Genome Alberta's Official Newsletter

GE3LS Digest - October 5, 2009

Getting Personal with DNA: From Genome to Me-Ome – September 2009
http://virtualmentor.ama-assn.org/2009/09/pdf/msoc1-0909.pdf
When Jen S. McCabe got her direct-to-consumer (DTC) test results from 23andMe she posted a video of herself on Posterous.com as she went over the results. The video blog entry ended with this statement: “Personal health action item 1: Ask doctor at appointment Friday about celiac’s disease variant.” Like many other consumers of these new DTC genomic analysis services, Jen had taken our new knowledge of the human genome and made it her own; in Jen’s case, bringing others along for the ride by using Twitter to talk about her “me-ome.” Jen is not alone. The proverbial “gene-ie” of personal genomics is out of the bottle and no amount of regulation is going to stuff it back in; it may well be the job of researchers and the health care community to play catch-up.

Doctoral Thesis Fellowships and Postdoctoral Fellowships: Call For Applications
http://valgen.ca/
A group of Canadian scholars has created Value Addition Through Genomics and GE³LS (VALGEN), a Genome Canada project managed by Genome Prairie. This project responds to the deep governance challenges and opportunities of applied genomics for bioproducts and crops through research and knowledge mobilization on the core issues of intellectual property management, regulation and governance and democratic engagement.

Up to six doctoral thesis fellowships and three postdoctoral fellowships will be awarded in the three major research areas of VALGEN: (1) intellectual property management, (2) regulation and governance, and (3) democratic engagement. Fellowships will be located in one or more of the following institutions: University of Saskatchewan, University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, University of Regina, McGill University, University of Calgary, Laval University, the University of Western Ontario, or other universities in the VALGEN network.

For More Information and to Apply:

An application consisting of a detailed cover letter and C.V. must be submitted by December 1, 2009.

Submit applications to: Kari Doerksen, University of Saskatchewan, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, 101 Diefenbaker Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B8 or to kdoerksen@genomeprairie.ca.

For more information please consult www.genomecanada.ca and www.valgen.ca

INTERNATIONAL

Safety call over stem cell trips – September 3, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8234206.stm
A clampdown on unproven and potentially unsafe stem cell research is being called for by an expert group. Bionet, a group of expert Chinese and European doctors, lawyers and bioethicists, says countries throughout the world must develop more effective regulation for this emerging science. They say desperate patients are being subjected to a huge amount of hype when they travel abroad for treatments.
The only way to counter that is through proper clinical trials, they say. Professor Nicholas Rose, from the London School of Economics, who led the group, said Bionet's team had talked to physicians in China and Europe because China had now overtaken India as the place where pharmaceutical companies were carrying out most of their trials.

First Stem Cell Drug Fails 2 Late-Stage Clinical Trials – September 8, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/09/health/research/09drug.html?_r=1&ref=health
What might become the first drug derived from human stem cells failed in two late-stage clinical trials, dealing a setback to the drug’s developer and to the stem cell field. The developer, Osiris Therapeutics, said Tuesday that its drug, Prochymal, was no more effective, over all, than a placebo in treating a life-threatening complication of bone marrow transplantation, though certain patients seemed to be helped.
Shares of Osiris, which is based in Columbia, Md., fell 34 percent, to $8.03. Prochymal is a preparation of mesenchymal stem cells, which are obtained from the bone marrow of healthy young adults.
Because the cells are derived from adults, they sidestep the ethical issues stemming from the destruction of human embryos needed to make embryonic stem cells. Unlike most other types of adult stem cells, mesenchymal cells grow well in culture, so thousands of doses can be produced from a single donation.

Britain donating millions to biotech (but not in Britain) – September 9, 2009
http://othellooutlook.com/?p=4607
Britain has pledged more than US$150 million over the next five years to support high-tech food crops for the world’s poorest countries — primarily through genetic engineering. The irony? Britain does not yet allow any biotech foods to be grown commercially within its borders … not even to develop a genetically modified potato that is resistant to the new strain of potato blight that is ravaging British potato fields. If the eco-activists hadn’t pledged to rip out test plantings, the world would already have blight-resistant potatoes — a huge step forward in Third World food security. Potatoes produce more food per acre than any other crop and they are increasingly important in such crowded places as China, India and the African highlands.

UK Genetics Group Issues 'Principles' for DTC Testing – September 9, 2009
http://www.genomeweb.com/dxpgx/uk-genetics-group-issues-principles-dtc-testing
The UK's Human Genetics Commission on Tuesday issued a set of principles for direct-to-consumer genetic testing that were drafted to provide guidance for consumers and to "promote high standards and consistency" among companies offering these tests. DTC genetic testing "has increased dramatically over the last 10 years" and needs internationally accepted guidelines, HGC said. The HGC principles center on the information and counseling consumers are provided before and after taking tests and on privacy considerations. They apply to all aspects of the industry, including marketing and advertising, consumer consent, lab analysis, and support for consumers. "Some tests can cause considerable surprise or concern to those taking them – or give false reassurance," said HGC Commissioner Frances Flinter, in a statement accompanying the consultation paper. "Some, to say the least, are of doubtful value. We need a set of principles that can be adopted within existing legal frameworks in different countries."

Human tissue can be taken for human-animal embryo experiments without consent – September 12, 2009
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6179405/Human-tissue-can-be-taken-for-human-animal-embryo-experiements-without-consent.html
New rules coming into force next month will give scientists working on stem cell research access to samples of blood and tissue collected by NHS hospitals during biopsies and treatments, as well as to giant "tissue banks" which built up stores of material before the legislation was introduced.
Ethics experts, patients' groups and churches described the change as "absolutely frightening" and liable to destroy trust among thousands who donate, whatever their views on the use of hybrid embryos for stem cell research. While scientists will have to try to gain explicit consent before using cells from such stores, if the samples were collected before 1st October and the donor cannot be tracked down, the experiments will be allowed to go ahead regardless.

More science needed on effects of modifying food – September 12, 2009
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Environment/Suzuki/2009/09/23/11074981-ca.html
In gearing up for the 2010 release of its super-genetically modified corn called “SmartStax”, agricultural-biotechnology giant Monsanto is using an advertising slogan that asks, “Wouldn't it be better?” But can we do better than nature, which has taken millennia to develop the plants we use for food? We don’t really know. And that in itself is a problem. The corn, developed by Monsanto with Dow AgroSciences, “stacks” eight genetically engineered traits, six that allow it to ward off insects and two to make it resistant to weed-killing chemicals, many of which are also trademarked by Monsanto. It’s the first time a genetically engineered (GE) product has been marketed with more than three traits.
Canada approved the corn without assessing it for human health or environmental risk, claiming that the eight traits have already been cleared in other crop seeds – even though international food-safety guidelines that Canada helped develop state that stacked traits should be subject to a full safety assessment as they can lead to unintended consequences.

Hungry? How About Some Protein-Rich Cotton... September 14, 2009
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1920290,00.html
It's as true in today's world as it was in the antebellum South: cotton is king. The plant has been cultivated for its fiber for over 7,000 years, and today it's grown by more than 20 million farmers in some 80 countries. But while cotton accounts for nearly 40% of the fiber used worldwide to make clothing, there's one thing the plant has never been able to do well: feed people. Cottonseeds are a rich source of protein--the current cotton crop produces enough seeds to meet the daily requirements of half a billion people a year. But the seeds can be consumed only after an extensive refining process removes the gossypol, a toxic chemical that helps protect the plant from insect and microbe infestation. "People, pigs, chickens--none of us can stomach gossypol," says Kater Hake, vice president of agricultural research for the industry group Cotton Inc. Only cows and other ruminants can handle it.

Paving the Way for Personalized Medicine: Facilitating Inter-Agency Coordination for the Integration of Personalized Medicine into Our Health Care System – September 14, 2009
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2009/09/personalized-medicine
There are promising developments heralding the arrival of personalized medicine, a new medical field where the results of genetic tests or other biomarker assessments are used to tailor drugs and treatments to individual patients. A year ago, for example, the Food and Drug Administration approved maraviroc, the first drug designed specifically for HIV patients who have a particular genetic mutation of the virus. This was the first time a drug had been approved upon the condition that patients first have a genetic test.[1] Similarly, in July scientists at the Van Andel Research Institute published a paper reporting that high expression of the gene known as MET increases the aggressiveness of certain types of breast cancer. This means that the MET gene can be used as a target for new cancer therapies that may inhibit MET’s expression, thereby slowing down the most aggressive forms of breast cancer.[2]
In spite of this kind of progress on the scientific front, Americans today remain guinea pigs in a “one-size-fits-all” approach to medicine in which clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of new drugs do not take into account the influence of individual genes on individual health and wellness. In contrast, a personalized medicine approach may well allow (perhaps in the not too distant future) every individual patient to receive the best in tailor-made, evidence-based pharmocogenomic medicine.

NIH Opens Website for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines for Approval and Announces Members of Working Group – September 21, 2009
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/sep2009/od-21.htm
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., announces that NIH is now accepting requests for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines to be approved for use in NIH-funded research. The NIH Director is also pleased to announce the members of a new working group of the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD): the Working Group for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Eligibility Review. NIH will today begin accepting requests for hESCs to be approved for use in NIH-funded research. Information may be submitted through NIH Form 2890, which is available at http://stemcells.nih.gov/. Today it becomes an interactive Web form allowing the submission of information online. In announcing the members of the Working Group, Dr. Collins said, “I appreciate the willingness of these individuals to assist NIH in supporting responsible, scientifically worthy human stem cell research, as encouraged by the President’s Executive Order. Their expertise and sound judgment will help NIH move forward in this important effort.”

Snorting Stem Cells: Snorting can deliver cells to the brain, research shows – September 22, 2009
http://www.usnews.com/articles/science/2009/09/22/snorting-stem-cells.html
If you had a brain malady that could be treated with stem cells, how would you like them delivered—by having surgeons cut open your skull to implant the cells, or by snorting them like a nasal decongestant?
Not really a hard choice, is it? A University of Minnesota researcher has taken the first step toward making this kind of medical delivery service a reality by showing that when stem cells suspended in fluid are snorted, they rapidly migrate into the brain. William Frey, an adjunct professor of pharmaceutics, and his colleagues in Tuebingen, Germany, describe their work in a recent article in the European Journal of Cell Biology. The method holds promise for delivering not only stem cells, but other therapeutic cells or drugs that can’t easily penetrate the blood-brain barrier.

Canadian charter seeks support for stem cell medicine – September 24, 2009
http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/4848/
The Canadian Stem Cell Foundation, an independent non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the role of stem cell science in health, has launched a Stem Cell Charter. The purpose of the Charter (slogan: a stem cell can renew the world) is to attract signatories to affirm their support of research into stem cell medicine. It is hoped that one day stem cell therapeutics could offer cures for serious diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and for spinal cord injuries that cause forms of paralysis. The Charter was created in collaboration with a working group of scientists, patients, ethicists and public representatives. It sets out five principles for the advancement of stem cell science: responsible science, protection of citizens, intellectual freedom, transparency, and integrity. Canadian Stem Cell Foundation President and CEO James Price commented that everyone had a vested interest in developing stem cell medicine, saying of the Charter: “It's something that everyone, whether they are doctors, scientists, policy makers or the general public, can get behind. It unifies us in support of this vital area of research" (see Medical News Today article).

Scientists use nanotech to 'upgrade' TB drugs – September 29, 2009
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/scientists-use-nanotech-to-upgrade-tb-drugs.html
South African scientists have used nanotechnology to enhance the absorption of tuberculosis (TB) drugs in the body so that fewer, smaller doses are needed. Clinical trials for the antibiotic, Rifanano — a combination of the four main first-line TB drugs — are scheduled for 2012 and the drug should be available in government clinics in 2016, Hulda Swai, principal researcher in biomaterials research told SciDev.Net. Swai and her team from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) won 'best science to business opportunity' at the second SA Bio Plan Competition held during the recent Bio2Biz Conference in South Africa last week (20–23 September).

Tell Me a Story About Synthetic Biology – September 29, 2009
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2009/09/tell-me-a-story-about-synthetic-biology/
More Americans know about synthetic biology, according to a survey from the Wilson Center Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies. Some 22 percent of adults indicate they have heard a lot or some about synthetic biology—that’s up from only 9 percent last year. But nearly half, 48 percent, have heard nothing at all about the technology. So if citizens aren’t familiar with a technology that researchers currently use to create antimalarial drugs and that major players in the energy industry want to use to churn out biofuels, you just tell them more, right? As Huston Chronicle science reporter Eric Berger points out, not necessarily. “Surprisingly — and this should sober scientists in the field — when the poll respondents were told more about synthetic biology, they became more concerned,” he observes.

10 (More!) Eccentric Genetically Modified Fruits & Veggies – September 2009
http://webecoist.com/2009/09/01/10-more-intriguing-genetically-modified-fruits-veggies
The food we eat – from corn to cattle – has been domestically modified for thousands of years. Today scientists, agronomists and geneticists are taking the next step: improving our food from the inside out. Though some may resist GM foods and doubt their long-term safety, plans are afoot to expand the roster of fine-tuned fruits & veggies even further. Here are 10 more of the most intriguing GM fruits & vegetables ever to drop off the vine.