/genomind-to-exhibit-at-two-upcoming-mental-health-conferences,c9331955

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jm477c/personalized) has announced the addition of the "Personalized Medicine Partnering Terms and Agreements" report to their offering.

Comprehensive understanding and unprecedented access to the personalized medicine partnering deals and agreements entered into by the worlds leading healthcare companies.

The Personalized Medicine Partnering Terms and Agreements report provides comprehensive understanding and unprecedented access to the personalized medicine partnering deals and agreements entered into by the worlds leading healthcare companies.

The report provides a detailed understanding and analysis of how and why companies enter personalized medicine partnering deals. The majority of deals are discovery or development stage whereby the licensee obtains a right or an option right to license the licensors personalized medicine technology. These deals tend to be multicomponent, starting with collaborative R&D, and commercialization of outcomes.

Understanding the flexibility of a prospective partner's negotiated deals terms provides critical insight into the negotiation process in terms of what you can expect to achieve during the negotiation of terms. Whilst many smaller companies will be seeking details of the payments clauses, the devil is in the detail in terms of how payments are triggered - contract documents provide this insight where press releases do not.

This report contains over 1500 links to online copies of actual personalized medicine deals and contract documents as submitted to the Securities Exchange Commission by companies and their partners. Contract documents provide the answers to numerous questions about a prospective partner's flexibility on a wide range of important issues, many of which will have a significant impact on each party's ability to derive value from the deal.

Report scope

Personalized Medicine Partnering Terms and Agreements is intended to provide the reader with an in-depth understanding and access to personalized medicine trends and structure of deals entered into by leading companies worldwide.

Personalized Medicine Partnering Terms and Agreements includes:

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Research and Markets: Personalized Medicine Partnering Terms and Agreements

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God of AfricaBluewale Creations xvid
Grace Jerry is a sensational multi talented Gospel singer based in Jos. Despite an accident that caused her a spinal cord injury and has forced her to use a wheel chair for some years now, she has not allowed that to diminish her passion and love for God and for music. She flies her wings of creativity and music in diverse ways, she #39;s a WASH Ambassador with Water Aid, Motivational Speaker, Mentor, Life Coach and Children Teacher.From:bluewalecreationsViews:2 0ratingsTime:14:11More inEntertainment

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walk with us
SPECIAL THANKS TO: USAID, LRI, LE ROYAL, BECHARE MUNICIPALITY AND SCHOOLS, FRIENDS OF THE CEDARS AND ALL THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO WALKED WITH US. November 3, 2012- "Let Your Disability Be Your Power" was the motto of Micheal Haddad #39;s walk in the Cedars forest as an initiative of "Walk for Cedars". Mr. Haddad is a disabled from the chest down due to a spinal cord injury. He conducted his walk despite his disability making his steps hard and almost impossible to do. He fought, held out and walked 5000 steps for 5000 Cedar trees in return in order to aware the national society on the importance of protecting and maintaining the Lebanese environment. This event was a special launching to a reforestation campaign sponsored by the NGO SHIELD and a forestation project in Lebanon closely supported by the Friends of Cedar Forest Committee in Bchare and the municipality of Bchare. "Walk for Cedars" is an initiative launched by Micheal Haddad to aware the society on more than 250 thousand disabled people in Lebanon (app. 7% of Lebanon #39;s population) who need to be rehabilitated and reintegrated in the society as active and productive citizens. For, they got the power to turn their disability into ability despite their handicap. So did Micheal Haddad establish SHIELD, an NGO that supports the Walk along with the forestation project in Lebanon LIR (Lebanon Reforestation Initiative). This project is funded by the financing program of the United States Agency for the International ...From:Elias El MokdessiViews:2 1ratingsTime:02:57More inPeople Blogs

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Brain and Spinal Cord Injury PSA
From:fldohViews:0 0ratingsTime:00:31More inEducation

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Brain and Spinal Cord Injury PSA - Video

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What #39;s in-possible is so possible!
I was told 29 years ago that it would not be possible for me to father a child due to a spinal cord injury that left me paralyzed from the T5-6 level, complete. The truth is that even with a spinal cord injury you can father a child. Thing is, depending on the location of your injury you can have a child as easily as a non-spinal cord/paralyzed male or it may take newer methods of insemination. It #39;s just about information. See my website for more details or just ask me here on YT.From:AstonnMartin2003Views:0 0ratingsTime:02:56More inEducation

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What's in-possible is so possible! - Video

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cryocell | Why Store Your Cord Blood In a Bank?
http://www.cordbloodrecommendation.com A large number of people die waiting for a transplant due to this reason. Before any blood donations are made it is important for a pregnant mother interested to make the donation to contact the bank before the thirty fourth week of her pregnancy. However, private banking is generally not recommended unless there is a family history of specific genetic diseases. It contains stem cells that have been found to be excellent for research and treatment of many diseases. A man can change his god-gifted features wishfully with the help of science. Given the progress that stem cell research and regenerative medicine have attained at present, and the promise that they show for the future, stem cell transplants may one day provide a cure for type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and brain injury, among other potentially life threatening and debilitating illnesses and conditions with inadequate treatment options today. One study in particular by Wagner, et al. ""Settling on a name for your newborn is definitely something all parents spend time doing, but one decision that is rarely thought of or overlooked is saving your newborn #39;s cord blood. The mother will be informed about the status of the blood unit and the test results so that she is aware of any infection or disease that might affect her baby. Many parents see placental and cord blood banking as valuable tools to help them secure potentially lifesaving treatment options their families may some day ...From:loshoteles enmedellinViews:1 0ratingsTime:01:18More inScience Technology

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Will Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Affect Fertility?
MetroMD.net Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Replacement is a popular therapy that is effective in reversing the signs and symptoms of aging. Among it #39;s many benefits, HGH increases libido in many patients. But we are often asked about HGH #39;s effect on fertility for both men and women. Dr. Martin addresses these concerns in this brief video presentation. For more info, visit us at http or call (323) 285-5300. The MetroMD Institute of Regenerative Medicine is located in Hollywood at the heart of Los Angeles.From:MetroMDViews:3 0ratingsTime:02:09More inScience Technology

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Improve Your Cholesterol with Human Growth Hormone (HGH)
MetroMD.net Did you know that you can improve your cholesterol with HGH? Human Growth Hormone Replacement is a popular therapy that is effective in reversing the signs and symptoms of aging. One of the lesser-known benefits is that HGH can actually improve your blood profile and reduce the risk of heart disease. Dr. Alex Martin MD explains how and why in this brief video presentation. For more info, visit us at MetroMD.net or call (323) 285-5300. The MetroMD Institute of Regenerative Medicine is located in Hollywood at the heart of Los Angeles.From:MetroMDViews:0 0ratingsTime:01:54More inScience Technology

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ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

BioTime, Inc. (NYSE MKT: BTX), a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of regenerative medicine, today reported financial results for the third quarter and year-to-date period ended September 30, 2012 and highlighted recent corporate accomplishments.

Financial Results

Net Loss

Net loss attributable to BioTime for the third quarter of 2012 was $5.0 million or $0.10 per share, compared to a net loss of $3.7 million or $0.08 per share for the same period of 2011. For the nine months ended September 30, 2012, net loss attributable to BioTime was $15.4 million, or $0.31 per share, compared to $11.2 million, or $0.23 per share for the same period of 2011.

Revenue

Total revenue, on a consolidated basis, was approximately $1.0 million and $2.7 million for the third quarter and year-to-date period ended September 30, 2012, respectively, compared to $1.2 million and $2.8 million for the same periods of 2011. Total revenue was effectively the same as prior periods, but license revenue increased based upon our subsidiary LifeMap Sciences subscription and advertising revenue for GeneCards, which was offset by lower grant revenue recognized due to the completion of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) grant in August 2012.

Expenses

Total operating expenses for the third quarter of 2012 were $6.8 million, compared to $5.4 million for the comparable period in 2011. Research and development expenses for the second quarter of 2012 were $4.6 million, compared to $3.5 million for the comparable 2011 period. General and administrative expenses for the third quarter of 2012 were $2.2 million, compared to $1.9 million for the comparable 2011 period.

Total operating expenses for the first nine months of 2012 were $20.4 million, compared to $15.9 million for the comparable period in 2011. Research and development expenses for the first nine months of 2012 were $13.3 million, compared to $9.8 million for the comparable 2011 period. General and administrative expenses for the first nine months of 2012 were $7.0 million, compared to $6.2 million for the comparable 2011 period.

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BioTime Announces Third Quarter 2012 Financial Results and Recent Corporate Accomplishments

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By Jeff Hansel The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

Even as regenerative medicine emerges as a new hope for many, doctors caution that it takes time to get a new discovery from the research lab to patient treatment.

As an example, one type of regenerative medicine, treatment of blood cancer disorders, has taken about 50 years to develop, said Mayo Clinic heart specialist Dr. Andre Terzic,director of Mayo's regenerative medicine center.

"We want to make sure that we are not creating a hype in the society but that we are really offering hope for patients, and ultimately definitive solutions," he said.

Yet it might be hard for people awaiting cures to contain their excitement.

"It has clearly gone from science fiction into rigorous science, and now from science it's going into practice," Terzic said. "It's not yet a broadly-offered servicebut it's in the phase of rigorous clinical trials."

Dr. Stephen Russell, Mayo Clinic's associate director for translation, says"we can't just take what we did in the mouse and apply it in the clinic."

"What we have to do is we have to develop a clinical protocol, we have to scale up the manufacture of the product that we're going to use, which may involve the scaled culturing of cells from a patient," he said.

Human research studies must pass muster from the Institutional Review Board at Mayo as well as from the FDA.

"That process with your foot hard on the accelerator is probably a two- to three-year process," Russell said.

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Regenerative medicine raises hope

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Govt. Appoints Task Force To Explore Stem Cell Research
Minister of Health Hon. Dr. Perry Gomez announced that the government has appointed a 10 member task force, charged with making recommendations to the government to explore stem cell therapy in The Bahamas.From:ZNSNetworkViews:27 0ratingsTime:03:27More inNews Politics

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CombiCult® Workflow
A overview on how Plasticell (www.plasticell.co.uk) uses combinatorial cell culture (CombiCult®) to discover optimised stem cell differentiation protocols in record time, at a fraction of the cost of the status quo while reducing project return risk. CombiCult® is used by our customers in a range of applications in regenerative medicine, cell therapy and research and development.From:PlasticellLimitedViews:1 0ratingsTime:06:40More inScience Technology

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blood bank | The Development of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy
http://www.cordbloodrecommendation.com Umbilical cord blood is stored immediately after delivery, when the cord is cut. Diseases that are genetically based would most likely be an allogenic transplant. Human umbilical cord blood cells are very rich in stem cells and progenitor cells which make them the perfect place to take cells from and then store them in a cord blood bank or a stem cells bank. Scientists have found that umbilical blood can actually help to treat many types of medical issues. To make a long story short, the Adult Stem Cells did the trick. This would be a significant event, which would save thousands of lives of those waiting for an organ. Why would someone opt for cord blood preservation? Well, research is continually being conducted and cells extracted from this blood has already been used to treat and cure injuries and diseases. Cord Blood Banking facilities are places where you can bank your child #39;s cord blood and use it later on in life to cure life-threatening diseases. The National Cord Blood Program staff at the New York Blood Center performs cord blood collection from the expelled placenta. Because of this amazing capacity of blood cells, they have been, still are and will continue to be used more and more to save lives and cure a number of diseases. ""Umbilical cord blood contains blood-forming cells that can be used to treat life-threatening diseases and conditions. Stem cells, researchers discovered, could cure many diseases such as leukemia and ...From:hotelesenMelgarViews:0 0ratingsTime:01:18More inScience Technology

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blood bank | The Development of Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Therapy - Video

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Dr. Cipriani #39;s Multiple Sclerosis Treatment by Live Cell Therapy 2012
Dr. Cipriani talking about his experience in 2011 and 2012 with multiple sclerosis treatment by live cell therapy (Dr. med. R. Janson-Müller, Hotel Prinzregent, Edenkoben, Germany)From:FrischzellenViews:10 0ratingsTime:26:57More inEducation

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Dr. Cipriani's Multiple Sclerosis Treatment by Live Cell Therapy 2012 - Video

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Stem Cells | Stem Cell Malaysia
stemcellmalaysia.com Stem cells are cells which have the potential to develop into virtually any cells of the body. The characteristics of stem cells render them great possibility in treating illness as well as health rejuvenation. Stem cells can repair and renew damaged cells as well as replace the dead ones so that a damaged organ or tissue can be healed to its healthy state. Visit Stem Cell Malaysia at http:/stemcellmalaysia.com/ for more information on stem cells and stem cell therapy.From:stemcells2012Views:1 1ratingsTime:06:33More inHowto Style

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Stem Cell Research and TNG
How close is Science to providing visors for the blind? Or what about curing blindness? Have you watched the episode "The Masterpiece Society" from season 5 of TNG? Cause I have a couple of philosophical things to say about that! An article about STEM CELL therapy in regards to vision impairment: abcnews.go.com Interview with TrekMate: http://www.trekmate.org.uk ***I feel like the Star Trek community is a lot bigger then what YouTube has to offer, so I #39;ve started uploading my own videos. A lot of you will find this painfully dorky -and it is- which is why constructive criticism is welcomed. For anyone who does like my posts, thank you! It would be nice to gather a little Trekkie community :)***From:ThatTrekkieGirlViews:6 1ratingsTime:06:51More inPeople Blogs

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Stem Cell Research and TNG - Video

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NEW YORK (AP) Shares of biotechnology company Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. bounced back Friday after the company responded to a report that a patient treated with its PLX stem cell therapy had died.

THE SPARK: Bloomberg BusinessWeek reported Thursday that Pluristem did not disclose the death of a young patient who had been treated with its placental cell therapy before a $32 million public stock sale in September. Shares of Pluristem fell 23 percent Thursday.

The Israeli company said Thursday evening that parts of the article were inaccurate or misleading. It said the patient, a Romanian girl whose name has not been disclosed, was "in imminent danger of death" at the time she was treated with the stem cells. She was not part of an organized clinical trial and was treated on a compassionate basis because no therapy options remained.

Pluristem said the patient lived for six months after her treatment. She returned to Romania four months before she died and the company was not monitoring her health. Pluristem said it was not aware of her death at the time it sold the additional stock. Bloomberg said the patient died Sept. 12, the day the stock sale was announced. The sale closed a week later.

"The formal report relating to the death clearly stated that there was no connection between the PLX cell treatment and the death of the patient," Pluristem said in a press release.

THE BIG PICTURE: Pluristem said that three patients have been treated with PLX on a compassionate basis including the Romanian girl and two have died. The company said it believes the patients lived longer than expected following treatment, which demonstrates that PLX therapy can be effective. The company is studying the stem cells as a treatment for peripheral artery disease, nerve pain, and other conditions.

THE STOCK: Shares of Pluristem rose 39 cents, or 13.7 percent, to $3.24 on Friday. The stock reached an annual high of $5 per share in August, and including Friday's gains, the shares are down 29 percent since the company announced the stock offering.

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Published on 10 November 2012 Hits: 38 Written by Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said that it has become necessary to issue regulations for stem cell therapy in the country. Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that guidelines for clinics offering stem cell therapy will be released immediately by the DOH and the Food and Drug Administration.

We will issue guidelines because here in the country we dont know where the stem cell offered by clinics come from, he said.

According to the DOH, stem cell therapy belongs to the category of advanced cell therapy, which includes biologics and blood. Many countries apply a risk-based approach to assess the quality, efficacy and safety of advanced cell therapy.

In many countries, stem cell is considered an investigational intervention, Ona said.

The DOH said that stem cell research employs both autologous (from same person) or allogenic (from another organism like an animal or another human cell or tissue sample) method.

Ona said that because there are many steps in the preparation of this lab and invasive procedure, there is a need to have a regulatory framework to protect Filipino citizens.

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DOH to regulate stem cell therapy in PH

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The European Commission has given its seal of approval to the continents first gene therapy a treatment for a lipid-processing disorder which will be sold in Europe beginning in late 2013, The Scientist reports.

According to the article, the EC has approved the use of Glybera, a therapy that utilizes viral vectors to deliver DNA encoding a lipid-processing enzyme to patients lacking a functional copy due to a gene mutation.

Glybera was developed by Amsterdam-based uniQure for patients suffering from a rare lipid-processing disease, called lipoprotein lipase deficiency, caused by loss-of-function mutations in the liproprotein lipase gene, The Scientist adds. The therapy is indicated for LPLD patients with severe symptoms such as life-threatening bouts of pancreatitis.

Katherine High, a pediatrician at the University of Pennsylvania and Childrens Research Hospital of Philadelphia and who was not involved in research on Glybera, notes that this marks the first time that a gene therapy has been judged safe and efficacious for human clinical use, according to regulatory standards used in Europe and the United States.

The Scientist also reports that UniQure is applying for approval from the US Food and Drug Administration and is also looking to bring Glybera to Korea, Israel, and countries in South America. Currently, no gene therapies have been approved for use in the United States.

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To the Market

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Public release date: 8-Nov-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.com ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation

Preliminary findings from the first trial of a new drug for patients with mesothelioma show that it has some success in preventing the spread of the deadly disease in patients lacking an active tumour suppressor gene called NF2. The study is presented at the 24th EORTC-NCI-AACR [1] Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Dublin, Ireland, today (Friday) [2].

Mesothelioma, which is usually caused by exposure to asbestos, has few treatment options and patients usually die within 9-17 months of diagnosis. Previous research has shown that the gene NF2, which produces a protein called merlin, is frequently inactivated in approximately 50% of mesotheliomas. Merlin negatively regulates another protein called focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in mesothelioma, and so when NF2 and merlin are inactivated, the activity of FAK is increased and mesothelioma cells become invasive and start to spread. When NF2 and merlin activity is restored, FAK activity and cell invasion are decreased.

Professor Jean-Charles Soria, Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology at South Paris University and head of early drug development at the Institut Gustave Roussy in Paris (France), said: "This suggested that if we could inhibit FAK in mesothelioma patients, it might slow or stop the spread of the disease. Pre-clinical work has shown that an agent, currently known as GSK2256098, is a potent and specific inhibitor of FAK. Early in the clinical study presented today, a patient with mesothelioma, who had progressed quickly on prior therapies, had prolonged stable disease while on GSK2256098, which is suggestive of clinical activity."

Prof Soria and colleagues at nine centres in France, Australia and the United Kingdom recruited 29 mesothelioma patients to the phase I study of GSK2256098, starting in July 2010. The study is continuing.

The mesothelioma patients took the drug orally in capsule form twice a day at doses ranging from 300 - 1500 mg, with the majority (22) taking 1000 mg a day. There were no complete or partial responses; 14 patients had stable disease, nine had progressive disease, three had non-measurable disease, and three left the study before evaluation of response. Overall, patients had an average of 17 weeks before the disease progressed.

However, in patients in whom merlin was inactivated, the average time before the disease progressed was 24 weeks, compared to 11 weeks in patients with active merlin and nearly 11 weeks in patients in whom the activity of merlin was unknown.

Adverse side-effects were mainly low grade and tolerable.

"These findings are important but preliminary," said Prof Soria. "They show that merlin is a potential biomarker in mesothelioma that may enable us to identify a subset of patients who could benefit from GSK2256098 and have longer, progression-free survival. Mesothelioma is a deadly disease without many treatment options, and therefore identification of novel and effective therapies is needed."

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Mesothelioma drug slows disease progression in patients with an inactive NF2 gene

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As the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, Alzheimers affects approximately five million adults and is estimated to cost the country $200 billion this year in terms of direct medical fees and other costs associated with caregivers and therapies. Since the first records of the disease by Alois Alzheimer in 1906, Alzheimers disease (AD) has become increasingly prevalent in our worldwide population, and scientists have been struggling for decades in efforts to figure out the causation of the disease and, most importantly, how to treat it. Having worked in laboratories that dedicate their work to studying neurodegenerative diseases, Ive realized that there is an immense amount of technology, effort and time that has been put into finding just one more small piece to this puzzle even a breakthrough in discovering the involvement of a protein in a disease, or how a specific mutation can contribute to its exacerbation, is an encouragement in the scientific field.

There are two essential cortical biomarkers of AD plaques, which are formed of beta-amyloid protein deposits, and tangles, comprised of the tau protein that builds up inside of cells. Current therapies have been targeting the aggregation of these proteins in hopes of detangling the deposits, as plaques and tangles contribute to massive cell and nerve death that lead to rapid cognitive decline, an inevitable symptom of AD.

The mechanism of protein accumulation is important to understand for researchers to determine the cause of buildup. Beta-amyloid (A) plaque fragments are a result of a cleavage reaction of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), a membrane protein that is found in neuronal synapses. Through post-translational modifications, APP can be separated into many different sections based on proteases and their specific cleavage sites (Fig. 1). Normally, the -secretase protease cleaves APP in the non-amyloidogenic pathway and the protein is rendered functional for other cellular tasks. However, when -secretase comes across APP and severs the protein at another site, it leaves open the sequence correlated to -secretase, the third enzyme that can come in and cleave APP. The result of these two cleavages is A.

Concerted efforts have been made to block the - and -secretase cleavage sites, and pharmaceutical companies are currently testing drugs for their efficacy in slowing down the rate of AD progression. However, researchers have questioned this direction, citing that these trials have been inconclusive or failed to control A formation.

What is particularly fascinating about this pathway is that perhaps our genetics unknowingly held part of the answer all along. In a recent finding published in Nature by a research team from DeCode Genetics based in Iceland, a rare gene mutation on APP was found to be protective against AD. This is the first mutation of its kind to be neuroprotective, as many other mutations of APP have exacerbated the AD phenotype. Whole genome sequencing of approximately 1800 Icelanders resulted in the discovery of this variant and researchers proved that it decreased the formation of A and protein aggregation by 40 percent. The single point mutation was present in slightly less than one percent of the Icelanders and statistical analysis shows that carriers of the variant were about twice as likely to reach the age of 85 than non-carriers. In addition, cognitive function of carriers in the age range of 80-100 was vastly improved in comparison to their counterparts.

As exciting as this finding is, we must keep in mind that only a small subset of Icelanders carries the protective variant and that the study should be extended to other populations for a broader analysis. Whole genome sequencing is also a relatively expensive effort that is not just a simple blood test at the doctors office, and you would need to conduct a specific test at a laboratory or genetics company to tell if you have the mutation. Another interesting fact is that carriers of the gene mutation also reap its protective advantages though this scientific discovery has proven that researchers are on the right track for targeting APP and preventing A formation in gene therapies, perhaps preventing APP cleavage entirely is unnecessary and only a partial reduction is needed for a therapeutic benefit.

There will always be caveats and exceptions to any scientific discovery, but the overall enthusiasm for this new insight has been greatly encouraging to the research community. With the increase of resources, technology and dedication to biomedical research in the past decade, I am positive that we will be able to step forward in our advancements to understand and develop therapies for those affected by neurodegenerative diseases.

Debbie Tseng is a second year Ph.D. candidate at Weill Cornell Medical College. She may be reached at dgt2001@med.cornell.edu. Whats Up, Doc? appears alternate Fridays this semester.

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One Small Gene Mutation Leads to One Giant Leap for Alzheimer’s Research

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ScienceDaily (Nov. 7, 2012) New antibiotic and anti-cancer chemicals may one day be synthesised using biotechnology, following CSIRO's discovery of the three genes that combine to provide soldier beetles with their potent predator defence system.

CSIRO researchers, and a colleague at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, published details of the gene identification breakthrough and potential applications recently in the international journal Nature Communications.

"For the first time, our team has been able to isolate and replicate the three genes that combine to make the potent fatty acid that soldier beetles secrete to ward off predators and infection," said CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences research leader Dr Victoria Haritos.

"This discovery is important because it opens a new way for the unusual fatty acid to be synthesised for potential antibiotic, anti-cancer, or other industrial purposes," Dr Haritos said.

Soldier beetles exude a white viscous fluid from their glands to repel potential attacks from predators, as well as in a wax form to protect against infection.

The team found this fluid contains an exotic fatty acid called dihydromatricaria acid, or DHMA, which is one of a group called polyynes that have known anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties.

While DHMA and similar polyyne fatty acids are found in a wide variety of plants, fungi, liverworts, mosses, marine sponges and algae, these compounds have proved very difficult to manufacture using conventional chemical processes. However, Dr Haritos and her team have developed a way to achieve this.

"We have outlined a method for reproducing these polyyne chemicals in living organisms like yeast, using mild conditions" Dr Haritos said.

Soldier beetles are the only animals reported to contain DHMA. This, together with the observation that the beetles forage on plants (such as daisies) which contain a lot of these types of fatty acids, led to previous incorrect conclusions that the DHMA in soldier beetles was derived from their diet.

"Through our research and the gene differences we have discovered, we now know soldier beetles have evolved this same defensive compound entirely independently of its production in plants and fungi," Dr Haritos said.

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Gene find turns soldier beetle defense into biotech opportunity

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WEDNESDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Scientists have discovered a new gene, known as Atpif1, that enables the body to make hemoglobin -- the protein in red blood cells that is responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood.

In their study, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston revealed that loss of this critical blood cell gene seems to result in severe anemia or a lower than normal number of red blood cells or levels of hemoglobin. They said that the findings provide new insight into anemia and could lead to the development of improved treatments for the condition.

Using zebrafish, the researchers cloned the Atpif1 gene, which regulates the production of hemoglobin during the formation of red blood cells. They found the loss of this gene results in severe anemia.

After examining data on the human form of Atpif1, first study author Dhvanit Shah, of the hospital's division of hematology, and colleagues said the gene is essential for normal red blood cell differentiation. Any deficiency in this gene, they added, might play a role in certain human diseases.

Older people and women of childbearing age are at greater risk for anemia. Babies and children also are at risk for the condition due to iron deficiency from their diet or lead poisoning, the researchers said.

The study was published in the Nov. 7 online edition of the journal Nature.

-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas

Copyright 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

SOURCE: Brigham and Women's Hospital, news release, Nov. 7, 2012

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Loss of Key Blood Cell Gene Tied to Anemia, Animal Research Suggests

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