First gene therapy to go on sale in 2013

c gene therapy conc

The first gene therapy to be approved in a regulated market was announced by the European Commission, which granted its approval to a treatment for the rare inherited disorder lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPL). This genetic disorder leaves people unable to store fat in adipose and muscle cells. The new drug has been named Glybera by its maker, UniQure. The therapy, which manufacturers say will be available next year, uses a virus to insert a working copy of the gene into muscle.

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View the original article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20179561

Prop 37 defeated: a retrospective

california breakdown

California’s Proposition 37, which would have required labeling for some genetically engineered foods, suffered a clear loss (57 percent to 43 percent) in last night’s general election. Support for the labeling initiative was high at first, with popularity reaching 60 percent according to opinion polls, but collapsed over the course of the last month. To many, including Leon Kaye at Triple Pundit, this collapse was the direct result of tremendous spending by Monsanto and other “Big Food” companies to campaign against the labeling of GM foods. Andrew Pollack, at the New York Times, offers an excellent breakdown of the raw facts, including the imbalance of campaign spending, around Prop 37’s defeat, but it’s hardly the whole story.

As news of 37’s defeat makes the rounds, some are heaving a sigh of relief. Andrew Revkin, in the Times’s Dot Earth blog, writes that he is “glad that the sloppy, unscientific and protectionist initiative failed, but glad an important discussion of transparency in food sourcing has begun.” This discussion, however, has been ongoing for weeks. By election night,  Prop 37 and California had become a nation-wide case study for GMO labeling.

Keith Kloor, at Slate, pulled no punches this Monday in “Delusions of Danger”, which attacks the proposition not just for its shaky scientific grounding (a common complaint), but calls it “politically stupid” as well. Earlier this fall, both of the the leading voices on matters of food, Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman, made their cases for Prop 37. In October, Pollan framed the initiative in terms of a burgeoning food movement, a sentiment we’re seeing echoed by others today. Bittman took a rather less gentle approach, writing in mid-September:

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that almost everyone wants to see the labeling of genetically engineered materials contained in their food products. And on Nov. 6, in what’s unquestionably among the most important non-national votes this year, Californians will have the opportunity to make that happen — at least in theory — by weighing in on Proposition 37.”

Not everyone who identified as a foodie was in favor of the labeling initiative, however. Alexandra Le Tellier at the Los Angeles Times offered an excellent walk-through of how she, as a self-described “health-conscious foodie,” eventually sided against the initiative.

And whether or not the “food movement” framed by folks like Pollan and rallied by Grist is even a ready to be considered a bona-fide movement is still an open question. Jason Mark at the Earth Island Journal called the movement “half-baked” in this critical examination of what the defeat of Prop 37 means for the food movement, though he also offers suggestions for how the movement might build the infrastructure it needs to make real political change.

It remains to be seen whether the failure of Prop 37 is a successful vetting of GM crops by the California people or a successful study in “Big Food’s” ability to throw its weight around. Now that it has happened, and voters have weighed in, the GLP will be keeping a close eye on the fallout.

A few more perspectives:

India: 10-year moratorium on GM crops proposed

Doing business in India is about to get harder for genetically modified seed companies like Monsanto, an article in this week’s Tehelka suggests. According to the magazine, the latest round of farmer protests against trials of new GM crops marks an escalating opposition to the technology — which some argue has contributed to the high rate of suicides by farmers in India’s cotton belt.

View the original article here: India: GM crops set for more obstacles, with 10-year moratorium proposed

Fungi offer non-GM way to enhance food crops

JOHANNESBURG, 7 November 2012 (IRIN) – As temperatures soar and droughts increase in frequency, scientists around the world are working to create food crops tolerant of extreme temperatures – often an expensive and laborious process. But a cheaper and quicker alternative could be in sight, new research suggests.

View the original article here: CLIMATE CHANGE: Fungi offer non-GM way to enhance food crops

Humanity undergoing “technophysio-evolution”?

Advancements have been made so quickly, and have had such a significant impact on the human body that in the last century, the shape and size  of the body itself has changed in an attempt to adapt to this unprecedented onslaught of physiological impact. This is according to a new paper published by Robert W. Fogel and Nathaniel Grotte, at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Spanning 300 years of height and nutrition data, the authors have poured their findings into what has culminated as a new and modern form of evolution, known as “technophysio-evolution.”

View the original article here: A New Breed of Humans?

Will we ever decipher everything about a life form based just on its DNA?

As our technologies and understanding advance, will we eventually be able to look at a pile of raw DNA sequence and glean all the workings of the organism it belongs to? Just as physicists can use the laws of mechanics to predict the motion of an object, can biologists use fundamental ideas in genetics and molecular biology to predict the traits and flaws of a body based solely on its genes? Could we pop a genome into a black box, and print out the image of a human? Or a fly? Or a mouse?

Not easily.

View the original story here: Will we ever… reveal all the secrets of life from DNA?

Humans, chimps, monkeys: same DNA different gene regulation

Humans share over 90% of their DNA with their primate cousins. The expression or activity patterns of genes differ across species in ways that help explain each species’ distinct biology and behavior.

DNA factors that contribute to the differences were described on Nov. 6 at the American Society of Human Genetics 2012 meeting in a presentation by Yoav Gilad, Ph.D., associate professor of human genetics at the University of Chicago.

View the original article here: Humans, chimpanzees and monkeys share DNA but not gene regulatory mechanisms

Proposition 37 defeated in California

A measure to require labeling of genetically modified foods was defeated Tuesday.

Proposition 37 was the second time nationwide that voters have been asked to decide about labeling GMOs. Oregon voters rejected a similar measure 10 years ago. Advocates concerned about potential health and environmental impacts of genetic engineering have also pushed – unsuccessfully – for food labeling laws in 19 state legislatures and submitted a petition to the federal Food and Drug Administration  earlier this year.

View the original story here: Measure to label foods defeated

RIP, food transparency

The death of Proposition 37 should not be surprising. The blame game surely will begin with Wednesday morning quarterbacking, starting with the fact that the measure faced unrelenting opposition from leading out-of-state corporations. The fact that Monsanto et al spent money at a pace that left Proposition 37 supporters scrambling was another factor. Californians have had a history, however, of spurning attempts to buy elections, so the onslaught of corporate money is not the only factor in Proposition 37’s demise.

View the original article here: RIP, Food Transparency and Proposition 37

Prop 37 — defeat or not — marks food movement coming of age

If Proposition 37, California’s GMO labeling measure, gets voted down today, it will be unfortunate and frustrating for many. But it won’t happen for lack of a movement. If that happens and Monsanto takes the day, it won’t be because there’s not a bona fide movement gathering steam. On the contrary, I’d say the good food movement — awkward adolescent that it is — may have just had a taste of its first stiff drink.

View the original story here: GMO labeling or no, a movement comes of age

New gene-altering drug paves way for mass human modification

mngpba x

We’ve seen genetically modified mosquitoes, genetically modified plants, and genetically modified cows, but could we soon be dealing with our own genetic alterations – genetically modified humans? As the months and years pass, scientists seem to be getting closer to ‘manufacturing’ humankind, with some of the most recent ‘advancements’ revolving around a new approved drug therapy that is designed to ‘correct genetic errors’.

View the original story here: Genetically Modified Humans? New Gene-Altering Drug Paves Way for Mass Modification

Time has come to bring personalized medicine to cancer

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Pathologists take note! Human whole-genome sequencing of tumors was the source of information for making treatment decisions in a recently-published study. For the first time, researchers conducted a large trial involving testing the entire genome of individual breast cancers with the aim of personalized treatment. Pathologists and clinical laboratory administrators can view this latest study as another sign that genetic testing and molecular testing are moving at a pace to become as important as traditional diagnostic methods.

View the original article here: Whole-Genome Sequencing Trials Suggest Time Has Come to Bring Personalized Medicine to Cancer Field

Patient’s own stem cells no help in heart attack recovery

Autologous stem cells from bone marrow 3 or 7 days following a heart attack did not improve heart function six months later, according to a new clinical trial. The results of this TIME (Transplantation In Myocardial Infarction Evaluation) trial were presented by Jay Traverse, MD of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation Tuesday, today at the 2012 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association in Los Angeles.

View the original article here: Stem Cell Therapy No Benefit In Heart Attack Recovery

First gene therapy to go on sale in 2013

c gene therapy conc

The first gene therapy to be approved in a regulated market was announced by the European Commission, which granted its approval to a treatment for the rare inherited disorder lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPL). This genetic disorder leaves people unable to store fat in adipose and muscle cells. The new drug has been named Glybera by its maker, UniQure. The therapy, which manufacturers say will be available next year, uses a virus to insert a working copy of the gene into muscle.

Related Articles:

 

View the original article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20179561

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