Press monitoring
Transgenic tomatoes resistant to cutworm
30.3.2008 | Press monitoring
Scientists from the Suranaree University of Technology in Thailand and Louisiana State University have developed transgenic tomato lines with increased resistance to the common cutworm. The transgenic lines were modified to express a potato gene coding for the enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Polyphenol oxidase, which has also been implicated for...
Complexities Of Genetic Susceptibility To Tuberculosis Revealed
29.3.2008 | Press monitoring
Researchers working in Vietnam have identified a genetic variant that predisposes people to developing a lethal form of tuberculosis (TB), tuberculous meningitis, if they are infected with a strain of TB known as the Beijing strain. The work underlines the importance of studying both sides of the complex host-pathogen interaction and its role in...
MicroRNA Sets Stage for Human Therapies
28.3.2008 | Press monitoring
The yournal Science reported about a big step toward developing therapies based on naturally occurring tiny RNA molecules called microRNAs. In the first successful experiment with primates, researchers have blocked microRNAs to lower cholesterol levels in monkeys. This achievement builds hope that the strategy could one day be used to attack human...
Mounting evidence shows red wine antioxidant kills cancer
27.3.2008 | Press monitoring
Rochester researchers showed for the first time that a natural antioxidant found in grape skins and red wine can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell's core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function. The study is published in the March edition of the journal, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology....
A history of genetically engineering tobacco for fun and profit
26.3.2008 | Press monitoring
Crop scientists have been toying with all types of crops for years, but tobacco, which naturally contains nicotine, has undergone several industry-led efforts to change the plant itself to make it more (and less) addictive and carcinogenic.
All eyes and ears on the corn genome
25.3.2008 | Press monitoring
The National Corn Growers Association, a strong supporter of the sequencing project and an advocate of the NPGI, notes that elucidating the complete sequence and structure of all corn genes, associated functional sequences and their locations on corn's genetic and physical map, has many potential benefits. These include: creating a model for other...
Scientists Create Computational Technique for Finding Disease-Associated Genetic Regions
24.3.2008 | Press monitoring
Researchers developed a novel computation method that they say is designed to better identify genomic regions harboring disease-susceptibility genes. The approach uses mapping by admixture linkage disequilibrium (MALD). It looks for patterns of variation that are over-represented in groups with increased susceptibility to a particular disorder....
New Method Disrupts Hepatitis C Virion Production
23.3.2008 | Press monitoring
HCV is a significant human pathogen, infecting more than three percent of the world's population. The incidence of infection in the United States has been estimated to be as high as 4 million cases. In the March issue of the journal PLoS Pathogens, Timothy Tellinghuisen, an assistant professor in the Department of Infectology at Scripps Florida,...
Deadly Genetic Disease Prevented Before Birth In Zebrafish
22.3.2008 | Press monitoring
By injecting a customized "genetic patch" into early stage fish embryos, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis were able to correct a genetic mutation so the embryos developed normally.
Biotechnology may get separate ministry in India
21.3.2008 | Press monitoring
The government is planning to upgrade the department of biotechnology (DBT) to the status of a full-fledged ministry. At present DBT is under the Union ministry of science and technology and is responsible for promoting researches for development of genetically modified (GM) crops and other biotechnological applications in agriculture and health...
