Updating Biotechnology Students with fast Changing Biotech Scenario
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
Changes are fast in emerging technologies such as biotechnology. Students following standard courses based on older text books might not be equipped to deal with the scenario they face on entering the job stream. A new kind of initiative is needed to keep them up to date on current developments.
It is in this context that initiatives like Abhyuday in India become relevant. It started out as an inter-collegiate event aimed at providing biotechnology students a way to keep themselves up to date. Abhyuday seeks to organize talks by eminent personalities, give students a chance to network with industry representatives and encourage idea interchange through debates and competitions.
The latest event associated with Abhyuday is the National Conference on Molecular Medicine and Nanobiotechnology being held at the time of this writing, at the NIMHANS, Bangalore. Molecular Medicine is concerned with understanding the pathogenesis of diseases at the molecular level. Such understanding can help develop molecular tools for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases.
Nanobiotechnology involves using the tools and processes of nano/microfibrication to build devices for studying biosystems. These tools allow unprecedented accuracy and sensitivity while studying biological and medical problems.
Details of the conference and selected abstracts of papers are available at Conference Website.
Tags: biotechnology, training
Posted in biotechnology | 2 Comments »
Epigenetic Therapy for Cancers
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
Genes work by expressing themselves as proteins that build our cells and organs. Each gene expresses itself by making unique and specialized proteins and in normal situations this leads to the development of healthy organisms. Epigenetics is a phenomenon that results in modifying the molecular protein expression.
Epigenetic modification of gene expression can lead to diseases by, say silencing tumor suppressing genes. Such silencing can lead to development of disease, cancer in this case. One serious issue is that epigenetic changes can be passed on to progeny.
Epigenetic therapy is a field that is expanding. In 2009, the value of epigenetic therapeutic drugs sold has been estimated at $517 million. Annual cost of cancer therapy with epigenetic drugs has been estimated between $45,000 and $50,000. Epigenetic Therapeutics is thus a highly profitable field for drug makers.
A market report titled Epigenetics Therapeutics to 2017 – High Market Potential for Epigenetics Drugs in Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Multiple Myeloma and Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma reviews the scenario up t 2017. One drug, Vidaza, is in the late stage of clinical trials for the treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). As Vidaza is approved for MDS, which is a precursor to AML, it is expected to be widely accepted after being approved for AML.
Tags: biotechnology, disease, epigenetic therapy, genetics
Posted in biotechnology, diseases | 1 Comment »
A Cure for Type I Diabetes?
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
Type I Diabetes is an auto-immune disease in which the insulin producing beta cells (one type of islet cells) of the pancreas are destroyed over time by antibodies. When insulin production goes down, the body is unable to process the glucose in the blood and diabetic problems appear. Treatment has been attempted through transplantation of islet cells from external donors.
Such transplantation poses two problems. One is the shortage of donor pancreases for extracting islet cells. Two is the rejection of foreign cells by the body which sees them as it sees disease-producing viral organisms, and destroys the foreign intruders. To counteract this tendency, the transplantation must be accompanied by immunosuppressant drugs.
A new treatment seeks to use the patient’s own stem cells to regenerate islet cells. Stem cells are master cells from which all specialized cells such as the islet cells in the pancreas are created. Differentiation of stem cells into islet cells has been achieved in labs and this holds the potential to tackle the problems of transplantation.
And now a company is seeking partners to test a drug developed by it. The company believes that by adding its product to the transplanted islet cells (regenerated from stem cells as above) the success of the transplantation can be improved.
Read the news release at MarketWatch.
Tags: biomedicine, biotechnology, stem cell treatment
Posted in biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, diseases, stem cell research | No Comments »
The Case against and for Genetically Modified (GM) Crops
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
GM crops is one of the most fiercely opposed developments in the modern world. Opponents say that GM crops:
* Can pose dangers to the life network with consequent harm to environment and human life
* Might cause direct harm to environment through more toxic pesticides and weed killers, particularly when farmers seek to maximize yields for commercial profits
* Might result in direct harm to human and non-human consumers of the modified crops, as this aspect has not been sufficiently investigated
* Might destroy biodiversity through cross pollination by wind-borne pollens of GM crops and otherwise, resulting in loss of varieties that have invaluable traits
Proponents of GM crops point out that with existing crop varieties, it is simply impossible to meet the needs of a growing population, particularly when under-developed countries develop and begin to consume more food. Genetic modification can:
* Increase crop yields from areas that are already cultivated
* Make it possible to develop crop varieties that can be cultivated in presently hostile environments
* Eliminate the need to convert virgin forests into farms, and lead to environmental damage
The arguments are not yet settled one way or other. In the meanwhile, food availability for the world’s hungry continues to be an unsolved issue.
Tags: biotechnology, food availability, genetic modification, hunger
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Renewable Chemicals: Boon or Bane?
Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
Renewable chemicals are produced from agricultural feedstock such as grain and cellulose, i.e. renewable raw materials. Refining these bio products can produce a range of products. Polymers, bio-fuels, green solvents and fibers are examples.
In Brazil, Dow Chemicals has set up a plant to produce ethylene and polyethylene from sugarcane. Bio-plastics made from agricultural feedstock is considered carbon neutral as the carbon dioxide is absorbed while growing the sugarcane to offset the carbon released during the production process and during the final decomposition process. Petroleum based plastics, on the other hand, leave a large carbon footprint, and also contribute to waste accumulation unless they have been treated to be biodegradable.
Production of renewable plastics from agricultural feedstock typically involves processes such as fermentation, dehydration and polymerization. Presently, the renewable chemicals market is dominated by alcohol. Renewable polymers production is the sector that is expected to grow fastest in the immediate future.
Food packaging made with biodegradable plastics made from renewable sources can, in addition to reducing carbon emissions, make municipal waste more manageable. Presently, these have become somewhat unmanageable as even a small quantity of non-biodegradable plastic in the landfills makes it unacceptable for composting.
On the other hand, renewable chemicals using corn and soybean can reduce the availability of food and lead to higher food prices.
Tags: biodegradable plastics, bioplastics, biotechnology, carbon emissions, renewable chemicals
Posted in biotechnology, clean technology, environment | No Comments »
Focusing on Clean and Green Technology
Sunday, September 12th, 2010
Green in the City is an event where funding executives, entrepreneurs, innovators and opinion makers meet and debate topics related to clean technology. Clean technology is technology that has a smaller environmental impact, as exemplified by solar energy generation instead of coal-burning thermal power generation, and electric cars instead of fossil fuel-burning cars. The debates address the challenges and opportunities involved in the transition to a cleantech economy.
Green in the City is oriented to the UK cleantech space and meetings take place every month. The meeting scheduled for September 30, 2010 at Nomura House, London will focus on “Cleantech meets Biotech.” Biotechnology is already making agricultural and industrial technology cleaner in several areas, e.g. organic pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture, and the use of enzymes as catalysts in industrial processes.
Topics for the September session include Future for next generation biofuels, Using biotech processes to convert biomass into a valuable commodity, Applications of enzymes and other biotech alternatives in the biofuel industry, Alterative treatments for water and carbon dioxide and Accelerating the development of advanced materials for energy and cleantech sectors.
Registrations are now being accepted for the event Green in the City website.
Tags: biotechnology, environmental impact, green technology
Posted in biotechnology | No Comments »
Modern Biotechnology’s Significance to Current Agricultural Scenario
Monday, September 6th, 2010
Our world is threatened by food shortage (among other threats) resulting from climate change and population growth. Climate change is making yields of food crops unpredictable as they depend on the weather under traditional farming practices. And population growth is tending to push up demand for food beyond availability.
A solution to the problem under such a scenario might lie in the adoption of modern biotechnology in traditional societies. For example, Professor Walter Sandow Alhassan, Project Coordinator for Safe Biotechnology Management in Sub-Saharan Africa (SABIMA) under the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), recently called upon the people of Ghana, Africa, to adopt modern biotechnology in farming.
Modern biotechnology is seeking to tackle several issues related to farming. The following are some of the major issues biotechnology is seeking to help with:
* Expansion of arable land by developing crops that can grow in areas formerly unfit for the crops
* Increasing the yield of crops through genetic modification of the crops
* Preventing pollution of human and animal habitats that occurs now from agro-chemical runoffs
* Finding a way to tackle the crop pests that have so far proven intractable
* Finding cures for the diseases that affect plants and animals
* Developing alternatives for fossil fuels used in agricultural operations, as the fuel supplies are not only getting exhausted but also becoming costlier
* Tackling the stresses resulting from climate change
Read the news story at GhanaWeb.
Tags: biotechnology, climate change, food crops, food shortage
Posted in biotechnology, crop science, diseases, genetic modification | No Comments »
Success against H1N1 Virus?
Friday, September 3rd, 2010
AVI BioPharma focuses on “the discovery and development of novel RNA-based therapeutics for rare and infectious diseases, as well as other select disease targets.” The company reports that with its proprietary technologies, it is able “to directly target both messenger RNA (mRNA) and precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) to either down-regulate (inhibit) or up-regulate (promote) the expression of targeted genes or proteins.”
Recently the company announced positive results for AVI-7100 against human pandemic H1N1 influenza virus. According to the announcement, preclinical studies demonstrated statistically significant reductions in average viral titer for AVI-7100 against a fully virulent pandemic H1N1 virus versus saline and Tamiflu(R) controls.
The studies used AVI’s proprietary PMOplus(TM) chemistry, and were supported by the Transformational Medical Technologies program (TMT) of the U.S. Department of Defense to identify RNA-based drug candidates against pandemic H1N1 virus. The report mentions that “the studies were undertaken as part of a rapid response exercise demonstrating TMT’s ability, in partnership with AVI, to rapidly respond to a real-world emerging viral threat.”
According to the company spokesperson, the PMO Plus(R) and other advanced proprietary chemistries already have found success in developing anti-infective therapeutic candidates. As a result, TMT is funding “an accelerated IND enabling program and Phase 1 study, as well as expanded preclinical evaluation that explores AVI-7100’s potential as a broad spectrum influenza therapeutic.”
Read the news release at MarketWatch.
Tags: biopharmaceuticals, biotechnology, H1N1 virus, RNA-based therapy
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Responding to Biological Threats, Natural and Manmade
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
As the spread of H1N1 and AIDS highlighted, pandemic diseases can cause serious disruption to society and the lives of its members. In addition to these natural threats, a new threat lurks in the background, biological terrorism where disgruntled groups are able to deliberately spread biological agents that cause serious diseases. Considering these threats, the Department of Human and Health Services (HHS) of USA released a review on August 19 titled Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasure Enterprise Review: Transforming the Enterprise to Meet Long Range National Needs.
The review looks at the federal government’s system to produce medications, vaccines, equipment and supplies needed for a health emergency, known as medical countermeasures. The review examines the current scenario involved in research, development and FDA approval of medications, vaccines, medical equipment and supplies for a health emergency. The review was triggered by the challenges posed by the recent H1N1 pandemic.
Releasing the document, HHS Secretary suggested that “with a strong base of discovery, a clear regulatory pathway, and agile manufacturing, we will be able to respond faster and more effectively to public health threats.”
According to the review, HHS proposes significant investments to help FDA scientists find faster ways to analyze promising new discoveries and to give innovators a clear regulatory pathway to bring their products to market.
Read the report at FierceBiotech.
Tags: biological warfare, biotechnology, medical countermeasures, pandemics, regulatory approval
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Safety of Workers in Biotech Labs
Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
In a recent blog post, the Council for Responsible Genetics has listed several shocking cases of workers in biotech labs contracting illnesses apparently related to their work, and yet being denied compensation in a timely manner.
A scientist who worked for Pfizer developing genetic delivery systems for cloning into viruses fell ill, and was sacked by the company when she could not return to work by the deadline date. She had to wage a struggle for several years before she was awarded compensation, and that too not for the illness but for the company violating her free speech and whistleblower rights.
It appeared that Pfizer could legally deny data on workers’ lab exposures, as it is protected as a trade secret.
Another person who worked as a researcher and technician on crop and insect control projects was exposed to living bacteria, fungi and insects, which he claims sickened him. He could not get any compensation due in no small measure to his employer providing him with the wrong name of its insurer. When finally he found the actual insurer, the latter also denied the claim.
The fact is that many of the microorganisms the researcher worked with were found in his body.
Read about these and other cases at CRG Blog.
Tags: biotechnology, business, worker safety
Posted in biotechnology, business, worker safety | No Comments »
