About.com

Types of RNA

Thu, 26 May 2011 07:37:29 +0000

Lots of new research is being done using miRNA and siRNA, as small molecule treatments for various diseases. As a result, these small RNA pieces have become very popular topics in biotech, but for those of you who aren't all that familiar with the nucleic acids, there are three major types of RNA within cells. The micro/si RNAs come from one of them, called messenger RNA (mRNA). Here's the lowdown on the three types of larger RNA particles:

...

Read Full Post

Small Molecule Halts Drug-Resistant Leukemia

Mon, 23 May 2011 18:46:37 +0000

The BCL6 protein is a transcription factor known to be active in many different kinds of cancer, one of which is drug-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ALL is the most common form of cancer among children. Many children survive ALL, but a subset suffer from drug-resistance, the cause of which was, until now, a mystery. This week, however, a research team in California (Children's Hospital Los Angeles and University of California San Francisco) published work that shows the investigational drug RI-BPI, when administered along with the traditional treatment for ALL, Gleevec, can shut down ALL by inhibiting BCL6.

...

Read Full Post

High-Sensitivity Assays Detect New Cancer Biomarkers

Fri, 20 May 2011 07:08:29 +0000

Nanosphere Inc. is a nanotechnology-based developer of diagnostic systems, including molecular systems, for detecting disease. Their discovery program has resulted in the identification of a number of cancer biomarkers that are only detectable using their ultra-sensitive, high-throughput protein assays. The protein biomarkers detect bladder, prostate and kidney cancers. Nanosphere will present their research, using the Verisens(TM) assay for detection of the proteins, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting next week.

...

Read Full Post

Harvard Bioscience Tops Boston Globe's "Best-of" List

Thu, 19 May 2011 21:44:00 +0000

Just last month (April 24th) I wrote a blog about Harvard Bioscience Inc. and their specialized bioreactor and protocol for making hollow organs to transplant into humans. Last Friday, President David Green reported that the "strong track record for growth and profitability" of the company had been recognized by the Boston Globe, which named Harvard Bioscience the #1 biotech company in the Massachusetts area. Harvard Bioscience has been in business since 1901, surviving the Great Recession, and continues today as a powerful force in life sciences research. The company is affiliated with Harvard Medical School and provides regenerative medicine devices to hospitals that allow surgeons to perform cutting-edge procedures.

...

Read Full Post

Rosetta Green Has Solutions to Drought and Biofuel Concerns

Mon, 16 May 2011 21:28:39 +0000

RGN-131 is part of a family of miRNA genes discovered by a company called Rosetta Green Ltd. that play a role in drought tolerance in plants. Rosetta Green is a publically-traded company based in Isreal. It is a 2010 spin-off of a company called Rosetta Genomics Ltd., and just went public, completing an IPO in Tel Aviv this past February.

...

Read Full Post

Who Wants to Live Forever?

Sun, 15 May 2011 19:28:17 +0000

Yesterday morning I caught a large part of a National Geographic television show on the aging process and longevity. The show followed the quest of a guy, who looked not a whole lot younger than me (don't ask!!), on a mission to find the secret to everlasting youth. Research by several genetic scientists was highlighted, as they explained the links between research using drosophila and nematodes, stem cells and transcription factors, among other things, and our understanding of how our cells and bodies age.

...

Read Full Post

Localized Immunosuppression of Islet Transplants Using Stem Cells

Fri, 13 May 2011 07:19:24 +0000

One of the drawbacks to organ transplants, or even stem cell treatments, like therapeutic cloning, can be the necessity for immunosuppressent drugs, which patients wind up having to take for the rest of their lives, or risk rejection of the transplanted cells/organ. Needless to say, this compromises the immune systems, and can create other potential health risks, for these individuals. Cell replacement therapy is a medical approach to neurological, muscular and other disorders wherein dead or defective cells are replaced with new ones. The need for immunosupressent drugs creates limitations to the use of this approach, but scientists in the UK are working on the problem with respect to pancreatic islet transplantation for people with diabetes. They are using human amniotic epithelial cells (AEC) to generate a localized anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressent effect, in the region of islet cell transplants, by creating cellular constructs that combine the two types of cells. This reseach has the potential to eliminate (or at least reduce) the need for systemic immunosuppression in the future.

...

Read Full Post

In Defense of Cloning and Stem Cells

Thu, 12 May 2011 20:32:52 +0000

Cloning and stem cell research often get a bad rap because the words conjure up images of human experiments gone wrong coupled with the destruction of embryos. However, if you know anything about stem cell research, you this doesn't necessarily need to be the case. In fact, harvesting stem cells for medical use, and cloning them, is part of the widely accepted practice of bone marrow transplantation. Adult stem cells from blood and muscle might be used to generate other types of cells, like neural cells, for regenerative medicine, the potential of which is exemplified in the blog I posted two weeks ago on bioartificial organs made using a patient's own cells. By the way - which would you rather have...an organ grown from your own stem cells, or an animal organ given to you via xenotransplantation?

...

Read Full Post

US Military and Vical Continue DNA Vaccine Collaboration

Wed, 11 May 2011 07:39:46 +0000

Awhile ago I wrote a piece about Inovio Pharmaceuticals and their in situ electroporation platform for delivering DNA vaccines. CEO Dr. Joseph Kim, in an interview, said he believed they had found the answer to DNA vaccine delivery, and that gave his company the advantage over everyone else. Well, watch out Dr. Kim, because you're not the only one who thinks you've found the secret to optimal DNA vaccine expression within human cells.

...

Read Full Post

Women in Bio Networking Event

Mon, 09 May 2011 18:29:15 +0000

Women in Bio (WIB) is an American organization that is quickly spreading across the country with a mandate to support "careers, leadership and entrepreneurship of women in the life sciences". Chapters of this organization, which was established in 2001, are opening in all the major biotechnology clusters in the USA. This provides women and youth in the industry a great opportunity to meet, share ideas, knowledge and experience.

...

Read Full Post