Category Archives: Gene Medicine

Prospects for a DNA sequencing device that is the size of a USB memory stick sent IP Group hurtling up 12, or 11.9pc, to 113p almost a four-year high.

Small-cap IP, which commercialises intellectual property from universities, has a 21.5pc stake in Oxford Nanopore, a spin-out from the University of Oxford that has developed a portable gene sequencing device allowing people to analyse the building blocks of life on the go.

Monday was the first opportunity for investors to respond to Oxford Nanopore presenting its technology at a conference late on Friday, where it unveiled its “MiniON”, a disposable DNA sequencing device the size of a memory stick. The product could make sequencing which can help identify new targets for medicines and illuminate crop science simpler and cheaper.

Analysts at Peel Hunt described the technology as a “game-changer”, which has the “potential to accelerate delivery of personalised medicine to the masses”. They added that $1bn (£630m) was not a “ridiculous valuation” for Oxford Nanopore, but “with supportive private shareholders with deep pockets”, they thought that a flotation “may never happen”. As such, they tipped IP as the “key way to gain exposure to Oxford Nanopore’s value” and raised their target price to 160p from 112p.

Numis analysts went further on Oxford Nanopore’s value, calculating that it could be worth $2bn, or 69p to IP Group’s valuation. They lifted their target price on IP to 129p from 98p and lifted their rating to “buy”.

Back among the blue-chips, miners were hoisting the index higher. China’s move to spur growth by cutting the amount of cash banks must keep in reserve fuelled the miners as investors counted on the metal-hungry country using more raw materials.

Vedanta Resources (EUREX: VR9F.EX - news) rose 46p to £13.58 and iron ore miner Rio Tinto gained 84p to £37.06.

Weir Group (Other OTC: WEIGF.PK - news) , which makes pumps and valves for the mining sector, climbed 135p to £21.86 thanks to a push from Bank of America (NYSE: IKJ - news) -Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER - news) .

Among other resource stocks, oil producers were fuelled by a spurt in the price of oil after Iran said it had stopped selling crude to British and French companies. BP put on 10.3 to 499¼p. Also lifting the oil giant was the first government settlement involving the Macondo well at the centre of last year’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Mitsui’s Moex unit, a minority partner in the well, agreed a $90m settlement on Friday, spurring hopes that BP could yet settle before a trial into claims relating to the disaster begins next week.

The scent of M&A sparked a rise among some smaller oil companies as Friday’s news that Dragon Oil (Xetra: 877789 - news) was considering a tilt at BowLeven (LSE: BLVN.L - news) fuelled hopes that other explorers could attract a suitor. UBS (NYSEArca: DJCI - news) said it expected M&A read-across, although not necessarily with Dragon as a buyer, to be helpful for among others Premier Oil (LSE: PMO.L - news) , Soco International and Heritage Oil (Frankfurt: A0NG6K - news) . Premier (BSE: PREMIER.BO - news) rose 9 to 431.2p while Soco put on 1.6 to 315p, but Heritage eased 0.1 to 188.5p. BowLeven itself fell 1 to 119p.

With miners and oil giants on the march, the FTSE 100 (Euronext: VFTSE.NX - news) climbed 40.18 points to 5,945.25 its highest level in seven months and the FTSE 250 (FTSE: ^FTMC - news) jumped 108 points to 11,420.21. Lifting the market’s spirits were signs that Greece could be close to finalising its bail-out as finance ministers convened in Brussels.

That put a spring in the step of the banks, with Royal Bank of Scotland (LSE: RBS.L - news) gaining 0.88 to 28.48p and Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY.L - news) rising 0.89 to 36.35p. However, City scribblers remained circumspect ahead of the lenders’ annual results later this week. Nomura kept its “reduce” rating on both RBS and the Black Horse, while Ian Gordon, banking analyst at Investec (Frankfurt: A0J32R - news) , cut his rating on RBS to “hold”. “The house view is that the FTSE 100 will rally to 6,200 this year, and against this benchmark, following its strong year-to-date recovery, we now expect RBS to underperform,” he said. “As such, it is time to take profits take the money and run!”

As traders bought into riskier stocks, defensives missed out. Shire (Stuttgart: A0MMAG - news) lost 26p to £22.52 while Imperial Tobacco (LSE: IMT.L - news) shed 19p to £25.00.

On the second tier, CSR (LSE: CSR.L - news) was the out-and-out winner. Having unveiled plans to lift its dividend and buy back $50m of shares, the maker of microchips shot up 47.3 to 275p. Not far behind was Misys (Xetra: 944235.DE - news) , up 20½ to 330.1p. The software provider is already in talks about merging with Swiss peer Temenos, but Misys said yesterday that it had received a rival approach said to be worth £1.2bn from Vista Equity Partners.

Gaining ground too were a raft of housebuilders, with Persimmon (LSE: PSN.L - news) up 21 to 609p, Barratt Developments 5.1 higher at 130p and Taylor Wimpey (Dusseldorf: 408518.DU - news) rising 1.8 to 48¾p. Landlord Segro advanced 5.9 to 236.7p after selling five industrial estates to funds owned by Ignis Asset Management for £80.2m.

But traders lost their taste for The Restaurant Group . Having been cut to “reduce” by Numis, the owner of Frankie & Benny’s and Garfunkel’s slipped 5½ to 304.2p. “Trading during the last six weeks will not have been helped by increasing competition and unemployment as well as a 14.6pc decline in cinema box office takings,” said analysts.

Inmarsat (EUREX: ISAF.EX - news) loses ground over US deal payment

Inmarsat lost altitude as the satellite operator said that its American partner, LightSquared, had not paid a $56.3m (£35.5m) instalment due to the British company. Inmarsat, which is building a US mobile broadband service with Inmarsat’s spectrum, said it was scheduled to receive the payment from LightSquared after the completion of the first phase of their agreement. However, LightSquared said it had raised “several matters that require resolution before the first phase comes to a close”, adding that the terms of the agreement allow for additional time to resolve pending questions before the final payment is due. Inmarsat said its core business, which provides communications to shipping, aircraft and remote locations worldwide, was unaffected. But it shed 5.5 to 477.1p.

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Hopes for gene analysis device lift IP Group

They found that in mice in which they had removed the c-Maf gene in the nerve cells, touch sensation is impaired. This similarly applies to human carriers of a mutant c-Maf gene. People with such a mutation suffer already at a young age from cataracts, a clouding of the lens which typically affects the elderly. The patients, as demonstrated by Professor Carmen Birchmeier and Dr. Hagen Wende in collaboration with Professor Gary Lewin and Dr. Stefan Lechner, have difficulty holding objects such as a sheet of paper as a consequence of this mutation.

Professor Birchmeier, a developmental biologist, commented on the findings of her research group: "c-Maf is an important gene for the development of the peripheral nerve cells." The gene controls the development of neurons that detect touch, the mechanosensory neurons. Previously, c-Maf was known as a key regulator of lens development.

Furthermore, the gene is also active in the dorsal root ganglia, an aggregate of nerve cells next to the spinal cord in which the cell bodies of mechanosensory neurons are localized. The nerve cells form long axons, which terminate in the skin in touch corpuscles or at hair shafts. These axons detect mechanical stimuli, which in turn are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the brain. When you stroke your fingers over a surface, its structure triggers high-frequency vibrations in the finger, to which specific touch receptors, the Pacinian corpuscles, respond.

In mice with deactivated c-Maf gene only few Pacinian corpuscles are formed, and moreover these few are not intact. The mice are therefore unable to recognize high-frequency vibrations. The same is true for a Swiss family with an inherited mutant c-Maf gene. The consequence is that the affected patients develop cataracts at an early age and have an impaired sense of touch.

More information: Science Express, 16 February 2012. DOI:10.1126/science.1214314

Provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres (news : web)

Continue reading here:
The molecular basis of touch sensation: New function of a well-known gene identified

ScienceDaily (Feb. 21, 2012) — A gene known to control lens development in mice and humans is also crucial for the development of neurons responsible for mechanosensory function, as neurobiologists of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have now discovered. They found that in mice in which they had removed the c-Maf gene in the nerve cells, touch sensation is impaired.

This similarly applies to human carriers of a mutant c-Maf gene. People with such a mutation suffer already at a young age from cataracts, a clouding of the lens which typically affects the elderly. The patients, as demonstrated by Professor Carmen Birchmeier and Dr. Hagen Wende in collaboration with Professor Gary Lewin and Dr. Stefan Lechner, have difficulty holding objects such as a sheet of paper as a consequence of this mutation.

Professor Birchmeier, a developmental biologist, commented on the findings of her research group: "c-Maf is an important gene for the development of the peripheral nerve cells." The gene controls the development of neurons that detect touch, the mechanosensory neurons. Previously, c-Maf was known as a key regulator of lens development.

Furthermore, the gene is also active in the dorsal root ganglia, an aggregate of nerve cells next to the spinal cord in which the cell bodies of mechanosensory neurons are localized. The nerve cells form long axons, which terminate in the skin in touch corpuscles or at hair shafts. These axons detect mechanical stimuli, which in turn are converted into electrical signals and transmitted to the brain. When you stroke your fingers over a surface, its structure triggers high-frequency vibrations in the finger, to which specific touch receptors, the Pacinian corpuscles, respond.

In mice with deactivated c-Maf gene only few Pacinian corpuscles are formed, and moreover these few are not intact. The mice are therefore unable to recognize high-frequency vibrations. The same is true for a Swiss family with an inherited mutant c-Maf gene. The consequence is that the affected patients develop cataracts at an early age and have an impaired sense of touch.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

H. Wende, S. G. Lechner, C. Cheret, S. Bourane, M. E. Kolanczyk, A. Pattyn, K. Reuter, F. L. Munier, P. Carroll, G. R. Lewin, C. Birchmeier. The Transcription Factor c-Maf Controls Touch Receptor Development and Function. Science, 2012; DOI: 10.1126/science.1214314

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Read this article:
Molecular basis of touch sensation: Researchers identify new function of a well-known gene

02-11-2011 18:43 The new drug Kalydeco is being hailed as a breakthrough in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, targeting the underlying genetic cause of the disease decreasing the symptoms. Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

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04-01-2012 14:37 Chronic inflammation and the chemical silencing of tumor-suppressing genes each play roles in development and progression of colorectal cancer. Research published in Nature Medicine led by MD Anderson Provost Raymond DuBois, MD, Ph.D., connects the two factors by showing the inflammatory small molecule PGE2 silences genes via DNA methylation. http://www.nature.com

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Inflammation Shuts Down Cancer-Fighting Genes - Video

UK firm Oxford Nanopore has unveiled two new products that could revolutionise gene sequencing for science and medicine: a new DNA sequencer that could be able to handle a complete human genome in as little as 15 minutes, and a USB thumb drive that can read DNA directly from blood and in some cases with no sample preparation.

The two products were presented last week at a conference in Florida. The company says its nanopore 'strand sequencing' technique means that the four biochemical letters of DNA can be read more quickly and less expensively than by other established companies in the field.

The first product – GridION – is the size of a DVD player, and consists of an array of proprietary protein nanopores embedded in a robust polymer membrane. Individual strands of DNA are passed through a tiny hole in a cell membrane, known as a nanopore, allowing each GridION node to deliver tens of gigabytes of sequence data per 24 hour period.

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Nodes may be clustered to increase the number of nanopore experiments being conducted at any one time, if a faster time-to-result is required. For example, a 20-node installation using an 8,000 nanopore configuration would be expected to deliver a complete human genome in 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, the miniaturised MinION device is the size of a USB memory stick, and is designed for portable analysis of single molecules. Oxford Nanopore said the device's low cost, portability and ease of use are designed to make DNA sequencing universally accessible.

“The exquisite science behind nanopore sensing has taken nearly two decades to reach this point; a truly disruptive single molecule analysis technique, designed alongside new electronics to be a universal sequencing system,” said said Dr Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore. “GridION and MinION are poised to deliver a completely new range of benefits to researchers and clinicians.”

Oxford Nanopore intends to commercialise GridION and MinION directly to customers within 2012. A single MinION is expected to retail at less than $900 (£567), and a new model of versatile pricing schemes will be introduced for the GridION system, designed to deliver a price per base that is as competitive as other leading systems.

The DNA sequencing machines currently on the market, made by US companies Illumina and Life Technologies, are much bigger and take far longer. Life Technologies recently made a splash with its announcement of a machine that could read a whole human genome – 3bn DNA letters – for just $1,000 in less than a day.

“Oxford Nanopore’s technology platform is truly disruptive and game-changing and is poised to deliver new applications and general benefits to science and medicine,” said Alan Aubrey, chief executive of IP Group, which owns 21.5 percent of Oxford Nanopore. “The significance of this technology introduction is, in computing terms, analogous to moving from the mainframe to the laptop.”

Potential applications include screening genetic material, prenatal screening for genetic defects and diagnostic tests aimed at identifying genetic mutations that have applicability in agricultural, environmental and medical markets, according to Aubrey.

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Oxford Nanopore unveils minature DNA sequencer