Toxic chemicals wreak havoc on cells, damaging DNA and other critical molecules. A new study from researchers at MIT and the University at Albany reveals how a molecular emergency-response system shifts the cell into damage-control mode and helps it survive such attacks by rapidly producing proteins that counteract the harm.

Peter Dedon, a professor of biological engineering at MIT, and colleagues had previously shown that cells treated with poisons such as arsenic alter their chemical modification of molecules known as transfer RNA (tRNA), which deliver protein building blocks within a cell. In their new paper, appearing in the July 3 issue of Nature Communications, the research team delved into how these modifications help cells survive.

The researchers found that toxic stresses reprogram the tRNA modifications to turn on a system that diverts the cell's protein-building machinery away from its routine activities to emergency action. "In the end, a stepwise mechanism leads to selective expression of proteins that you need to survive," says Dedon, senior author of the Nature Communications paper.

The findings offer insight into not only cells' response to toxins, but also their reactions to all kinds of stimuli, such as nutrients or hormones, Dedon says. "We're proposing that any time there's a stimulus, you're going to have a reprogramming [of tRNA] that causes selective translation of proteins you need for the next step in whatever you're going to do," he says.

Lead author of the paper is recent MIT PhD recipient Clement Chan. Other MIT authors are postdocs Yan Ling Joy Pang and Wenjun Deng and research scientist Ramesh Indrakanti. Authors from the University at Albany are Thomas Begley, an associate professor of nanobioscience, and research scientist Madhu Dyavaiah.

A new role for RNA

Transfer RNA is made of 70 to 90 ribonucleotide building blocks. After synthesis, the ribonucleotides usually undergo dozens of chemical modifications that alter their structure and function. The primary job of tRNA is to bring amino acids to the ribosomes, which string them together to make proteins.

In a 2010 paper, Dedon and colleagues exposed yeast cells to different toxic chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, bleach and arsenic. In each case, the cells responded by uniquely reprogramming the location and amount of each tRNA modification. If the cells lost the ability to reprogram the modifications, they were much less likely to survive the toxic attack.

In the new study, the researchers focused on a particular tRNA modification, known as m5C, which occurs when cells encounter hydrogen peroxide, a chemical produced by white blood cells.

They first discovered that this modification occurs predominantly in one of the tRNAs that carry the amino acid leucine. Every amino acid is encoded by three-letter sequences in the genome called codons. Each tRNA corresponds to one amino acid, but most amino acids can be coded by several tRNA sequences. For example, leucine can be coded by six different genome sequences: TTA, TTG, CTT, CTC, CTA and CTG.

Read more:
Genetic 911: Study examines how cells exploit gene sequences to cope with toxic stress

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

02-07-2012 14:16 This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, from | http Scientists have made a genetic map of the tomato. Tomatoes are second only to potatoes as the world's most valuable vegetable crop. Eight years of work went into making the map, or genome. Three hundred scientists around the world took part in the project to sequence the tomato's DNA code. Giovanni Giuliano, a researcher in Italy, is part of the Tomato Genome Consortium. He says they started as ten countries and now have fourteen. Having the tomato's genetic map will help growers who are always trying to produce a better tomato. Mr. Giuliano says they now know not only what genes are there, but their order. Researchers published the genome of a tomato used by Heinz, the American food company famous for its tomato ketchup. Ketchup is a thick sauce used on hamburgers, hot dogs and other foods. Heinz's research manager, Rich Ozminkowski, says the company knows what it wants in a tomato. "Traits like sugars and, for Heinz, viscosity, or the juice thickness, and the redness of the tomatoes are all very critical traits for us," he says. Those are all controlled by a lot of different genes within the tomato. Mr. Ozminkowski says genome sequencing takes away much of the guesswork for breeders of tomatoes or other crops that have been mapped. In his words, "By having the genome information, we can pick out those tomato plants that have more of those genes." Until the late nineteen sixties, the ...

Follow this link:
Tomato's Genetic Secrets Are Peeled Away - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Normanby family organises stem cell donor recruitment day at Middlesbrough FC

9:00am Wednesday 4th July 2012 in News By Graeme Hetherington

THE family of an eight-month-old baby is calling on young people to step up to the challenge in an attempt to save his life.

Danny Bryan, who needs a blood stem cell often known as bone marrow transplant to stay alive, was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, which means he cannot fight infection.

Doctors have told his mother, Claire Bryan, 26, that he will not survive childhood without a transplant, but the speed of his deterioration has come as a shock to the family.

His mother said: We knew that it would hit him one day, but we had no idea it would be so quick.

Wiskott-Aldrich usually starts to affect children when they are one or two years old, but the doctors have told us Danny is a particularly severe case.

Hes in hospital at the moment as hes had a virus which his immune system just cant fight off and is having specialist treatment to try to get things under control.

We know that the quicker he has a transplant the better for him and, thankfully, a couple of possible matches have come up with the Anthony Nolan charity. Were just praying that one of these comes off.

The family, of Keats Road, Normanby, is holding a donor recruitment day with the charity, which matches people with donors willing to donate their blood stem cells for transplant, at an event at Middlesbrough Football Club on Tuesday, July 10.

Link:
Bone marrow plea to save eight-month-old Danny Bryan

Recommendation and review posted by sam

North Vancouver mother Erica Harris needs a bone-marrow transplant to survive, and her family is urging people to become donors to try to save her life, as well as the lives of other patients desperately seeking a match.

Harley Harris hopes his plea to join the Canadian Blood Services (CBS) online donation registry will resonate across B.C. and beyond.

The message is the importance of how getting on this registry can save lives. Can save Ericas life. Can save friends, family, loved ones, said Harris, who has two young sons with his wife, Erica.

Every one can save a mothers life, can bring a mother home to her children. Our boys are two and five. They need their mama.

Erica Harris is one of 211 B.C. residents waiting for stem cell and bone marrow donations; there are 977 waiting across Canada.

Harris, a chiropractor, was diagnosed less than a month ago with acute myeloid leukemia. Her first chemotherapy treatment didnt work and she is now pegged as high risk. She is undergoing more aggressive chemotherapy, which must be followed by an urgent bone marrow transplant, Harley Harris said.

His wifes brother was not a match, and so far, a search of the 11 million names on all the international bone marrow donor registries has not found a suitable candidate.

Canadians can register online with CBSs OneMatch registry at onematch.ca.

In the majority of cases, there is no pain or long-term recovery for the donors, said Dr. John Shepherd, director of the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program of BC, located at Vancouver General Hospital.

Last year, donations were collected from more than 200 people in B.C. using a minimally invasive procedure to collect stem cells from the blood with a needle.

View original post here:
North Vancouver family urges people to become bone marrow donors

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Some worry that a ruling giving donors the ability to sell their bone-marrow tissue will encourage legal sale of other body parts.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(Time.com) -- How much would it take for you to consider selling your bone marrow? A U.S. appeals court puts the price at about $3,000 in a ruling that now makes it legal to pay donors for their bone-marrow tissue.

The court's decision may well help thousands of sick patients who need bone-marrow transplants to survive, but it also begs the question, What other body parts might next be up for sale?

The ruling came about at the end of 2011, in a decision to an October 2009 lawsuit brought by a group of cancer patients, parents and bone-marrow-donation advocates against the government over the federal law banning the buying and selling of bodily organs. The plaintiffs were led by Doreen Flynn, who has three daughters who suffer from Fanconi anemia, a blood disorder that requires bone-marrow transplants to treat.

Flynn and the other plaintiffs said that too many such patients die waiting for transplants and argued that we should be allowed to pay people to donate their marrow as a way of ensuring a more reliable supply. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed.

Time.com: Facebook now lets organ donors tell their friends

At the core of the plaintiffs' argument was the National Organ Transplantation Act (NOTA), which since 1984 has forbid the buying and selling of human organs, including bone marrow. But new developments in bone-marrow extraction have made marrow donation not much different from donating blood.

Traditionally, bone-marrow donation required anesthesia and long needles to extract the marrow from the hip bones of donors. Now, a technique called peripheral apheresis allows doctors to extract blood stem cells directly from the blood, instead of the bone -- patients first take a drug that pulls stem cells from the bone and into the blood -- meaning that the marrow cells should be considered a fluid like blood, rather than an organ, the plaintiffs argued. NOTA doesn't prohibit payments for blood or other fluids, such as plasma or semen.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder decided not to ask the Supreme Court to review the appellate court's decision, which would have been the next step in overturning it. That means the ruling stands -- and that people can now be paid up to $3,000 for their marrow, as long as it is collected by apheresis. In a concession to the spirit of NOTA, however, the compensation can't be in cash; it needs to be in the form of a voucher that can be applied to things such as scholarships, education, housing or a donation to a charity.

See original here:
Should people be allowed to sell their organs?

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Some worry that a ruling giving donors the ability to sell their bone-marrow tissue will encourage legal sale of other body parts.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(Time.com) -- How much would it take for you to consider selling your bone marrow? A U.S. appeals court puts the price at about $3,000 in a ruling that now makes it legal to pay donors for their bone-marrow tissue.

The court's decision may well help thousands of sick patients who need bone-marrow transplants to survive, but it also begs the question, What other body parts might next be up for sale?

The ruling came about at the end of 2011, in a decision to an October 2009 lawsuit brought by a group of cancer patients, parents and bone-marrow-donation advocates against the government over the federal law banning the buying and selling of bodily organs. The plaintiffs were led by Doreen Flynn, who has three daughters who suffer from Fanconi anemia, a blood disorder that requires bone-marrow transplants to treat.

Flynn and the other plaintiffs said that too many such patients die waiting for transplants and argued that we should be allowed to pay people to donate their marrow as a way of ensuring a more reliable supply. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit agreed.

Time.com: Facebook now lets organ donors tell their friends

At the core of the plaintiffs' argument was the National Organ Transplantation Act (NOTA), which since 1984 has forbid the buying and selling of human organs, including bone marrow. But new developments in bone-marrow extraction have made marrow donation not much different from donating blood.

Traditionally, bone-marrow donation required anesthesia and long needles to extract the marrow from the hip bones of donors. Now, a technique called peripheral apheresis allows doctors to extract blood stem cells directly from the blood, instead of the bone -- patients first take a drug that pulls stem cells from the bone and into the blood -- meaning that the marrow cells should be considered a fluid like blood, rather than an organ, the plaintiffs argued. NOTA doesn't prohibit payments for blood or other fluids, such as plasma or semen.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder decided not to ask the Supreme Court to review the appellate court's decision, which would have been the next step in overturning it. That means the ruling stands -- and that people can now be paid up to $3,000 for their marrow, as long as it is collected by apheresis. In a concession to the spirit of NOTA, however, the compensation can't be in cash; it needs to be in the form of a voucher that can be applied to things such as scholarships, education, housing or a donation to a charity.

More:
Should you be allowed to sell organs?

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ScienceDaily (July 3, 2012) searchers from the University of Maryland School of Maryland report promising results from using adult stem cells from bone marrow in mice to help create tissue cells of other organs, such as the heart, brain and pancreas -- a scientific step they hope may lead to potential new ways to replace cells lost in diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's or Alzheimer's.

The research in collaboration with the University of Paris Descartes is published online in the June 29, 2012 edition of Comptes Rendus Biologies, a publication of the French Academy of Sciences.

"Finding stem cells capable of restoring function to different damaged organs would be the Holy Grail of tissue engineering," says lead author David Trisler, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

He adds, "This research takes us another step in that process by identifying the potential of these adult bone marrow cells, or a subset of them known as CD34+ bone marrow cells, to be 'multipotent,' meaning they could transform and function as the normal cells in several different organs."

University of Maryland researchers previously developed a special culturing system to collect a select sample of these adult stem cells in bone marrow, which normally makes red and white blood cells and immune cells. In this project, the team followed a widely recognized study model, used to prove the multipotency of embryonic stem cells, to prove that these bone marrow stem cells could make more than just blood cells. The investigators also found that the CD34+ cells had a limited lifespan and did not produce teratomas, tumors that sometimes form with the use of embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells cultivated from other methods that require some genetic manipulation.

"When taken at an early stage, we found that the CD34+ cells exhibited similar multipotent capabilities as embryonic stem cells, which have been shown to be the most flexible and versatile. Because these CD34+ cells already exist in normal bone marrow, they offer a vast source for potential cell replacement therapy, particularly because they come from a person's own body, eliminating the need to suppress the immune system, which is sometimes required when using adults stem cells derived from other sources," explains Paul Fishman, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The researchers say that proving the potential of these adult bone marrow stem cells opens new possibilities for scientific exploration, but that more research will be needed to see how this science can be translated to humans.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

Continued here:
Adult stem cells from bone marrow: Cell replacement/tissue repair potential in adult bone marrow stem cells in animal ...

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 3, 2012

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE INVESTIGATORS FIND CELL REPLACEMENT/ TISSUE REPAIR POTENTIAL IN ADULT BONE MARROW STEM CELLS IN ANIMAL MODEL

Scientists Looking for Potential Avenue to Grow Cells of Different Organs

Newswise Baltimore, MD July 3, 2012. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Maryland report promising results from using adult stem cells from bone marrow in mice to help create tissue cells of other organs, such as the heart, brain and pancreas - a scientific step they hope may lead to potential new ways to replace cells lost in diseases such as diabetes, Parkinsons or Alzheimers. The research in collaboration with the University of Paris Descartes is published online in the June 29, 2012 edition of Comptes Rendus Biologies, a publication of the French Academy of Sciences.

Finding stem cells capable of restoring function to different damaged organs would be the Holy Grail of tissue engineering, says lead author David Trisler, PhD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

He adds, This research takes us another step in that process by identifying the potential of these adult bone marrow cells, or a subset of them known as CD34+ bone marrow cells, to be multipotent, meaning they could transform and function as the normal cells in several different organs.

University of Maryland researchers previously developed a special culturing system to collect a select sample of these adult stem cells in bone marrow, which normally makes red and white blood cells and immune cells. In this project, the team followed a widely recognized study model, used to prove the multipotency of embryonic stem cells, to prove that these bone marrow stem cells could make more than just blood cells. The investigators also found that the CD34+ cells had a limited lifespan and did not produce teratomas, tumors that sometimes form with the use of embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells cultivated from other methods that require some genetic manipulation.

When taken at an early stage, we found that the CD34+ cells exhibited similar multipotent capabilities as embryonic stem cells, which have been shown to be the most flexible and versatile. Because these CD34+ cells already exist in normal bone marrow, they offer a vast source for potential cell replacement therapy, particularly because they come from a persons own body, eliminating the need to suppress the immune system, which is sometimes required when using adults stem cells derived from other sources, explains Paul Fishman, MD, PhD, professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The researchers say that proving the potential of these adult bone marrow stem cells opens new possibilities for scientific exploration, but that more research will be needed to see how this science can be translated to humans.

The results of this international collaboration show the important role that University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers play in advancing scientific understanding, investigating new avenues for the development of potentially life-changing treatments, says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

More:
Study Results: Adult Stem Cells From Bone Marrow

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

SHENZHEN, China, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/-- A study conducted by Beike Biotechnology Company (http://www.beikebiotech.com) in conjunction with physicians and researchers at two Chinese hospitals, documents the effectiveness of cord blood-derived stem cells in treating primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The study, which was published in the April 2012 issue of the Stem Cell Discovery, was the first of its kind. Researchers noted that additional clinical trials would be required before stem cells can become an accepted therapy for liver cirrhosis.

Prof. Jin-hui Yang, Director of the Department of Hepatology in the 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College stated, "Given the severity of liver cirrhosis and its related conditions, and the limited number of options available to treat those who suffer from it, this finding represents an important, potentially significant breakthrough."

PBC is a chronic, progressive liver disease that leads eventually to fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. It affects 1 in 1,000 women over the age of 40.Approximately one-third of those who suffer from PBC and its related conditions do not respond well to Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment, which is the only currently FDA-approved standard medical treatment for the condition. Many of those patients ultimately require liver transplantation.

Beike Chairman, Dr. Sean Hu, commented, "With a growing body of research that demonstrates the effectiveness of cord blood-derived stem cell therapies in treating a broad range of chronic conditions, this latest study is a milestone in the continuing effort to gain broad acceptance and recognition of regenerative medicine as a mainstream treatment option.We look forward to conducting more comprehensive clinical trials to attempt to validate the positive outcomes we have already observed."

The case study reported in the Stem Cell Discovery involved a 58 year old woman suffering from PBC who developed an incarcerated hernia and uncontrolled hydrothorax after undergoing UDCA treatment.One week after completing two stem cell transplantations with no observed adverse effects, the patient showed improvement in both liver function and in her general condition. She was released from the hospital but continued to receive twice-daily UDCA treatments. Six months after her discharge, doctors observed continued improvements in her liver function and overall condition.

To review the full text of the published study, please visit: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?paperID=18710. Study authors included physicians and researchers from the 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College, Beike Biotechnology Company, and the Yunnan Provincial 1st People's Hospital in Kunming, China.

About Beike Biotechnology Company

Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is China's leading biotechnology company focusing on the production of adult stem cells for use in medical therapies. Headquartered in Shenzhen (near Hong Kong) with a flagship regenerative medicine facility at the China Medical City in Jiangsu province, Beike produces a full line of stem cell products derived from umbilical cord, cord blood and autologous bone marrow.

For any questions regarding this release, please call:

Contact Person: T. Gutmann Phone Number: +86-532-6677-6659

Go here to read the rest:
Stem Cell Therapy Shown to be Effective in Treating Liver Cirrhosis

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

03-07-2012 01:43 Panel "Biotechnology and Gene Manipulation: is R&D worth the price?" at Latitude59 conference. Moderator Stephan Gutzeit, participants Toomas Neuman, Mart Ustav & Claes Post.

Read more from the original source:
Biotechnology and Gene Manipulation: is R

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

03-07-2012 11:20 By studying both rats and humans, a team of biologists from Montreal, Canada and Singapore has uncovered a link between abuse and neglect in early life and epigenetic changes in how the brain regulates stress. Translated literally, "epigenetic" means "on top of genetics." Epigenetic changes do not alter the code of an individual's DNA, but rather add a molecule to the surface of the code. Such modifications affect the way in which the DNA's instructions are carried out in the body. In this study, the researchers found that victims of abuse and neglect during childhood had epigenetic modifications on a stress-regulating gene that acts in the brain. The modifications left these subjects less able to quiet their body's natural reactions to stressful situations. The finding helps clarify the physical and mental impacts of childhood trauma and could pave the way for new mental health treatments. The research was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The rest is here:
Science Bulletins: Abuse Lingers in the Genes and Brain - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/83jgv7/gene_expression_pr) has announced the addition of the "Gene Expression Profiling Life Science Dashboard Series 4" report to their offering.

Gene expression profiling methods enable the quantification of multiple transcripts from a single RNA sample. Powerful and continually evolving methods, such as short-read sequencing (RNA-seq), microarray analysis, quantitative real-time RT-PCR, as well as traditional methods for differential gene expression studies using multiplex endpoint PCR and northern blot analysis are employed by scientists to analyze gene function, identify new therapeutic and diagnostic targets, and to map pathways involved in development and disease.

Percepta's 2012 Gene Expression Profiling Dashboard is the fourth in a series that characterizes the dynamic market for products for profiling gene expression. This 2012 Dashboard provides a snapshot of the current market landscape that is compared with data from the 2010 and 2008 Gene Expression Profiling Dashboards, providing an ongoing story of how the market is adapting to new products, new competitors and new sales and marketing strategies.

The 2012 Gene Expression Profiling Dashboard was developed from responses to a 21-question survey completed by 460 scientists predominantly located in North America and Europe. These respondents perform gene expression profiling methods on a regular basis. This dashboard reveals key market indicators for the gene expression profiling market as a whole as well as for the following methods representing market sub-segments:

- Differential gene expression studies using multiplex endpoint PCR

- Digital gene expression/molecular barcodes

- Microarray-based gene expression studies (including bead arrays)

- qRT-PCR (cDNA template) using gene specific fluorescent probe

- qRT-PCR (cDNA template) using non-specific SYBR Green

Read this article:
Research and Markets: Gene Expression Profiling Life Science Dashboard Series 4

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Public release date: 3-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Evan Lerner elerner@upenn.edu 215-573-6604 University of Pennsylvania

PHILADELPHIA Finding biocompatible carriers that can get drugs to their targets in the body involves significant challenges. Beyond practical concerns of manufacturing and loading these vehicles, the carriers must work effectively with the drug and be safe to consume. Vesicles, hollow capsules shaped like double-walled bubbles, are ideal candidates, as the body naturally produces similar structures to move chemicals from one place to another. Finding the right molecules to assemble into capsules, however, remains difficult.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have now shown a new approach for making vesicles and fine-tuning their shapes. By starting with a protein that is found in sunflower seeds, they used genetic engineering to make a variety of protein molecules that assemble into vesicles and other useful structures.

Daniel A. Hammer, Alfred G. and Meta A. Ennis Professor of Bioengineering, graduate student Kevin Vargo and research scientist Ranganath Parthasarathy of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science conducted the research.

Their work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"To our knowledge, this is the first time a vesicle has been made from a recombinant protein," Hammer said.

Recombinant proteins are the products of a well-established technique that involves introducing a designed gene sequence into a host organism in most cases, the bacterium E. coli in order to get that organism to make a protein it would not normally produce.

Hammer's group worked for nearly a decade to find a protein that was biocompatible, could be produced through recombinant methods and, most important, could be induced to form vesicles.

"The molecule we identified is called oleosin," Hammer said. "It's a surfactant protein found in sunflower and sesame seeds."

Excerpt from:
Penn engineers convert a natural plant protein into drug-delivery vehicles

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

The gene for oleosin, a protein from a plant, was inserted into a vector and expressed in bacteria. Many different variants were made by recombinant methods. The purified proteins were assembled in structures, including vesicles, a capsule that can carry a large payload of drugs. This is the first demonstration of vesicles being made from a recombinant protein. Credit: University of Pennsylvania

(Phys.org) -- Finding biocompatible carriers that can get drugs to their targets in the body involves significant challenges. Beyond practical concerns of manufacturing and loading these vehicles, the carriers must work effectively with the drug and be safe to consume. Vesicles, hollow capsules shaped like double-walled bubbles, are ideal candidates, as the body naturally produces similar structures to move chemicals from one place to another. Finding the right molecules to assemble into capsules, however, remains difficult.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have now shown a new approach for making vesicles and fine-tuning their shapes. By starting with a protein that is found in sunflower seeds, they used genetic engineering to make a variety of protein molecules that assemble into vesicles and other useful structures.

Daniel A. Hammer, Alfred G. and Meta A. Ennis Professor of Bioengineering, graduate student Kevin Vargo and research scientist Ranganath Parthasarathy of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in Penns School of Engineering and Applied Science conducted the research.

Their work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

To our knowledge, this is the first time a vesicle has been made from a recombinant protein, Hammer said.

Recombinant proteins are the products of a well-established technique that involves introducing a designed gene sequence into a host organism in most cases, the bacterium E. coli in order to get that organism to make a protein it would not normally produce.

Hammers group worked for nearly a decade to find a protein that was biocompatible, could be produced through recombinant methods and, most important, could be induced to form vesicles.

The molecule we identified is called oleosin, Hammer said. Its a surfactant protein found in sunflower and sesame seeds.

Surfactants are soap-like chemicals that have two distinct sides; one side is attracted to water and the other is repelled by it. They can make many structures in solution but making vesicles is rare. Most often, surfactants make micelles, in which a single layer of molecules aggregates with the water-loving part on the outside and the water-hating part on the inside. Micelles have a limited ability to carry drugs. Vesicles, in contrast, have two walls aligned so the two water-hating sides face each other. The water-loving interior cavity allows the transport of a large payload of water-soluble molecules that are suspended in water. Since many drugs are water soluble, vesicles offer significant advantages for drug delivery.

See the rest here:
Engineers convert a natural plant protein into drug-delivery vehicles

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ScienceDaily (July 3, 2012) Finding biocompatible carriers that can get drugs to their targets in the body involves significant challenges. Beyond practical concerns of manufacturing and loading these vehicles, the carriers must work effectively with the drug and be safe to consume. Vesicles, hollow capsules shaped like double-walled bubbles, are ideal candidates, as the body naturally produces similar structures to move chemicals from one place to another. Finding the right molecules to assemble into capsules, however, remains difficult.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have now shown a new approach for making vesicles and fine-tuning their shapes. By starting with a protein that is found in sunflower seeds, they used genetic engineering to make a variety of protein molecules that assemble into vesicles and other useful structures.

Daniel A. Hammer, Alfred G. and Meta A. Ennis Professor of Bioengineering, graduate student Kevin Vargo and research scientist Ranganath Parthasarathy of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science conducted the research.

Their work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"To our knowledge, this is the first time a vesicle has been made from a recombinant protein," Hammer said.

Recombinant proteins are the products of a well-established technique that involves introducing a designed gene sequence into a host organism -- in most cases, the bacterium E. coli -- in order to get that organism to make a protein it would not normally produce.

Hammer's group worked for nearly a decade to find a protein that was biocompatible, could be produced through recombinant methods and, most important, could be induced to form vesicles.

"The molecule we identified is called oleosin," Hammer said. "It's a surfactant protein found in sunflower and sesame seeds."

Surfactants are soap-like chemicals that have two distinct sides; one side is attracted to water and the other is repelled by it. They can make many structures in solution but making vesicles is rare. Most often, surfactants make micelles, in which a single layer of molecules aggregates with the water-loving part on the outside and the water-hating part on the inside. Micelles have a limited ability to carry drugs. Vesicles, in contrast, have two walls aligned so the two water-hating sides face each other. The water-loving interior cavity allows the transport of a large payload of water-soluble molecules that are suspended in water. Since many drugs are water soluble, vesicles offer significant advantages for drug delivery.

The team systematically modified oleosin to find variants of the molecule that could form vesicles. Getting oleosin to take this complex shape meant selectively removing and changing parts of oleosin's gene sequence so that the corresponding protein would fold the way the researchers wanted after it was produced by the E.coli.

Read more:
Natural plant protein converted into drug-delivery vehicles

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

ScienceDaily (July 3, 2012) oxic chemicals wreak havoc on cells, damaging DNA and other critical molecules. A new study from researchers at MIT and the University at Albany reveals how a molecular emergency-response system shifts the cell into damage-control mode and helps it survive such attacks by rapidly producing proteins that counteract the harm.

Peter Dedon, a professor of biological engineering at MIT, and colleagues had previously shown that cells treated with poisons such as arsenic alter their chemical modification of molecules known as transfer RNA (tRNA), which deliver protein building blocks within a cell. In their new paper, appearing in the July 3 issue of Nature Communications, the research team delved into how these modifications help cells survive.

The researchers found that toxic stresses reprogram the tRNA modifications to turn on a system that diverts the cell's protein-building machinery away from its routine activities to emergency action. "In the end, a stepwise mechanism leads to selective expression of proteins that you need to survive," says Dedon, senior author of the Nature Communications paper.

The findings offer insight into not only cells' response to toxins, but also their reactions to all kinds of stimuli, such as nutrients or hormones, Dedon says. "We're proposing that any time there's a stimulus, you're going to have a reprogramming [of tRNA] that causes selective translation of proteins you need for the next step in whatever you're going to do," he says.

Lead author of the paper is recent MIT PhD recipient Clement Chan. Other MIT authors are postdocs Yan Ling Joy Pang and Wenjun Deng and research scientist Ramesh Indrakanti. Authors from the University at Albany are Thomas Begley, an associate professor of nanobioscience, and research scientist Madhu Dyavaiah.

A new role for RNA

Transfer RNA is made of 70 to 90 ribonucleotide building blocks. After synthesis, the ribonucleotides usually undergo dozens of chemical modifications that alter their structure and function. The primary job of tRNA is to bring amino acids to the ribosomes, which string them together to make proteins.

In a 2010 paper, Dedon and colleagues exposed yeast cells to different toxic chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, bleach and arsenic. In each case, the cells responded by uniquely reprogramming the location and amount of each tRNA modification. If the cells lost the ability to reprogram the modifications, they were much less likely to survive the toxic attack.

In the new study, the researchers focused on a particular tRNA modification, known as m5C, which occurs when cells encounter hydrogen peroxide, a chemical produced by white blood cells.

They first discovered that this modification occurs predominantly in one of the tRNAs that carry the amino acid leucine. Every amino acid is encoded by three-letter sequences in the genome called codons. Each tRNA corresponds to one amino acid, but most amino acids can be coded by several tRNA sequences. For example, leucine can be coded by six different genome sequences: TTA, TTG, CTT, CTC, CTA and CTG.

Continued here:
Genetic 911: Cells' emergency systems revealed

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

V. Rajendran and Sujatha have a six-year-old boy, Raghu, who has been diagnosed with LSD (Lysosomal Storage Disorder) and requires medicines costing Rs. 98,000 per dose.

He needs two doses every month. Raghus older sister does not share his genetic problem or understand the seriousness of the situation as she plays with her brother.

We realised his growth was abnormal when he was 18 months old, Mr. Rajendran said. Diagnosis of the disease was the easier part. If the dose is not administered on time, he suffers from swelling of liver and spleen, he said.

Like Raghu, there are 150 children in the State and while some of them need expensive medicines to manage their condition, others need correctional surgeries.

LSD is a group of 45 different genetic diseases, caused by lack of secretion of certain enzymes in the body.

K. Divya (16), a class XI student, looks like a two-year-old. There are no medicines to treat her, however. Her appearance on a television show helped her get admission in school, said her father J. Karunakaran, who also spearheaded a movement called the LSD Support Society to bring together such children and their parents. Divya scored 92 per cent in the class X board exams.

Worldwide, there are around 10,000 children who can live a near normal life if medicine is made available to them, said geneticist Sujatha Jagadeesh of MediScan, a Chennai-based centre which deals with identification and diagnosis of genetic diseases.

Elsewhere, medicines are provided free of cost. We could at least ensure medicines are provided for those conditions that can be managed with drugs, she said.

There are some laboratories that conduct the basic tests but confirmatory diagnosis is done by sending urine and blood samples to Taiwan. A family requiring such tests must pay Rs. 20,000.

Chief medical director of MediScan S. Suresh said there are medicines for six of the diseases under the LSD umbrella but none of the children can afford it.

Read more here:
Children with genetic disorder write to Chief Minister for help

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Newswise BETHESDA, MD July 3, 2012 As the Genetics Society of Americas Model Organism to Human Biology (MOHB): Cancer Genetics Meeting in Washington, D.C. drew to a close, it was clear that the mantra for drug discovery to treat cancers in the post-genomic era is pathways.

Pathways are ordered series of actions that occur as cells move from one state, through a series of intermediate states, to a final action. Because model organisms fruit flies, roundworms, yeast, zebrafish and others are related to humans, they share many of the same pathways, but in systems that are much easier to study. Focusing on pathways in model organisms can therefore reveal new drug targets that may be useful in treating human disease.

By reading evolutions notes, we can discover what really matters in the genome, keynote speaker Eric Lander, Ph.D., founding director of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and professor of biology at MIT, told a packed crowd at the MOHB: Cancer Genetics Meeting on June 19.

What matters the most in the genome of a cancer cell may be the seeds of drug resistance, the genetic changes that enable cells to evade our best drugs. Bert Vogelstein, M.D., director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins University and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a keynote speaker on June 17, told participants. He called drug resistance to single agents a fait accompli, or a done deal as a side effect of the evolution of cancer.

About 3,000 resistant cells are present in every visible metastasis, said Dr. Vogelstein. Thats why we see resistance with all therapeutics, even when they work. And we cant get around it with single agents. Cancer treatment requires combinations of agents.

Presentations throughout the meeting offered specific examples of events in pathways involved in the progression of cancer in model organisms that shed light on how human cancer may metastasize.

To identify the genes behind a breast cancers spread to the lungs, Joan Massagu, Ph.D., chair of the Cancer Biology & Genetics Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and colleagues, placed cells from the lung fluid of patients into mice, deducing a breast cancer lung metastasis signature and identifying several mediators of metastasis that are clinically relevant and potential drug targets.

Denise Montell, Ph.D., from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, traced the signaling pathways that developing egg cells in the Drosophila (fruit fly) ovary use to migrate as using some of the same genes that are expressed as ovarian cancer spreads.

David Botstein, Ph.D., and his group at Princeton University use yeast to model the evolution of cancer through serial mutations, revealing that only a few destinations for a particular type of cancer are possible. Breast cancers cant turn into leukemias, There are limited subtypes, not just anything can happen, he explained.

David Q. Matus, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at Duke University, discussed an in vivo model of cell invasion, a key component of cancer metastasis that occurs during the larval development of the roundworm, Caenorhabditis elegans. He showed that the invasive gonadal anchor cell needs to exit the cell cycle, (be non-dividing), in order to invade. Proliferative anchor cells fail to form "invadopodia" -- invasive feet or protrusions in the basement membrane -- suggesting that cell division and cell invasion are disparate states.

View post:
Following the Genomic Pathways to Stop the Spread of Cancer

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

TAMPA, Fla., July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --On behalf of Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc., President and COO, Nicole Kuzmin-Nichols, MBA, expressed strong support today for the Cryo-Cell International, Inc. (CCEL) current executive management in response to a proxy bid by a former Board member. Cryo-Cell is a major shareholder in Saneron, a Tampa based biotechnology research and development company that was spun out from the University of South Florida to develop cellular therapies for deadly diseases that lack adequate treatment options.

"Saneron has enjoyed a good working relationship with David and Mark Portnoy since they assumed leadership at Cryo-Cell in August 2011, and our board is convinced that their guidance is adding shareholder value," commented Kuzmin-Nichols. "They have shown themselves to be committed partners with Saneron as we continue breaking new ground in cord and menstrual blood stem cell research. Our Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR) Phase II efforts are producing real progress towards effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease and stroke and we look forward to continuing our research in concert with Cryo-Cell."

"Our research team is very impressed with Dr. Linda Kelley, Cryo-Cell's new chief scientific officer, who joined the company from Harvard's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She will be a valuable collaborator. The Portnoys' ability to attract such top notch talent speaks volumes about their clear vision for the company's future and commitment to keeping it on the leading edge of regenerative medicine," she continued.

"Mark and David Portnoy have made great strides in establishing strong relationships with obstetricians and gynecologists to enhance patient awareness of Cryo-Cell. Our team has worked hand in hand with them to inform physicians about the latest developments in cord blood and cord tissue stem cell research so the physicians understand how important it is to encourage expectant parents to store their cord blood and cord tissue. During the 11 years that Saneron and Cryo-Cell have been associated, this is the first time we've seen Cryo-Cell reach out so assertively to the core physicians who have the ability to create streams of revenue for the company. We couldn't be more pleased to be working with David, Mark and their team as they take the company to the next level. Shareholders would be wise to retain them."

About Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc. Saneron CCEL Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology research and development company focused on neurological and cardiac cell therapy for the early intervention and treatment of several devastating or deadly diseases which lack adequate treatment options. Saneron, a University of South Florida spin-out company, is located at the Tampa Bay Technology Incubator. Saneron is committed to providing readily available, noncontroversial stem cells for cellular therapies and has patented and patent-pending technology relating to its platform technology of umbilical cord blood and Sertoli cells.

http://www.saneron-ccel.com

http://www.cryo-cell.com

Forward-Looking Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations, as of the date of this press release, and involve certain risks and uncertainties. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward- looking statements as a result of various factors. The Company's further development is highly dependent on future medical and research developments and market acceptance, which is outside its control.

Originally posted here:
Bio-Innovator Saneron CCEL Therapeutics Supports Cryo-Cell International Leadership and Board of Directors in Proxy ...

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

Tuesday, July 03 16:25:12

Ireland has the capacity to be an international centre for commercialisation in the field of regenerative medicine, delegates at an international stem cell conference in NUI Galway heard today.

Reflecting this potential, new Irish company Orbsen Therapeutics is developing proprietary technologies designed to isolate stem cells. The NUI Galway spin-out is targeting the rapidly maturing and expanding regenerative medicine market, which is expected to grow to $118 billion next year.

Frank Barry is Professor of Cellular Therapy at NUI Galway, Director of Orbsen Therapeutics, and organiser of the Mesenchymal Stem Cell Conference, which opened yesterday.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of adult stem cell, and this event brings together the world's leading scientists in the field to discuss their latest ideas and findings. This is the first major stem cell conference to take place in Ireland, and is looking at all aspects of adult stem cells, from basic biology to manufacturing to clinical trials and therapeutics.

Stem cells hold great promise as an alternative to drugs and surgical procedures for treating a wide range of medical conditions including heart disease, arterial disease of the limbs, diabetes complications, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. The treatment potential of stem cells is linked to their natural capacity to dampen inflammation and promote healing, repair and regeneration of damaged tissues.

According to Professor Barry: "Ireland has a strong research base in adult stem cell therapy and has the capcacity for advanced stem cell bioprocessing. There is huge potential in this market and we anticipate that there will be extraordinary growth over the next 5-10 years. There are currently over 400 regenerative medicine products on the market with many more in development." Orbsen Therapeutics has developed a clear pipeline of clinical indications which they hope, using their proprietary technologies, to bring through to clinical trial over the coming years. These include osteoarthritis, acute lung injury syndrome, diabetic foot ulcer, critical limb ischemia and others."

"Combining the utility, novelty and the value of its technologies, Orbsen is well placed to take advantage of the many opportunities in this fast moving and important emerging market", said Brian Molloy, CEO of Orbsen Theraepeutics."

Orbsen Therapeutics Limited was formed as a spin out company to develop and commercialise new intellectual property built up by researchers at the SFI-funded Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at NUI Galway.

Scientists at NUI Galway are investigating how adult stems cells might be used to develop new treatments for vascular disease, osteoarthritis and lung injury. The University has become a leading centre of translational research in adult stem cells involving its National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science (NCBES) and REMEDI.

See the rest here:
Ireland could be stem cell research hub

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

OLDSMAR, Fla., July 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Cryo-Cell International, Inc. [OTCQB Symbol: CCEL] updated shareholders with results achieved by the current Board's leadership, which is being challenged for control of the company by previous Board members Ki Yong Choi and his brother-in-law.

In the last six months, the implementation of a national outside sales force resulted in increased referrals from obstetricians. In addition, product offerings were expanded and the corporate message was changed to emphasize Cryo-Cell's position as the industry founder. These changes required an investment which Cryo-Cell's Board believes will generate significant future value for the company's shareholders.

The current management team signed a contract with Cryo-Cell International's former affiliate, Cryo-Cell de Mexico (Mexico), whereby Mexico agreed to pay the Company nearly $1.9 million over a three year period.1 Under the previous Board, on which Choi served, Mexico terminated its contract with Cryo-Cell due to a breach by Cryo-Cell, potentially costing the company up to $4.8 million in future royalty payments.

In fiscal 2012, during its first year, the current leadership and Board negotiated the termination of some perpetual revenue sharing agreements (RSAs), a move that should save the company nearly $500,000 annually. RSAs were put in place to provide seed-stage financing and cost the company nearly $1.4 million in interest payments in 2011. The previous Board, on which Choi served, did not terminate any RSAs.

Cryo-Cell Chairman David Portnoy noted that he and Director Jonathan Wheeler M.D. purchased Cryo-Cell common stock in 2012 because they are confident about the company's future as a result of the Board's continuing efforts.

Shareholders are urged to vote for the company's slate of Board nominees by completing the white voting card. The shareholder meeting is set for July 10, 2012, in Oldsmar, Florida.

1 Cryo-Cell International Inc. Form 10-Q Financial Statement Footnote #5 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission April 16, 2012.

About Cryo-Cell International, Inc.

Cryo-Cell International, Inc. was founded in 1989. In 1992, it became the first private cord blood bank in the world to separate and store stem cells. Today, nearly 500,000 parents worldwide trust Cryo-Cell to preserve their newborns' stem cells. Cryo-Cell's mission is to provide clients with state-of-the-art stem cell cryopreservation services and support the advancement of regenerative medicine. Cryo-Cell operates in a facility that is compliant with Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Tissue Practice (cGMP/cGTP). It is ISO 9001:2008 certified and accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks. Cryo-Cell is a publicly traded company, OTC:QB Markets Group Symbol: CCEL.

Forward-Looking Statements

Read more here:
Cryo-Cell Leadership Sets the Record Straight on Efforts to Date

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

SHENZHEN, China, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/-- A study conducted by Beike Biotechnology Company (http://www.beikebiotech.com) in conjunction with physicians and researchers at two Chinese hospitals, documents the effectiveness of cord blood-derived stem cells in treating primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). The study, which was published in the April 2012 issue of the Stem Cell Discovery, was the first of its kind. Researchers noted that additional clinical trials would be required before stem cells can become an accepted therapy for liver cirrhosis.

Prof. Jin-hui Yang, Director of the Department of Hepatology in the 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College stated, "Given the severity of liver cirrhosis and its related conditions, and the limited number of options available to treat those who suffer from it, this finding represents an important, potentially significant breakthrough."

PBC is a chronic, progressive liver disease that leads eventually to fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. It affects 1 in 1,000 women over the age of 40.Approximately one-third of those who suffer from PBC and its related conditions do not respond well to Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment, which is the only currently FDA-approved standard medical treatment for the condition. Many of those patients ultimately require liver transplantation.

Beike Chairman, Dr. Sean Hu, commented, "With a growing body of research that demonstrates the effectiveness of cord blood-derived stem cell therapies in treating a broad range of chronic conditions, this latest study is a milestone in the continuing effort to gain broad acceptance and recognition of regenerative medicine as a mainstream treatment option.We look forward to conducting more comprehensive clinical trials to attempt to validate the positive outcomes we have already observed."

The case study reported in the Stem Cell Discovery involved a 58 year old woman suffering from PBC who developed an incarcerated hernia and uncontrolled hydrothorax after undergoing UDCA treatment.One week after completing two stem cell transplantations with no observed adverse effects, the patient showed improvement in both liver function and in her general condition. She was released from the hospital but continued to receive twice-daily UDCA treatments. Six months after her discharge, doctors observed continued improvements in her liver function and overall condition.

To review the full text of the published study, please visit: http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?paperID=18710. Study authors included physicians and researchers from the 2nd Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College, Beike Biotechnology Company, and the Yunnan Provincial 1st People's Hospital in Kunming, China.

About Beike Biotechnology Company

Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is China's leading biotechnology company focusing on the production of adult stem cells for use in medical therapies. Headquartered in Shenzhen (near Hong Kong) with a flagship regenerative medicine facility at the China Medical City in Jiangsu province, Beike produces a full line of stem cell products derived from umbilical cord, cord blood and autologous bone marrow.

For any questions regarding this release, please call:

Contact Person: T. Gutmann Phone Number: +86-532-6677-6659

Read more from the original source:
Stem Cell Therapy Shown to be Effective in Treating Liver Cirrhosis

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

02-07-2012 15:42 Uploaded by TheFrontlinereports on Sep 9, 2011 Pandora's Box has surely been opened. A dangerous genetic experiment has come out of the shadows, and the human-animal hybrids, chimeras and other transgenic clones it has yielded now threaten to endanger and irrevocably alter life as we know it. The controllers of elite-funded science and R&D have wantonly tampered with the genetic code of the planet, ignoring the rather obvious dangers posed by cross-species experimentation and flagrantly jeopardizing the earth's delicately-balanced biodiversity. In a special video, Alex Jones addresses the profound risks posed by genetically-modified hybrids now featuring prominently in the field of biotechnology. Fresh revelations about a "secret lab" program in the UK admittedly ongoing 'for the last three years' that developed such bestial-hybrids only serves to reinforce our available data concerning the fact that genetically-modified laboratory creations are fast spinning out of control. Now the biotech industry has unleashed these Franken-breeds into the world under the auspices of monopolizing some of the most important and dangerous developments in Agra, Pharma and Medical research for the 21st Century. Their GM "solutions" to life's challenges promise lucrative returns, as we reported earlier today, due royalties on their patented gene-expressions. Transgenic clones, created by deleting-and-replacing DNA sequences to create a cross-species hybrid ...

Read the rest here:
Genetic Armageddon - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

03-07-2012 01:43 Presentation in Latitude59 panel discussion "Biotechnology and Gene Manipulation: is R&D worth the price?" by Claes Post, Ph.D., Senior Business developer at Linköping University.

Original post:
Claes Post: "Biotechnology and Gene Manipulation: is R

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

03-07-2012 01:43 Presentation in Latitude59 panel discussion "Biotechnology and Gene Manipulation: is R&D worth the price?" by Toomas Neuman Ph.D., Enterpreneur & Cell Biologist, Chief Science Officer, FibroTx.

See the original post:
Toomas Neuman: "Biotechnology and Gene Manipulation: is R

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith