Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

Field trials in the Northwest and Southwest show that poplar trees can be genetically modified to reduce negative impacts on air quality while leaving their growth potential virtually unchanged, says an Oregon State University researcher who collaborated on the study.

The findings, published . in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are important because poplar plantations cover 9.4 million hectares globally more than double the land used 15 years ago. Poplars are fast-growing trees that are a source of biofuel and other products including paper, pallets, plywood and furniture frames.

A drawback of poplar plantations is that the trees are also a major producer of isoprene, the key component of natural rubber and a pre-pollutant.

Increases in isoprene negatively affect regional air quality and also unbalance the global energy budget by leading to higher levels of atmospheric aerosol production, more ozone in the air and longer methane life. Ozone and methane are greenhouse gases, and ozone is also a respiratory irritant.

Poplar and other trees including oak, eucalyptus and conifers produce isoprene in their leaves in response to climate stress such as high temperatures.

A research collaboration led by scientists at the University of Arizona, the Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology in Germany, Portland State University and OSU genetically modified poplars not to produce isoprene, then tested them in three-year trials at plantations in Oregon and Arizona.

They found that trees whose isoprene production was genetically suppressed did not suffer any ill effects in terms of photosynthesis or biomass production they were able to make fuel and grow as well as trees that were producing isoprene.

Steve Strauss, distinguished professor of forest biotechnology in the OSU College of Forestry, said there are a couple of possible explanations for the findings.

One is that, without the ability to produce isoprene, the modified poplars appear to be making compensatory protective compounds.

Another is that most of the trees growth takes place during cooler times of the year, so heat stress, which triggers isoprene production, likely has little effect on photosynthesis at that time.

Our findings suggest that isoprene emissions can be diminished without affecting biomass production in temperate forest plantations, Strauss said. Thats what we wanted to examine can you turn down isoprene production, and does it matter to biomass productivity and general plant health? It looks like it doesnt impair either significantly. In Arizona, where its super hot, if isoprene mattered to productivity, it would show up in a striking way, but it did not. Plants are smart theyll compensate and do something different if they need to.

In this study, scientists used a genetic engineering tool known as RNA interference. RNA, ribonucleic acid, transmits protein coding instructions from each cells DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, which holds the organisms genetic code.

RNA interference is like a vaccination it triggers a natural and highly specific mechanism whereby specific targets are suppressed, be they the RNA of viruses or endogenous genes, Strauss said. You can also do this with CRISPR at the DNA level, and it usually works even better.

CRISPR, short for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, targets specific stretches of genetic code for DNA editing at exact locations.

You could also do the same thing through conventional breeding, Strauss said. It would be a lot less efficient and precise, and it might be a nightmare for breeders who may need to reassess all of their germplasm and possibly exclude their most productive cultivars as a result, but it could be done.

Corresponding author Russ Monson of the University of Arizona said the study lays the groundwork for future isoprene research, including in different growing environments.

The fact that cultivars of poplar can be produced in a way that ameliorates atmospheric impacts without significantly reducing biomass production gives us a lot of optimism, Monson said. Were striving toward greater environmental sustainability while developing plantation scale biomass sources that can serve as fossil fuel alternatives. We also need to keep working toward solutions to the current regulatory and market roadblocks that make large-scale research and commercial uses for genetically engineered trees difficult.

Sustainable forest management systems and their certifying bodies operate under the assumption that genetically modified equates to dangerous, Strauss said.

If something is GMO, its guilty until proven safe in the minds of many and in our regulations today, he said. These technologies are new tools that require scientific research to evaluate and refine them on a case-by-case basis. We have a huge need for expanded production of sustainable and renewable forest products and ecological services, and biotechnologies can help meet that need.

Original article: Poplars genetically modified not to harm air quality grow as well as non-modified trees

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Genetically engineered poplar trees slash air pollution in 3-year field trial - Genetic Literacy Project

Dont get an education for the sake of a degree; learn your lessons by heart

Noted nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, Fakhar-e-Pakistan, has urged students to gain knowledge by learning it by heart and not for the sake of getting degrees.

He advised the youth to realise the importance of education, and to realise that they will not be able to accomplish anything in their lives without an education. He warned that there is no future for the people who ignore education.

Dr Khan made these remarks as the chief guest on the final day of a four-day 5th Dr AQ Khan Winter School Workshop that was held at the Jinnah Auditorium of the University of Karachis Dr AQ Khan Institute of Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (KIBGE).

Rather than spending five years in universities to get degrees and cram in the syllabus, students should work hard, and besides learning the theories, they should spend sufficient time in laboratories to learn how to operate different tools, said Dr Khan.

He said that students should also focus on conducting valuable research, and learn from the experiences of their teachers, class fellows and seniors. He added that the KIBGE is providing all necessary facilities required for conducting quality research, and its labs are equipped with modern tools and technologies.

Dr Khan said that he always takes pleasure in seeing faces of young researchers and scholars at the KIBGE. He said people frequently used to ask him to do something for Karachi and its youth, so he built the institute that is providing the highest standard of education in the entire country.

He advised the students that after completing their MPhil from the KIBGE, they should go abroad and take an admission in a PhD programme, and those who have done their PhDs must complete their post-doctorate from foreign universities, and then return to Pakistan to serve their beloved motherland.

Dr Khan suggested that young researchers and scholars gain knowledge and information from the experienced faculty of the KIBGE and use what they have learned from this institute in their practical lives so that the country can benefit from them. He also advised researchers to equip themselves with the latest information and seek perfection in their research.

KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said the university has given admissions to over 10,000 students this year in different programmes being run in morning and evening shifts.

He said KU has more than 19 institutes and research centres in the campus, including the KIBGE, and they are contributing a lot in promoting the research culture in the academia. He added that students and young researchers are quite lucky to get an admission in the university.

Dr Iraqi congratulated the researchers on the completion of their workshop and said that he hoped students have taken advantage by interacting with seasoned trainers and by doing on-hand work in the labs that are equipped with the latest tools and technologies.

He advised them to share what they have learned from the workshop with others and keep participating in such programmes. He mentioned that these events provide a lot of facilities under one roof and also give a chance of networking with field professionals.

Earlier, KIBGE Director General Prof Dr Abid Azhar shared that this institute provides equal opportunity to students across the country, and the whole faculty is so proud that their students are performing extraordinarily around the world.

National Centre for Proteomics Director Prof Dr Shamshad Zarina emphasised the dire need for such workshops, as these events are significant for the practical and scientific training of students. She applauded the syndicates decision of naming the centre after former KU VC and scientist Dr Zafar H Zaidi.

On the occasion, Dr Iraqi also distributed certificates among the participants. Later, computerised draws for Umrah and Hajj were conducted by Dr Khan, selecting Ghulam Fareed Gabool for Hajj, and Muhammad Hussain and Dr Sitwat Zehra for Umrah.

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Dont get an education for the sake of a degree; learn your lessons by heart - The News International

FT516 IND Application Cleared by FDA for Advanced Solid Tumors in Combination with PDL1-, EGFR- and HER2-targeting Therapeutic Antibodies

Published Preclinical Data Demonstrate iPSC-derived NK Cells Engineered with High-affinity, Non-cleavable CD16 Enhance the Efficacy of Antibody Therapy

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 13, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (FATE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of programmed cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed its second Investigational New Drug (IND) application for FT516, the Companys off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell product candidate derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line engineered to express a novel CD16 Fc receptor. This is the Companys fourth IND from its proprietary iPSC product platform cleared by the FDA, and enables the clinical investigation of FT516 in combination with monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy across a broad range of solid tumors.

While monoclonal antibodies are proven therapeutic agents that are often used early in the treatment of many cancers, the functional status of the patients NK cells has been shown to play an important role in mediating clinical activity and prolonging survival, said Scott Wolchko, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fate Therapeutics. In particular, stable expression of the NK cell activating receptor CD16, and its binding affinity to therapeutic antibodies, are critical to promoting antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Our first-of-kind, off-the-shelf approach with FT516 enables administration of multiple doses of CD16-engineered NK cells, and we are excited to investigate the potential of FT516 to augment the clinical efficacy of monoclonal antibody therapy in the setting of solid tumors.

FT516 expresses a novel high-affinity, non-cleavable variant of CD16 (hnCD16) that enhances its binding to therapeutic antibodies and prevents its down-regulation, which can significantly inhibit anti-tumor activity. A publication by scientists from the Company, the University of Minnesota, and the University of California, San Diego in the journal Blood (https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2019000621), entitled Pluripotent stem cell-derived NK cells with high-affinity non-cleavable CD16a mediate improved anti-tumor activity, highlights preclinical proof-of-concept data for FT516.

In the published studies, iPSC-derived NK cells expressing hnCD16 were shown to have superior therapeutic properties in vitro, including maintenance of CD16 expression and increased levels of cytokine production upon activation, compared to peripheral blood NK cells sourced from healthy donors. In an in vivo systemic tumor model of human lymphoma, treatment with iPSC-derived hnCD16 NK cells plus anti-CD20 mAb resulted in a significant improvement in survival (median survival exceeding 100 days) compared to treatment with anti-CD20 mAb alone or in combination with peripheral blood NK cells sourced from healthy donors (each of which showed median survival of 35 days). Additionally, iPSC-derived hnCD16 NK cells plus anti-HER2 mAb also conveyed a survival benefit in a xenograft model of SKOV-3 ovarian carcinoma.

FT516 is the first-ever cell therapy in the world derived from a genetically engineered pluripotent stem cell cleared for clinical testing. The Company intends to initiate clinical investigation of FT516 in combination with tumor-target antibody therapy in solid tumors later this year. The Company is currently conducting an open-label, multi-dose Phase 1 clinical trial of FT516 as a monotherapy for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and in combination with CD20-directed mAbs for the treatment of advanced B-cell lymphoma.

About Fate Therapeutics iPSC Product PlatformThe Companys proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform enables mass production of off-the-shelf, engineered, homogeneous cell products that can be administered with multiple doses to deliver more effective pharmacologic activity, including in combination with cycles of other cancer treatments. Human iPSCs possess the unique dual properties of unlimited self-renewal and differentiation potential into all cell types of the body. The Companys first-of-kind approach involves engineering human iPSCs in a one-time genetic modification event and selecting a single engineered iPSC for maintenance as a clonal master iPSC line. Analogous to master cell lines used to manufacture biopharmaceutical drug products such as monoclonal antibodies, clonal master iPSC lines are a renewable source for manufacturing cell therapy products which are well-defined and uniform in composition, can be mass produced at significant scale in a cost-effective manner, and can be delivered off-the-shelf for patient treatment. As a result, the Companys platform is uniquely capable of overcoming numerous limitations associated with the production of cell therapies using patient- or donor-sourced cells, which is logistically complex and expensive and is subject to batch-to-batch and cell-to-cell variability that can affect clinical safety and efficacy. Fate Therapeutics iPSC product platform is supported by an intellectual property portfolio of over 250 issued patents and 150 pending patent applications.

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About FT516FT516 is an investigational, universal, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line engineered to express a novel high-affinity 158V, non-cleavable CD16 Fc receptor, which has been modified to prevent its down-regulation and to enhance its binding to tumor-targeting antibodies. CD16 mediates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), a potent anti-tumor mechanism by which NK cells recognize, bind and kill antibody-coated cancer cells. ADCC is dependent on NK cells maintaining stable and effective expression of CD16, which has been shown to undergo considerable down-regulation in cancer patients. In addition, CD16 occurs in two variants, 158V or 158F, that elicit high or low binding affinity, respectively, to the Fc domain of IgG antibodies. Numerous clinical studies with FDA-approved tumor-targeting antibodies, including rituximab, trastuzumab and cetuximab, have demonstrated that patients homozygous for the 158V variant, which is present in only about 15% of patients, have improved clinical outcomes. The product candidate is being investigated in an open-label, multi-dose Phase 1 clinical trial as a monotherapy for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and in combination with CD20-directed monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of advanced B-cell lymphoma (NCT04023071).

About Fate Therapeutics, Inc.Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of first-in-class cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders. The Company has established a leadership position in the clinical development and manufacture of universal, off-the-shelf cell products using its proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform. The Companys immuno-oncology product candidates include natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell cancer immunotherapies, which are designed to synergize with well-established cancer therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, and to target tumor-associated antigens with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). The Companys immuno-regulatory product candidates include ProTmune, a pharmacologically modulated, donor cell graft that is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease, and a myeloid-derived suppressor cell immunotherapy for promoting immune tolerance in patients with immune disorders. Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.fatetherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements regarding the safety and therapeutic potential of the Companys NK cell product candidates, including FT516, its ongoing and planned clinical studies, and the expected clinical development plans for FT516. These and any other forward-looking statements in this release are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that the Company may cease or delay planned development and clinical trials of any of its product candidates for a variety of reasons (including any delay in enrolling patients in current and planned clinical trials, requirements that may be imposed by regulatory authorities on the conduct of clinical trials or to support regulatory approval, difficulties in manufacturing or supplying the Companys product candidates for clinical testing, or the occurrence of any adverse events or other negative results that may be observed during development), the risk that results observed in preclinical studies of its product candidates, including FT516, may not be replicated in ongoing or future clinical trials or studies, and the risk that its product candidates may not produce therapeutic benefits or may cause other unanticipated adverse effects. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Companys actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the risks and uncertainties detailed in the Companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Companys most recently filed periodic report, and from time to time in the Companys press releases and other investor communications.Fate Therapeutics is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:Christina TartagliaStern Investor Relations, Inc.212.362.1200christina@sternir.com

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Fate Therapeutics Announces Expansion of FT516 Clinical Investigation and Publication of Preclinical Data in the Journal Blood - Yahoo Finance

Few academics eagerly engage the public on controversial scientific topics, content to quietly focus on their research. Agricultural economist and author Stuart Smyth isnt among them. No stranger to social media and a frequent contributor to the Genetic Literacy Project, Smyth has consistently worked to translate his detailed books and scholarly publications about crop biotechnology into digestible educational content geared toward a general audience.

In recent years, Smyth has taken on popular myths about GMOs, called for sensible regulation of biotechnology and faced down the activist groups that have attempted to smear him for daring to teach consumers not to be afraid of their food.

On this episode of the Talking Biotech podcast, Smyth joins plant geneticist Kevin Folta to discuss his views on the risks and benefits of GMO crops, arguing that genetic engineering is a safe and thoroughly studied tool that has made our food supply more bountiful. Smyth also answers some tough questions about the ever-present threat posed by pesticide-resistant insects and weeds and how farmers are working to outsmart them.

While pests have always hassled farmers, government biotech rules, especially those in Europe, have created a significant burden in the last few decades for the people who grow our food. Smyth discusses the current situation in the European Union and how scientists are working at a hurried pace to reverse the situation as new technologies come online, most notably tools like CRISPR gene editing.

Stuart J. Smyth is a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and holds the Industry Funded Research Chair in Agri-Food Innovation at the University of Saskatchewan. Follow him on Twitter @stuartsmyth66

Kevin M. Folta is a professor in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida. Follow professor Folta on Twitter @kevinfolta and email your questions to [emailprotected]

The Talking Biotech podcast, produced by Kevin Folta, is available for listening or subscription:

Apple Podcasts|Android|Email|Google Podcasts|Stitcher|RSS|Player FM|Pod Directory|TuneIn

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Podcast: Agricultural economist Stuart Smyth explains the risks and benefits of GMOs and the future of crop biotechnology - Genetic Literacy Project

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SAB Biotherapeutics (SAB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical development company advancing a new class of immunotherapies, today announced that it has entered into multiple collaboration and option agreements with global biotherapeutics leader CSL Behring. The collaborations will explore the possibility and the potential of new therapies to treat challenging autoimmune, infectious and idiopathic diseases by leveraging SABs DiversitAb platform.

SAB has developed a unique platform, through advanced genetic engineering, to naturally and rapidly produce large amounts of human antibodies without using human donors.

The agreement includes a research program which will investigate a potential new source for human immunoglobulin G (IgG). Human IgG is currently used for a number of immunological and neurological diseases including Primary Immunodeficiency, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), and Multifocal Motor Neuropathy (MMN).

CSL Behring is a leader in the global immunoglobulins market, which has grown substantially over the last five years. Key factors fueling market growth include an aging population, increased emphasis on the diagnosis and treatment of immune diseases, and its increased use in new indications.

SAB Biotherapeutics has developed a very interesting and novel platform for the production of human immunoglobulins, said Dr. Andrew Nash, Senior Vice President, Research for CSL Behring. CSL Behring is committed to the continuous development of innovative therapies that address unmet needs for patients with rare and serious diseases. This collaboration will provide both companies an opportunity to explore the potential of these new approaches to positively impact areas of need.

CSL Behrings R&D footprint includes more than 1,700 scientists across the globe with an R&D investment exceeding $800 million in 2018 - 2019.

We are excited that CSL Behring has chosen to work with SAB Biotherapeutics to explore new immunotherapies leveraging our technology platform, said Dr. Eddie J. Sullivan, president, CEO and co-founder of SAB Biotherapeutics. We believe combining our unique human antibody development and production capabilities with CSL Behrings established immunoglobulin franchise and vast expertise in biopharmaceutical development will broaden therapeutic possibilities.

CSL Behring and SAB will share research program and related costs and plan to complete the initial phase in 2020. The collaboration may lead to subsequent development and commercialization agreements.

About SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc.

SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc. (SAB), headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D. is a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical development company advancing a new class of immunotherapies leveraging fully human polyclonal antibodies. Utilizing some of the most complex genetic engineering and antibody science in the world, SAB has developed the only platform that can rapidly produce natural, highly targeted, high-potency, immunotherapies at commercial scale. The company is advancing programs in autoimmunity, infectious diseases, inflammation and exploratory oncology.

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SAB Biotherapeutics Announces Research Collaboration With CSL Behring - Business Wire

LINCOLN, Neb. & SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A team of researchers from the USDAs Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska (USMARC) and University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) have identified two major genes associated with bovine congestive heart failure (BCHF) in beef feedlot cattle. This study is the first to confirm genetic risk factors associated with BCHF. Collaborating with scientists from MatMaCorp, a developer of diagnostic systems for science, agriculture, and medicine, this information was rapidly translated into a genetic test that is already being used to inform selective breeding and animal health management.

The research is being presented today at 1:55 pm at the International Plant & Animal Genome (PAG) XXVIII conference taking place in San Diego.

BCHF involves pulmonary hypertension that culminates in right ventricular failure and eventually death. For some producers, BCHF is the single most costly health-related problem with losses exceeding $250,000 annually in individual operations, surpassing those from bovine respiratory disease.1

Reducing the impact of BCHF is a high priority for the cattle industry, said Dr. Brian Vander Ley, assistant professor, veterinary epidemiologist at UNL, and co-principle investigator on the project. One of our aims is to develop a genetic test for BCHF to help manage this disease and improve animal health and well-being. Mitigating BCHF will have a positive impact on beef feedlot cattle, especially in the Western Great Plains of North America, which are home to approximately 20% of the national herd.2

Samples of 102 cases of BCHF and 102 unaffected matched pen mates were used in a genome-wide association study, which revealed 21 genomic regions highly associated with BCHF. Regions with the strongest association included the arresting domain-containing 3 protein (ARRDC3) and nuclear factor IA (NFIA) genes. Animals with both risk factors were approximately 15-fold more likely to have BCHF compared to those without (p-value < 10-10).

Although the roles of these genes in disease pathogenesis are unknown, their discovery facilitates classifying animals by genetic risk for heart failure and will allow producers to make informed decisions for selective breeding and animal health management.

Prior to this study, there were no known genetic risk factors for BCHF, said Michael Heaton, USMARC scientist and co-principle investigator on the project. Once we had the associated genes in hand, we wanted to begin validating the two best markers immediately because animals are dying every day from this disease. Our aim was to use a platform that allowed us to transfer the technology without delay. Working closely with MatMaCorp scientists, we developed our first targeted genetic test for BCHF in one week. Soon after, we began validating our results in newly identified BCHF cases, and subsequently we identified high- and low-risk calves in a crop of more than a thousand from a severely affected herd.

Dr. Vander Ley added, It looks like these markers can provide immediate information to make breeding decisions today that can reduce losses for next years feedlot cattle. They may also allow us to identify high-risk cattle from affected herds that can be managed more effectively to reduce the impact of disease.

This is an example of an ideal application for MatMaCorps technology, said Dr. Abraham Oommen, MatMaCorp founder and President. We can easily take genetic data and rapidly develop a cost-effective, simple test that allows significant in-the-field decisions for a wide range of applications. We look forward to seeing this research advance and also working closely with USMARC and UNL to improve the BCHF genetic test and confirm breeding outcomes.

1 Heaton MP, Bassett AS, Whitman KJ et al. Evaluation of EPAS1 variants for association with bovine congestive heart failure. F1000Research, 2019, 8:1189.

2 Drouillard J. Current situation and future trends for beef production in the United States of America A review. Asian-Australas J Anim Sci, 2018;31(7):1007-1016.

About MatMaCorp

MatMaCorp (Materials and Machines Corporation) is a developer of comprehensive solutions for science, medicine, and agriculture. By combining engineering, life science, and information technology, MatMaCorp has developed a portable, easy-to-use, and affordable suite of products to power genetics for human diagnostics, animal conservation, and agriculture applications, including food safety, and breeding. By eliminating the need for large laboratory equipment like centrifuges, pipettes, and refrigerators, MatMaCorps products are geared towards making molecular biology and diagnostic techniques accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime, and without contamination and background noise. Solas 8TM is a portable device that combines both the purification and detection of DNA/RNA. DNA/RNA purification on the Solas 8 is accomplished with the MagicTip and SNP/sequence detection is done using C-SAND Assays. For more information, please visit http://www.matmacorp.com and follow the company on Twitter.

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New Genetic Test for Bovine Congestive Heart Failure May Help Breeding and Management Decisions - Business Wire

Vance Crowe is a communications consultant who thrives on chaos. Heis a keynote speaker at the Land Expo 2020 in Des Moines on January 14. Successful Farming magazine caught up with him ahead of time to get a preview.

VC: My talk is called The Edge of Chaos, where and how society changes. What is accepted, what is desirable, and what is not allowed in a society? There is a difference between perceptions in the countryside and the city. What ramifications does this have for how things will be done in the future with agricultural lands, whether thats growing crops or raising animals? Which perceptions and demands of people living in the city are fads, and which ones actually have a chance of radically changing the way land is being managed?

VC: Ive only been involved in agriculture for the last five years. Before that, my jobs varied widely. I ran a camp for inner city kids, was a deckhand on a ship that traveled around the Western Hemisphere, lived in Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, worked in public radio in northern California, worked at the World Bank, and then worked at Monsanto.

It has been an interesting journey. I have seen how ideas started and then flowed out into society. That became very real for me when I was working at Monsanto. A group of people who disagree with modern agriculture can alter the publics perception of the way the world ought to change. I saw what happened when society and culture turn against certain components of agriculture.

VC: Things you think are certain can change. The Overton window can shift on you. Changes in society that you couldnt imagine can happen. Even if you know something is far better for society, it may reject it.

On the other hand, you can change perception with enough coordinated effort. Five years ago, there was a lot of concern about whether or not you should eat GMOs, and that fight has basically dissipated. There are people who still think that, but the issue is nowhere near at the velocity and temperature that it was before. Agriculture figured out that it was a technology people didnt understand, so we have to explain it to them. Otherwise they will become so impassioned that they wont let us use this technology.

VC: Catastrophic. It is the manifestation of how our legal system can be profited by individuals. If you can sue glyphosate, you can do that to any chemical, because glyphosate is one of the most innocuous. That has very serious implications for the future.

It is a challenge to be in the number one spot. People focus on you. The companies in the number two, three, and four spots dont jump up to help you out. They kind of scoot back and let you take the slings and arrows, even though they all have a shared interest in genetic engineering or crop protection. They say, Monsanto is the one being sued for glyphosate, its not really our problem, were going to stay out of this. But if you can knock glyphosate out, any chemical in their portfolio could get knocked out.

VC: Societies wont live in chaos. Its not acceptable. They will accept suboptimal conditions before they will accept not knowing. So people will choose a certain future that is less good, rather than an uncertain feature with lots of potential.

There are good things that can come from chaos. If you stay too much on the ordered side of life, you dont make the changes you need to make to evolve and thrive and get better. If youre too ordered, you become tyrannical.

VC: The people who thrive the most in these situations are the ones who are the most curious about the chaos the ones most interested in learning what is on the edge. Its good to have opinions, but loosely hold them so that other people can give you a good argument that makes sense. Be willing to change and adapt and not be so rigid that you break.

The only way you make change is if you get up there on the edge of chaos. You figure out what changes society is asking us to make that we should make, and which ones are unreasonable demands that we should find a way to convince them otherwise.

VC: Kenya, a place I used to live in while in the Peace Corps, is close to approving BT. Once farmers see the benefits of genetic engineering traits, you may watch the adoption of genetic engineering technology in a place that gets more sunlight than anywhere else on earth the continent of Africa. They are adding technology in a very big way. That will change global agriculture. It will change where countries like China look to do trade deals.

VC: Synthetic biology, whether it pertains to synthetic meat or other types of products that were naturally grown, is coming on in a big way. Where do farmers fit into that? Dont focus on the micro issues, because this is starting to blossom all over the world.

VC: Farmers either get mad or they get very dismissive of it. The biggest impact of synthetic meat is not going to be the burgers and steaks that the beef industry is so worried about. Its going to be pet food. Its like what the rebar market in steel did to the steel manufacturers. In Mexico, they built these tiny foundries that made cheap steel, and they stole 3% from the steel market, which was enough to grind that to a halt in the United States. Synthetic meat is going to enter through the pet food market, or some ancillary market that isnt going to compete on taste and texture.

VC: Absolutely, with 100% certainty. The things that are possible to do with precision gene editing over the long term are so mind bending as to be difficult to believe. It will have profound implications not only on the way we grow things, but also what we grow.

VC: Sensors will become inexpensive to put in peoples fields. Sensors can start figuring out exact applications of nitrogen for your field, meter by meter. Farmers will be able to conduct those tests themselves; they won't have to wait for an agronomist or a seed company to come by and tell them what to do. Thats coming very soon.

VC: I happen to know quite a bit about banking and the marijuana system. Banking is one of the biggest impediments, but once that flips and you can now start loaning on capital for hemp or for marijuana production, that is when the whole game takes off. Marijuana has been held off because you havent been able to do proper banking. We are within six months of that flipping, and then youre going to see a whole bunch of bankers looking for farmers to be taking those loans.

VC: There has not been a new active ingredients for crop protection approved by the USDA in the last 20 years. The rise of biologicals is because theyre regulated in a completely different way. Youre bringing it in through a side door. There is way more innovation going on there. A lot of it is snake oil, but some of it is solid gold. Biologicals are going to come on in a big way in feed. Its a way to lower methane emissions.

VC: I love Bitcoin. Thats one of my favorites. Its held its value. Its far and away the best investment Ive ever made by orders of magnitude. I was in pretty early.

VC: There is a concept called the intransigent minority. It was developed by a brilliant guy named Nassim Taleb, whos a mathematician that hates genetic engineering. He really hated Monsanto. The intransigent minority is the number of people you need in a given society to be absolutely entrenched on an idea that society relents to them and gives them whatever they want. For example, how many vegans would you need before you require all food to be vegan. Or organic?

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How To Thrive On the Edge of Chaos: A Guide for Farmers - Successful Farming

Hemophilia. Cystic fibrosis. Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Huntingtons disease. These are just a few of the thousands of disorders caused by mutations in the bodys DNA. Treating the root causes of these debilitating diseases has become possible only recently, thanks to the development of genome editing tools such as CRISPR, which can change DNA sequences in cells and tissues to correct fundamental errors at the sourcebut significant hurdles must be overcome before genome-editing treatments are ready for use in humans.

Enter the National Institutes of Health Common Funds Somatic Cell Genome Editing (SCGE) program, established in 2018 to help researchers develop and assess accurate, safe and effective genome editing therapies for use in the cells and tissues of the body (aka somatic cells) that are affected by each of these diseases.

Todaywith three ongoing grants totaling more than $6 million in research fundingDuke University is tied with Yale University, UC Berkeley and UC Davis for the most projects supported by the NIH SCGE Program.

In the 2019 SCGE awards cycle, Charles Gersbach, the Rooney Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and collaborators across Duke and North Carolina State University received two grants: the first will allow them to study how CRISPR genome editing affects engineered human muscle tissues, while the second project will develop new CRISPR tools to turn genes on and off rather than permanently alter the targeted DNA sequence. This work builds on a 2018 SCGE grant, led by Aravind Asokan, professor and director of gene therapy in the Department of Surgery, which focuses on using adeno-associated viruses to deliver gene editing tools to neuromuscular tissue.

There is an amazing team of engineers, scientists and clinicians at Duke and the broader Research Triangle coalescing around the challenges of studying and manipulating the human genome to treat diseasefrom delivery to modeling to building new tools, said Gersbach, who with his colleagues recently launched the Duke Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies (CAGT), a collaboration of the Pratt School of Engineering, Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, and School of Medicine. Were very excited to be at the center of those efforts and greatly appreciate the support of the NIH SCGE Program to realize this vision.

For their first grant, Gersbach will collaborate with fellow Duke biomedical engineering faculty Nenad Bursac and George Truskey to monitor how genome editing affects engineered human muscle tissue. Through their new project, the team will use human pluripotent stem cells to make human muscle tissues in the lab, specifically skeletal and cardiac muscle, which are often affected by genetic diseases. These systems will then serve as a more accurate model for monitoring the health of human tissues, on-target and off-target genome modifications, tissue regeneration, and possible immune responses during CRISPR-mediated genome editing.

Currently, most genetic testing occurs using animal models, but those dont always accurately replicate the human response to therapy, says Truskey, the Goodson Professor of Biomedical Engineering.

Bursac adds, We have a long history of engineering human cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues with the right cell types and physiology to model the response to gene editing systems like CRISPR. With these platforms, we hope to help predict how muscle will respond in a human trial.

Gersbach will work with Tim Reddy, a Duke associate professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics, and Rodolphe Barrangou, the Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in Probiotics Research at North Carolina State University, on the second grant. According to Gersbach, this has the potential to extend the impact of genome editing technologies to a greater diversity of diseases, as many common diseases, such as neurodegenerative and autoimmune conditions, result from too much or too little of certain genes rather than a single genetic mutation. This work builds on previous collaborations between Gersbach, Barrangou and Reddy developing both new CRISPR systems for gene regulation and to regulate the epigenome rather than permanently delete DNA sequences.

Aravind Asokan leads Dukes initial SCGE grant, which explores the the evolution of next generation of adeno-associated viruses (AAVs), which have emerged as a safe and effective system to deliver gene therapies to targeted cells, especially those involved in neuromuscular diseases like spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other myopathies. However, delivery of genome editing tools to the stem cells of neuromuscular tissue is particularly challenging. This collaboration between Asokan and Gersbach builds on their previous work in using AAV and CRISPR to treat animal models of DMD.

We aim to correct mutations not just in the mature muscle cells, but also in the muscle stem cells that regenerate skeletal muscle tissue, explainsAsokan. This approach is critical to ensuring long-term stability of genome editing in muscle and ultimately we hope to establish a paradigm where our cross-cutting viral evolution approach can enable efficient editing in multiple organ systems.

Click through to learn more about the Duke Center for Advanced Genomic Technologies.

Excerpt from:
Duke Researchers Garner Over $6 Million in NIH Funding to Fight Genetic Diseases - Duke Today

Changing landscapes, habitat loss, fragmentation, and global climate change have been listed as the main reasons for biodiversity decline worldwide. Now, a new study from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru, has added to the growing knowledge that anthropogenic activities can impact genetic connectivity or the movement among habitat patches usually resulting in mating and genetic exchange.

In several mammalian carnivores, juveniles disperse away from their mother's territory to establish their own territory. Males are known to travel longer distances than females. Isolation of habitat patches (due to habitat destruction and fragmentation) can restrict animal movement among habitat patches and thus reduce genetic exchange and increase the probability of extinction. Hence maintaining connectivity is critical to ensure long term persistence of a species, Prachi Thatte explains. Dr. Thatte is the first author of the paper published in Diversity and Distributions and now works with WWF-India on connectivity conservation

Four wide-ranging mammals Jungle cats, leopards, sloth bears, tigers were investigated for the genetic differentiation in central India, which is a critical landscape for several species. The DNA extracted from faecal samples were used for understanding genetic connectivity. The samples were collected from nine protected areas during the period 2012-2017.

The team looked at how land-use, human population density, nearby roads and traffic affected the genetic structure. The paper notes that tigers were impacted the most by high human footprint. Although known to travel long distances and move through agricultural fields to some extent, tigers in central India do not have equally high genetic exchange throughout the landscape. Some protected areas like Bandhavgarh tiger reserve seem to be getting relatively isolated (the 2014 tiger census report also shows the same), explains Dr. Thatte.

Jungle cats were found to be the least impacted. That is likely because in central India, they occupy a variety of habitats including forests, scrublands, grasslands and even irrigated agricultural fields close to the forests, she explains.

Despite being the least impacted by human activity, the team encountered several jungle cat road-kills while carrying out fieldwork. She explains that with increasing infrastructure and traffic, systematically studying the impact of roads on smaller species like jungle cat and jackals and ensuring the presence of mitigation structures like underpasses and overpasses would be crucial to ensure that we don't fragment the currently well-connected populations.

IIndia has also started paying attention to wildlife corridors and encouraging engineering reforms to promote wildlife movements. Last year, the Ministry of Environment along with the Wildlife Institute of India released a document that lays out the regulatory requirements for developing roads, railways, powerlines while recognising the impacts on wildlife and people. NHAI and all PWDs have been instructed to follow the guidelines.

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How humans affect genetic connectivity of four mammals - The Hindu

The first batch of genetically engineered salmon at a fish farm in Albany has grown from the size of a thread to 60 grams, or about two ounces, as shown here through a portal.(Photo: AquaBounty Technologies)

ALBANY, Ind. The first batch of genetically engineered salmon eggs that arrived here in May/Junehasmade it from thehatchery into nursery tanks the size of backyard swimming pools and then into grow-out tanks that hold up to 70,000 gallons of water apiece.

The formerly threadlike salmon,the size of the end of your thumbnail, had grown to a length of about 8 inches and a weight of around60 grams (about two ounces) by early December and is increasing in size daily, according to AquaBounty Farms-Indianaowner AquaBounty Technologies.

"The first cohort of AquAdvantage Salmon that hatched in our Albany farm in June are healthy and growing well," AquaBounty spokesman Dave Conley told The Star Press via email.

The fish, engineeredto grow faster than conventional Atlantic salmon,are attracting attention because they're the first genetically modified animals approved for human consumption in the U.S.

The fish were mentioned Dec. 20 by U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., when he recapped the farm and agribusiness stops he made in the Hoosier state, including Albany, during 2019.

Young learned about regulatory challenges facing the fish from fellow Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who reportedly has used riders to single-handedly block genetically engineered (GE)salmon for years. Murkowski's office told The Star Press her efforts are all about ensuring clear labeling of GE salmon before they go to market.

The batch of conventional Atlantic salmon that AquaBountystarted farming in June of 2018 is growing well and is expected to be harvested beginning in the third quarter of2020, followed by the first harvest of the GE AquAdvantage Salmon in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to Conley.

A second batch of AquAdvantage Salmon eggsarrived at the land-based farm in Albany in mid-October, has now hatched and is almost ready to be moved to the nursery for their first feeding.

AquaBounty Technologies CEO Sylvia Wulf talks to reporters at the company's Albany facility.(Photo: Seth Slabaugh, The Star Press)

Sylvia Wulf,AquaBounty's CEO, said in a prepared statement:We are thrilled with the progress of our salmon at our Indiana farm. The fish are growing extremely well, and they look fantastic."

In its most recent quarterly report, AquaBounty notes that its AquAdvantage salmon remains the subject of a federal lawsuit pending in the northern district of California, brought by Friends of the Earth and other plaintiffs, versus the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Issues include the risk of AquAdvantage Salmon escaping and threatening endangered wild salmon stocks.

But last month, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ruled in favor of the FDA, writing, "The lawsuit is both a broadside attack on the FDAs authority to regulate the genetic engineering of animals and a targeted attack on the particular process by which the agency approved the salmon.

(Netting covers the Albany farm'snursery fish tanks to prevent the salmon from jumping out. If any got through the netting, they would land on a concrete floor that drains to a trench containing screens to prevent them from advancing.

(As the fish grow in size and move to larger tanks, they encounter a number of screens, filters, gates, grates and cages to prevent an escape into the wild the chances of which AquaBountysays are zero. But even if a breakout occurred, the fish couldn't breed, the company says, because they're all sterilized females).

FDA has approved the production of the GE salmon eggs in a hatchery in Canada and the grow-out of the eggs in Albany.

The quarterly report also notes that legislative action could result in restrictions on or delays in commercialization of the GE salmon: "We could be subject to increasing or more onerous regulatory hurdles as we attempt to commercialize our product, which could require us to incur significant additional capital and operating expenditures and other costs in complying with these laws and regulations.

Murkowski included a provision within the Agriculture Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2020 to postpone the introduction of GE salmon to the U.S. market until a consumer label comprehension study is completed, to determine the effectiveness of USDAs new labeling guidelines for bioengineered foods, the senator's spokesperson, Karina Borger, told The Star Press earlier this month.

That bill advanced out of the full Appropriations Committee unanimously and then passed in the full Senate at the end of October as part of a funding package.

"Her efforts are all about ensuring clear labeling of GE salmon before they go to the U.S. market," Borger went on. "Murkowski has said we owe it to American consumers to ensure that the standards put in place for labeling GE salmon are clear, effective, and understandable. Murkowski believes that a clear, text-based label is the high standard that American consumers deserve, and has also introduced stand-alone legislation to that effect. That bill is the Genetically Engineered Salmon Labeling Act."

Sen. Todd Young talks to AquaBounty's Peter Bowyer during a tour.(Photo: Jordan Kartholl / The Star Press)

Sen. Young and fellow Hoosier Sen. Mike Braun have said in a letter the legislation would set "a troubling precedent regarding the function and authority of federal regulatory agencies. There are a great number of important agriculture innovations in the research, development and regulatory pipeline behind the bioengineered salmon. To effectively ban a first-in-class product for no legitimate reason will cast a chilling effect on the willingness or ability of other researchers and developers to invest in the United States."

Responding to Murkowski's position, Wulf, the CEO of AquaBounty, told The Star Press, "The senators feigned attempt at consumer concern is a smokescreen for her decade-long campaign to financially cripple a small company with an innovative way to combat the negative effects of climate change, which is a more significant threat to Alaskas salmon fishery than a faster-growing salmon. Putting 30 people out of work in Indiana will not solve her problem."

Because fresh and frozen fish are flown to markets all over the world, seafood has a large carbon footprint, AquaBounty says, adding that itsAquAdvantage Salmon can be grown in land-based facilities built closer to consumers to reduce the need for energy-intensive air freight shipping and transportation.

In September, the farm hosted a visit from Cornell University's Alliance for Science, which in turn was hosting a group of Turkish government regulators through a United States Department of Agriculture-funded program.

Since July 1, AquaBounty Farms-Indiana hashired 22 new people to work at the Albany farm, which now employs 30, according to Conley, who added the new hirescome from backgrounds in manufacturing, security andteaching. Some are recent Ball State graduates.

The farm also has added a lot of new equipment, including an automobile disinfecting system to improve bio-security, and has worked with local companies on farm improvements, including Versatile Metal Works of Muncie, which designed and fabricated fish handling equipment.

Fish manure is being spread as fertilizer on local crops.

The farm hosted a presentation for the town of Albany at the farm in October and sponsored a carriage ride for the Albany Christmas Festival on Dec. 8.

Non-genetically altered Atlantic salmon are raised in tanks at AquaBounty Technologies in Albany. The company began raising unmodified Atlantic salmon at the facility while waiting for FDA approval to transport genetically modified eggs across the Canadian border. (Photo: Jordan Kartholl/The Star Press)

Genetically engineered fish hatched in Albany

AquaBounty farm in Albany first of its kind endeavor

Contact Seth Slabaugh at (765) 213-5834 or seths@muncie.gannett.com

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Genetically engineered salmon: An update on how they are growing in Albany - The Star Press