Genetics

Sequence will Spur Advancements in Swine Production and Human Medicine

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2009 - An international team of scientists, funded with a $10 million grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), has completed the first draft of the genome of a domesticated pig. This first draft sequence will spur advancements in swine production and human medicine.

"Understanding the swine genome will lead to health advancements in the swine population and accelerate the development of vaccinations for pigs," said Roger Beachy, NIFA director. "This new insight into the genetic makeup of the swine population can help reduce disease and enable medical advancements in both pigs and humans."    » read more »

15 October 2009 -- A French research team reports a new gene therapy approach tested in macaque monkeys that shows promise for treating Parkinson’s disease by restoring dopamine in the brain and preventing the jerky, involuntary movements that accompany long-term treatment of the disease.

The research is reported in the 14 October issue of Science Translational Medicine, the new journal from AAAS and Science that’s designed to help speed basic research-advances into clinics and hospitals worldwide.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2009 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced more than $7 million in grants for research on the biology of plant processes and traits which can be used to breed crops with enhanced value and resilience to climate stress. The research will increase understanding of plant biology from the genome to the field, and provide a foundation for the development of plant varieties with increased yield, reduced production cost, and enhanced quality and nutritional value.    » read more »

YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. - 12 Oct 2009: IBM Research (NYSE: IBM) today announced it has received an "Advanced Sequencing Technology Award" from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health, to design a silicon-based "DNA Transistor" that will advance genome sequencing technology and generate progress in health care diagnosis and practice.

As part of the "Revolutionary Genome Sequencing Technologies - The $1000 Genome", NHGRI selected the development of technologies aimed to sequence mammalian genomes for $1,000 or less. NHGRI leadership believes that inexpensive genomic sequencing will revolutionize health and medicine.    » read more »

IBM scientists advance genome sequencing project

Yorktown Heights, NY - 06 Oct 2009: In an effort to build a nanoscale DNA sequencer, IBM (NYSE: IBM) scientists are drilling nano-sized holes in computer-like chips and passing DNA strands through them in order to read the information contained within their genetic code.    » read more »

October 1, 2009 -- Individuals’ genetic information will have greater protections through new regulations issued today by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury.

The interim final rule will help ensure that genetic information is not used adversely in determining health care coverage and will encourage more individuals to participate in genetic testing, which can help better identify and prevent certain illnesses.    » read more »

Scripps Research scientists correct gene defect in mice that causes lethal symptoms in children

LA JOLLA, CA, September 17, 2009—A recent study by Scripps Research Institute scientists offers good news for families of children afflicted with the rare genetic disorder, cystinosis. In research that holds out hope for one day developing a potential therapy to treat the fatal disorder, the study shows that the genetic defect in mice can be corrected with stem cell transplantation.    » read more »

New Biofuel Product Likely Would Contaminate Food Supply, UCS Says

WASHINGTON (June 4, 2009) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture today reopened the public comment period for its proposal to permit, for the first time, widespread cultivation of a food crop engineered for biofuel production. In the first round, USDA received more than 13,000 comments, the vast majority of which opposed the crop's commercialization.

The opposition included major trade groups and food companies that fear the enzyme could end up in breakfast cereals and snack foods and hamper their ability to export them. In response, USDA revised its risk assessment for the corn and is now seeking additional public input between today and July 6.    » read more »

San Francisco, CA - 04/12/2009 - A team of UCSF researchers has for the first time used tiny molecules called microRNAs to help turn adult mouse cells back to their embryonic state. These reprogrammed cells are pluripotent, meaning that, like embryonic stem cells, they have the capacity to become any cell type in the body.

The findings suggest that scientists will soon be able to replace retroviruses and even genes currently used in laboratory experiments to induce pluripotency in adult cells. This would make potential stem cell-based therapies safer by eliminating the risks posed to humans by these DNA-based methods, including alteration of the genome and risk of cancer.    » read more »

Increases over last decade largely due to traditional breeding and conventional agricultural improvements

April 14, 2009 -- For years, the biotechnology industry has trumpeted that it will feed the world, promising that its genetically engineered crops will produce higher yields.

That promise has proven to be empty, according to a new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Despite 20 years of research and 13 years of commercialization, genetic engineering has failed to significantly increase U.S. crop yields.    » read more »

April 10, 2009 -- UPTON, NY -- By creating a “family tree” of genes expressed in one form of woody plant and a less woody, herbaceous species, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have uncovered clues that may help them engineer plants more amenable to biofuel production. The study, published in the April 2009 issue of Plant Molecular Biology, also lays a foundation for understanding these genes’ evolutionary and structural properties and for a broader exploration of their roles in plant life.    » read more »

UCS Says New Biofuel Product Likely to Contaminate Food Supply

February 13, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently closed the public comment period for its proposal to permit—for the first time—widespread cultivation of a food crop engineered for biofuel production. If authorized, the new ethanol corn would also be the first genetically engineered industrial crop destined to be planted on millions of acres annually. Grown at such an enormous scale, the ethanol corn would inevitably contaminate corn intended for the food and feed supply, exposing people to new engineered proteins that may pose an allergy risk.    » read more »

ARGONNE, Ill. -- June 9, 2008 -- The Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology (IGSB), a joint venture of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago, has acquired two new instruments that provide an enhanced ability to sequence genomes more quickly and broadly.

Argonne's genomics research is primarily funded DOE's Office of Science, which supports research that provides a fundamental scientific understanding of plants and microbes necessary to develop strategies for sequestering carbon gases, producing biofuels and cleaning up waste.    » read more »

May 26, 2008 -- ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have found that carrying a common genetic disorder doubles the risk of developing lung cancer in smokers and nonsmokers.

The study is published in the May 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association.

Cigarette butts: Photo by Matt Fetterley    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement after the President signed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (H.R. 493) into law:

"The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act will protect all Americans from discrimination by insurance companies and employers on the basis of genetics, and I commend the President for signing it into law.

Senator Barack Obama: Photo by Ryan Glenn (CC)

"This landmark legislation will strengthen our privacy and civil rights protections in this new century of medical breakthroughs.    » read more »