Category Archives: Human Genetic Engineering

TAMPA, Fla. & GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Oragenics, Inc. (ORNI) (the Company), a leader in the area of oral care probiotics and a developer of therapeutic products including novel antibiotics, and Intrexon Corporation, a synthetic biology company that utilizes its proprietary technologies to provide control over cellular function, announced today the formation of a global exclusive channel collaboration through which Oragenics intends to develop and commercialize lantibiotics, a novel class of broad spectrum antibiotics, as active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for the treatment of infectious diseases in humans and companion animals.

John N. Bonfiglio, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Oragenics, stated, We are excited about the tremendous potential that the collaboration brings to the Company and we look forward to working with Intrexon. Intrexons state-of-the-art science will allow us access to new techniques and processes which could rapidly allow us to move toward commercializationofthis exciting and novel class of antibiotics.

Randal J. Kirk, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Intrexon, said, Intrexon thrives on accepting challenges and solving problems that have proved resistant to the efforts of its predecessors. As was the case with our recombinant human alpha 1-antitrypsin (rHuA1AT) project, the production of lantibiotics through bioindustrial process has been a high-value goal that we now take on with confidence and commitment. We are pleased to be working with the Oragenics team on this high-value opportunity.

Under the collaboration, Oragenics will utilize Intrexon's advanced transgene and cell engineering platforms for the development and production of lantibiotics, a class of peptide antibiotics that naturally are produced in Gram-positive bacteria and contain the characteristic polycyclic thioether amino acids lanthionine and methyllanthonine. Lantibiotics have shown broad-spectrum antibiotic properties against Gram-positive bacterial infections, such as MRSA and VRE in pre-clinical studies, yet their development as commercially viable products continues to be subject to significant technological hurdles.

Intrexon will be responsible for technology discovery efforts, cell-engineering development, and certain aspects of the manufacturing process. Oragenics will be responsible for conducting preclinical and clinical development of candidate lantibiotics, as well as for other aspects of manufacturing and the commercialization of the product(s).

Under terms of the transaction agreements:

Oragenics will receive an exclusive, worldwide license to utilize the products of Intrexons modular genetic engineering platform for the development of API and drug products involving the direct administration to humans or companion animals of a lantibiotic for the prevention or treatment of infectious disease.

Intrexon will apply its proprietary platforms and technologies, including UltraVector, DNA and RNA MOD engineering, protein engineering, transcription control chemistry, genome engineering, and cell system engineering, to Oragenics lantibiotics program.

Oragenics is responsible for funding the further anticipated development of lantibiotics toward the goal of commercialization.

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Oragenics and Intrexon Announce Worldwide Exclusive Collaboration for Lantibiotics

Researchers create transgenic cells that may help camels produce milk full of therapeutic proteins.

By Hayley Dunning | June 4, 2012

Camels highly adaptable nature and resistance to disease has always made them essential to desert-dwelling cultures, and with a little help from genetic engineering they may one day provide us with cheaper drugs. A team of researchers at Dubais Camel Reproduction Centre have created transgenic camel embryos to which they introduced non-human genes similar to those of humans, according to United Arab Emirates newspaper, The National. They havent yet been able to introduce human genes into the embryos, but the head of the Centres reproductive biology lab, Nisar Wani, told The National that he and his team have taken an important first step. If human genes that code for proteins such as insulin could be added, the camels could produce milk laden with pharmaceuticals to fight diabetes, obesity and emphysema.

Patients with genetic disorders need these proteins, which are very costly today because companies are producing them by bacterial cultures in their labs, Dr Wani said. But if were successful at producing them in the milk, say in 15 to 30 litres, we can get a huge quantity of protein and that will drastically decrease their cost worldwide.

Wanis group is currently working on increasing the ratio of implanted embryos that survive to delivery, and introducing new genes from other species to improve milk production. Increased lactation could bring the cost of milk-borne drugs down, but Wani cautions that mass-production is still at least five years off.

The Centres success with camels, including sequencing its genome and producing the first cloned camel in 2009, prompted Wani to predict that this new innovation could one day make camels ideal candidates for growing human organs for transplant.

Soon we will have organs that will be like universal tools for anybody who has a kidney failure or heart problems, he said. He can get the organ from the animal.

By Bob Grant

A genetic testing company fields concerns that their latest gene patent goes against their core beliefs regarding access to genetic information.

By Jef Akst

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Camel Pharmacies?

A flickering beacon of science and reason amid cables superstitious Dark Ages, Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman (9 p.m., Science) returns for a new season with its most controversial episode.

Is There a Superior Race? goes right to the heart of one of mankinds most vexing and flammable notions. The mapping of the human genome at the end of the 20th century was thought to have put an end to the idea of race. Since all humans share virtually identical genetic material, differences were dismissed as merely skin deep.

But over the past 10 years, a few scientists have begun to explore some of the genetic differences between racial groups, particularly those mutations that occurred during the past 20,000 years roughly the span of human history.

Charles Darwin theorized that once human beings formed civilizations, they would no longer mutate or evolve. But scientists have found an astounding number of recent genetic mutations that are clearly responsible for racial differences that transcend skin tone or bone structure.

Europeans have been raising livestock for dairy products for only a few thousand years, yet in that relatively short span they have developed genes that enable them to digest cows and goats milk. These genes are noticeably lacking in people from Asia, where widespread dairy agriculture never took hold. But its a perilous leap from genetic differences in human digestion to theorizing that some races have evolved to become smarter than others.

One pessimist suggests that genetic engineering may enable a handful of people to breed a stronger, disease-resistant race that could dominate the poorer multitudes, leaving them to reproduce the old-fashioned way.

Another theorist suggests that the evolution of the human mind may no longer be taking place in our brains or in our genes, but in our hivelike adaptation of social media. He envisions a future where billions of people linked by technology could solve problems together and advance humanity in ways we cant even imagine now.

Tonights other highlights

A new baby irks a pampered bulldog on Dogs in the City (7 p.m., CBS).

Toby Keith and Kristen Bell host the 2012 CMT Music Awards (7 p.m.).

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‘Wormhole’ looks at race

Public release date: 3-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jia Liu liujia@genomics.cn BGI Shenzhen

June 3, 2012, Shenzhen, China BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, together with other 17 international institutes, announced that they completed the second generation of maize HapMap (Maize HapMap2) and genomics studies on maize domestication and improvement. The two separate studies were published online in the same issue of Nature Genetics.

The studies mark an important milestone in Maize (Zeamays) genomics research, providing an unprecedented glimpse into maize's 'wonderful diversity' and revealing new insights into the evolutionary history of maize genome. These studies will provide valuable insights for botanists and breeders worldwide and facilitate the genetic engineering of this vital cereal crop in the world.

In addition to BGI, the other collaborative organizations include U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, University of California Davis, Cornell University, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), and others.

Characterizing Maize's Impressive Diversity

Maize's impressive diversity has been attracting much attention in the academic community and agricultural sector. However, characterizing this diversity- in particular at high levels- has been technically challenging. In this study, researchers developed a novel population-genetics scoring model for comprehensively characterizing the genetic variations, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), small insertion-deletions, and structural variations (SVs). Through the comprehensive analysis, about 55 million SNPs were identified across 103 inbred lines of wild and domesticated maize. They also found that SVs were prevalent throughout the maize genome and were associated with some important agronomic traits, such as those involved in leaf development and disease resistance.

The researchers also investigated the major factors that influence the maize genome size. The results showed the genome size variations between maize and Gama grass (Tripsacum dactyloides), maize's sister genus, are mostly driven by the abundance of transposable elements (TE). In contrast with the fact that the intra-species genome size variation is influenced by the DNA structure known aschromosomal knobs. In addition to the differences, there is tremendous unity of gene content between maize relatives, suggesting that the adaptations, such as frost and drought tolerance, amongst all of maize's relatives are likely integratable in maize.

Tracing Maize's Evolution and Improvement

Since maize was domesticated approximately 10,000 year ago, its wild progenitor went through a particular transformation that had radically altered maize's wild species to meet human's needs. To comprehensively trace maize's evolution process, researchers sequenced 75 wild, landrace and modern maize lines. Through the comparative population genomics analysis, they found the evidence of new genetic diversity that has arisen since domestication, maybe due to the introgression from wild relatives. They also identified a number of genes that obviously had played important roles in the transition from wild to domesticated maize.

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Latest genomic studies shed new light on maize diversity and evolution

LA JOLLA, Calif., May 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Scripps Research Institute Professor Richard A. Lerner, MD, has won a prestigious international honor, the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research, according to an announcement made today by the Prince of Asturias Foundation. Lerner shares the award with British biochemist Sir Gregory Winter, PhD.

Sometimes called the "Spanish Nobel Prize," the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research is bestowed for findings that "represent a significant contribution to the progress and welfare of mankind." Winners receive 50,000 Euros (about $62,000), a diploma, an insignia bearing the foundation's coat of arms, and a sculpture specially created for the awards by the late Spanish artist Joan Miro.

"This honor for Richard is richly deserved," said Scripps Research President and CEO Michael A. Marletta, PhD. "His discoveries have had a very significant impact on the treatment of disease and I am delighted that this recognition has come to him."

"It is my honor to accept this prestigious award together with Sir Greg," said Lerner, "This is a wonderful recognition for the field of immunochemistry and combinatorial antibody libraries and all that they have contributed to human health."

The announcement of the jury was broadcast live from Oviedo, Spain, to more than 150 countries at noon, local time.

The foundation's statement reads, "The researchers Gregory Winter and Richard A. Lerner stand at the forefront of research on the immune system. The advances in the use of antibodies as therapeutic tools have provided new ways of preventing and treating immune disorders, degenerative diseases and different types of tumours. In many cases, the use of antibodies has alleviated the suffering of patients and has halted the progression of the disease. These researchers have managed to create a synthetic immune system in the test tube, as well as demonstrating its preventive and therapeutic potential due to exceeding the natural antibody repertoire the human body can generate."

This work has resulted in two drugs currently on the market, as well as other compounds currently in clinical trials. The drug Humira (adalimumab), marketed by Abbott, provides a treatment for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, and plaque psoriasis. Humira is now reported to be the top selling drug in the world.

Benlysta (belimumab), which was developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Human Genome Sciences, was approved in the United States for the treatment of the most common type of lupusa chronic, life-threatening autoimmune diseasein the spring of last year. At that time, Benlysta became the first new drug for lupus in 50 years.

41 Nominations This year, 41 nominations from Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, Germany, Holland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States and Spain were in the running for the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research. This prize is the fourth of eight awards bestowed each year by the Prince of Asturias Foundation. The others are in the fields of the arts, communications and humanities, literature, sports, social sciences, international cooperation, and concord (peace).

The Prince of Asturias Foundation was founded in the city of Oviedo on September 24, 1980, at a formal ceremony presided over by His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias, heir to the throne of Spain, who was accompanied by his parents, Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain.

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Scripps Research Institute's Richard A. Lerner Wins Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research

When news broke a vial of Ronald Reagans blood was being auctioned, the price quickly jumped to $30,000 as websites and blogs explored a tantalizing possibility: Did this mean the late president could be cloned?

Before mad scientists got the chance to perform a Dolly-the-Sheep experiment with the 40th president, the seller succumbed to criticism and decided to donate the blood to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. But this should only encourage the cloning speculation because the Gippers DNA is now in the hands of those who would most like to reproduce him: Republicans.

Party officials have been making the pilgrimage to the Reagan Library this year to express their wish to re-create the great man. I believe boldness and clarity of the kind that Ronald Reagan displayed in 1980 offer us the greatest opportunity to create a winning coalition in 2012, vice presidential aspirant Paul Ryan said at the library last week.

Also making the trip were VP hopefuls Marco Rubio and Chris Christie. Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in what this country and its citizens can accomplish, the latter declared. The America I speak of is the America Ronald Reagan challenged us to be.

The man they hope to join on the ticket, Mitt Romney, once boasted he was not trying to return to Reagan-Bush. Now he says the partys standard-bearer should be in the same mold as Ronald Reagan.

But before they go filling that mold by mapping the Reagan genome, Republicans may wish to consider some genetic flaws that party scientists should repair in the cloning process. To make the Reagan clone more compatible with todays Republican Party, a bit of genetic engineering may be in order:

AFL-1: Reagans AFL-1 gene, on the labor chromosome, has a mutation that made him susceptible to workers rights. He said of unions: There are few finer examples of participatory democracy. He said the right to join a union is one of the most elemental human rights. And he said collective bargaining played a major role in Americas economic miracle.

EPA-4: Reagans EPA-4 gene, on the regulatory chromosome, has a protein that can summon anti-industry sympathies. He signed a law establishing efficiency standards for electric appliances and an update to the Safe Drinking Water Act punishing states that didnt meet clean-water standards.

SSA-2 and MDCR-1: These related genes, on the long arm of the retirement chromosome, are problematic. Reagan expanded Social Security in 1983 and imposed taxes on wealthy recipients. He also signed what was at the time the largest expansion of Medicare in its history.

DEBT-1, DEBT-2, DEBT-3: A trio of abnormalities on the fiscal chromosome caused Reagan to increase taxes several times after his initial tax cut, to embrace much higher taxes on investments than current rates and to sign 18 increases in the federal debt limit.

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Milbank: Before GOP clones Reagan genetic flaws must be fixed