Genetic Engineering News and Research

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Gene therapy may help improve congenital blindness in children

Born with a retinal disease that made him legally blind, and would eventually leave him totally sightless, the nine-year-old boy used to sit in the back of the classroom, relying on the large print on an electronic screen and assisted by teacher aides. Now, after a single injection of genes that produce light-sensitive pigments in the back of his eye, he sits in front with classmates and participates in class without extra help. In the playground, he joins his classmates in playing his first game of softball.

26 Oct 2009

FAO plans broad reforms for World Food Security committee

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Committee on World Food Security (CFS) agreed Tuesday to "wide-ranging" reforms in an effort to make the committee the most "comprehensive international and intergovernmental platform dealing with food security and nutrition," Xinhua reports (10/20). "The CFS reforms are designed to focus the Committee's vision and role on the global coordination of efforts to eliminate hunger and ensure food security for all," according to an FAO press release (10/20).

22 Oct 2009

Autobiography of a cardiologist "Doctor of the Heart" published

Doctor of the Heart: My Life in Medicine is the autobiography of Isadore Rosenfeld, MD, world-renowned cardiologist, best-selling author, and popular television commentator. Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Dr. Rosenfeld's book is a remarkable account of his long and extraordinary career (www.liebertpub.com/heart).

21 Oct 2009

Innovative way to keep produce and flowers fresh for longer periods of time

Did you know that millions of tons of fruits and vegetables in the United States end up in the trash can before being eaten, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture?

21 Oct 2009

Scientists find cause for lupuslike disease in mice

Macrophages, the scavenger cells of the body's immune system, are responsible for disposing of dying cells. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have identified one pathway in this important process in mice that, if disrupted, causes a lupuslike autoimmune disease.

19 Oct 2009

Sigma-Aldrich launches SAGEspeed, a program for developing human disease models in rodents

Sigma-Aldrich® (Nasdaq: SIAL) today announced the launch of SAGEspeed(TM), a program to develop human disease models in rodents using its proprietary novel CompoZr(TM) Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN) gene editing technology (http://www.compozrzfn.com).

19 Oct 2009

Gates Foundation to announce grants to promote agriculture at world food prize symposium

During a "keynote speech" Thursday at the World Food Prize Symposium in Des Moines, Iowa, Bill Gates, cofounder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is expected to announce $120 million in grants "to promote dynamic, home-grown, sustainable agriculture in Africa and India,"

19 Oct 2009

Fate Therapeutics announces human iPSC generation using a combination of small molecules

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the generation of human induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using a combination of small molecules that significantly improves the speed and efficiency of reprogramming.

19 Oct 2009

Findings may yield new treatments for COPD

A genetic mutation found in four children born with multiple abnormalities may provide insight into potential treatments for newborn lung distress and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

19 Oct 2009

APP balance critical for normal neuronal development

New data about amyloid precursor protein, or APP, a protein implicated in development of Alzheimer's disease, suggests it also may have a positive role -- directly affecting learning and memory during brain development. So is APP good or bad? Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center say both, and that a balance of APP is critical.

19 Oct 2009

Research scientists develop bioengineered treatment for targeting pancreatic cancer

Research scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, have developed a novel bioengineered treatment that has shown promise in targeting pancreatic cancer without causing damage to healthy noncancer cells, a typical problem of chemotherapy.

14 Oct 2009

Decreased expression of tumor suppressor gene PTEN transforms neurofibromas into cancer

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center showed for the first time that the loss or decreased expression of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN plays a central role in the malignant transformation of benign nerve tumors called neurofibromas into a malignant and extremely deadly form of sarcoma.

14 Oct 2009

Scientists identify the first genetic mechanism that generates the cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex, the largest and most complex component of the brain, is unique to mammals and alone has evolved human specializations. Although at first all stem cells in charge of building the cerebral cortex-the outermost layer of neurons commonly referred to as gray matter-are created equal, soon they irrevocably commit to forming specific cortical regions. But how the stem cells' destiny is determined has remained an open question.

14 Oct 2009

Exhibitors display latest biotechnology products and applications at BIOTECHNICA 2009

Chalking up an increase in the number of exhibitors and trade visitors plus the amount of display space sold, the BIOTECHNICA, exhibition (6 to 8 October 2009) sent some important signals in the midst of an economic crisis.

13 Oct 2009

New mouse models resembles human ALS; may provide important tool for screening new drugs

A new mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.

13 Oct 2009

Mouse model of ALS closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, says report

A new mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.

13 Oct 2009

UK Bioscientists create GM knowledge pipeline to help fight future food insecurity in African nations

UK Bioscientists are transferring GM knowledge and technology from the developed to the developing world to help fight future food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

12 Oct 2009

New journal focuses on therapeutic hypothermia and its applications in cardiology and neurotrauma

Therapeutic Hypothermia, a new online open access peer-reviewed journal, will focus on medical treatment which lowers a patient's body temperature to help reduce the risk of ischemic injury to tissues following a period of insufficient blood flow.

12 Oct 2009

World’s first engineered T cell receptor trial opens with new cellular therapy for HIV

Researchers at Adaptimmune Limited and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, have announced the approval of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and opening for enrolment of the first ever study using patients’ cells carrying an engineered T cell receptor to treat HIV (SL9 HA-GAG-TCR). The trial may have important implications in the development of new treatments for HIV potentially slowing – or even preventing – the onset of AIDS.

11 Oct 2009

Agriculture investment in developing countries must increase by 50% to feed 9.1B people by 2050, FAO report says

Developing countries need agriculture investments of $83 billion per year to meet the food needs of a projected

9 Oct 2009

Genetic Engineering News and Research

Gene therapy may help improve congenital blindness in children

FAO plans broad reforms for World Food Security committee

Autobiography of a cardiologist "Doctor of the Heart" published

Innovative way to keep produce and flowers fresh for longer periods of time

Scientists find cause for lupuslike disease in mice

Sigma-Aldrich launches SAGEspeed, a program for developing human disease models in rodents

Gates Foundation to announce grants to promote agriculture at world food prize symposium

Fate Therapeutics announces human iPSC generation using a combination of small molecules

Findings may yield new treatments for COPD

APP balance critical for normal neuronal development

Research scientists develop bioengineered treatment for targeting pancreatic cancer

Decreased expression of tumor suppressor gene PTEN transforms neurofibromas into cancer

Scientists identify the first genetic mechanism that generates the cerebral cortex

Exhibitors display latest biotechnology products and applications at BIOTECHNICA 2009

New mouse models resembles human ALS; may provide important tool for screening new drugs

Mouse model of ALS closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, says report

UK Bioscientists create GM knowledge pipeline to help fight future food insecurity in African nations

New journal focuses on therapeutic hypothermia and its applications in cardiology and neurotrauma

World’s first engineered T cell receptor trial opens with new cellular therapy for HIV

Agriculture investment in developing countries must increase by 50% to feed 9.1B people by 2050, FAO report says

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