Biotechnology Club

Cool: The PSM students got their article published. Congratulations!
Guest column: Algae could drive Iowa’s next biofuel boom | DesMoinesRegister.com | The Des Moines Re

If there’s one disease that is still ahead of man’s attempts to find a cure for it and still beats all attempts to detect it at the earliest and manage it effectively, it’s cancer. If you’ve seen a loved one die of this terrible affliction, you’re likely to be among those who are praying for the invention of an early diagnostic method that allows you to at least hope for a cure.

Scientists and researchers at the University of Central Florida have found another precious use for the precious yellow metal we call gold – they’re harnessing its properties to improve the detection and diagnosis of cancer. Nanoparticles made from gold are being used to find cancer biomarkers through the process of dynamic light scattering in a process known as nanoDLSAY developed by Professor Qun Huo of the university’s NanoScience Technology Centre. The technology, which not only helps in the early detection of cancer but is also useful in monitoring how well patients recover after surgery, is expected to be available to the diagnostic market in around five years.

There are also reports from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that gold nanorods could be used to destroy cancerous tumors without causing harm to healthy cells as much as possible. Instead of directly using heat to kill the cancer cells, the tiny gold particles absorb energy from near-infra red light and emit it as heat.

And a team of researchers at the University of San Diego, California, have made a medical breakthrough with the invention of the nanoscale quantum dot particle which, because of their ability to glow brightly, allow doctors to study internal organs more effectively. The quantum dot is exceptionally helpful because of its non-toxic properties and because it can be used to deliver anti-cancer drugs before breaking up into harmless by-products inside the body.

While these improvements in diagnostic and treatment methods for cancer are not in any way going to diminish or decrease the occurrence and incidence of this deadly disease, there is no doubt that the earlier cancer is detected, the higher the chances of survival and the better the quality of life for the patient.

This article is written by Kat Sanders, who regularly blogs on the topic of radiography schools at her blog The Heath Tech’s Blog. She welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.

The fertile soil of California’s Central Valley has long made it famous as one of the nation’s prime crop-growing regions. But it’s not just the soil that allows for such productivity. Crops like potatoes, dry beans and tomatoes have long been protected from bugs and weeds by the fungicide maneb and the herbicide paraquat.

Pesticide exposure found to increase risk of Parkinson’s disease

We now find ourselves at the dawn of a new age of direct genetic modification. Although the term “artificial life form” conjures up images of cyborgs or other creations of science fiction, the first such “artificial” creatures will actually be single-celled micro-organisms. Even though these human-engineered life forms will be extremely simple, they will have an enormous impact on our world. Their biggest potential: the creation of biofuels and biomaterials, which promise to transform our entire economy.

McKinsey: What Matters: The new biofactories

(14 April 2009) German agriculture minister Ilse Aigner (CSU) has banned the cultivation of MON810 Bt maize in Germany with immediate effect, invoking a safeguard clause in European genetic technology legislation.

Germany: Aigner bans MON810 Bt maize

A New Myco-BrewJennifer FlynnMyco-diesel joins the list of other wonderful products emerging out of the mushroom world. Scientists from Montana State University stumbled upon a fungus growing in Patagonia which digests cellulose while releasing a combination of hydrocarbons incredibly similar to diesel fuel. The resulting compounds are being termed myco-diesel. The fungus, Gliocladium roseum, lives in the Ulmo trees in the rainforest and may serve to speed up the decomposition of plant wastes on farms that are currently used for biofuel production. The current biofuel production method uses enzymes to decompose cellulose into sugars which are then digested by microbes to be turned into ethanol.

Reality Sandwich | A New Myco-Brew

I’ve had several chest x-rays since the accident and never have the enlarged nodes returned. I’ll never know if it truly was cancer, but I do know for certain that once I took those herbs, something happened.

Reality Sandwich | Playing Doctor: Herbal Medicine in A New World Economy

A recent article in Science published last week discussed the results of genetic sequencing done for the first time on Man’s Best Friend. It seems a genetic researcher by the name of J. Craig Venter offered his standard poodle to science (well, his DNA anyway) in order for genetic sequencing to be performed on the canine’s specimen. Venter is better known for being part of one of the two teams to first map the human genome.

It seems dogs are genetically complex beasts. According to the research “dogs have about 2.4 billion base pairs of DNA, or about half a billion fewer than humans.” More importantly from the perspective of disease study, dogs share approximately 360 of the same genetic problems and disorders found in humans.

This revelation could prove invaluable as the medical community continues to work to understand the genetic origins of human diseases and disorders. While mice are closer to humans with regard to the time they appeared on Earth, dogs are infinitely closer to humans as far as their genetic makeup and infrastructure.

But the research isn’t wholly conclusive and there are still many DNA fragments that are not fully mapped and are considered incomplete for now. Compared to the mouse, the genetic sequencing of the dog is still woefully lacking. What is interesting, however, is that much of the mapping for the canine sequencing could be constructed based on what was already known about other mammals.

This is important because it indicates a turning point as researchers become more adept at the process, which speeds the studies and decreases costs. Work on the dog’s DNA is expected to continue and be much more conclusive within a year.

Researchers will move forward with similar studies on the DNA of several other species – most likely whales, dolphins and elephants – for what it is costing to completely map a dog’s DNA. The more species researched, the greater the understanding of the human genome, which will continue to improve the treatment of genetic diseases and disorders in humans.

This post was contributed by Holly McCarthy, who writes on the subject of recognized online universities. She invites your feedback at hollymccarthy12 at gmail dot com

GTC Biotherapeutics won FDA clearance to launch ATryn, a drug for hereditary antithrombin deficiency. ATryn, which is produced from the milk of genetically engineered goats, will be marketed in the U.S. by Ovation Pharmaceuticals. Washington Post, The (02/07) MSNBC (02/06)

FDA approves drug derived from milk of biotech goats – Related Stories – BIO SmartBrief

A hallucinogenic compound found in a plant indigenous to South America and used in shamanic rituals regulates a mysterious protein that is abundant throughout the body, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have discovered.

Hallucinogen activates mysterious receptor | Science Blog