Genetic Engineering
Biotechnology
MPs back creation of human-animal embryos
British scientists will be allowed to research devastating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s using human-animal embryos, after the House of Commons rejected a ban yesterday. ... Continue Reading
Genetic animal models offer new insight
Latest research findings from Rhode Island Hospital could provide a springboard for the development of gene therapies to treat arrythmias. ... Continue Reading
Reprogramming Biology
Biology is now in the early stages of an historic transition to an information science, while also gaining the tools to reprogram the ancient information systems of life. Few of us go more than a few months without changing the software programs we use in our electronic devices, yet the 23,000 software programs inside our cells called genes have not changed appreciably in thousands of years (although recent research suggests that a few have changed as recently as a few hundred years ago). ... Continue Reading
Chewing Up A Key Regulator Of Fat Synthesis Keeps Mice Lean Despite A High-fat Diet
Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have identified a novel pathway that regulates the body's ability to store or burn fat , a discovery that suggests new ways to reduce obesity , diabetes and other fat-related human diseases. ... Continue Reading
Engineering New Mammary Tissue
A FULLY functional breast has been grown from a stem cell found in female mice, in a study that promises insights into recurring breast tumours and a fresh approach to plastic surgery. The research in Australia suggests that breast cancers may be triggered by rogue mammary stem cells that are difficult to kill with standard chemotherapy, and that later ... Continue Reading
New Gene Chip May Be Early Cancer Diagnosis Tool
A pilot study at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), in support of the National Cancer Institute's Early Detection Research Network (EDRN), has validated the measurement accuracy of new techniques that use mitochondrial DNA as an early indicator for certain types of cancer. Additional results suggest that a relatively simple diagnostic test using a DNA microarray "chip" could enable early detection of some solid tumors, including lung cancer. ... Continue Reading
Chemical engineer speeds antibiotic synthesis with bacterial factories, DNA chips
Ask Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering Camilla Kao to describe a bacterium, and she'll compare it to a factory capable of producing antibiotics, immunosuppressants and anti-cancer drugs that no chemist can synthesize. Bacteria normally produce antibiotics to inhibit other bacterial strains competing for resources. ... Continue Reading
Carnegie Mellon Scientist Develops Way To Deliver Promising Genetic Tool Into Living Cells
By exploiting an HIV protein that readily traverses cell membranes, Carnegie Mellon University scientists have developed a new way to introduce a gene-like molecule called a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) directly into live mammalian cells, including human embryonic stem (ES) cells. The work, published online December 2 in Chemical Communications, holds considerable promise in genetic engineering, diagnostics and therapeutics. ... Continue Reading
Mitochondrial Research Proceeding Apace
Damage to mitochondria, our cellular powerhouses, is implicated in many age-related diseases - and thought to be one of the processes that causes aging itself. Basic mitochondrial research is thus important in the grand scheme of things. A Newswise press release notes recent advances in our understanding of mitochrondria: "Understanding the discrete molecular events that underlie dynamic mitochondrial behavior has the potential to reveal keen insights into the basic and essential cell-mitochondria relationship, leading to increased understanding of the aging process; and potential treatments and perhaps cures of those age-related scourges of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. ... Continue Reading
The Fine Art Of DNA Repair
A NASA publication discusses the investigation of DNA repair in the humble Halobacterium: "We have completely fragmented their DNA. I mean we have completely destroyed it by bombarding it with [radiation]. And they can reassemble their entire chromosome and put it back into working order within several hours. ... Continue Reading
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