Current Biotechnology News Shorts Jan 2005 - Present
Biotech News Archives:
5/99 - 8/99 ~ 9/99 to 3/00 ~ 04/00 to 10/00
11/00 to 12/01 ~ 01/02 to 12/02 ~ 01/03 to 12/03 ~ 01/04 to 12/04

12/12/05
Mice Created With Human Brain Cells
(Associated Press) - Add another creation to the strange scientific menagerie where animal species are being mixed together in ever more exotic combinations. Scientists announced Monday that they had created mice with small amounts of human brain cells in an effort to make realistic models of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Led by Fred Gage of the Salk Institute in San Diego, the researchers created the mice by injecting about 100,000 human embryonic stem cells per mouse into the brains of 14-day-old rodent fetuses.

12/08/05
Gene doping inevitable but question is when: WADA
(Washington Post) - There probably isn't a tail-wagging gene or a face-licking gene. But there undoubtedly are groups of genes that explain why retrievers chase sticks, spaniels jump in the water at every opportunity, and border collies like to herd sheep and small children. The biological basis of the astonishing variety of behaviors of man's best friend is a big step closer to comprehension today with the publication of the dog's genome -- its 2.41 billion nucleotides, or DNA "letters."

12/03/05
Gene doping inevitable but question is when: WADA
(Reuters) - Changing genes to increase athletic performance, so-called gene doping, will inevitably happen so work has to start now to find tests for such changes, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Saturday. The agency, in charge of the fight against doping in sport, has called a meeting of about 40 scientists in Sweden's capital to look at gene therapy and the detection of gene doping.

11/18/05
Mental illness genetic risk found
(BBC News) - Researchers have uncovered more information about how genetics can determine the risk of schizophrenia and manic depression. Glasgow and Edinburgh University experts found damage to a gene involved in how the brain thinks increases risk.

11/18/05
Geneticists claim ageing breakthrough but immortality will have to wait
(The Guardian News) - A genetic experiment to unlock the secrets of the ageing process has created organisms that live six times their usual lifespan, raising hopes that it might be possible to slow ageing in humans. The geneticists behind the study say the increase in lifespan is so striking, they may have tapped into one of the most fundamental mechanisms that controls the rate at which living creatures age.

11/18/05
Gene that saves mice from being foolhardy identified
(The Guardian News) - Fear is all in the genes: mice lacking the gene stathmin become daredevils, unable to show the appropriate fear of predators or dangerous situations, according to a report in the journal Cell. "This is a major advance in the field of learning and memory that will allow for a better understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, borderline personality disorder and other human anxiety diseases," said Gleb Shumyatsky, a geneticist at Rutgers University, New Jersey, who led the work. "It will provide important information on how learned and innate fear is experienced and processed, and may point the way to apply new therapies."

11/17/05
Genes can be 'changed' by foods
(BBC News) - Several studies in rodents have shown that nutrients and supplements can change the genetics of animals by switching on or off certain genes. It is not clear whether foods do the same in humans, but an article in New Scientist says there is good reason to believe they do.

11/17/05
Food may be new weapon to beat cancer and schizophrenia
(The Guardian News) - Food could become the new weapon in the fight against diseases such as schizophrenia, Huntingdon's and cancer. Scientists have shown that giving rats simple chemicals can change their behaviour by altering the way their genes work. Many diseases are caused by mutations in DNA or faults in gene expression, the process by which a gene is "turned on" to perform different functions in the body. It was thought that gene expression was fixed, but Moshe Szyf and Michael Meaney at McGill University in Montreal have shown that gene expression can be altered well into adulthood, paving the way for treatments which can block the action of harmful genes.

11/10/05
Down Syndrome Now Detectable In 1st Trimester
(Washington Post) - A first-trimester screening test can reliably identify fetuses likely to be born with Down syndrome, providing expectant women with that information much earlier in a pregnancy than current testing allows, according to a major study being released today. The eagerly awaited study of more than 38,000 U.S. women -- the largest ever conducted -- found that the screening method, which combines a blood test with an ultrasound exam, can pinpoint many fetuses with the common genetic disorder 11 weeks after conception. That allows women to decide sooner whether to undergo the riskier follow-up testing needed to confirm the diagnosis.

11/07/05
World's next fuel source could be designer organisms
(NEWS.com) - J. Craig Venter, who gained worldwide fame in 2000 when he mapped the human genetic code, is behind a new start-up called Synthetic Genomics, which plans to create new types of organisms that, ideally, would produce hydrogen, secrete nonpolluting heating oil or be able to break down greenhouse gases. The initial focus will be on creating "biofactories" for hydrogen and ethanol, two fuels seen as playing an increasing role in powering cars in the future. Hydrogen also holds promise for heating homes and putting juice into electronic devices.

10/27/05
Fears over transplant DNA mix-ups
(BBC News) - New Scientist reports on an Alaska case in which a man was linked to an attack, based on DNA obtained with blood tests, but had been in jail at the time. It transpired the sex attack had been carried out by his brother, who had donated bone marrow to his sibling in a transplant some years earlier.

10/26/05
Gene map points to personal drugs
(BBC News) - Scientists have completed a map of the most common differences in the human genome, which could lead to personalised treatments for diseases. An international team mapped the entire genome of 269 people, and identified tiny differences in key areas of DNA.

10/14/05
Private companies own human gene patents
(The Guardian News) - Nearly a fifth of all human genes have been patented - the majority by private biotechnology companies, according to a survey of patent records published today. The extent to which companies claim ownership of human genes has raised alarm among researchers and led to warnings that by asserting commercial rights over crucial genes, companies risk stifling research into diseases such as breast cancer, diabetes and obesity.

10/11/05
Cancer drugs drive up Genentech profit
(San Francisco Chronicle) - Strong sales growth for two key cancer products pushed third-quarter profit up 56 percent for South San Francisco biotechnology leader Genentech Inc., the company said Monday. Sales of Avastin, a colon cancer drug, rose 78 percent since the third quarter of 2004, while the firm's treatment for breast cancer, Herceptin, scored a 70 percent sales increase.

10/01/05
Single gene 'skin cancer cause'
(BBC News) - A team from Barts and the London Queen Mary's School of Medicine in London used gene chip array technology to identify the key skin cancer gene. The technology allows scientists to look at thousands of genes at once, helping to pinpoint the role played by individual ones in much greater detail.

09/24/05
Bill Would Permit DNA Collection From All Those Arrested
(Washington Post) - Suspects arrested or detained by federal authorities could be forced to provide samples of their DNA that would be recorded in a central database under a provision of a Senate bill to expand government collection of personal data. The controversial measure was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week and is supported by the White House, but has not gone to the floor for a vote. It goes beyond current law, which allows federal authorities to collect and record samples of DNA only from those convicted of crimes.

08/22/05
Gene Linked to Age-Related Blindness
(Health Day News) - A variation in a single gene is strongly associated with an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of untreatable blindness in the elderly, according to a new study. Based on the finding, a simple test might be developed that could help identify people at risk for this condition, speculate researchers at the University of Pittsburgh. They believe that identification of the PLEKHA1 gene may also help researchers find more effective ways to prevent this ocular degeneration.

08/16/05
DNA tests offer clues to suspect's race
(USA Today) - Police seeking the killer of an unidentified girl who was found decapitated in Kansas City, Mo., four years ago kept a secret from the public. The child, dubbed "Precious Doe" by local residents, appeared to be black. But new DNA tests that can determine a person's heritage indicated she was of mixed ancestry — about 40% white. That meant she almost certainly had a white grandparent.

08/11/05
Rice Genome Fully Mapped
(Washington Post) - Scientists have completed a genetic map of the rice plant, a scientific milestone that they hope will accelerate efforts to feed the hungry by improving the world's most important food. Rice is the first crop plant whose complete genetic sequence, or genome, has been compiled and placed in computer data banks around the world. It will be a key tool for researchers working on improved strains of rice and other grains as they struggle to stay ahead of human population growth.

07/12/05
Genentech profit rockets 73%
(San Francisco Chronicle) - Profit for South San Francisco biotechnology giant Genentech Inc. leapt 73 percent in the second quarter as sales of its growing stable of cancer drugs continued to rise. Genentech's operating revenue rose 35 percent to more than $1.5 billion for the quarter ending June 30 as sales climbed not only for the company's newer drugs, but also for its mainstay oncology products.

07/05/05
Twin Data Highlight Genetic Changes
(Washington Post) - A mysterious biological mechanism that subtly changes the way people's genes behave may account for many of the surprising differences between identical twins, researchers announced yesterday. Geneticists said the new work, by an international team of scientists who studied the DNA of more than 40 pairs of twins, strengthens the case that a fledgling research field called epigenetics holds the long-sought answer to one of biology's toughest questions: How do environmental influences, such as exposure to pollutants, consumption of certain foods or perhaps even powerful emotional experiences, produce lasting and potentially life-altering changes in a person's DNA?

07/01/05
Arsenic toxicity may vary, depending on genes
(Reuters Health) - NEW YORK — Some children with particular genetic patterns appear to process arsenic differently, suggesting that they may be more -- or less -- vulnerable to its effects, according to new study findings. Researchers found that children who carry a certain variation of the CYT19 gene tend to break down arsenic differently than children with different variations of the same gene.

06/28/05
Bayer signs genetic technology deal with UK firms
(Reuters) - FRANKFURT — Bayer HealthCare's (BAYG.DE) diagnostics division has entered into an agreement with two British firms to develop a technology that could help predict the genetic likelihood of disease, it said on Tuesday. Bayer HealthCare, a subsidiary of German drug and chemical maker Bayer, said it would also use the technology to develop tests that could better target the treatment of disease by matching it to a person's unique genetic make-up.

06/24/05
Universities gird for battle for bioscience supremacy
(USA TODAY) - SAN FRANCISCO — Universities nationwide are racing to lure top biotech scientists and research dollars, resources that could fuel one of this century's most promising industries. Perhaps nowhere is the outcome more crucial than in the bicoastal battle pitting Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology against Stanford and the University of California in San Francisco. The prize goes well beyond bragging rights. Billions in government-research dollars are up for grabs. Schools could earn millions in royalties paid by biotech start-ups licensing campus lab discoveries. Those start-ups — often launched in a university's backyard — could create thousands of high-paying jobs for executives, attorneys and other professionals churning out cancer drugs, pest-free crops and other biotech goods.

06/17/05
Genes may hold key to late motherhood -study
(Reuters) - Why can some 45-year-olds easily have a baby while much younger women have difficulty becoming pregnant? The answer, say Israeli researchers, could lie in their genes. Having a naturally conceived child past the age of 45 is rare. But Dr Neri Laufer of the Haddassah University Hospital in Jerusalem has discovered that some of those older mothers seem to have a distinct genetic profile.

06/17/05
Epilepsy, Schizophrenia May Share Genetic Link
(HealthDay News) - People with a history of epilepsy are at increased risk for schizophrenia and the two conditions may share common environmental or genetic causes, a Danish study suggests. "We think that this study is the first, on a population level, to show that a family history of epilepsy increased the risk of schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like psychosis even after adjusting for the effects of personal history of epilepsy and other factors," researchers at the University of Aarhus conclude in the June 17 online issue of the British Medical Journal.

05/14/05
New Biotech Drugs Are Producing Gains Against Cancer
(New York Times) - ORLANDO, Fla., May 13 - New drugs developed using the tools of biotechnology are helping prevent relapses among cancer patients and prolonging some lives, cancer specialists said Friday at the opening of the biggest annual conference devoted to treatment of the disease. Much of the attention at this year's meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology is directed at "targeted therapies," which take aim at the underlying molecular mechanisms that prompt tumor growth.

05/03/05
Fastest-evolving genes in humans and chimps revealed
(New Scientist) - The most comprehensive study to date exploring the genetic divergence of humans and chimpanzees has revealed that the genes most favoured by natural selection are those associated with immunity, tumour suppression, and programmed cell death. These genes show signs of positive natural selection in both branches of the evolutionary tree and are changing more swiftly than would be expected through random mutation alone. Lead scientist Rasmus Nielsen and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, examined the 13,731 chimp genes that have equivalent genes with known functions in humans. Research in 2003 revealed that genes involved with smell, hearing, digestion, long bone growth, and hairiness are undergoing positive natural selection in chimps and humans. The new study has found that the strongest evidence for selection is related to disease defence and apoptosis - or programmed cell death - which is linked to sperm production.

04/28/05
Law Lords uphold 'designer babies' to treat genetic disorders
LONDON (AFP) - The Law Lords, the five-judge panel that acts as Britain's supreme court, ruled that the creation of so-called "designer babies" to treat siblings with genetic disorders was lawful. In a unanimous decision Thursday, the justices upheld an Appeal Court judgement in April 2003 which overturned a ban on the use of controversial fertility treatment to help save the life of a terminally-ill boy. The boy's parents, Raj and Shahana Hashmi, did go ahead with the treatment to produce a sibling, hoping to have a baby with the same tissue type as their son Zain in order to treat his rare blood disorder. Their attempt failed tragically when Mrs Hashmi suffered a miscarriage. The case was taken to the Law Lords by a campaigning group, Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE), which argued that the whole concept of "designer babies" was against English law.

04/20/05
Rice fungus genome holds out hope for hungry millions
(AFP) - PARIS, April 20 (AFP) - Scientists have unravelled the genome of the rice plant's greatest fungal menace, a harvest-wrecking foe that each year destroys the potential to feed 60 million people. Magnaporthe grisea is the first pathogenic plant fungus to have its genetic code unravelled, a feat that the researchers hope will open the way to newer, smarter and less damaging weapons against this menace. M. grisea, also called rice blast, comprises windborne spores that stick to the leaves of the rice plant thanks to a special adhesive on the spore tip. As it germinates, the spore breeds a dome-shaped infection structure called an "appressorium," whose task is to infect the plant.

04/19/05
Researchers Identify 'Death from Cancer' Genes
(Reuters) - A set of 11 genes -- dubbed the "death from cancer signature" -- can identify people at the highest risk of dying from cancer, according to research presented on Tuesday. The genes are associated with cell multiplication and renewal in both stem cells and 10 different types of cancer, according to a study by a team from the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in San Diego. The 11 genes will alert physicians to those patients who are at much higher risk for metastatic complications and more severe cancer, Dr. Gennadi Glinksy, associate professor at the cancer center, said in a statement. The gene panel can also identify patients who are least likely to respond to conventional cancer therapies, according to the research, presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, California.

04/18/05
Industry invests in students -- its future workers
(Boston Globe) - WEYMOUTH -- Erin Bengiovanni's high school biology students still dissect frogs. Now they also dissect DNA. Her sophomores use laboratory equipment to separate pieces of dye-stained DNA drawn from bacteria, a technique known as ''gel electrophoresis." The process has given rise to the state's growing biotechnology industry. But it also captures students' attention because of popular television programs, Bengiovanni said. ''This is the stuff kids see on TV all the time," she said. "They're telling me, 'It's just like on 'CSI." As at dozens of other schools around the state, some of Weymouth High's DNA-separation equipment comes from an industry-funded effort to promote biotechnology education. Facing a keen shortage of trained workers, drug developers led by Genzyme Corp. of Cambridge and Serono Inc., the Rockland unit of Switzerland's Serono SA, have put up hundreds of thousands of dollars to install more equipment in the state's high schools.

04/13/05
DNA project to trace human steps
(BBC News) - A project spanning five continents is aiming to map the history of human migration via DNA. The Genographic Project will collect DNA samples from over 100,000 people worldwide to help piece together a picture of how the Earth was colonised. Samples gathered from indigenous people and the general public will be subjected to lab and computer analysis to extract the valuable genetic data. Team leader Dr Spencer Wells calls the plan "the Moon shot of anthropology".

03/21/05
Traffic fumes linked to DNA damage
(Yahoo News) - PARIS (AFP) - Traffic fumes can damage DNA, according to a study of toll-booth workers at a busy highway in Taiwan. Researchers led by Lai Ching-Huang of Taiwan's National Defence Medical Centre took blood and urine samples from 47 workers at the First Highway toll station, located 10 kilometers (six miles) from the capital, Taipei. The samples were compared with those from a reference group comprising 27 female office workers.

03/16/05
Female chromosome has X factor
(BBC News) - Females are genetically more varied than males, an analysis of the X chromosome has revealed. A large team of scientists has published a detailed profile of the DNA bundle in Nature magazine. They found that female mammals, who possess two copies of the X chromosome, express more genes than males, who only have one X and a Y chromosome.

03/12/05
Gene blamed for eyesight threat
(BBC News) - Half of all cases of an eye disease which is a leading cause of blindness are caused by a faulty gene, US scientists suggest. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects 500,000 people in the UK. The team behind the study, published in Science, say it could lead to new ways of preventing and treating AMD.

03/07/05
Ageing disease 'gene clue' found
(BBC News) - National Cancer Institute researchers were able to correct inaccurate genetic information in the cells taken from people with the condition. Writing in Nature Medicine, they say the discovery could aid the development of gene therapy for the condition. Writing in Nature Medicine, they say the discovery could aid the development of gene therapy for the condition. But the research will not help halt the natural ageing process.

02/20/05
Genes reveal abundant past of Antarctic whales
(New Scientist) - A new genetic study has revealed that the Antarctic minke whale may have been much more abundant before whaling began than previous estimates suggest. The DNA survey of whale meat purchased in Japanese grocery stores reveals that the species has the most genetically diverse population of any whale, indicating the species historically had a population of between 500,000 and one million individuals. The finding is significant because Japanese delegates to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) have previously argued that recent surges in minke whale numbers are unprecedented.

02/17/05
DNA map to help target new drugs
(BBC News) - Scientists have published data on over one million crucial DNA variations in three racial groups, paving the way for "individualised" medicines. Since a drug may work better for some people and not others, doctors could eventually use blood tests to provide targeted treatments for each patient. But others fear the information could be used to discriminate against people on the basis of their genes. Details of the research, by a team from California, appear in Science magazine.

02/13/05
U.S. Denies Patent for a Too-Human Hybrid
(Washington Post) - A New York scientist's seven-year effort to win a patent on a laboratory-conceived creature that is part human and part animal ended in failure Friday, closing a historic and somewhat ghoulish chapter in American intellectual-property law. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected the claim, saying the hybrid -- designed for use in medical research but not yet created -- would be too closely related to a human to be patentable.

02/10/05
Scientists to barcode life on Earth
(Guardian Unlimited) - Scientists from 25 countries today took the first step towards the genetic fingerprinting of almost all life on Earth. A "barcode of life" project will record the sequence of just one vital gene shared by birds, mammals, fish, plants and other organisms, to provide a kind of biometric identity card for millions of species by 2010. The scientists will start with the 1.7 million species already described and named. It will have an immediate payoff. Entomologists will be able to link accidental insect invaders at airports to the rogue's gallery of known crop pests, and environmental officers will be able to tell whether fillets of fish or joints of meat have been illegally taken from protected species.

02/07/05
Power tools for the gene age. New test can help doctors in prescribing medications
(San Francisco Chronicle) - One day a doctor might hold off on prescribing you a drug until your genes get the once-over in a device made by Affymetrix. The Santa Clara company that pioneered the use of the gene chip -- a DNA-scanning system for genetic research -- is now the first to adapt such technology for the diagnosis of individual patients.

02/01/05
A 'gene's kiss' turns on puberty
(BBC News) - Scientists say they have found the genetic switch that turns on puberty. It all starts with a molecule called kisspeptin, which wakes up the reproductive hormones from their childhood hibernation. The University of Pittsburgh team believe kisspeptin switches on a recently discovered puberty gene, called GPR54. The findings could help treat puberty disorders, they told Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

01/31/05
Non-sex genes 'link to gay trait'
(BBC News) - Multiple genes - and not just the sex chromosomes - are important in sexual orientation, say US scientists. A University of Illinois team, which has screened the entire human genome, say there is no one 'gay' gene. Writing in the journal Human Genetics, they said environmental factors are also likely to be involved. The findings add to the debate over whether sexual orientation is a matter of choice. Campaigners say equality is the more important issue.

01/10/05
Super microbe's life code cracked
(BBC News) - Experts have deciphered the complete DNA sequence for one of the most infectious germs known to science. The Francisella tularensis bacterium is a candidate bioterror weapon, as it takes just 10 microbes to bring on disease in humans. The genome sequencing work is already speeding up the search for a vaccine against the potentially deadly bug. An international team, including UK Ministry of Defence scientists, report their findings in Nature Genetics.

01/07/05
Epilepsy gene identified in dogs
(BBC News) - Scientists have identified a faulty gene that causes epilepsy in dogs. The finding has allowed the researchers to develop a test that could soon help owners breed out the disease. But the discovery should also aid the quest to understand the more severe human form of the condition, Lafora disease, and other similar afflictions. The latest development, reported in Science magazine, is an example of how the human and dog genome projects are expected to benefit both species.

01/07/05
Gene determines risk of HIV/Aids
(BBC News) - The US National Institutes of Health team say their finding could lead to a screening test to determine someone's susceptibility to HIV/Aids. The gene the researchers studied is one which helps the body to fight the HIV virus. The research was published online by the journal Science. The gene encodes CCL3L1, a protein which blocks HIV which also interacts with CCR5 - a receptor protein that HIV uses as a doorway to enter and infect immune system blood cells.

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