a government agency that protects and conserves the country biodiversity, and struggled to find enough resources to cope with last year fires. hat is most frustrating is that
to make the device more biocompatible. The idea was to develop an artificial heart in which the moving parts that are in contact with blood are made of tissue that is better suited for the biological environment,
says Piet Jansen, chief medical officer of Carmat.####The device, powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries
We didn t have any biologists on staff, so we couldn t clone anybody, ##he said.##
Mitochondria carry their own genomes, but some of the cellular components needed for respiration are produced partly by the nucleus,
#Ana Gomes#at Harvard Medical school and her colleagues compared the levels of MESSENGER RNA (mrna) molecules that convey genetic information around a cell for the cellular components needed for respiration in the skeletal muscle of 6 and 22-month-old mice.
and the two genomes communicate well, aging is kept at bay. But another molecule called NAD+keeps SIRT1 on the job;
In tests, their synapse circuits perform similar to normal biological neurons. Of course, duplicating synapse firings in nanotube circuits does not mean that scientists are ready to replace the human brain,
predicts in his#blogthat expected advances in molecular nanotechnology will one day enable us to replace brain cells with damage-resistant nanomaterials that process thoughts faster than today s biological brains.##
Biological brains die within minutes after the heart stops, but our new brain will simply turn itself off and wait for a new power supply.
#Secret code discovered in human DNA Genomes use the genetic code to write two separate languages. A secret second code hiding within DNA
##Ever since the genetic code was deciphered over 40 years ago, scientists have believed that it only described how proteins are made.
However, the revelation made by the research team led by John Stamatoyannopoulos of the University of Washington indicates that genomes use the genetic code to write two separate languages.##
##For over 40 years we have assumed that DNA changes affecting the genetic code solely impact how proteins are made,
##Now we know that this basic assumption about reading the human genome missed half of the picture.##
Scientists already knew that the genetic code uses a 64-letter alphabet called codons. The research team discovered that some of the codons can have two meanings one related to proteins, the other to gene control.
And it s those duons that are expected to change the way physicians interpret human genomes and give clues for the treatments of diseases.##
##The fact that the genetic code can simultaneously write two kinds of information means that many DNA changes that appear to alter protein sequences may actually cause disease by disrupting gene control programs
the Iot also enables more acute exploitation of biometric tech, like#RFID chips that users carry with them on their persons;#
and will be run by Arthur Levinson, chairman and ex-CEO of biotech company Genentech. Google gave exclusive access to Time magazine for a story on the new venture.
With some longer term, moonshot thinking around healthcare and biotechnology, I believe we can improve millions of lives.
Scientists have predicted the end of chemotherapy after launching a landmark project to map 100,000 genomes to find the genes responsible for cancer and rare diseases.
Britain is the first country in the world to embark on a program to map the genomes of thousands of people in the hope of finding
Understanding humanity s genetic code is not only going to be fundamental to the medicine of the future.
Prof Farrer also predicted that genome sequencing to find the causes of the disease will become standard within our lifetime.
The first human genome was sequenced in 2003 following 13 years of work at a cost of 2 billion.
A genome consists of a person s 20,000 or so genes and the DNA in between.
Each genome consists of a code of 3 billion letters. Over the next four years, about 75,000 patients with cancer and rare diseases, plus their close relatives, will have their whole genetic codes,
or genomes, sequenced. Cancer patients will have the DNA of both healthy and tumour cells mapped,
making up the 100, 000 total. Scientists expect the project to be pivotal to the development of future personalised treatments based on genetics, with the potential to revolutionise medicine.
A 78 million partnership between Genomics England, the body set up by the Department of health to oversee the project,
they report in the journal Biomaterials. Collagen is the most abundant structural protein in the body
In this study, we generated a transgenic mouse model that expresses TLX under the control of the promoter of nestin, a neural precursor marker.
Transgenic TLX expression led to mice with enlarged brains with an elongated hippocampal dentate gyrus and increased numbers of newborn neurons.
the TLX transgenic mice exhibited enhanced cognition with increased learning and memory. These results suggest a strong association between hippocampal neurogenesis and cognition,
Tracking of patients data through wearables and biometric sensors.##Healthcare providers can tell if the health of a patient at home is declining,
That s exactly what#Sanaria, a biotechnology founded in 2003 by long-time malaria researcher Stephen Hoffman and based in a suburb of Washington,
So two years ago, Sanaria began working with theharvard Biorobotics Lab#to develop a robot that could do the work faster.
Genetic studies have shown that people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to have mutations in the gene that encodes a protein called insulin-degrading enzyme, or IDE.
are compounds far smaller than less common biological medicines like antibodies. They are developed using libraries of thousands or millions of known chemical substances.
if it has desired a effect on a biological target, such as an enzyme or other protein known to be involved in a disease.
Of particular interest will be synthetic biology, which allows efficiently reprogramming unicellular life to make fuels, byproducts accessible from organic chemistry and smart devices.
Livestock biometrics: Collars with GPS, RFID and biometrics can automatically identify and relay vital information about the livestock in real time.
Scientifically viable in 2017; mainstream and financially viable in 2020. Crop sensors: Instead of prescribing field fertilization before application,
The creation of entirely new strains of food animals and plants in order to better address biological and physiological needs.
Synthetic biology: Synthetic biology is about programming biology using standardized parts as one programs computers using standardized libraries today.
Includes the broad redefinition and expansion of biotechnology, with the ultimate goals of being able to design,
build and remediate engineered biological systems that process information, manipulate chemicals, fabricate materials and structures,
produce energy, provide food, and maintain and enhance human health and our environment. Scientifically viable in 2013;
Some, like atopic dermatitis, remain poorly understood. he ability to obtain an unlimited number of genetically identical units can be used to study a range of conditions where the skin barrier is defective due to mutations in genes involved in skin barrier formation.
3d printed biological tissue 3d printing capabilities are limited rather despite the excitement that 3-D printing has generated.
A group at Princeton university has printed a bionic ear, combining biological tissue and electronics, while a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge has printed retinal cells to form complex eye tissue.
Most recently, her group printed biological tissue interwoven with a complex network of blood vessels. To do this, the researchers had to make inks out of various types of cells
and began working with biological cells and tissues for the first time, she hoped to treat them the same way as materials composed of synthetic particles.
Printing blood vessels was an encouraging step toward artificial tissues capable of the complex biological functions found in organs.
Tsai lab generated a transgenic mouse model, which enabled researchers to prevent the production of p25 without altering other proteins with essential roles in brain development.
says Daniel Levner, a bioengineer at the Wyss Institute at Harvard university. Levner and his colleagues at Bar Ilan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel, made the nanobots by exploiting the binding properties of DNA.
and control of the nanobots is equivalent to a computer system. his is the first time that biological therapy has been able to match how a computer processor works,
like a living cockroach, says Ángel Goñi Moreno of the National Center for Biotechnology in Madrid,
said Sachin Patel, M d.,Ph d.,the paper senior author and professor of Psychiatry and of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics.
materials scientist Jennifer Lewisand her team created a patch of tissue containing skin cells and biological structural material interwoven with blood-vessel-like structures.
A gelatin-based ink acts as extracellular matrixhe structural mix of proteins and other biological molecules that surrounds cells in the body.
then we want to harness biology to do the rest of the work, says Lewis. Via Technology Revie
Stanford Helen Blau, director of the Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell biology, studies a more banal
At a biological level, the stem cells that repair muscle damage lose their ability with age to generate new muscle fibers.
Phd, a professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at the university. The technology involve a head-mounted display, custom video technology,
With the selection of suitable bacteria for the device helped biology-students from Delft University of Technology.
However, biologists, cooperating with designer, will help increase the lamp operating time to an acceptable level in the near future.
allows Medifocus to partner up with other biotech companies in helping to develop and commercialize targeted thermoactivated/released drugs and gene products which,
An expert on sustainable agriculture and the potential environmental risks of biotechnology Mellon holds a doctorate in molecular biology and a law degree.
Genetic engineering has yet to play an important role in drought tolerance. Only this year did agricultural biotech company Monsanto introduce its first drought tolerant seed variety Droughtgard.
According to the Monsanto website the variety has produced a five-bushel (or about 4 percent) yield advantage in field tests against competitor hybrids.
However successful crop genetics might be new plant varieties cannot compensate for the deficiencies in systems.
The paper may have more relevance for our understanding of biogeochemical cycles internal to the oceans.
"The research was published online today (April 8) in the journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics s
#Why Does Less Meat Mean Less Heat?(Op-Ed) Josh Balk is food policy director at The Humane Society of the United states (HSUS.
The microscope was designed originally for the lab of Nobel prize-winning U human genetics professor, Mario R. Capecchi,
large field-of-view and implantable features will allow researchers to use this in fields ranging from biochemistry to mining. b
and University of Lund microbiologist Tobias Olofsson says in a press release. When used alive these 13 lactic acid bacteria produce the right kind of antimicrobial compounds as needed depending on the threat.
"Silk Leaf is the first man-made biological leaf, "claimed Melchiorri.""It's very light, low energy-consuming,
it's completely biological.""The potential applications for the invention are countless. Aside from producing oxygen for astronauts,
"Dr. Geoffrey Ling, director of DARPA's Biological Technologies Office, said in a statement. The program aims to provide a more sophisticated alternative to prosthetic devices such as the split-hook device invented in 1912.
#Freaky engineered organism has 6-letter DNA in its genetic code The first report of a bacterium
whose genome contains man-made DNA building blocks opens the door for tailor-made organisms that could be used to produce new drugs and other products.
"What we have done is successfully store increased information in the DNA of a living cell,"study leader Floyd Romesberg, a chemical biologist at The Scripps Research Institute in La jolla,
Biomimicry: 7 Clever Technologies Inspired By nature DNA alphabet The field of synthetic biology involves tinkering with DNA to create organisms capable of novel functions in medicine, energy and other areas.
The DNA alphabet consists of four letters, or bases: adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine (A t, G and C). Adenine pairs with thymine,
RNA is a genetic material similar to DNA, except it has a different chemical backbone and replaces the base thymine with uracil (U). Living things translate DNA into proteins through a series of steps.
Now that the scientists have demonstrated an organism can incorporate artificial DNA letters into its genome, the next step will be showing it can convert the DNA into new proteins,
"The research paves the way for"designer"organisms with custom-made genomes that are capable of performing useful tasks, like making drugs.
which have man-made DNA sequences in their genomes. The researchers are now working on expanding the DNA alphabet of yeast cells,
To measure gene activity the researchers used a powerful tool known as a DNA MICROARRAY which yields a quantitative measurement of the activity of every gene in the human genome simultaneously about 20000 genes in total.
The team compared these gene activity results with data from other species in particular the mouse brain.
Examples from the prenatal gene expression (left) and reference (right) atlases. Image: Allen Institute for Brain science) The map of a healthy developing brain also provides clues to the origin of developmental disorders such as autism the researchers said.
#Synthetic yeast chromosome paves the way for designer genomes A chunk of the genetic blueprint for yeast has been created
and joined them together to create a synthetic version of a chromosome the structure that contains DNA inside cells from brewer's yeast.
The ability to create such chromosomes is a major step for the field of synthetic biology which aims to engineer microbes to produce useful products.
For me one of most exciting aspects is the fact that we've so extensively edited the sequence of natural chromosome
and then synthesized the entire thing from scratch said study leader Jef Boeke a synthetic biologist at NYU Langone Medical center who was previously at Johns hopkins university.
How Synthetic Yeast Chromosome Was created Boeke was leader of the study detailed on March 27 in the journal Science.
and biofuels and the ability to create custom-made yeast would provide useful too for the biotech industry.
To create the artificial chromosome Boeke and his team used computer software to design a modified version of yeast chromosome III which they called syniii
and incorporated it into brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). They chose this chromosome because it is the smallest of yeast's 16 chromosomes controlling how the cells mate
and experience genetic changes. It took the researchers seven years to stitch together the synthetic chromosome from pieces of DNA.
The language of DNA consists of four letters A t G and C which form bonds called base pairs.
The syniii chromosome contains 272871 base pairs slightly fewer than the 316617 base pairs in chromosomes of native yeast or natural yeast on
which the simulated one is based. Undergraduate students at Johns hopkins university did much of the work fusing together short pieces of DNA into longer segments as part of a class project
and some of these former students were co-authors on the study Unraveling the Human genome: 6 Molecular Milestones Boeke's team made more than 500 tweaks to the native genome removing repeated sections
and so-called junk DNA (not known to encode proteins the molecules that perform vital tasks inside cells) including so-called jumping genes
which randomly move around in the chromosome. The researchers also added tags to the DNA to label it as native or synthetic.
The completed chromosome was remarkably normal Boeke said adding that the yeast with the synthetic DNA behave almost identically to wild yeast cells.
Using a technique known as scrambling the scientists can shuffle the yeast genes like a deck of cards.
In recent years scientists have created synthetic chromosomes from bacteria and viruses but this is the first time anyone has built a chromosome from a eukaryote an organism
whose cells have nuclei. Craig Venter and his team at the J. Craig Venter Institute who created the first synthetic bacterium in 2010 praised the new achievement.
This work is another remarkable example of how synthetic biology can be used to rewrite chromosome sequences at a sizable scale Venter
The research will lead to a better understanding of the rules of genome structure and behavior in yeast one of the most important model systems for understanding biological processes they added.
Ultimately the researchers plan to synthesize a complete yeast genome with all 16 chromosomes. Boeke's team plans to synthesize larger chromosomes
and do it faster and more cheaply. Despite its utility the work poses questions about the ethics of creating man-made genomes especially in more complex organisms such as animals.
There will always be challenges to new ideas and new ways of doing things and concerns some very legitimate about safety matters Boeke said.
and animals for a long time spanning from selective breeding to transgenic species he added. Right now the cost of synthesizing chromosomes is prohibitively high
but that could change if the technology improves Boeke said. He predicts that designer mini-chromosomes will be developed first building on gene therapy
which seeks to treat diseases by replacing defective genes with functional ones. Synthesizing plant and animal genomes is a long way off Boeke said
but the day will come. Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitter and Google+.+Follow us@livescience Facebook & Google+.
They have coaxed bacterial cells to produce biofilms that incorporate nonliving materials, essentially creating"living materials"that can be integrated into everyday objects and devices, from solar panels to adjustable furniture,
Timothy Lu, an assistant professor of electrical engineering and biological engineering.""It an interesting way of thinking about materials synthesis,
for the research because it naturally produces biofilms that contain so-called"curli fibers, "which are amyloid proteins that attach to surfaces.
Researchers then programmed the E coli cells to produce biofilms with the conducting properties of gold nanowires.
thus having the ability to change the composition of their biofilms over time.""It a really simple system but what happens over time is you get curli that increasingly labeled by gold particles.
and biofilms with enzymes that catalyze the breakdown of cellulose could be used for the conversion of agricultural waste into biofuels.
"I think this is really fantastic work that represents a great integration of synthetic biology and materials engineering,"said Lingchong You, an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke university i
#Poop-powered airport shuttle bus hits the road in the U k. A supermarket powered by its own expired comestibles.
Importance for biology One classical way to image smaller objects without using entangled photons is to use shorter and shorter wavelengths of light.
The Japanese scientists said their research is especially important for applications in optics and biology."
"It is a very powerful tool to investigate transparent samples such as biological tissues, and, in particular, living cells, without them being damaged by intense probe light,
as biologists and doctors are unlikely to be prepared to wait hours for an image to form. o
The researchers on the July expedition will study bioluminescence and biofluorescence in the mesopelagic zone found at 656 to 3281 feet (200 to 1000 m) below the ocean's surface where light is dim
Bioluminescence is created the light by living organisms through a chemical reaction in the creatures'bodies. Biofluorescence on the other hand occurs
Biomimicry: 7 Clever Technologies Inspired By nature The simplicity is the beauty of this technology said Ray Baughman a chemist at the University of Texas at Dallas
One of the studies'co-authors stem-cell research Yoshiki Sasai with the RIKEN Center for Developmental biology in Japan told Nature that this discovery is amazing.
The idea came from another biologist at the same facility Haruko Obokata who says it took her five years to persuade her colleagues that this technique would work.
In the latest example of biomimicry or science is inspired by nature a team of researchers in California have turned to cats
and biological applications he said s
#$1. 7 million personal submarine lets you'fly'underwater Adventurers with deep pockets can now explore the hidden depths of the ocean,
#FDA ready to regulate transgenic animals: Nature News The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has adopted a policy that will govern approval of the use of genetically engineered animals.
In the interim, researchers have pushed forward with plans to develop a wide range of transgenic animals,
whether the FDA has the necessary expertise to evaluate the environmental risks posed by transgenic animals,
That approach could end up backfiring for the FDA and for companies developing transgenic animals, Gurian-Sherman argues,
Biologists knew that bony fish a group that includes most fish apart from cartilaginous ones such as sharks
is launched today at the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Institute in Nairobi, which is leading the initiative.
the Wellcome Trust has joined forces with the Indian government's Department of Biotechnology to fund postdoctoral researchers in the country through a new,
pointing to possibilities such as screening large numbers of biological samples or laboratory animals all at once.""Giving people a new degree of freedom will hopefully lead to things that we haven't thought of at all. f
Nature News Genome sequences of the cold virus could reveal new secrets behind its prowess. Heidi Ledford Rhinvirus capsid A human rhinovirus capsidj-Y Sgro/UW Madison Bang in the middle of sniffle season, researchers have released the full genome sequences of more than 100 strains of the viruses
responsible for most common colds. The viruses all belong to the rhinovirus family, and have RNA genomes. Their sequences, published this week in Science1,
could be used to design new therapies against colds or to determine, for example, why one strain can cause more severe symptoms than another."
"Sniffle-omics All this havoc is caused by a tiny virus only about 30 nanometres in diameter, with a genome that is a mere 7,
000 bases long a minute speck compared with the human genome, which has more than three billion bases.
Although the genomes of a few strains of cold virus had been sequenced, no one had compiled the full sequences of the 99 strains frequently studied by researchers.
Rhinovirus genome tree The human rhinovirus genome tree (click for larger image. Science Liggett, Palmenberg and their colleagues decided to fill this gap by sequencing the reference-library strains,
and the previously reported HRV-C genomes with one another to look for patterns and evolutionary relationships (see human rhinovirus genome tree, right).
The results suggest that three of the strains may comprise a further new rhinovirus species. The sequences also indicate that
the viruses may exchange portions of their genomes a phenomenon that, until now, had not been described in rhinoviruses.
In addition, all of the strains have extremely variable RNA sequences in one specific region of the genome.
Palmenberg also believes that the genome is structured to allow ribosomes the molecular machines that read RNA and produce a protein,
to rapidly skip over regions of the genome that do not code for proteins. The mechanism may make the viruses more competitive by allowing them to synthesize their proteins more quickly,
variable viral genome sequences may not prove to be the primary determinant of virulence.""Ultimately, the immune status of the patient may have a greater impact,
he remembered a paper he had read more than a decade earlier about HIV resistance in people who carry a specific genetic mutation.
The mutation is a short deletion in the CCR5 gene. The gene encodes a receptor that HIV uses to enter immune cells called CD4+T cells.
About 1%of the European population carries the CCR5 mutation in both copies of the CCR5 gene,
making such people much less likely to contract the virus . If H tter could replace his patient's immune cells with cells that lacked the CCR5 receptor,
his patient might be less susceptible to HIV infection. The patient had 80 matches in the bone-marrow registries of the German Bone marrow Donor Center,
and H tter reasoned that one of those matches might also carry CCR5 mutations. Donor number 61 turned out to be the one,
In addition, there is another strain of HIV that does not use CCR5 receptors to invade cells.
One CCR5 inhibitor, called maraviroc, is made by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer and is approved for use in the United states and Europe.
Other companies are busy developing additional CCR5-targeting drugs. Unfortunately, maraviroc does not completely prevent the virus from binding to CCR5,
and it can only be used in combination with other antiretrovirals. Basically HIV can find its way around the drug and still use CCR5
says Riley, who adds that the virus might outcompete the inhibitor, or may be able to bind to a different region of CCR5 than the drug.
Others are trying gene therapy approaches to prevent CCR5 from being made at all. For example, Riley has been collaborating with Sangamo Biosciences,
a biotechnology company based in Richmond, California, to determine whether the company's technique for snipping out targeted genes could be used to delete the CCR5 gene.
Sangamo announced last week that it has launched a Phase I clinical trial that will involve removing a sample of the participant's T cells,
deleting the CCR5 gene, and then infusing the cells back into the patient. The trial is a first step towards ascertaining the safety of the technique not its efficacy
and participants will not be conditioned to destroy their unmodified T cells s
#What causes schizophrenia?:Nature News Findings from a'brain training'study challenge theory. Researchers in Sweden have revealed a surprising change in brain biochemistry that occurs during the training of working memory,
a buffer that stores information for the few second required to solve problems or even to understand what we are reading.
The discovery may have implications for understanding disorders in which working memory is deficient such as schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD.
"Many findings of altered brain biochemistry may simply reflect the patients'inattentiveness, he says. Klingberg says that his team's results may also have practical implications for training working memory.
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