Genetics & Molecular Biology

First Human Heart Cell Model Developed Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Researchers have successfully created a human heart cell model of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), an inherited heart muscle disorder that puts carriers at high risk of developing life-threatening arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 25 2012 - 12:30pm

Rad51: Watching Single Strands Of DNA Being Prepped For Repair Could Help Fight Breast Cancer

Watching single strands of DNA being prepped for repair may help researchers understand the origins of breast cancer. In a new study, graduate student Jason Bell imaged individual strands of bacterial DNA as they were coated with a protein called RecA. Stu ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 27 2012 - 10:30am

Discovery: Resistin Protein Causes High Levels Of LDL Cholesterol

Researchers have discovered that the protein resistin, which is secreted by fat tissue, causes high levels of "bad" cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL), increasing the risk of heart disease.  High blood cholesterol is a major risk factor ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 28 2012 - 10:30am

A Truly Pluripotent Cell? H3.3 Pathway May Wipe A Cell's 'Memory'

Nuclear reprogramming is changing one kind of cell to that of another unrelated cell type. Techniques have included  direct reprogramming, somatic cell nuclear transfer, cell fusion and induction of pluripotency by ectopic gene expression. ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 28 2012 - 9:49pm

Ancestral Function Of Toll-Receptors Solved

Researchers  have been studying toll-receptors for decades, revealing functions in immune defence developmental biology. Now, a research team from Kiel University says reporting that toll-receptors have primarily served to identify germs and to control bac ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 31 2012 - 7:00pm

Biotechnology and genomic tools

Progress in developing genomic tools has been reflected in achievements in the field of biotechnology. Some of the tools come under category of- omics – Metabolic Pathways- Systems Biology –Epigenetics – RNAi- Paramutation- Adaptive technology; Transgenomi ...

Blog Post - Ashwani Kumar - Nov 4 2012 - 2:53pm

A Discussion With George Church On His New Book Regenesis And Synthetic Biology

In a conversation at an expo at Duke University last week, an executive with Oracle and I discussed my new project on sustainability and synthetic biology. He curiously asked if I made monsters. Honestly, I was not aware that profession even existed. Clea ...

Article - Randall Mayes - Nov 12 2012 - 9:49pm

What Would A Real Right To Know Initiative Look Like?

If California Proposition 37 is really about a "Consumer Right To Know," then why is it talking about a few words in a tiny font on the back of a package? Why are we only talking about one question (GMO or not) when there are so many more issues ...

Blog Post - Steve Savage - Nov 4 2012 - 11:08pm

Peptide In Genetically Engineered Mice Mimics 'Good' Cholesterol

At the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012, a study showed that genetically engineered tomato plants produced a peptide that mimics the actions of good cholesterol when eaten  In the study, mice that ate the freeze-dried, ground toma ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 5 2012 - 12:30pm

Let's Talk Proposition 37.1-- No Ballots Required

In the shadow of Proposition 37's defeat maybe we can have a real conversation.  Angry, uninformed discussion based on fear mongering from both sides detracted from a real issue-- how do we provide complete information about food in a manner consiste ...

Article - Kevin M. Folta - Nov 7 2012 - 1:08pm