Category Archives: Genetic Medicine

Genetically engineered microbes that might one day churn out biofuels, clean up toxic waste or generate new medicines need to be proved safe before they are released into the environment, a coalition of 111 environmental and social justice groups said Tuesday.

Led by the environmental advocacy group Friends of the Earth, the coalition also called for stronger government regulations over extreme genetic engineering and a moratorium on the commercial use and release of lab-created organisms.

Without proper safeguards, we risk letting synthetic organisms and their products out of the laboratory with unknown potential to disrupt ecosystems, threaten human health and undermine social, economic and cultural rights, the coalition said in a new report.

The technology to manipulate the genes of bacteria, yeast and other organisms has existed since the 1970s, leading to pest-resistant crops, bacteria that produce human insulin and other breakthroughs.

But in 2010, biologist J. Craig Venter announced that his institute had invented synthetic biology by transplanting the entire genome of one bacterium into a different species, which then reproduced. While not qualifying as an entirely new organism, the lab-built microbe did fuel concerns that this technology presented new and hard-to-quantify risks.

The White House jumped in, with the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues recommending in 2010 that federal agencies adopt a middle course that encouraged enhanced oversight and careful consideration of possible risks but no new laws or regulations.

Environmental groups say those measures dont go far enough.

The field is evolving incredibly rapidly in the face of almost no regulation, said Eric Hoffman of Friends of the Earth. A moratorium puts the brakes on to allow society time to decide which applications are okay and which arent.

Representatives of the biotechnology industry say that genetically modified organisms are already adequately regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Agriculture Department, the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies.

I think the reports kind of silly, frankly. It makes no sense to call for a moratorium, said Brett Erickson, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, a trade group. Weve been doing genetic engineering for 30years, and weve been doing it safely. People are hyping this as something new.

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Environmental groups call for tighter regulation of ‘extreme genetic engineering’

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Dublin - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/aaa990c9/research_report_on) has announced the addition of the "Research Report on Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Industry, 2012" report to their offering.

Antibody medicine is generally obtained from monoclonal antibody through genetic engineering, possessing the advantages of strong targeting and few drug side effects. At the present time, it is mainly used for the cure of tumor and immune system diseases and has good application prospects in clinical treatment. From the point of the global market, antibody medicine accounts for over 40% of the entire biotechnology medicine. With constant growth of the market share, antibody medicine has become the most important part of the biotechnology medicine, and monoclonal antibody medicine is the best-selling product in the antibody medicine. In 2010, in the 10 world's best-selling drugs, monoclonal antibody medicine took up 5, and the market sales revenue of each single product all exceeded USD 5 billion.

More following information can be acquired through this report:

- Development Course of Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

- Competition in Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

- Research and Development of Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

- Major Monoclonal Antibody Production Enterprises in Chinese Market

- Hot Products of Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

- Prediction on Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Market

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Research and Markets: Research Report on Chinese Monoclonal Antibody Industry, 2012

GDF has expanded its Medical & Scientific Advisory Board to keep the organization at the forefront of genomic medicine.

new york, NY (PRWEB) March 13, 2012

Dr. Schadt brings a bold new research approach, which is premised on studying multiple genes and biological processes through the use of advanced technology and computer models to develop a better understanding of disease causes and ultimately better diagnostics and treatment.

We are extremely pleased and privileged to welcome a thought-leader like Dr. Schadt to our Advisory Board, where he will help guide the organizations efforts, said Elisa Ross, GDF President. Its important that GDF stays at the very forefront of genomic medicine so that we can optimize use of funds and provide the most valuable information to others.

An expert in computational mathematics and sequencing technology, Dr. Schadts research at companies including Merck & Co. and Roche Biosciences has helped revolutionize the integration of genetic and molecular profiling data to construct predictive models of disease that have led to a number of discoveries relating to causes of common diseases. He currently maintains his position as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Pacific Biosciences, a third generation DNA sequencing company, where hes worked since 2009 overseeing the firms scientific strategy including creating the vision for next-generation sequencing applications of the companys technology. Dr. Schadt is also a founding member of Sage Bionetworks, an open access genomics initiative designed to build and support databases and an accessible platform for creating innovative, dynamic disease models.

Two Prominent Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialists Also Join GDF Medical & Scientific Advisory Board

GDF is also pleased to announce the recent addition of two prominent Mount Sinai physicians to its Medical & Scientific Advisory Board: Keith A. Eddleman, MD, Director of Obstetrics and a Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences and of Genetics and Genomic Sciences; and Joanne Stone, MD, Director of the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Director of Perinatal Ultrasound and a Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences. Both Dr. Eddleman and Dr. Stone are nationally recognized for their expertise in chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and ultrasound and have published extensively on areas related to high-risk pregnancies in medical journals and other publications.

Dr. Stone has a consultative and clinical practice and is also active in clinical research and education. Her areas of interest include ultrasound, fetal therapy, multi-fetal pregnancy reduction and prenatal diagnosis.

Dr. Eddleman is an expert and educator in maternal-fetal medicine and clinical genetics, specializing in reproductive genetics, ultrasound and diagnostic procedures.

Drs. Eddleman and Stone co-authored the books Pregnancy for Dummies and The Pregnancy Bible and will help guide GDF activities related to genetics and family planning.

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Genetic Disease Foundation (GDF) Welcomes Dr. Eric Schadt, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, to its Medical & Scientific ...

29-02-2012 17:00 Judi shares her family's story of Lynch Syndrome, including how it impacts her and her children as well as her interactions with her doctors. This workshop is part of a genomics curriculum for practicing healthcare providers developed by the Genomic Medicine Institute at El Camino Hospital, Genetic Alliance, and the National Coalition for Health Professional Education in Genetics. This workshop, the sixth in a 10-part series, covered risk assessment for familial cancers; management of genetic risk; test ordering and interpretation; use of genetic counseling; and tumor profiling.

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Workshop 6: Cancer Genetics - Judi Ruggiero-Reed - Video

The Los Angeles Times this week reports on a new UnitedHealth Group study that "estimates spending on genetic tests at $5 billion in the US in 2010," adding that it "could reach $25 billion within a decade." The LA Times says that the increasing availability of genetic tests and molecular diagnostics "offers the promise of earlier detection of disease and more personalized treatments that could wring substantial savings from the nation's $2.6 trillion-a-year healthcare tab." However, the LA Times adds, some "worry that those benefits may be outweighed by indiscriminate use of genetic testing."

The research arm of UnitedHealth surveyed physicians and patients on their attitudes toward genetic testing, and estimates that its members in private plans, Medicare, and Medicaid "spent $483 million on genetic tests in 2010, with 40 percent related to infectious diseases, 16 percent for cancer, and the rest for inherited disorders and other conditions." UnitedHealth also found that "more than half the 1,506 consumers surveyed were concerned about their physician's ability to know when a genetic test is needed and interpret it, the confidentiality of test results and about possible discrimination," the LA Times adds.

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Physicians, Patients Talk Genetic/MDx Tests

On Feb. 28, European and American scientists, including Stanford School of Medicine genetics professor Carlos Bustamante, PhD, and senior research associate Peter Underhill, PhD, announced the sequencing of Otzis entire genome. It is the oldest human sample to undergo such an analysis. Postdoctoral scholars Andres Moreno-Estrada, PhD; Brenna Henn, PhD; and Martin Sikora, PhD, also worked on the study, which appeared in Nature Communications. High-throughput DNA sequencing was performed at Massachusetts-based Life Technologies Corp.

The sequence revealed some things impossible to learn by studying the body: the color of his eyes, for example, (brown) and the fact that he was likely lactose-intolerant. But more importantly, it also gave clues to where his ancestors lived and how humans may have migrated across Europe during the Copper Age, which started about 7,000 years ago. The answer surprised some people:

The Icemans ancestry most closely mirrors that of modern-day Sardinians, said Underhill, who, with Bustamante, came to the conclusion by analyzing the mummys Y chromosome. His lineage is very rare in mainland Europe only 1 percent or less share the same sequence but is rather frequent in northern Sardinia and southern Corsica.

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 120 miles west of Italys mainland and 7.5 miles south of the French island of Corsica.

Enlarge

The mummy of the Iceman is kept in a refrigerated cell in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. Credit: South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology

Obtaining and sequencing DNA from such an ancient source was challenging. Ancient DNA, which has been exposed to the elements for thousands of years, is plagued by contamination both from the environment and anyone who has handled Otzi since his discovery, said Timothy Harkins, PhD, of Life Technologies who led the sequencing effort. To limit contamination, researchers used a long needle to tap the inner part of the femur.

As it was, the researchers obtained only about 20 nanograms of genomic DNA for sequencing, which is hundreds of times less than the amount usually used for whole-genome sequencing of modern-day samples. From this, the scientists were able to identify about 2 million unique sequence variants for population studies. One small variation on the Y chromosome pointed researchers to Otzis island heritage.

The finding suggests two scenarios: either the mummys ancestors were once more prevalent in mainland Europe than they are now (and some unknown selection process caused them to die off everywhere but the island strongholds), or they actively immigrated to the mainland from the island. Because there is little archeological evidence of the large, rapid population change required in the first possibility, the Stanford researchers favor the second.

Its thought that Sardinia was first peopled about 11,000 years ago by sedentary hunter-gatherers, said Underhill. Some samples of volcanic glass, or obsidian, found in mainland Italy and southern France have been shown to come from Mount Arci in Sardinia. This implies that there were episodes of trading between the island and mainland. If so, the mummys ancestors could have arrived in Europe as traders.

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Genetic analysis of ancient 'Iceman' mummy traces ancestry from Alps to Mediterranean isle