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Archive for the ‘biotech/medical’ category: Page 2548

Sep 1, 2016

Trauma’s epigenetic fingerprint observed in children of Holocaust survivors

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Amazing research on how PTSD can be pass down to the survivor’s offspring due to trauma altering the traumatic victim’s DNA Sequence.


Philadelphia, PA, September 1, 2016 – The children of traumatized people have long been known to be at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and mood and anxiety disorders. However, according to Rachel Yehuda from the James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who led a new study in Biological Psychiatry, there are very few opportunities to examine biologic alterations in the context of a watershed trauma in exposed people and their adult children born after the event.

One of the most intensively studied groups in this regard are the children of survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. From the work of Yehuda and others, there has been growing evidence that concentration camp survivors and their children might show changes in the epigenetic regulation of genes.

Epigenetic processes alter the expression of a gene without producing changes in the DNA sequence. DNA methylation is one of these epigenetic modifications, which regulates genome function through processes that add or remove a methyl group to a specific site in DNA, potentially affecting gene transcription.

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Sep 1, 2016

Pharmacogenetics Informs Clinical Practice

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, computing, genetics

I remember 4 years ago at a CIO Life Sciences Conference in AZ when one of the leaders over a research lab mention the desire to finally enable patients to share their entire DNA sequence on a thumb drive with their doctor in order to be treated properly as well as have insights on the patient’s future risks. However, limitations such as HIPAA was brought up in the discussion. Personally, with how we’re advancing things like synthetic biology which includes DNA data storage, cell circuitry, electronic tattoos, etc. thumb drive maybe too outdated.


The circle that is personalized medicine consists of more than just doctor, patient, and patient data. Other elements are in the loop, such as EHR systems that incorporate gene-drug information and updated clinical guidelines.

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Sep 1, 2016

Awaken Dormant DNA, Epigenetically

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics

Very interesting and extremely interesting as we do more work on synthetic DNA as well.


Epigenetics isn’t limited to studying marks on chromatin; it can also put chromatin on a hair trigger, bringing spring-loaded action to its bead-on-a-string structures, exposing disease processes to transcriptional crossfire.

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Sep 1, 2016

Regulation of cancer epigenomes with a histone-binding synthetic transcription factor

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, genetics

Chromatin proteins have expanded the mammalian synthetic biology toolbox by enabling control of active and silenced states at endogenous genes. Others have reported synthetic proteins that bind DNA and regulate genes by altering chromatin marks, such as histone modifications. Previously we reported the first synthetic transcriptional activator, the “Polycomb-based transcription factor” (PcTF), that reads histone modifications through a protein-protein interaction between the PCD motif and trimethylated lysine 27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3). Here, we describe the genome-wide behavior of PcTF. Transcriptome and chromatin profiling revealed PcTF-sensitive promoter regions marked by proximal PcTF and distal H3K27me3 binding. These results illuminate a mechanism in which PcTF interactions bridge epigenetic marks with the transcription initiation complex. In three cancer-derived human cell lines tested here, many PcTF-sensitive genes encode developmental regulators and tumor suppressors. Thus, PcTF represents a powerful new fusion-protein-based method for cancer research and treatment where silencing marks are translated into direct gene activation.

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Sep 1, 2016

The $10 Million Race to Invent Star Trek’s Tricorder | Smithsonian

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, environmental, genetics, health, information science

“Fifty years after the show aired, Star Trek’s fictional tricorder is far from becoming a reality. But a $10 million prize from the XPRIZE Foundation is hoping to motivate inventors to create one quickly.”

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Sep 1, 2016

Solid-State Nanopores Unravel Twisted DNA Mystery

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, nanotechnology

Cancer thrives when mutated cells undergo frequent division. Most anti-cancer drugs work by inserting themselves in between the DNA base pairs that encode our genetic information. This process is known as intercalation, and it can result in subtle changes to the DNA molecule’s geometric shape or tertiary structure. These structural changes interfere with the DNA’s transcription and a cell’s replication process, ultimately resulting in cell death.

While intercalating agents used in chemotherapy drugs are highly effective in fighting cancer, they also may kill important cells in the body and lead to other complications such as heart failure. Therefore, researchers are always searching for faster, cheaper and more accurate tools to aid in the design of next-generation anti-cancer drugs with reduced side effects.

A paper published in ACS Nano, one of the top nanotechnology journals in the world, explores this topic. “Modeling and Analysis of Intercalant Effects on Circular DNA Conformation,” (LINK TO http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.6b04876) focuses on the effect of the intercalating agent ethidium bromide (a mimic for many chemotherapy drugs) on the tertiary structure of DNA.

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Sep 1, 2016

Repairing Hearts With Hydrogel

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, materials

This gel can repair your heart after a heart attack.

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Aug 31, 2016

What Mind-Controlled Drones Mean for the Future of Digital Marketing

Posted by in categories: bioengineering, biotech/medical, drones, finance, government, neuroscience, robotics/AI, wearables

Luv this article because it hits a very important topic of how will things change with BMI/ mind control technology in general. For example with BMI will we need wearable devices? if so, what type and why? Also, how will banking, healthcare, businesses, hospitality, transportation, media and entertainment, communications, government, etc. in general will change with BMI and AI together? And, don’t forget cell circuitry, and DNA storage and processing capabilities that have been proven to date and advancing.

When you take into account what we are doing with synthetic biology, BMI, AI, and QC; we are definitely going to see some very amazing things just within the next 10 years alone.

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Aug 31, 2016

Brain hi-jacking could become a reality soon, warn researchers

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, cybercrime/malcode, neuroscience

A very old story and one that myself and others have raised many times. However, worth repeating due to the current advancements in BMI.


A vulnerability of brain implants to cyber-security attacks could make “brainjacking”, which has been discussed in science fiction for decades, a reality, say researchers from the University of Oxford. Writing in The Conversation, an Australia-based non-profit media, Laurie Pycroft discussed brain implants as a new frontier of security threat.

The most common type of brain implant is the deep brain stimulation (DBS) system. It consists of implanted electrodes positioned deep inside the brain connected to wires running under the skin, which carry signals from an implanted stimulator.

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Aug 31, 2016

Brain Cancer Cell Line Used In Research Faces Identity Crisis

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, life extension, neuroscience

Glad this discovery has been found; however, sad to hear as well. Sharing for my friends involved with anti-aging (Alex) and others work on the cancer cure.


Genetic signature of the brain cancer cell lines used for research is different from the original patient tumor cells.

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