Ethical Issues Raised by Emerging Technologies
Saturday, December 4th, 2010
Emerging technologies like nanotechnology and biotechnology raises health and ethical issues. Government regulations cannot hope to keep pace as the new technologies raise issues that nobody has a clear idea about. This situation creates a dilemma as countries want technological progress but are apprehensive about the unknown safety and ethical issues.
Nanotechnology is a revolutionary technology that has applications in many areas, including healthcare, consumer products, industrial products and energy. The technology involves working at nanoscale; a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter; and nanotechnology deals with materials of 100 nanometers or less. At nanoscale, normally harmless materials can become toxic, and nanomaterials can permeate the skin barrier and enter internal organs with unknown consequences.
An ethical issue arises when multinational corporations, unable to work in their home countries owing to rigorous regulations, shift operations to developing countries where regulations are non-existent or lax. In addition to MNCs, even local companies might engage in dangerous research and manufacturing activities in such an environment.
Modern biology raises issues that cause even greater concerns. For example, issues such as patenting life, DNA banks and genetically engineered animals and crops are issues that have raised serious controversies. Considerable discussions are taking place about these issues all over the world.
An article on Green Nanotechnology and a booklet on Ethics and Biotechnology go into these issues.
Tags: emerging technologies, ethical issues, health issues, safety issues
Posted in biotechnology, business, corporate responsibility, emerging technologies, health risks, impact on humanity, nanoethics, nanotechnology, social risks | No Comments »
Nutrition and Cognitive Science
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Nutrition and Cognitive Science
Just like every other bodily function, the cognitive function can also benefit from appropriate nutrition. The question is what is the appropriate nutrition to enhance cognitive functions? That is one area of research focus at the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The facility at Lausanne is reportedly the world’s biggest private facility for nutrition related fundamental research. According to the company, “Research areas include safety of products, processes and ingredients, sensory and nutritional quality, physiology and metabolism, food structure, food consumer interactions, nutrient uptake and the evolution of nutritional needs with age.”
Nestle has recently invited applications for the position of Research Scientist in Cognitive Science to join their Cognitive Sciences group, which “is committed to find nutritional solutions to improve cognitive function and mental health throughout life, from early childhood to old age.”
The research scientist will have to build and guide research lines in the area of cognitive enhancement through such functions as designing studies and preparing study protocols, interpreting and reporting findings, contribute to idea generations and write proposals, write internal scientific evaluations, publish scientific papers and work with external collaborators.
The company is looking for PhDs in cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychology, psychopharmacology etc.
Full details are available at Nature Jobs.
Tags: biotechnology, cognitive science, nutrition research
Posted in biotechnology, cognitive development, cognitive science | 1 Comment »
Biotechnology and Developing Countries
Thursday, November 25th, 2010
In a well presented post, Greg Odogwu from Abuja, Nigeria, looks at the biotechnology scene and its significance for developing countries like Nigeria.
As he says, biotechnology has been around for a long time as in the making of cheese, wine and beer. Its modern applications include production of vaccines, insulin and the currently controversial genetically modified crops. The latter has become controversial owing to such products as the terminator seeds that can make farmers dependent on seeds from the market (instead of using part of the last crop as seeds).
While GM crops have become controversial, it is generally agreed that using existing practices, the world cannot provide food for its growing population. Eradicating hunger would need improved agricultural practices in developing countries. Crops like cassava that are consumed by the poor can benefit from biotechnology.
In addition to agriculture, healthcare is also benefiting from modern biotechnology. In addition to producing substances like human insulin and human growth hormone, it is theoretically possible to treat hereditary diseases through genetic engineering by working with the genes that make one prone to the disease.
The author of the blog wonders whether Nigeria is missing the biotechnology revolution. Read the blog post at the Daily Independent.
Tags: biotechnology, crop science, genetic engineering, GM crops, healthcare
Posted in biotechnology, crop science, diseases, genetic modification | No Comments »
Cancer Treatment: A new Approach
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010
Chemotherapy was the original treatment for cancer. In chemotherapy, fast growing cells are targeted and the tumour shrinks as a result. However, the effect is not always permanent; the cells often grow back and even become resistant to the therapy.
To overcome the resistance problem, chemotherapy is typically combined with other treatments that attack the tumour cells in different ways. Arriving at a right combination of treatments to ensure that they do not become too toxic is a task requiring caution and skill. In addition to prolonging life, the treatments should also improve the quality of the patient’s life. Cancer treatment has often made patients wonder whether it is the disease or treatment that is worse.
Now, a new form of treatment seems to be emerging. The treatment, known as oncolytic virotherapeutics, involves using viruses to infect and eliminate diseased cancer cells. The viruses do not affect normal cells.
A number of oncolytic viruses have been developed and are being tried out in clinical trials. These include the adenovirus, which is being tried out in multiple-engineered versions. Another, the Newcastle disease virus seems to minimize side effects when administered through slow infusion rather than injection. Poxviruses and even herpes simplex virus are all being researched.
Read the report at BioMedReports.
Tags: biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, cancer treatment
Posted in biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, cancer treatment, diseases | No Comments »
Stem Cells Therapy and Markets
Sunday, November 14th, 2010
Stem cells are cells in the body that have the potential to develop into different specialized types of cells. For example, when the cell divides, the new cells can become muscle, brain, or other type of cells. The inner cells of a three-to-five day old embryo have the potential to create the entire body of the organism from which it is taken, including humans.
In adults, stem cells in certain tissues such as bone marrow, brain and muscles do repair work replenishing damaged cells. However, they do not do this in certain other tissues, such as pancreas and heart, except under special conditions.
It is considered possible to induce stem cells to become tissue or organ specific cells with specialized functions. If this becomes possible, cell-based therapies for, say diabetes and heart disease might become possible. Damaged tissues and organs can be regenerated in a controlled manner. Such regenerative therapies can overcome the current problem of shortage of organs for transplant.
Already, stem cell therapies are employed in bone marrow transplant. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are particularly valuable for such transplants because they more easily available from presently discarded umbilical cords, and are less likely to be rejected by recipient organs.
Read about Stem Cells Markets and Applications in this industry with very high growth potential.
Tags: biotechnology, stem cell treatment, stem cells market
Posted in biotechnology, stem cell research | 2 Comments »
Flexible Silicon Wafers and Biomedicine
Saturday, November 13th, 2010
Silicon wafers are typically flat, brittle and stiff. These properties are not a big problem in the conventional uses of the wafers as in laptops and cell phones. However, if you want to use them in human body for medical purposes, these properties become a problem.
The body is curvilinear, elastic and soft and materials to be embedded in body need to have the same geometric and mechanical properties for best effect.
Now the question is why should silicon wafers be embedded in the body?
Researchers are visualizing several possibilities. By placing light emitting diodes (LEDs), which are a form of silicon wafers, anywhere in the body, it becomes possible to monitor the way light is scattering off that point. Such observation has diagnostic potential.
There is also the possibility to utilize the phenomenon that certain drugs are activated by exposure of light of a certain color. You can embed LEDs at desired points in body and the drug delivered in an inactive form to the body will be activated by exposing it to light at these points.
Some surgical procedures involve inserting a catheter into the body with a deflated balloon as part of the catheter. When the catheter is at the desired location, such as a blocked artery, the balloon is inflated. Now, if the balloon can also carry LEDs, more advanced sensing and therapy becomes possible. Flexible, elastic and soft silicon wafers can make that scenario a reality.
Read full details at SmartPlanet.com.
Tags: biomedicine, bionics, silicon wafers
Posted in biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, information technology | No Comments »
Optogenetics: Firing Nerve Cells with Light
Thursday, November 11th, 2010
Genetic researchers typically work with cells by changing specific proteins that are created by the genetic information contained in the cell DNA. They study the cause and effect relationships of changing the genetic information and its impact on behavior and development of the organism concerned. In the case of nerve cells in the brain, however, it is the electrical actions occurring in them that are more significant.
Optogenetics is a technique to induce electrical actions in nerve cells by using light. Researchers are then able to observe the impact of the induced actions on behavior and other consequences. Light has speed that can be measured in millisecond-scale that is necessary for studying neuron actions and their results.
Optogenetics seeks to add or remove specific activity patterns in specific nerve cells and observe what happens. Findings of such studies have the potential to help with treating diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Autism and Schizophrenia, and behavior problems such as drug abuse.
Researchers use certain proteins that change the neural cells’ response to specific color lights. These proteins are genetically engineered into the neurons, enabling the latter to be turned on in response to, say blue light. Other proteins can turn the neurons off stopping it from firing.
Read the article on Optogenetics at Scientific American for more details.
Tags: biotechnology, brain studies, neural cells, response to light
Posted in biotechnology, genetic modification | 1 Comment »
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of the U.S. Government
Sunday, November 7th, 2010
The Act creates a more level playing field for small to mid-size companies, according to reports. It has created a new Internal Revenue Code Section 48D that provides some financial relief for companies with new therapies with a significant potential to:
* Cater to areas of unmet medical need
* Prevent, detect or treat chronic or acute diseases or conditions
* Reduce long-term health care costs in the United States
* Significantly advance the goal of curing cancer within 30 years
Grants are given to companies that have “Qualifying Therapeutic Discovery Projects” as above. For each grant, several companies might be applying and there is a competitive application process.
A recent story reports that Access Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was successful in receiving grants for seven out of the eight applications it submitted. The grants, totaling $1.5 million, cover development of ProLindac, Thiarabine, MuGard, CobOral Oral Insulin and CobaCyte siRNA Delivery Programs.
“We are pleased to have been awarded these grants, and believe it reflects the considerable value of the Access development programs,” said Jeffrey Davis, CEO of Access Pharma. “Given the recent launch of our oral mucositis product, MuGard, and our ability to manage our cash burn through multiple partnerships, we believe these grants will significantly impact our balance sheet and product development timelines.”
Read the story at International Business Times
Tags: biopharmaceutical industry, biotechnology, financial relief under U.S. Act
Posted in biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, business | No Comments »
Cereal Biotechnology
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
Cereals like wheat, maize and rice account for more than half the world’s food, and provide the bulk of basic human nutrition, directly and also indirectly as animal fodder. The demand for cereals will rise as:
* Population increases owing to better control over diseases and elimination of major conflicts like world wars, and
* Increasing prosperity leads to higher demand for food from people who could earlier afford only the bare minimum.
It is considered impossible to meet the growing demand with current methods of growing food. Modern biotechnology can help increase the supply of cereals through:
* Improving the effectiveness of traditional breeding programs by using molecular markers
* Increasing yields from existing fields through genetic modification, and
* Developing genetically modified crops that can be cultivated in regions presently inhospitable for cereal cultivation.
To achieve the above goals, however, better interactions are required between molecular biologists and industry managers. Legislative issues and public perceptions of GM crops also need to be addressed for achieving the goals.
The downloadable Cereal Biotechnology e-book goes into these details. The discussion in the book is clear and focused, and will help even non-specialists to gain an understanding of the issues involved.
The book is available for download at RapidShare.com.
Tags: biotechnology, crop science, genetic modification, traditional breeding
Posted in biotechnology, crop science, genetic modification | 2 Comments »
Biologics: A new Class of Drugs for Arthritis and other Conditions
Monday, November 1st, 2010
Biologics is generally viewed as a class of medications that are produced using biological processes involving recombinant DNA technology. They might be:
* Similar to the body’s signaling proteins that, for example, stimulate blood production or growth
* Custom antibodies that counteract some specific substance in the body or target specific cell types
* Receptor constructs with detailed specificity such as the ability to interfere with the tumor necrosis factor in autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatology and oncology have benefited in particular from this class of medications by adding major new therapeutic options. In many cases, no effective options were available for the disease conditions until biologics appeared.
Arthritis patients, for example, had no effective therapy under modern medicine while alternative medicine did not provide full relief. These patients have benefited significantly from biologic therapies that arrived only recently. The new treatments do cause some problems such as higher risks of infection and there is a pressing need to develop therapies that can produce results and minimize the risks.
The market for arthritis therapy using biologics is huge as arthritis is a worldwide problem that seriously affects the productivity of the workforce, in addition to causing severe and continued pain to sufferers. The report titled Arthritis Therapeutics to 2016 – Biologics Revolutionize Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriatic Arthritis looks at this market. What makes this market highly attractive is the fact that arthritis therapy has a strong pipeline of candidates in different phases of clinical trials.
Tags: biologics, biotechnology, recombinant DNA, therapies
Posted in biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, diseases | No Comments »
