Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

image:Journal focusing on the understanding, prediction, and prevention of acts of violence. Through research papers, roundtable discussions, case studies, and other original content, the Journal critically examines biological, genetic, behavioral, psychological, racial view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

In response to the historical devastation of mass shootings in the United States, including the recent mass shooting of 19 innocent children in Uvalde, TX, Violence and GenderEditor-in-ChiefMary Ellen O'Toole, PhDhas issued an immediate call to action for superior gun control laws and legislation.

Weve waited long enough, says Dr. OToole, Editor-in-Chief. This political football must stop. Our children are being killed and the laws must be changed now. We can no longer normalize these behaviors or expect our children to be the victims on the front lines. The research is clear and we must continue to stay educated, relentless, and vigilant in our quest for the future of our country.

In support of Dr. OTooles mission, Violence and Gender is providing free access to the following special issues spanning themes including gun ownership, beliefs about gun control and gun ownership, gun policy, among others.

Special Issue on Gun Violence: Part I

Special Issue on Gun Violence: Part II

Gun violence against our families and our children must be addressed aggressively, echoes Mary Ann Liebert, Publisher of Violence and Gender and president and CEO of the company that bears her name. The current recommendations for gun control reformation are pitiful given the extent of the loss of lives weve seen in schools. Legislators, policy makers, educators, and civilians who refuse to acknowledge the extent of the problem of gun violence should subscribe to Violence and Gender and educate themselves by reading the published, academic research on systematic gun violence in our country. The research is clear and journals such as Violence and Gender couldnt be more important to support real and lasting change. We must remain educated and informed to collectively make the best decisions for our families and our future.

Emphasizing this call to action, Dr. Anna Satterfield, Deputy Editor adds: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in the United States in 2020, there were 45,222 firearm-related deaths of which 54 percent were suicides and 43 percent were homicides.Despite various versions of enacted laws to reduce gun violence, laws and regulations continue to miss the mark of what we understand about those that use firearms as weapons.Until we actively enforce a balance between effective gun control laws and effective gun violence prevention/intervention and risk-reduction programs, the United States will remain an outlier in firearm-related deaths compared to other countries.

About the Journal

Violence and Genderis the only peer-reviewed journal focusing on the understanding, prediction, and prevention of acts of violence. Through research papers, roundtable discussions, case studies, and other original content, the Journal critically examines biological, genetic, behavioral, psychological, racial, ethnic, and cultural factors as they relate to the gender of perpetrators of violence. Led by Editor-in-Chief Mary Ellen O'Toole, PhD, Forensic Behavioral Consultant and Senior FBI Profiler/Criminal Investigative Analyst (ret.), Violence and Gender explores the difficult issues that are vital to threat assessment and prevention of the epidemic of violence. Violence and Gender is published quarterly online with Open Access options and in print. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on theViolence and Genderwebsite.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersis a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative medical and biomedical peer-reviewed journals, including Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, and Journal of Women's Health. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industrys most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firms more than 100 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available on theMary Ann Liebert, Inc., publisherswebsite.

Violence and Gender

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An immediate call to action from the editorial leadership of Violence and Gender - EurekAlert

Renowned scientist Jay Keasling encouraged the University of NebraskaLincolns spring graduates to find and develop their passions, help others pursue their passions, and take bigchances.

Full list of graduates | Featured grads | Program

Keasling, Philomathia Professor of Alternative Energy at the University of California, Berkley, and a Husker alumnus, delivered the undergraduate commencement address, Live Your Passion, May 14 at MemorialStadium.

Keasling recalled taking his first genetics course at the university in 1984, which reinforced his fascination with genetic engineering and led him down the career path he is still on today engineering microbes to produce therapies to fight diseases such as malaria and producing more environmentally friendly chemicals than those made frompetroleum.

People often ask me what my hobby is, and I somewhat embarrassingly say my job, said Keasling, who is also a senior faculty scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and chief executive officer of the Joint BioEnergy Institute. I know this might sound lame to you, but its really true. Its a very special privilege that I get up every morning and can do my hobby forwork.

Keasling, who is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Inventors, said he didnt choose his career because it was easy or would make him a lot of money, but because it fascinates and challenges him and he might be able to move the needle on making the planet a better place. He urged the graduates to take a similarapproach.

Keasling said everyone can find a passion and pour their spare time into it, even if its not ones work. He encouraged the graduates to pick something that is difficult to master and that makes them happy andproud.

Keasling said he was inspired by thoughtful teachers, professors and mentors. He asked the graduates to try to be a positive inspiration to someoneelse.

If you can inspire just one person to be the best person they can be or to see a career path that they did not know about or to be a force for good, that will be a positive multiplier in the world, hesaid.

Keasling told the graduates that hardly anything of value is achieved without taking big risks. He emphasized that he has failed far more often than he has succeeded, and that is the case for most of the successful people he knows. He encouraged the graduates to take chances while they are young and have less tolose.

When you leave here today, start taking risks, he said. Dont be afraid to fail if you do, you will learn and you will have successes later. And given the audience I am speaking to, many of those big risks will turn into high payoffs for you andsociety.

Keasling closed his address by saying that everything he has accomplished in life has been in collaboration with wonderful people family, mentors, colleagues and students and that people are the graduates greatest resource. He instructed the graduates to treat people as they would want to be treated, share credit with them and try to emulate the best mentors theyve had at theuniversity.

Keasling also received an honorary Doctor of Science during the undergraduateceremony.

Terry L. Fairfield, former president and CEO of the University of Nebraska Foundation, received the Nebraska Builder Award for exceptional service to the state and university during theceremony.

Pinnacle Bank Arena hosted a ceremony for students earning graduate and professional degrees May 13; Memorial Stadium hosted a ceremony for undergraduates May 14; and the Lied Center for Performing Arts hosted a ceremony for law graduates May14.

Marco Barker, vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion at Nebraska, gave the address at the graduate and professional degree ceremony May 13 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. He shared his journey to becoming a diversityengineer.

I see diversity engineering as applying critical thinking, analysis, rigorous calculations of scenarios, experimentation with trying new solutions to solve one of the worlds greatest challenges of fostering belonging, inclusion, togetherness and community, he said. There is no doubt that we are polarized right now and that we are not taking the time to learn from one another, listen to one another and to show love to oneanother.

Barker shared four life lessons he has learned: to not to be defined by one moment or anyone else; to be part of the solution; to look beyond ones bubble and remain curious; and that mattering is one of humanitys deepestneeds.

One of our largest issues is that we have lost our human connection to understand, empathize and love, he said. To head toward better connectivity, we have to be open and ask questions and be inquisitive. Even ask yourself today, graduates: How did I get here? Whos here or not here with me? These can often reveal things about us that we do notrealize.

Barker emphasized that much is expected of the new graduates. He said they are well-positioned to go into the world and do two things solve problems using their academic superpowers and act in a way that ensures that people and interactionsmatter.

Sara Howard, policy adviser for First Five Nebraska and a former state senator, spoke to the law graduates May 14 at the Lied Center for PerformingArts.

Chancellor Ronnie Green presided over the commencement exercises, during which 2020 and 2021 graduates were also celebrated. About two dozen returned to cross the stage in front of family andfriends.

To each of our graduates: We are very proud of your accomplishments and thankful for your contributions, Green said. You have raised our level of critical thinking and creative activity as a world-leading institution of higher education, adding to the legacy of the people who have earned their advanced degrees fromNebraska.

The university conferred a record 3,612 degrees during the May commencement ceremonies. The 3,523 graduates are from 58 countries; 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and more than 250 Nebraskacommunities.

The May graduating class earned 131 new Juris Doctor degrees, 602 other new graduate and professional degrees and 2,879 new baccalaureate degrees. The university has awarded 310,614 degrees since it was founded in1869.

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Keasling tells graduates to pursue passions, inspire others - Nebraska Today

The new Genetic Technology Bill aims to make food more nutritious and reduce our reliance on pesticides.

Image: BPM MEDIA)

Genetically-engineered food will be produced in the UK under new Government plans to deliver on the promise of Brexit .

The new Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill aims to make food more nutritious and reduce our reliance on pesticides.

The Bill, set out at the Queen's Speech, will allow gene-edited plants to be treated differently to genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

GMOs have strict rules that only one is grown commercially in the EU.

But genetic-engineering is said to pose fewer risks.

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Gene-editing has the potential to improve the sustainability and productivity of farming and animals could also be less vulnerable to disease, experts have noted.

The use of gene editing had been hampered by a European Court of Justice ruling in 2018 that technology had to be regulated in the same way as genetic modification.

The Bill aims to remove unnecessary barriers inherited from the EU to enable the development and marketing of precision bred plans and animals which will drive economic growth and position the UK as the leading country to invest in agri-food research and innovation, officials said.

The National Farmers Union welcomed the new legislation when the draft bill was open to consultation from experts.

Image:

At the time, NFU vice president, Tom Bradshaw said: New precision breeding techniques, such as gene editing, could protect crops and animals from pests and disease, help deliver net zero and allow farmers to produce more home-grown food.

However, he did mention the importance of analysing the implications for trade with the EU and promoting confidence among the public.

Scientists raised concerns earlier this year the the draft bill went through a consultation, with 63% of academic institutions fearing there could be a risk to human health or the environment with gene editing.

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Genetically-engineered food to be produced in the UK under new post-Brexit plans - The Mirror

SAN DIEGO, May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Poseida Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing proprietary genetic engineering platform technologies to create cell and gene therapeutics with the capacity to cure, today announced updates and financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022.

Poseida Therapeutics (PRNewsfoto/Poseida Therapeutics, Inc.)

"2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the Company, as we work to demonstrate the differentiation of our CAR-T programs in the clinic and advance our wholly owned and partnered gene therapy programs towards IND-enabling studies," said Mark Gergen, Chief Executive Officer of Poseida. "We now have three clinical CAR-T programs recruiting and enrolling, including two allogeneic product candidates, P-MUC1C-ALLO1 and P-BCMA-ALLO1 for solid tumors and multiple myeloma, respectively, as well as our P-PSMA-101 autologous CAR-T program for metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer. As we and the industry navigate current market dynamics, we are focused on efficient resource utilization and prioritization, including our decision in the first quarter to reduce autologous manufacturing capacity as we focus on the emergence of our allogeneic CAR-T programs. Additionally, we are fortunate to be advancing our platform technologies with partners such as Takeda, and we continue to evaluate other partnership opportunities that may allow us to pursue more opportunities and get access to resources and non-dilutive capital."

Program Highlights

CAR-T ProgramsThe Company currently has three ongoing CAR-T programs in the clinic. These include two allogeneic CAR-T programs progressing in Phase 1 clinical trials: P-BCMA-ALLO1, which is being evaluated in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM), and P-MUC1C-ALLO1, which is being evaluated in a wide range of solid tumors derived from epithelial cells, including breast and ovarian cancers. These programs are moving forward with planned clinical data updates in each allogeneic program in the second half of 2022. The Company is also advancing its autologous P-PSMA-101 product candidate being developed to treat patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in an ongoing Phase 1 dose escalation trial.

Gene Therapy ProgramsThe Company is advancing multiple gene therapy programs in liver-directed diseases, including its wholly owned P-OTC-101 program for the in vivo treatment of the urea cycle disease caused by congenital mutations in the ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) gene. The Company is currently determining the best path forward for this program and will update expected timing on program advancement once that evaluation is complete.

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The Company is also advancing its P-FVIII-101 program partnered with Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. (Takeda), which is in development for the in vivo treatment of Hemophilia A. P-FVIII-101 utilizes piggyBac gene modification delivered via lipid nanoparticle and has demonstrated stable and sustained Factor VIII expression in animal models.

Financial Results for the First Quarter 2022

RevenuesRevenues were $1.4 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, consisting of revenue earned from the collaboration and license agreement with Takeda that the Company entered into in the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to no revenue for the same period in 2021.

Research and Development ExpensesResearch and development expenses were $48.9 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, compared to $29.1 million for the same period in 2021. The increase was primarily related to a $8.1 million expense related to the Company's decision to discontinue future manufacturing at one of the Company's autologous contract manufacturers, as well as an increase in personnel expenses due to an increase in headcount, which included a $0.7 million increase in stock-based compensation expense, an increase in external costs related to the Company's clinical stage programs due to an increased number of clinical trials ongoing, including enrollment, manufacturing and license fees for the P-PSMA-101 Phase 1 clinical trial, the P-BCMA-ALLO1 Phase 1 clinical trial and P-MUC1C-ALLO1 Phase 1 clinical trial, and an increase in external costs related to the Company's preclinical stage programs.

General and Administrative ExpensesGeneral and administrative expenses were $9.5 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022, compared to $8.4 million for the same period in 2021. The increase was primarily related to an increase in personnel expenses due to an increase in headcount, which included a $0.7 million increase in stock-based compensation expense.

Net LossNet loss was $58.1 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 compared to net loss of $38.3 million for the same period in 2021.

Cash PositionAs of March 31, 2022, the Company's cash and cash equivalents balance was $183.5 million.

About Poseida Therapeutics, Inc.

Poseida Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to utilizing our proprietary genetic engineering platform technologies to create next generation cell and gene therapeutics with the capacity to cure. We have discovered and are developing a broad portfolio of product candidates in a variety of indications based on our core proprietary platforms, including our non-viral piggyBac DNA Delivery System, Cas-CLOVER Site-specific Gene Editing System and nanoparticle- and AAV-based gene delivery technologies. Our core platform technologies have utility, either alone or in combination, across many cell and gene therapeutic modalities and enable us to engineer our portfolio of product candidates that are designed to overcome the primary limitations of current generation cell and gene therapeutics. To learn more, visit http://www.poseida.com and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the potential benefits of Poseida's technology platforms and product candidates, Poseida's plans and strategy with respect to developing its technologies and product candidates, Poseida's ability to prioritize and utilize its resources efficiently and expected benefits from any such prioritization, and anticipated timelines and milestones with respect to Poseida's development programs and manufacturing activities. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Poseida's current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with development and regulatory approval of novel product candidates in the biopharmaceutical industry and the other risks described in Poseida's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Poseida undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.

Poseida Therapeutics, Inc.

Selected Financial Data

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Three Months Ended March 31,

2022

2021

Revenues:

Collaboration revenue

$

1,435

$

Total revenue

1,435

Operating expenses:

Research and development

48,850

29,095

General and administrative

9,546

8,369

Total operating expenses

58,396

37,464

Loss from operations

(56,961)

(37,464)

Other income (expense):

Interest expense

(1,077)

(838)

Other expense, net

(19)

(12)

Net loss before income tax

(58,057)

(38,314)

Income tax expense

Net loss

$

(58,057)

$

(38,314)

Net loss per share, basic and diluted

$

(0.93)

$

(0.62)

Weighted-average shares of common stock, basic and diluted

62,555,915

61,981,081

SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA

March 31,

2022

December 31,

2021

Cash and cash equivalents

$

183,489

$

206,325

Total assets

248,152

269,309

Total liabilities

144,450

113,098

Total stockholders' equity

103,702

156,211

Cision

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SOURCE Poseida Therapeutics, Inc.

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Poseida Therapeutics Provides Updates and Financial Results for the First Quarter of 2022 - Yahoo Finance

Twenty years ago, I changed careers from management at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals to teach science to high school students. As clich as it may sound, I teach to make a difference. That is why I am compelled to tell you a story a not-so-sexy story with an outsized impact on society.

In Jeffrey Tuckers piece Choice Quotes from Bill Gatess New Book, Tucker writes: The less exposed a population is to a mostly mild pathogen, the more vulnerable they are in the future to more severe outcomes. Please dont get bored with this review because you already know this. It is taught to everyone in 9th grade biology class. And theres no sense in repeating this here, much less explaining the basics of human immunology.

Unfortunately, we can longer assume that our public-educated citizens are capable of informed decisions about anything to do with human immunology . . . or infectious disease, vaccines, viruses, and many other topics that are essential for informed decision-making in a free society. This is because the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that influence the education and assessment of over two-thirds of our public-school students omits some of the most essential science topics.

The NGSS is marketed as K12 science content standards what students should know and be able to do. All but six states have adopted or developed their science education to the NGSS.

Ostensibly, the goals of the NGSS were . . . to ensure that by the end of 12th grade, all students have some appreciation of the beauty and wonder of science; possess sufficient knowledge of science and engineering to engage in public discussions on related issues; are careful consumers of scientific and technological information related to their everyday lives . . . Source: NGSS framework, Page 1

Yet the NGSS does not even include the key terms: immunity, infectious disease, pathogen, virus, vaccine, biotechnology, and genetic engineering. You can search the NGSS.

How does an organization led by Louis Gerstner, the former CEO of both IBM and RJR Nabisco, and supported by the National Governors Association come to develop and promote science standards with such obvious omissions?

The Next Generation Science Standards have not only failed to achieve its purported goals, but deprived our students, and future voters, of the minimum knowledge and understanding required to engage in meaningful discussion of significant science-related topics of the day: COVID, the SARS-CoV-2 virus, immunization/vaccination, infectious disease transmission, genetic modification, human reproduction and embryology, sex determination, etc.

So, whats a teacher to do? I am fortunate to work in a school district that permits flexibility to develop lessons for my students. For example, I have integrated discussion of important biology concepts, such as basic immunology, into the classroom learning experience. But liberty is not without risk to a teachers career.

Last year, someone made an anonymous complaint to my school administrators about our class discussion of the biological factors that underlie the likelihood of achieving herd immunity to COVID. A primary concern to school administration: Is this part of the curriculum?

While schools may supplement their curricula with topics that are not explicitly part of NGSS, state standardized assessments pressure school districts to narrow the curriculum. The effect of this pressure is most profound where schools are ranked by standardized test scores.

I experienced the impact of standardized testing during my first years of teaching. Animals and human systems biology, which at that time were not part of the state standards, were cut piece by piece from the biology curriculum as our districts state science scores were slightly lower than those of a competing district.

Perhaps the gaps in a NGSS-based 9th grade biology class can be filled if we encourage more of our high school students to enroll in advanced courses like the College Boards AP Biology?

Oh, wait, the human body systems and basic immunology were removed from the AP Biology curriculum during the same period the NGSS was rolled out.

But thats a whole other story.

John has been teaching students in a variety of biology courses at Greenwich High School, CT since 2003, including UConns Principles of Biology as a certified Early College Experience Instructor. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Binghamton University, a M.B.A. from Iona College, and a M.S. in Biology from St. Joseph College. Prior to changing careers to teach, he developed the capabilities of a new team to improve and innovate the global acquisition of data and information as Director, Knowledge Management and Business Information in the Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group, New York.

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Why Is an Entire Generation Ignorant of Cell Biology? - Brownstone Institute

Recently, three top research institutions in New Zealand jointly announced a breakthrough in the research of human height increase genes, has been purified through genetic technology to a key key that can effectively promote the body to effectively increase height NA Complex Growth Factor.Before this, the scientific research on height increase was more on height increase surgery or nutrient supplementation. The emergence of NA Complex Growth Factor has officially brought height increase into the genetic era, and is expected to bring real hope to hundreds of millions of children worldwide who have dreams of height increase.

New Zealand is one of the developed countries with the most complete gene technology industry-academia-research chain in the world. It not only has the top three genetic research institutions in the world New Zealand Genetic Research Center, but also has a number of genome listed companies with global reputation.

Recently, the New Zealand Centre for Genetic Research announced that a group of three genetic institutions, namely the New Zealand Genetic Research Center, the Genetic Research Center at Auckland University of Technology and the EZZ Institute of Life Sciences, had made a major and substantial breakthrough in the field of genetics. The new ingredient NA Growth Factor jointly developed by the three parties is proven to be effective in activating several key height increase genes in the human body including DNAJC27, DNAJC27, LIN28B, LIN7C, etc., and is engaged in achieving targeted intervention to help adolescents with dwarfism and height stunting solve their height increase challenges.

The three research institutions involved in this study are the New Zealand version of the Genetic Dream Team.Among them, the New Zealand Genetic Research Center is a genetic research institution built with New Zealands national resources, which has the top three research strengths and huge genetic database resources in the world. Auckland University of Technology, on the other hand, is one of the top 5% engineering institutions in the world, with genetics and health as its ace major.

Among them, EZZ Institute of Life Sciencesis an industry-academia-research institute established by EZZ Life Sciences, a listed company on the Australian Main Board, with a long-term commitment to rapidly commercialize the latest cutting-edge technologies for the benefit of consumers.This institute is credited with being behind many of the new products that have set the world on fire in the areas of NAD+, HPV, and H. pylori. It is because of this background that the market generally predicts that commercial products of this technology will soon be available to consumers.

Previously, the market for height-enhancing products generally stopped at nutrient supplementation, but the invention of the NA Factor was not based on this.The underlying technology of the NA Complex Growth Factor is genetic engineering.Our research on the relationship between skeletal development and genes in adolescents has revealed that insufficient activation of growth genes in adolescents is the root cause of slow growth due to acquired factors. Instead, only a specific key needs to be entered to awaken these genes, thus promoting skeletal growth signals. Through backward research and development, we finally applied the targeted gene flashing technology to the field and realized the vitality flashing of height-increase genes.Dr. Fabrice Merien, an expert in the NA Factor Research Group, said.

In addition to the targeted flash technology, in terms of formulation, NA Complex Growth Factor also solves the drawbacks of traditional growth supplements that simply supplement the nutrients needed to grow taller and need to be taken with other nutrients to address the bodys healthy growth needs.A new customized compound formula is used, which can achieve the comprehensive effect of growing taller, supplementing nutrition and strengthening the body.

Media ContactCompany Name: American Star NewsContact Person: Media RelationsEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: http://www.deiniolnews.com

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New Zealand scientists discover DNA key to growing taller, may lead to genetic height increase - Digital Journal

UC Berkeley graduate student Justin Lee beat out nine other talented contestants at this years Grad Slam competition, taking home the top prize for his three-minute talk on how genetic engineering could be used to stop COVID from replicating inside the body.

The annual contest, now in its seventh year, challenges grad students to sum up their research in three pithy and jargon-free minutes that a non-research audience can understand.

Viewers who tuned into the livestreamed event on May 6 learned about a new way to dry food that cuts both food waste and carbon emissions; the health benefits of CBD; and how mutations in a single protein can influence circadian rhythms and health.

But it was Lees three-minute talk, on the development of an inhaled COVID treatment, that snagged the top prize: $7,000 in award money and the coveted systemwide trophy, or Slammy.

As is often the case with research itself, the inspiration for Lees winning talk came by accident. He had been practicing his pitch for months when a version of the talk got stuck in the copy machine.

Thats when the lightbulb went off: I realized that was just like my research, he said. I was talking about how we stop the virus from making copies of itself within the body.

Lee explained how the virus enters the body and hijacks our own machinery to replicate itself. He and his colleagues have identified the key code in the virus RNA that allows the copy machine to run.

Also taking home prizes for their outstanding talks were Amanda Quirk of UC Santa Cruz, who won second place for explaining her research into how galaxies collide; Rachel Sousa of UC Irvine, who snagged third place for her talk on how math can help us find a cure for cancer; and Wei Gordon of UCSF, who won the Peoples Choice award for a talk on mutations that help fruit-eating mammals metabolize sugar.

I was surprised about how much I learned and all of the research happening in topics Id never thought to venture into, said Grad Slam judge Jordan Felder, a UCLA-bound senior and student leader from San Franciscos Gateway High School. Together with the audience, who voted for the Peoples Choice winner, Felder was part of a distinguished panel of judges who rated the contestants on how well they engaged and enlightened observers.

The Grad Slam finale is the culmination of campus contests that took place across all 10 UC campuses in March and April, drawing hundreds of hopefuls in pursuit of prize money and glory. Contestants also get training on how to communicate the value of their research to the public.

Competitors often practice for months, training with fellow contestants and drawing on the goodwill of roommates, family and friends as they hone their talks to a fine point.

In breaking down my research, I really try to think about how I can relate it to common issues that people see and experience every day, Lee said. If you can build on that and relate it back to your research, you can build on your understanding from there.

As a metabolic biology Ph.D. student, he and others in his lab at UC Berkeley have isolated a molecule that could be inhaled through the nose to enter the lungs and disable the viruss replication system.

Early tests in mice have shown extraordinary results. The best part: because the molecule interferes with the way the virus replicates, it would be equally effective against any variant.

We still have a lot of research to do, Lee explained. The findings are still in peer review but could eventually be tested in clinical trials.

Can you imagine what a gamechanger it would be if we could fight this virus just by taking a breath? he asked the audience.

Second-place prize winner Amanda Quirk first fell in love with astronomy when she saw Saturn through a telescope on a fourth-grade field trip.

Today, she is doing her dissertation in astronomy and astrophysics, studying the dramatic lives of galaxies and what happens when they collide.

The thing about stars is, theyre gossips. They give away many of their secrets just through their light, Quirk said in her talk.

Her observations show that about four billion years ago, a short time in star terms, the Andromeda galaxy survived a collision with another star system. The observations she has documented change what we know about the kinds of mergers star systems can survive.

For Quirk, the challenge in mastering Grad Slam was figuring out how to explain far-out astronomy concepts in terms the average human could understand.

It doesnt matter how cool our research is if we cant tell people about it and how they can use it, Quirk said.

In science we tend to use a lot of fancy terms to communicate things, but I discovered that you can describe what you do without doing that. I learned that jargon just isnt that important.

When it came time for online voting for a favorite talk, the audience was drawn to Wei Gordons presentation and its promise of therapeutics that could counteract some of sugars harmful effects.

Im not saying Ive found a reason for us to eat as much cinnamon toast crunch as we like, but I may have found a reason life can be a little sweeter, Gordon said.

Her research looks into the gene-level mutations that let fruit-eating mammals metabolize sugar and whether those mutations could hold clues for developing new therapeutics for diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

Her research centers not on genes themselves, but on mechanisms known as gene regulatory regions. She focused on using a metaphor. If genes are the orchestra in the symphony that creates a living being, then gene regulatory regions are the conductors that control when, where and how much an instrument is played, Gordon explained.

Gordon received $1,000 in prize money as the Peoples Choice award winner but said she was going home with a whole lot more. The months of practicing her pitch, she said, gave her new tools to collaborate with colleagues and teach others about her work.

Even at prestigious research conferences, Gordon said, people often struggle to understand one anothers work.

Not enough researchers think about communication. But when you can explain what you do, you can find those collaborations and your research can advance much faster, she said.

You may have this cool discovery, but if its really going to be able to change the world, you need to be able to communicate it to people who dont do this every day.

Special thanks to Thermo Fisher Scientific for furnishing the prize money.

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For its 7th year, Grad Slam delivers promising research you can remember (and explain) - University of California

Israel launched a national five-year plan to advance the field of bio-convergence, said the state's Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology.

The plan, amounting to 435 million shekels (about $127 million), was approved by Israel's National Infrastructure Forum for R&D, which includes experts from the Defence, Finance and Innovation Ministries, along with heads of academia in the country.

The program will focus on building infrastructure and developing capabilities in areas where Israel has strengths, the Innovation Ministry said.

The plan includes the establishment of infrastructure centers for applied industrial R&D, the set up of startups and consortiums of companies and academia in the field, the training and placement of biologists in the civil and defence industry etc, Xinhua news agency reported.

Bio-convergence integrates biology with additional disciplines from engineering such as electronics, artificial intelligence, physics, computer science, nanotechnology, material science and advanced genetic engineering.

Products and technologies included in the field are bionic tissues, organ engineering, transplanted products that collect data from the body, synthetic biology etc.

--IANS

int/khz/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Israel launches 5-year national plan worth $127 mn to boost bio-convergence - Business Standard

May 12, 2022 Over the past few years of his PhD research, Harim Won has been laying the groundwork to develop a new type of antibiotic to treat tuberculosis (TB), addressing the long-standing problems of lengthy treatments and antibiotic resistance. Won is using a new approach to turn a normal protein system in the bacterial cell against itself.

Won, who works in the lab of Eric Rubin, adjunct professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is completing a degree in biological sciences in public health.

In January, Won was named a 2022 Harvard Horizons Scholar by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Selected for his promising research, he had the opportunity, along with the seven other Horizons Scholars, to share his work at a mid-April public symposium.

Because TB treatment ranges from six months for typical cases up to two years for multidrug-resistant cases, health care workers travel to patients homes each day to ensure that antibiotics are taken consistently. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this process, particularly in low- and middle-income countries with limited resources. As a result, after years of steadily declining deaths due to TB, the trend has reversed.

The conventional strategy of finding more effective antibiotics has shown limited success over the past few decades. If you think of a bacterial cell like an electric pencil sharpener, one of the bacterial proteins could be likened to the sharpeners blades, Won explained. If you took Silly Putty and jammed it right in the blades, it would stop that component from working and the sharpener wouldnt work, like how the bacterial cell would die if an antibiotic molecule jammed up the protein. Instead, what if we could somehow get the pencil sharpener to chew up its own wiring?

Since a traditional antibiotic molecule fits into one specific site of the protein, a single mutation there can prevent binding and lead to drug resistance.

Won has turned to other fields for inspiration, taking an approach called targeted protein degradation that has been used to create cancer drugs. Adapting the strategy for bacteria, instead of one antibiotic molecule sticking to one bacterial protein, the method uses a two-headed molecule that binds to both a target protein and a protein system called a protease. We can think of a protease like a garbage disposal in the cell. Its jobs include chewing up old proteins or ones that are messed up for one reason or another. With targeted protein degradation, youre taking a normal system in cells and redirecting it to destroy proteins that are causing disease, he said.

Compared to a traditional antibiotic, the two-headed molecule can theoretically attach anywhere on the target protein and protease, not just at one sitegiving researchers more options for designing the drug and combatting antibiotic resistance.

In proof-of-concept experiments, Won used genetic engineering techniques to modify potential target proteins and the protease. He added tags that brought the two parts close to each other inside the cell, mimicking the role of the two-headed molecule. He found that the protease could indeed degrade the target proteins and affect the bacteria, either by reducing bacterial growth or making the bacteria more sensitive to an existing antibiotic.

Won performed the experiments in a petri dish using a bacterial strain that models TB, so the next steps include testing using TB bacteria and animal models of the disease. Once the experiments identify the best target proteins, the lab will collaborate with chemists to find a molecule that binds to the proteins and the protease.

Our approach to developing new antibiotics is largely to try to figure out ways to gum up the works in the organism that is causing an infection, said Rubin. Harry is taking a very different way, turning an essential bacterial system against itself. It opens up a completely new path toward developing anti-infective medications.

More broadly, Won views antibiotic development as a matter of justice. Exposure is not equal in infectious diseases, and accessibility of treatments is also not equitable. The best way I can think of to make our world healthier is being involved in the process of making new medicines that help people, he said.

Watch a video clip from Harim Wons Harvard Horizons Symposium presentation

Jessica Lau

Photo: Kent Dayton

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A better antibiotic for tuberculosis treatment | News | Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health - HSPH News

Jasper Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:JSPR Get Rating) has been given a consensus recommendation of Buy by the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $15.00.

JSPR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Credit Suisse Group cut their price target on Jasper Therapeutics from $15.00 to $10.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 25th. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on Jasper Therapeutics in a report on Monday, February 28th. They set an overweight rating and a $10.00 price target for the company. Finally, Zacks Investment Research raised Jasper Therapeutics from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, January 20th.

Shares of JSPR traded up $0.06 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $2.99. The stock had a trading volume of 20,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 72,180. Jasper Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $2.45 and a 12 month high of $18.88. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $3.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $5.61.

Jasper Therapeutics Company Profile (Get Rating)

Jasper Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops therapeutic agents for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapies. It focuses on the development and commercialization of conditioning agents and stem cell engineering to allow expanded use of stem cell transplantation and ex vivo gene therapy, a technique in which genetic manipulation of cells is performed outside the body prior to transplantation.

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