Experimental brain surgery goes horribly awry; a dam fails catastrophically; a geologist leads an ill-equipped party to its doom in the mouth of an active volcano: these are the amazing and sometimes horrific stories of technical errors and scientific mistakes that LeVay (The Sexual Brain) relates. Some, like the case of the British meteorologist who failed to predict a hurricane that killed 18 people, seem due to arrogance. Others—the loss of a costly spacecraft, a criminal conviction based on inaccurate DNA analysis, multiple deaths after an accidental release of anthrax—are the result of ordinary human error. Some incidents may well have been deliberate, such as a nuclear reactor error that was possibly the result of a love triangle gone bad, or the data falsified by a physicist seeking fame as the discoverer of a new element. LeVay surveys a range of fields, offering several reasons why things go wrong and noting that for every brilliant scientific success, there are a dozen failures. Readers curious about particularly notorious cases will find LeVay's book both entertaining and thought provoking
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Food Fray: Inside the Controversy over Genetically Modified Food
More than ten years ago, the first genetically modified foods took their place on the shelves of American supermarkets. But while American consumers remained blissfully unconcerned with the new products that suddenly filled their kitchens, Europeans were much more wary of these “Frankenfoods.” When famine struck Africa in 2002, several nations refused shipments of genetically modified foods, fueling a controversy that put the issue on the world's political agenda for good.
In Food Fray, esteemed molecular biologist Dr. Lisa H. Weasel brings readers into the center of this debate, capturing the real-life experiences of the scientists, farmers, policymakers and grassroots activists on the front lines. Here she combines solid scientific knowledge and a gripping narrative to tell the real story behind the headlines and the hype. Seminal and cutting-edge, Food Fray enlightens and informs and will allow readers to make up their own minds about one of the most important issues facing us today.
Yeast Biotechnology: Diversity and Applications
This book is an attempt in updating the knowledge by the experts that has accumulated in the last few decades on the yeasts which are eukaryotic unicellular microfungi that are widely distributed in the natural environments, and isolated from normal as well as the specialized or extreme environments like those with low water potential, low temperature, and low oxygen availability. Around 1500 species of yeasts belonging to over 100 genera have been described so far. Yeasts play an important role in food chains, and carbon, nitrogen and sulphur cycles, and Yeasts (e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Hansenula polymorpha, Pichia pastoris) are now being used to express foreign genes for producing human proteins of pharmaceutical interest. A landmark in biotechnology was reached in 1996 with the completion of the sequencing of the entire genome of S. cerevisiae. The genome sequencing of three more yeasts (Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neofromans) have recently been completed. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has now become a central player in the development of an entirely new approach to biological research – systems biology.
The products of modern yeast biotechnologies impinge on many commercially important sectors including food, beverages, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, industrial enzymes, agriculture and environmental bioremediation. Although the vast majority of yeasts are beneficial to human life, only a few are opportunistic human pathogens.
The book is aimed at bringing together the scattered information on the diversity of yeasts in the normal and extreme environments, their ecology and adaptations, taxonomy and systematics, physiology and biochemistry, molecular aspects, and biotechnological applications.
- Hardcover: 740 pages
- Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (December 1, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1402082916
- ISBN-13: 978-1402082917
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Biotechnology for Beginners
Review
"This book lets me wish to be a student again..."
- Fred Sanger, Double-Nobel Prize winner
"This great book is highly contagious, if you open it, you want to read more and more..."
Jim Larrick, US-Biotech entrepreneur and founder of Absalus --Fred Sanger, Double-Nobel Prize winner;Jim Larrick, US-Biotech entrepreneur and founder of Absalus
Monday, August 25, 2008
Finalists of 2008 Biotechnica Award
The three finalists of the 2008 EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD have been determined. The biotechnology companies nominated are Cambridge-based Astex Therapeutics Limited (UK), GENEART AG from Regensburg (Germany) and immatics biotechnologies GmbH based in TA 1/4bingen (Germany). The prize, worth EUR 100,000, is awarded to innovative European biotechnology and life sciences companies. "Innovation capacity is the driving force behind the economic success of one of the most important sectors of the future. With the EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD, we are supporting upcoming biotechnology firms which, thanks to their dedication, make a significant contribution to the development of Europe as a research location", emphasized Stephan KA 1/4hne, Board member of Deutsche Messe AG. This year will mark the sixth anniversary of the award presented by Deutsche Messe AG and partners.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
VasoGenix Pharmaceuticals presents data related to CGRP (Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide) for heart failure patients
VasoGenix Pharmaceuticals Inc. (www.vasogenix.net) recently announced the results of collaborative research that the Company conducted with the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute related to VasoGenix’s first drug, Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide (‘CGRP’), for the treatment of heart failure. The data was presented earlier this month at the Annual Meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida. The presentation was entitled: Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide Receptor Regulation in Human Heart Failure. The research was conducted in the laboratory of Sathyamangla V. Naga Prasad, Ph.D., at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute.
Study results demonstrated that CGRP receptors in heart tissue of heart failure patients are upregulated 38% compared to heart tissue taken from patients without heart failure. Furthermore, the study elucidated the regulation of CGRP receptor components in human heart failure and evaluated the signaling mechanisms involved in CGRP receptor activation.
“CGRP has demonstrated favorable clinical effects on parameters affecting heart failure patients and may be beneficial in multiple ways. It also appears that the blood plasma levels of CGRP may be raised in heart failure patients. Taken together with the upregulation of the CGRP receptor sites in the failing hearts, these data suggest that a human failing heart may desire CGRP to help it function better,” said Lee Southard, Ph.D., CEO of VasoGenix. “Consequently, we have a heightened expectation that our clinical assessment of CGRP in heart failure will produce positive results and significantly impact this disease. This is important because heart failure is the most costly hospital diagnosis and is responsible for more deaths of people over 65 than any other disease."
CGRP is distributed in neural tissue throughout the human body but concentrated in the heart, where nerves secrete it following a heart attack, in an apparent attempt to reduce the infarct size and keep heart cells alive. Unfortunately, an insufficient amount is produced to have a meaningful effect on heart failure (HF) or myocardial infarction (MI). While current drugs for treating HF and MI have a single mechanism of action, CGRP appears to work on several levels: for example, it (1) increases local blood flow enhancing hemodynamic proficiency; (2) protects heart muscle cells from the damage due to lack of oxygen (ischemia); and, (3) modulates the immune system by boosting anti-inflammatory cytokine expression while suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines, which reduces the inflammatory response to provide a cardioprotective effect. All these actions are meant to minimize heart muscle damage and subsequent scar tissue formation, while promoting the healing process.
VasoGenix Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a preclinical-stage company capitalizing on the hemodynamic and immunomodulation properties of Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide (CGRP) and analogs. It is focused initially on the treatment of heart failure with future products targeted at myocardial infarction and kidney failure. The VasoGenix business strategy is cost-affective and is geared to maximizing ROI and a three-year exit strategy.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Renewable Fuels, Environmental Concerns Drive Rapid Advances in Biotechnology
Rapid advances in biofuel research and development are being driven by concerns about the environment and the need for renewable fuels, according to top industry and government officials from China, Canada, the United States and Hawaii attending the second annual Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bionergy.
The second annual Summit gathered 340 biotechnology and bioenergy business executives, scientists, academics, and government officials in Honolulu to review progress in developing the bioenergy industry. The conference was hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), the American Chemical Society and the State of Hawaii.
“Building new business partnerships within the bioenergy industry, particularly along the Pacific Rim, was a primary objective of the Summit,” said Erickson. “As we heard from our plenary speakers, government policies that support development of the industry, which are being driven by concerns about the environment and future economic growth, have been vital in attracting the private investment needed to make this industry successful. Pacific Rim countries have been in the lead in implementing these policies.”
The Summit featured more than 100 presentations from researchers and scientists, discussing biotechnology applications in energy, marine biotechnology, fine chemicals, and biobased products. The Summit also facilitated more than 45 meetings between companies seeking partnerships for the commercialization of new bioenergy research and applications.
“The Pacific Rim Summit showcased the latest biotech advances in feedstocks, production processes and novel biobased products,” said Brent Erickson, executive vice president of BIO’s Industrial and Environmental Section. “Attendees learned about new areas being explored for bioenergy applications, including marine biotechnology, nanotechnology and synthetic genomics.”
Keynote speakers at the summit included Jiayang Li, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and James Spaeth, manager of biomass research at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), who outlined their respective governments’ programs to support development of the biofuel industry in the opening session, titled “The Status of Biofuels Development in the Pacific Rim.”
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Plankton Recruiting to stop Global Warming
Could plankton save the planet? In an effort to ameliorate the effects of global warming, several groups are working on ventures to grow vast floating fields of plankton intended to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and carry it to the depths of the ocean. It is an idea, debated by experts for years, that still sounds like science fiction — and some scholars think that is where it belongs.
But even though many questions remain unanswered, the first commercial project is scheduled to get under way this month when the WeatherBird II, a 115-foot research vessel, heads out from its dock in Florida to the Galápagos and the South Pacific.
The ship plans to dissolve tons of iron, an essential plankton nutrient, over a 10,000-square-kilometer patch. That’s equivalent to 2.47 million acres (3,861 square miles on land or 2,912 square nautical miles). When the trace iron prompts growth and reproduction of the tiny organism, scientists on the WeatherBird II plan to measure how much carbon dioxide the plankton ingests.
Their efforts underscore a growing effort to pull carbon from the atmosphere. Solutions include planting or restoring forests and — once many economic and technical obstacles are overcome — capturing tons of carbon from coal burning for electricity and oil refineries, piping it back underground or burying it under the ocean.More of this article
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Career Opportunities in Biotechnology and Drug Development (Hardcover)
Career Opportunities in Biotechnology and Drug Development (Hardcover)by Toby Friedman (Author).
As the world of biotechnology has grown in leaps and bounds, so too have the career opportunities. But the choices can be daunting. What types of jobs are available? How do you get your foot in the door? What will your job entail if you become a "Preclinical Project Manager" or a "Process Scientist"? What s the difference between biotech and pharma?
Career Opportunities in Biotechnology and Drug Development provides a comprehensive and systematic overview of careers in the life science industry, with all their ups and downs. The author, Toby Freedman, Ph.D., has conducted interviews with hundreds of key players in the industry, who provide first hand explanations of their day to day roles and responsibilities, and offer key insights into how they landed those jobs in the first place. Careers in everything from discovery research to venture capital are covered in detail.
Each chapter includes valuable sections on preparing yourself for a prospective career: educational requirements and personality characteristics needed; recommendations of books, magazines, and Web site resources; and issues to consider regarding salary and compensation. The book also includes interviewing and job searching tips, as well as suggestions on writing a resume specifically for industry.
Career Opportunities in Biotechnology and Drug Development is an essential guide for science graduates and medical, business, legal, high tech or engineering professionals. With discussions of job security, future trends, and potential career paths, even those already working in industry will find helpful information on how to take advantage of opportunities available within their own companies and elsewhere. This book will help you make wiser and more informed decisions about what role you would like to play in the biotechnology and drug development industry.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The Nanotech Future: A Conversation with Mihail Roco
Nanotechnology refers to the emerging science of manufacturing materials that are measured in nanometers, usually at the 1-100 nanometers scale. The head of a pin is 1 million nanometers wide. By 2014, Lux Research estimates that $2.6 trillion in manufactured goods will incorporate nanotechnology, or about 15 percent of global output.
What was Dr. Rocos vision in 2000 at the start of the NNI? What are his expectations for nanotechnologys many promises-in medicine, sustainable energy, and electronics? What challenges does nanotechnology pose for the future, particularly as it reaches toward third and fourth generation development-in guided molecular assembly, 3D networking, robotics, supra-molecules, molecules by design, and evolutionary systems?
Robert Service, nanotechnology reporter at Science magazine, will interview Dr. Roco about nanotechnology at a Friday, November 9th, 2007, 12:30 p.m. event and live webcast at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
The event is sponsored by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies ( http://www.nanotechproject.org ), a joint initiative of the Wilson Center and The Pew Charitable Trusts. Project director David Rejeski will introduce the program.
Prior to joining the National Science Foundation, Dr. Roco was Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kentucky ((1981-1995), and held visiting professorships at the California Institute of Technology (1988-89), Johns Hopkins University (1993-1995), Tohoku University (1989) and Delft University of Technology (1997-1998). He is credited with 13 inventions, and has authored and co-authored numerous articles, publications and books.
Dr. Roco will receive the National Materials Advancement Award from the Federation of Materials Societies at the National Press Club in Washington, DC on December 5, 2007.
He is Corresponding Member of the Swiss Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering, Fellow of the Institute of Physics and Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Roco initiated work on converging technologies, and on societal implications of nanotechnology since the beginning of the NNI.
FDA Clears Genetic Lab Test for Warfarin Sensitivity
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today cleared for marketing a new genetic test that will help physicians assess whether a patient may be especially sensitive to the blood-thinning drug warfarin (Coumadin), which is used to prevent potentially fatal clots in blood vessels.
One-third of patients receiving warfarin metabolize it quite differently than expected and experience a higher risk of bleeding. Research has shown that some of the unexpected response to warfarin depends on variants of two genes, CYP2C9 and VKORC1. The Nanosphere Verigene Warfarin Metabolism Nucleic Acid Test detects some variants of both genes.
"Today’s action offers physicians the first FDA cleared genetic test for warfarin sensitivity, which is another step in our commitment to personalized medicine,” said Daniel Schultz, M.D., director, FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “With this test, physicians may be able to use genetic information along with other clinical information to treat their patients.”
Warfarin can be a difficult drug to use because the optimal dose varies depending on many risk factors, including a patient's diet, age, and the use of other medications. Rapidly achieving the correct dose is important. Patients who receive doses that are higher than needed to correctly thin the blood are at risk of life-threatening bleeding. Those who receive doses that are too low may remain at risk of life-threatening blood clots.
Warfarin is the second most common drug, after insulin, implicated in emergency room visits for adverse drug events.
In August, FDA approved updated labeling for Coumadin, the brand name version of warfarin, explaining that people with variations of the genes CYP2C9 and VKORC1 may respond differently to the drug. Manufacturers of generic warfarin are adding similar information to their products' labeling.
Physicians and other health care professionals who prescribe warfarin regularly check to see if the drug is working properly by ordering a test called the PT or prothrombin time that evaluates the blood's ability to clot properly. The results are measured in seconds and compared with the expected value in healthy people, known as the International Normalized Ratio or INR.
The Nanosphere test is not intended to be a stand-alone tool to determine optimum drug dosage, but should be used along with clinical evaluation and other tools, including INR, to determine the best treatment for patients.
FDA cleared the test based on results of a study conducted by the manufacturer of hundreds of DNA samples as well as on a broad range of published literature. In a three site study, the test was accurate in all cases where the test yielded a result; 8 percent of the tests could not identify which genetic variants were present.
The new test was cleared for use on the Verigene System, a clinical laboratory test system. Both products are manufactured by Nanosphere Inc., Northbrook, Ill.
Biotech investment on the rise
Author: Liu King-pong
Taiwan's biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry received a boost in September from MediVas LLC, a drug and biological delivery system developer based in San Diego, California. The U.S. firm announced Sept. 20 that it has selected Taiwan as the site for its Asian operations.
"Taiwan has probably the most dynamic economy in Asia and its way of doing business is very similar to that in the United States," said Kenneth Carpenter, president and chief executive officer of MediVas. "But, most importantly, the Taiwan government has committed to making the biotech and pharmaceutical industry a trillion dollar business," he added, referring to the government's strong support for the development of biotechnology. The remarks came at the Sept. 20 grand opening ceremony of MediVas Asia Corp.
Carpenter's optimistic statement is the result of the close cooperation between the government and the local biotechnology industry. This trend was recently highlighted with a statement made by Ho Mei-yueh, chairwoman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development. She announced Sept. 14 that the state-owned National Development Fund would invest US$20 million in TaiMed Biologics Co., a new biotech firm focusing on AIDS drugs.
TaiMed Biologics' competitive advantage lies in that it has acquired the patent from the U.S.-based Genentech Inc. for its lead clinical product, TNX-355. The drug shows promise as an effective treatment for AIDS patients and those infected with HIV. The patent rights to a product with such potential no doubt prompted Ho to indicate that the establishment of TaiMed Biologics marked a breakthrough in Taiwan's biotech industry.
MediVas' business, unlike most biotech and pharmaceutical firms, focuses mainly on changing the way pharmaceuticals are delivered. Its technology platform uses protein-like polymeric biomaterials to make drug and biological delivery more effective.
What makes the new investment in Taiwan more significant is that MediVas Asia's facility on the island will focus on the development of so-called "super-generic" drugs, Huang Bor-fuei, director of the industry promotion and marketing department at the Development Center for Biotechnology, stated Sept. 22.
Self-described as the matchmaker between MediVas and Taiwan, Huang pointed out that the firm defines super-generics as drugs whose original patents have expired but would be re-patented by MediVas Asia. "This re-patenting is a result of improving or modifying the delivery of the drug. Such modification has several advantages, including longer duration of drug effectiveness, less undesirable side effects and changes in the method of administration," he said.
"For example, you might take the drug once a week instead of once a day, or you can stop taking a drug by injection and start to take it orally," he explained.
MediVas Asia had talked to local pharmaceutical firms about joint development of super-generics. Local pharmaceutical companies typically focus on production of low-margin generic drugs, however, and did not embrace MediVas' plans.
"Although local firms showed interest, they were slow to act, perhaps due to a risk-aversion mindset and an overly conservative culture of avoiding change," said Huang.
According to Huang, China and India are usually seen as the only new emerging biotech markets in Asia. Taiwan is not associated with advances in biotechnology and is often overlooked. Huang took a different view, however. "I believe a sustainable technology is important in making biotech and pharmaceuticals our twin-star industries for our future economy," he stated. "A powerful platform technology can enable the improvement or even the creation of a variety of new products that can help the whole industry, and that is where our true niche lies."
Using the analogy of a fishing pole and a fish, Huang explained the value of a powerful platform technology. "MediVas' drug-delivery system can deliver more than one successful product, in the same way a fishing pole can deliver a continuous supply of fish. In the long run, more than being a successful company, MediVas will have positive economic impact on Taiwan's biotech industry."
MediVas Asia would set up its own research-and-development center in Taiwan and the company would establish its manufacturing facilities for super-generic production within a year, Huang revealed.
Write to Liu King-pong at kpliu@mail.gio.gov.tw
Friday, October 5, 2007
New research into plant colours sheds light on antioxidants
Scientists have made an important advance in understanding the genetic processes that give flowers, leaves and plants their bright colours. The knowledge could lead to a range of benefits, including better understanding of the cancer-fighting properties of plant pigments and new, natural food colourings. The research is highlighted in the new issue of Business from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
The scientists, at the John Innes Centre and Institute of Food Research in Norwich, have pinpointed a key group of enzymes involved in the production of plant pigments. The pigments, called anthocyanins, are what give some plants the vivid colours that they use to attract insects and foraging animals. They also give plants protection against environmental stresses and disease. Hundreds of different anthocyanins exist in nature, all with slightly different chemical compositions. The international research team, supported by BBSRC, identified the genes responsible for the enzymes which chemically modify anthocyanins to alter their properties.
Prof Cathie Martin at the John Innes Centre who co-led the project explains: “Using a new strategy, we conducted biochemical studies on the brassica plant Arabidopsis. We found that a small number of genes responsible for the enzymes that chemically modify anthocyanins were ‘switched on’ when the plants were making anthocyanins in response to stress.
“When we transferred these genes to a tobacco plant, the colour of the tobacco flowers changed slightly, confirming that these genes, and the enzymes that they produce, were indeed responsible for modifying anthocyanins.
“What’s more, these anthocyanins that had been modified by the enzymes were more stable than those that hadn’t. This is significant because stabilised anthocyanins could be used as natural food colourants to replace many artificial colours used in various foods. This improved understanding of the genetics of anthocyanins also provides a better platform for studying their antioxidant properties, important in the fight against cancer, cardiovascular disease and age-related degeneration.”
Crucell grants Merck access to vaccine technology
Leiden, The Netherlands, September 10 2007 - Dutch biotechnology company Crucell N.V. announced today that Merck & Co., Inc. (Whitehouse Station, NJ) has exercised an option for the exclusive use of Crucell's PER.C6® technology and an option for access to Crucell's AdVac® vaccine technology in two infectious disease areas.
Mr. Jaap Goudsmit, Crucell's Chief Scientific Officer said: "We are excited about this technology agreement which represents a further expansion of the relationship between our company and Merck. Crucell's vaccine technologies, PER.C6® and AdVac®, are increasingly used by the vaccine industry to develop important novel vaccines for infectious diseases. This agreement further broadens the number of disease areas in which our technologies are used."
Under the terms of the agreement, Crucell acquires rights to certain cell-line technology developed by Merck for the manufacturing of recombinant proteins. The option and the related rights to certain technology developed by Merck originate from the cross-license agreement executed in December 2006 between Crucell and Merck. Specifics concerning the infectious disease indications remain undisclosed.
About Crucell
Crucell N.V. (Euronext, NASDAQ: CRXL; Swiss Exchange: CRX) is a biotechnology company focused on research, development and worldwide marketing of vaccines and antibodies that prevent and treat infectious diseases. Its vaccines are sold in public and private markets worldwide. Crucell's core portfolio includes a vaccine against hepatitis B, a fully-liquid vaccine against five important childhood diseases, and a virosome-adjuvanted vaccine against influenza. Crucell also markets travel vaccines, such as the only oral anti-typhoid vaccine, an oral cholera vaccine and the only aluminium-free hepatitis A vaccine on the market. The Company has a broad development pipeline, with several Crucell products based on its unique PER.C6® production technology. The Company licenses this and other technologies to the biopharmaceutical industry. Important partners and licensees include DSM Biologics, sanofi aventis, GSK and Merck & Co. Crucell is headquartered in Leiden (the Netherlands), with subsidiaries in Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Korea and the US. The Company employs over a 1000 people. For more information, please visit www.crucell.com.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Prana to Raise A$7.0 million from Institutional and Professional Investors
Prana Biotechnology Limited (NASDAQ: PRAN / ASX: PBT), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, today announced, subject to shareholder approval, a private placement of approximately 24.56 million new shares at a subscription price of A$0.285 (28.5 cents) per share, with a 2 for 6 free attaching option.
Prana will receive approximately A$7.0 million before allowing for issue costs from institutional and professional investors in Australia and the United States. The funds will be predominantly used for the ongoing development of its lead compound, PBT2, currently in a Phase IIa trial in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
This trial, scheduled for completion in December 2007, is designed to advance the commercialization of Prana’s programs to develop novel treatments for neurodegenerative disorders.
“We are especially pleased to receive support from this group of investors, a number of whom have been strong supporters of the Company since inception,” commented Prana Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Geoffrey Kempler. "This commitment reflects confidence in Prana and the potential of PBT2 as a disease modifying therapy for Alzheimer’s disease patients.”
The Phase IIa trial of PBT2 is a double-blind, placebo-controlled safety and tolerability study in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. PBT2 is Prana’s proprietary lead compound. The trial is well advanced, over 70% of study patients have been dosed and almost half of the target 80 patients have already completed the trial. “Given this progress, we are particularly pleased with the positive safety and tolerability demonstrated by PBT2 to date. We are on track to complete the trial by the end of the year and report results in the first quarter of 2008” said Mr Kempler.
New York based Brimberg & Co assisted with this transaction. The placement is subject to shareholder approval at an Extraordinary General Meeting, which is expected to occur on or about October 15, 2007. The Company will be seeking shareholder approval for the right to allot up to 35,087,700 shares with 2 for 6 attaching options which would raise up to $10 million if fully subscribed. The Company currently has firm commitments in place for $7.0 million of this total. The 2 attaching options, which will expire on 31 October and 30 November 2010 respectively, will be exercisable at A$0.37 cents and A$0.43 cents respectively.
About Prana Biotechnology Limited
Prana Biotechnology was established to commercialise research into Alzheimer's disease and other major age-related neurodegenerative disorders. The company was incorporated in 1997 and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in March 2000 and listed on NASDAQ in September 2002. Researchers at prominent international institutions including The University of Melbourne, The Mental Health Research Institute (Melbourne) and Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, contributed to the discovery of Prana’s technology.
For further information, please visit the web site at www.pranabio.com.
Plants and stress; key players on the thin line between life and death revealed
Our crops are not doing well these days: too much water, too little sunlight... In short, they are suffering from stress. Scientists from VIB, associated with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U.Leuven), have revealed a new mechanism demonstrating the intricate ways in which plants deal with stress. The newly discovered control system has a remarkable way of orchestrating the activity of hundreds of genes, forcing the plant into ‘safety mode’; the consumption of energy is contained while the organism is stimulated to mobilize reserves. This may have a negative impact on growth, but it allows the plant to temporarily safeguard itself against pernicious stress conditions. These findings also may prove to be useful beyond the case of plants, for the results are likely to be valuable in understanding disorders such as cancer and diabetes.
Life thanks to plants
Plants catch sunlight and use it as an energy source to produce sugars from CO2 and water. In doing so, they are at the very basis of the food chain. Ultimately, all life on earth depends upon this biochemical process: photosynthesis. Without plants, life as we know it today would simply not be possible. But what if things go wrong? When there is too little sunlight, for example? And what with other stressful conditions for plants? Environmental changes can compromise photosynthesis and exhaust energy supplies.
Plants control their own energy balance
Fortunately, plants have developed different mechanisms to detect and cope with 'stress’. Together with his American colleagues at Harvard Medical School (Boston, USA), VIB scientist Filip Rolland, associated with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, is uncovering a new system of detection and control. It is driven by KIN10 and KIN11. These ‘kinases’ – which are also found in human beings – react to energy shortages, when, for example, there is too little sunlight or too little sugar production. They control the activity of a broad network of genes, promoting the release of energy (catabolism) from alternative sources and blocking its assimilation (anabolism). In this way, the plant protects itself against stress conditions; like a really bad summer.
The key players: KIN10 & KIN11
The model organism for this study was Arabidopsis thaliana or thale cress. For decades, this small weed has been used as a model in molecular and genetic plant research. The scientists have tested numerous stress conditions that affect photosynthesis and energy production, such as darkness, herbicide treatment and flooding (lack of oxygen). By overexpressing the KIN10 gene, causing the plant to produce more of this protein, stress tolerance is increased and plants survive longer. By switching off these genes, their control function is eliminated.
With this research, the Flemish and American scientists have succeeded for the first time in attributing KIN10 and KIN11 a key role in the control of the plant energy budget and metabolism and thus the fragile balance between growth and survival; in short, the choice between life and death.
Are humans similar to plants?
The new insights gained by this study are not limited to the functioning of plants; they may also be important for human beings. KIN10 and KIN11, as ’fuel gauges’ controlling the expression of a whole set of genes, are also found in mammals. The results with plants, therefore, may play a pioneering role in discovering new functions of these proteins in disorders such as diabetes, cancer, obesitas, and aging.
Relevant scientific publication
The research findings are published in the leading scientific journal Nature (Baena-González et al., A central integrator of transcription networks in plant stress and energy signalling, Nature, 2007).
EU Court Rejects Austrian Biotech Ban
“This is great news for farmers, for the scientific based risk assessment of the EFSA and for the EU biotech regulatory framework which the Member States put in place. Industry now calls on the region of Upper Austria to drop its illegal and unscientific opposition to approved biotech crops and allow Austrian farmers the choice to grow GMOs if they so wish.” said Johan Vanhemelrijck, Secretary General EuropaBio – the EU association for bioindustries. “Attempts to create so called “GMO-free regions” should be seen for what they are: a denial of the
freedom of choice for farmers and consumers.”
The Judgement says that practices like organic agriculture and small scale farming cannot be used as an argument to ban cultivation of approved biotech crops. Both the Commission and the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mariann Fischer Boel have stated in the past that “farmers should be able to produce in a traditional way, be it conventional or organic, according to the high quality and safety standards in the EU. And they should as well have the choice to produce
GM-crops, if they see advantages in doing so and find a market for them.” (1) Farmers can take official action against their region if it tries to stop them from cultivating EU approved biotech crops, while freedom of choice guarantees that individual or groups of farmers are free to cultivate conventional, organic or biotech crops. Today’s decision confirms that it is illegal for regional or national governments to impose bans and deprive individual farmers of the choice to grow biotech crops which have been approved for commercial cultivation in the EU.
Monday, September 3, 2007
Assesment of Cloned Animal Products
Recent articles (December 2006 and January 2007) in the Washington Post dealt with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assessment that products from cloned animals including meat and milk do not present a risk to food safety. Editorials in the same paper applauded the FDAs reliance on science to come to their conclusions but reminded readers that was not the same as acceptance in the market place.
The FDA made the decision based on its regulatory authorities to perform “a comprehensive risk assessment of the health of animal clones, their progeny, and the food products derived from them”. The approach that FDA used was apparently a cooperative one with the industries that were to be scrutinized for the impact of their products of cloning. The Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) of FDA asked that such products be withheld from the food supply. They also asked the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science to characterize “the hazards in animal biotechnology”.
The FDA asserted several principles related to cloned animals that were the underlying basis for their risk assessment: (1) cloning is not a form of genetic engineering; (2) “Animals used for food in the US are inspected without regard to the method by which they are bred”; (3) “The only remaining hazard(s) from cloning are likely to be subtle in nature.”
The presumption by FDA that cloning is not a form of genetic engineering recognizes that it is not an attempt to improve for some purpose the genetic composition of animals. Nonetheless, cloning may be an important part of many current and future approaches to genetic engineering which will be discussed later.
Points 2 and 3 clearly define the scope of the FDA risk assessment and indicate that current food safety procedures and the nature of cloned animals limit science-based concerns about cloning to potential subtle effects of cloning. Based on a voluminous literature review, FDA recognized that the problems most likely associated with cloning would be from the failure of the somatic cells used as nuclear donors in the cloning procedure (SCNT) to completely transform from a pluripotent state to the totipotent state found in germ cells. They acknowledge that the most severe errors in “reprogramming” will result in early death and thus the observed poor efficiency of cloning. This failure to reprogram completely may result in epigenetic variation between clones and the original individual. FDA is concerned that persistent epigenetic differences might result in a “subclinical physiological effect.”
FDA, in their review of the literature and submitted data, found that clones have the same type of health risks as other animals but at a higher frequency. As reported in the literature they recognize that hydroallantois and dystocia are sometimes present in the surrogate dams carrying cloned lambs or calves. They recognized the potential for large offspring syndrome in cows and lambs and some potential for small offspring in pigs. Cattle and sheep neonates were found to need more support for respiration and body temperature control. Reproductive health was found to be normal and they expect the second generation to lose their epigenetic variances. They found that the available literature and submitted data supports the notion that meat and milk from clones was within normal ranges for most compositional analyses. FDA concluded that meat and milk derived from clones is as safe as that “derived from animals produced using contemporary agricultural practices.” They suggest that data on sheep products needs additional data prior to lifting a moratorium on the products from sheep clones.Source:
Regulation of animal biotechnology: Research needs
Theriogenology, Volume 68, Supplement 1, 1 September 2007, Pages S3-S8
C.E. Rexroad Jr., R.D. Green and R.J. Wall
New light-sensing ability discovered in disease-causing bacteria
The bacteria that cause brucellosis can sense light and use the information to regulate their virulence, according to a study in the August 24 issue of the journal Science. The discovery comes after 120 years of research into the disease, which causes abortions in livestock and fevers in humans. Researchers found that two other bacteria, including a species that attacks plants, sense light using the same type of protein structure, and at least 94 more species possess the code for it in their DNA.
"These bacteria have been very well studied for years, and no one knew they could sense light," said lead author Trevor Swartz, who initiated the study as a research scientist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "Now it seems like it's a common thing rather than being an anomaly."
The ubiquity of the structure suggests that light may play a much more important role in bacterial life than has previously been recognized. And because the recurrent structure can be paired with a variety of signaling proteins, it gives organisms immense versatility in the ways they use light, Swartz said.
"We have bumped into an entirely new family of light receptors in nature," said coauthor Roberto Bogomolni, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCSC.
The receptor molecule contains a light-sensing region known as an LOV domain because it resembles similar units in other proteins that sense light, oxygen, or voltage, said coauthor and longtime collaborator Winslow Briggs, of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The structure crops up in a variety of proteins, where it lends its light-sensing ability to the whole molecule. The light-sensing structure is very different from either the light-harvesting molecules of photosynthesis or the light-gathering pigments in our own eyes.
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