Category Archives: Biotechnology

Your May 17 article about genetic engineering [Facts, Fears and the Future of Food] is so chock-full of glib falsehoods that I hardly know where to begin. I would have far more respect for the science behind biotechnology if it didnt depend so heavily on half-truths, double standards, unwarranted assumptions, blurred distinctions and conflicts of interest.

Jack Britt says that the same microorganisms move genes between species both in nature and in genetic engineering, and therefore the methods are the same. This is half true. In the latter, various techniques are employed to either bypass or weaken the natural immunity of the organism being manipulated, often literally forcing the DNA into the cells in ways that would never occur in nature. Stating that many organisms are naturally GMO, and therefore implying that we have carte blanche to do whatever we wish, isnt just a stretch, its a whopper.

Britt and Leah McGrath emphasize the precision of these techniques. Again, this is a perversion of the truth. In fact, this is merely a precision of abstractions, because the living organism is then going to move these genes around in ways that cant possibly be controlled or predicted. The only way to even begin to achieve complete control or precision would be to kill the organism, which would obviously be counterproductive. A technology that treats living organisms as though they were dead has extremely questionable scientific validity, not to mention morality.

Both the tone and title of the article perpetuate the same old scientific myths about biotechnology: The facts are with the scientists, the fears (beliefs) are with the uninformed public, and the future of food requires the widespread adoption of these techniques. The public is misinformed, largely because news media like the Xpress have allowed themselves to be used as soapboxes by academic cheerleaders for corporate interests.

As long as we continue to assume that:1. The deterministic gene weve been taught in school and through the media is real.2. The kind of science we now have (which is mostly technology rather than science proper) is the only science possible. And3. Everything a scientist says is scientific by definition,

we will continue to make catastrophic mistakes.

Substantive criticisms of biotechnology do exist, but for some reason, they almost never find their way into the mass media. The opposition only seems weak because its strongest arguments are ignored.

Andy Shaw Easton, Md.

Editors note: Freelance writer Nick Wilson responds in part:I thank you for your passionate response. I appreciate criticism and view it as an opportunity to learn through grappling with different perspectives. Ultimately, Im more than happy to admit my past errors if I come to a new understanding that falls more in line with what I believe to be true. If it comes to my awareness that I have put forth falsehoods, Id absolutely like to remedy that. This is to say that my perspectives are evolving, not fixed. Its important to me to keep learning and growing in the pursuit of truth.

See the rest here:
Letter: Perpetuating 'scientific' myths about biotechnology - Mountain Xpress

As Boulders biotech community continues to thrive and grow, theJennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Buildingdebuted its state-of-the-art E-Wing on Monday.

The 56,340-square-foot E-Wingwill feature next-generation active learning spaces where students learn by doing rather than by being lectured, as well as laboratory space wherecurrent and future faculty in the BioFrontiers Instituteand the Department of Chemicaland Biological Engineering will be able tocontinue their groundbreaking research.

Mondays ribbon-cutting event honored Colorado-based philanthropists John and Anna Sie, whose generous $2 million gift will allow for the creation of an industry co-location space on the E-Wings second floor. The space will be leased to industry partners, allowing local and national biotech companies to bring scientists and resources on-site in order to work side-by-side with university students and researchers.

CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano and Tom Cech, Nobel Laureate and director of the BioFrontiers Institute, were on hand to officially open the Yuan Yung-Foo Interdisciplinary Bioscience Research Neighborhood and thanked the Sies for their continued support of BioFrontiers and the universitys research mission.

The Sies, whose philanthropic generosity is well known in the state of Colorado and around the world, have provided stalwart support for the BioFrontiers Institute for many years and in many ways, said Cech, a Distinguished Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at CU Boulder. We are truly grateful for their most recent commitment to providing much-needed research facilities where our talented researchers, students and industry partners work together to unravel the complexities of biology with an ultimate goal of enhancing human health and welfare.

Anna and John are among CUs most generous donorstheir gifts are always transformational, DiStefano said. "With their support, we are achieving our vision to become a leader in addressing the humanitarian, social and technological challenges of the 21st century."

Construction on the $32 million E-wing broke ground in March 2016, aided by $15 million in funding from the state of Colorado.

For more information on the E-Wing, visit the BioFrontiers Institutes website.

Link:
Biotechnology building debuts state-of-the-art E-Wing - CU Boulder Today

Collecting leachate from a capped landfill site. Credit: Bangor University

Far from being a load of rubbish, landfill sites should be considered one of the great untapped resources in the search for new enzymes for biotechnology, and could fuel more efficient biofuel production.

A new research paper in mSphere by biologists at Bangor and Liverpool universities has for the first time identified the enzymes which degrade natural materials such as paper and clothing in landfill sites.

James McDonald, from Bangor University's School of Biological Sciences, who led the research said:

"There is a current impetus to search for new enzymes to improve biomass conversion processes. Our hypothesis is that, due to the volume of waste materials they hold, landfill sites represent a repository of unexplored biomass-degrading diversity. There is significant potential to identify new enzymes of ecological and biological significance."

Cellulose and lignin occur naturally in plant-based materials and take longer to decompose than other waste products. As a result of this, the majority of landfill waste consists of lignin and cellulose. In their plant form, they can be used as the basis for biofuel production, and identifying more effective enzymes for this process would improve the yield from this source.

Scientists have been searching for a number of years for the most effective enzymes which break down the cellulose and lignin within the residual natural fibres. The obvious place to search has been in the rumen of sheep and cows, who eat grasses, and the guts of also other plant eaters such as elephants and termites.

Surprisingly perhaps, landfill sites share many of the same characteristics as the digestive systems of these animals: they are dark, anoxic or un-oxygenated spaces, with a high content of cellulose. It was therefore to landfill sites, which are artificially created 'systems', that this group of scientists turned to find new plant-degrading enzymes.

Within in the paper, the authors describe how they used the liquid or 'leachate' within landfill sites as a source of microbes to decompose cotton, and analysed not only the families or taxa of bacteria, but also identified which bacteria produce groups of enzymes to degrade cellulose.

Emma Ransom-Jones, a postdoctoral researcher at Bangor University, and lead author of the study said:

"Understanding exactly how the cellulose and lignin decompose, and the sources of the active enzymes in the process will enable us to determine ways to improve the degradation of waste in landfill sites, and potentially use this as a source for biofuel production."

Explore further: Enzyme shows promise for efficiently converting plant biomass to biofuels

More information: Emma Ransom-Jones et al. Lignocellulose-Degrading Microbial Communities in Landfill Sites Represent a Repository of Unexplored Biomass-Degrading Diversity, mSphere (2017). DOI: 10.1128/mSphere.00300-17

See more here:
Biotechnology researchers turn to landfill sites - Phys.Org

Evotec's immunology spin-out Topas Therapeutics has inked a multi-year R&D collaboration with pharma major Eli Lilly. The initial focus of research, which will be financed by Eli Lilly, is on identification of antigens that specifically induce a T regulatory cell response in inflammatory and auto-immune disorders.

Using the company's nanoparticle platform, the collaboration will initially focuson identification of inflammatory or autoimmunity-inducing antigens that trigger immune tolerance through activation of regulatory T cells responses in liver stem cells. Specifically, Topas targets peptide-loaded nanoparticles towards liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs), which are one of the body's premier sites to induce tolerance against bloodborne antigens by generating peptide-specific regulatory T cells.

Under the terms of the agreement, Topas will be responsible for conducting pre-clinical proof-of-principle studies in collaboration with Lilly to generate drug candidates. According to the contract, Lilly may licence and advance development of all candidates originating from the collaboration. Topas will receive R&D funding and participate in the future success of any compounds in-licensed by Lilly. Financial details of the collaboration have not been disclosed.

Topas Therapeutics was spun out in March from Evotec's subsidiary Bionamics GmbH. The company, which uses a groundbreaking nanoparticle technology to target autoimmune and inflammatory diseases via the induction of antigen-specific immune tolerance in the liver, has14m of venture capital fromEpidarex Capital, EMBL Ventures and Gimv in its pockets. Evotec is its largest shareholder.

Topas has several candidate peptides under preclinical development, the most advanced expected to come to the clinic in 2018 is intended to treat multiple sclerosis.

Visit link:
Topas Therapeutics lands option deal with Eli Lilly - European Biotechnology

Merck Ventures has joined the Series A investor syndicate of the British immuno-oncology specialist Macrophage Pharma Ltd.

Merck Ventures extended the 9m (9.8m) Series A investment made by CRT Pioneer Fund, Novo Holdings A/S and Aglaia Biomedical Ventures BV in January with an equal size of investment. Macrophage Pharma said it will use the proceeds to finance Phase I clincial trials of its lead candidate p38MAPi, a macrophage-targeted p38MAP kinase inhibitor and the development of two further macrophage modulators of the tumour microenvironment, currently in discovery stage. Clinical trials are scheduled to start in 2018.

Macrophage Pharmas in January acquired several drug candidates and licenced Esterase Sensitive Motif (ESM) technology platform from Chroma Therapeutics Ltd (Oxford, UK). ESM technology chemically adds specific cell delivery signalling molecules to active drugs as a means of transporting them into macrophages or monocytes. The resulting pro-drug is cleaved by esterases in the cell, accumulating the active substance intracellulary, which results in increased potency and duration of action.

Specific types of macrophages are attracted by tumours, when they come under attack of the immune system, and help to modulate the tumour microenvironment in a manner that promotes cancer survival and that puts the brakes on tumour specific immune responses. Such macrophages are an attractive drug target in immuno-oncology approaches aimed at triggering re-activation of the body's natural immune system to fight cancer but the cells can also be used as drug carriers.

View original post here:
Macrophage Pharma backed by Merck Ventures - European Biotechnology

Photo: Contributed Photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

Sonics Executive Vice President Lauren Soloff, left, stands with CEC Co-Chairs Joe McGee and William Tong at the Sonics headquarters in Newtown, Conn., in August 2017.

Sonics Executive Vice President Lauren Soloff, left, stands with CEC Co-Chairs Joe McGee and William Tong at the Sonics headquarters in Newtown, Conn., in August 2017.

Connecticut a major player in growing biotechnology sector

The growing biotechnology corridor in the region and improved collaboration between government and manufacturing companies are among the major focuses of the state Commission on Economic Competitiveness, said the co-chairmen of the commission during a recent visit to a Newtown manufacturer.

Life sciences is an area that can really become a major part of Connecticuts growing economy, said Joe McGee, co-chairman of the commission and also the vice president of public policy and programs at Stamford-based Business Council of Fairfield County. Precision medicine and its potential is an economic driver in the state.

McGee, along with co-chairman and state Rep. William Tong, D-147, last week toured Sonics & Materials, a Newtown-based manufacturer of ultrasonic liquid processors, plastic assembly equipment and metal welding systems. Formed in 1969, Sonics has developed a line of advanced ultrasonic liquid processors for applications in DNA sequencing and nanoparticle dispersion.

Its just unbelievable that a company, sitting in Newtown, Connecticut, has a machine that is critical for the sequencing of DNA, McGee said. It just shows you the viability of the Connecticut manufacturing sector.

McGee and Tong said Connecticut is a major player in a burgeoning biotechnology corridor that stretches from New York City into the Nutmeg State. Companies such as Sonics, which employs 75 people, and larger players such as Mount Sinai in Stamford, Boehringer Ingelheim in Ridgefield and Jackson Laboratory in Farmington make Connecticut a force in the life sciences industry, they said.

Tong said the New York City Department of Economic Development recently met with the Connecticut Health Data Collaborative and announced it is investing money to have biotechnology firms migrate into Connecticut.

They need Connecticut and we need them, Tong said. Its a big component of Connecticuts economic future.

Tong said the growing field will help the state reach its lofty expectations associated with the CT 500 program, the goal of which is to create 500,000 private-sector jobs in the state in the next 25 years.

McGee said the biotechnology corridor has a broad reach and it has only recently been targeted as a major economic driver for the state. The Commission on Economic Competitiveness, or CEC, is performing an asset analysis of the industry.

Its one of those things thats been hiding in plain sight, McGee said. There are a lot of places here of significance.

The CEC was created by the state Legislature in 2015 and is made up of lawmakers and private sector leaders with the goal of strengthening and improving the states economic competitiveness.

Lauren Soloff, executive vice president at Sonics, said McGee and Tong talked at length with employees and had a lunch outside after the tour. Soloff, a Westport resident, said the co-chairmen discussed how companies such as Sonics can partner with community colleges and vocational schools to strengthen the curriculum for advanced manufacturing programs.

Its nice to shine a bright light on some of the positive things happening in Connecticut, she said. It was an extremely positive meeting. They are both realists, but optimistic. It was one of the more upbeat visits weve ever had.

cbosak@hearstmediact.com; 203-731-3338

See the original post:
Connecticut a major player in growing biotechnology sector - Danbury News Times

People Also Read

In September the International Conference on Natural Product Biotechnology (ICNPB)will be held at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) in collaboration with the major International Conference on the Mechanism of Action of Nutraceuticals (ICMAN) and theInternational Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR) Natural Products Section joint conference.

ICNPB takes place on 25-26 September, before ICMAN-IUPHAR on 27-29 September. These conferences willbring together the life science and biotechnology communities to discuss natural resources, sustainable ingredients and ways of using them to produce nutraceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients.

Conference director Jim Brown said: We are looking forward to a fantastic week at the AECC, learning about the great science thats going on is this field.Its an area where Scotland hasgreat strengths, with some really innovative businesses drawing on our marine and agri-food resources, coupled with thereal depth of expertise and knowledge embeddedin our research networks.

The conference received a grant from VisitAberdeenshire, which helped secure the conference for the city. Jenni Fraser, business development director of VisitAberdeenshire said: For Aberdeen to have attracted three globally renowned conferences shows real confidence in the region. Hosting association congress like this generates significant income to the area, and the Natural Products Biotechnology conference alone will generate over 200,000 for the local economy through hotel bed nights, restaurants and other visitor attractions. We are looking forward to welcoming the conference and delegates to Aberdeen.

Steven Daun, associations sales manager at AECC commented: We are delighted to be hosting this event in Aberdeen; showcasing the world class research that takes place in the city and the wealth of life science knowledge that we have here in Scotland. With ICNPB being held in conjunction with ICMAN-IUPHAR, delegates can benefit from attending both events with one visit.

Excerpt from:
Life Science and Biotechnology communities head for Aberdeen - Conference News

Argenx partner Staten Biotechnology has published results that present a drug licensed from the Belgian biotech as a promising approach to control blood lipid levels.

Staten Biotechnology is a young biotech in Breda, the Netherlands, focusing on treating dyslipidemia and reduce cardiovascular mortality and backed by BioGeneration Ventures and Forbion Capital Partners as investors. Back in 2015, it signed a deal with Belgian Argenx that resulted in the Dutch biotech exercising the option to license the nanobody ARGX-116 earlier this year.

Today, the company has published preclinical data in Nature Medicine that shows the potential of the drug candidate to treat dyslipidemia through mice experiments. ARGX-116 could bind and reduce the levels ofapoC3, a protein that stimulates the accumulation of lipids and triglycerides in the blood, which has been linked to cardiovascular mortality. The results have encouraged Staten to proceed with the development of the drug candidate, with Argenx entitled to receive royalties on the income it generates.

Image via Victor Josan / Shutterstock

Read the original here:
Dutch Biotech could treat Dyslipidemia with Belgian Nanobody - Labiotech.eu (blog)

Advances in modern biotechnology have helped generate techniques for curing diseases and improving lives. These same advances are leading to new tools to manage insect pests in a more effective and environmentally friendly manner.

The tiny diamondback moth is one of the worlds worst agricultural pests. This destructive insect is not native to New York state and is a major problem for farmers here, ravaging plants of the brassica family such as economically important vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, kale and cauliflower. The caterpillars chew on leaves and can kill young plants or make the vegetables unmarketable. The global damages caused by the diamondback moth are estimated to cost up to $5 billion each year.

To battle these invaders, farmers typically use insecticides, which prompts concern about worker safety, environmental impact and potentially harmful effects on important pollinators, like honeybees.

As scientists, we seek more effective alternatives.

For more than 150 years, Cornells College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) has worked on behalf of the people of New York state to use purpose-driven science to tackle these challenges by developing and evaluating emerging technologies. One emerging, insecticide-free technology we are evaluating is a pest control method developed by scientists at a British company called Oxitec.

The concept behind this strategy is to leverage the natural mating instincts of male insects to reduce the pest populations. Similar strategies have been used since the 1950s and were endorsed in Rachel Carsons 1962 book Silent Spring that launched the modern environmental movement. Oxitecs current technology uses the same concept but refines it with the tools of modern biotechnology. In the case of the diamondback moth, Oxitecs genetically engineered males mate with wild females who then lay eggs on the crops, but the emerging female larvae do not survive to adulthood and therefore are unable to reproduce. Thus, the pest population declines without the use of insecticides.

More research is needed for this particular tool and others that are under development that hold promise for more sustainable and environmentally friendly pest management. Entomologists at Cornell have the level of expertise in insect biology and pest management needed to develop and independently evaluate the technology.

Research conducted in our greenhouses and outdoor cages in 2015 provided evidence for the effectiveness of this bio-based technology against the diamondback moth and justifies additional research. Outdoor cages, although providing useful information about insect behavior, do not provide the real-world environment needed to fully assess the technology.

Research is now needed in an open field setting that replicates the actual environment where farmers battle the insects. As such, the next step in the research cycle is an experimental release of the moths in a remote cabbage field at the Geneva campus this summer. Specifically, we need to know how these insects are going to move, how well they will survive, and how effectively they will mate with females, which are important measurements that demonstrate how well they will be able to reduce a pest population in future.

The moths have been genetically engineered and, based on evidence collected and a thorough evaluation by independent experts, there is no indication that these modifications pose a risk to humans or other animals, even if somehow ingested.

We have already examined the question of whether the moths will fly away from the research field. Weve created an isolated habitat for the test insects with plenty of cabbage, a food they love and do not abandon when its plentiful. Furthermore, this insect is short-lived and cannot survive Upstate New York winters.

To provide proper oversight, Cornell applied for a permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture before proceeding with the trials a process that required an Environmental Assessment and a 30-day public comment period before the permit was finally approved. The USDA reviewed potential risks of the field trials and found that this project will have no significant impact to human health or to the environment. Approvals from Cornells Institutional Biosafety Committee and CALS leadership were also required to proceed.

This research opens new doors for the future of farming with pest control methods that are non-toxic and pesticide-free. Entomologists at Cornell and other institutions believe that this science has great potential to effectively manage invasive pest populations, even beyond the diamondback moth, in an environmentally friendly way.

We invite all members of the local community to learn more about this project at a public forum hosted by Cornell University. Join us at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Stations Jordan Hall Auditorium, 630 West North St., Geneva. For more information and to submit your questions or comments in advance of the public forum, please visit http://shelton.entomology.cornell.edu/.

Jan Nyrop is professor of entomology and interim director at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva. Tony Shelton is professor of entomology with expertise in the diamondback moth and insect pest management who has dedicated his 38-year career at Cornell University to finding solutions to this persistent pest, and other pests, faced by farmers in New York and around the world.

See more here:
GUEST APPEARANCE: Using modern biotechnology to manage insect pests - Finger Lakes Times

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology & Earth Sciences, Environment, Forest & Climate Change inaugurated the new Administrative and Research Buildings of two national institutes under the administrative control of Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India namely National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI) and Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB) in Sector 81, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Mohali), Punjab today. Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, DBT, Prof. Arun Kumar Grover, Vice Chancellor, Panjab University, Chandigarh, Dr. T.R. Sharma, Executive Director, NABI, Dr. Rajender Singh Sangwan, Chief Executive Officer, CIAB and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister expressed his pleasure in dedicating both the institutes to the nation, and emphasized the need for quality research work and output with optimal utilization of state-of-art equipment and infrastructure that can reach common man in a form that can be easily perceived in proper perspective. He encouraged scientists/students to exploit the biotechnological tools to address the problems related to quality of food and malnutrition with full enthusiasm and zeal getting inspiration from the legacy and contributions of champions in the field of science and technology. He urged both the institutes to address the problems of hunger & malnutrition and to bring nutritional revolution in the country through biotechnology research and innovation for Food and Nutrition Security. Dr. Harsh Vardhan also said that young researchers and students should aim big and work hard to achieve their goals with sustained efforts.

Interacting with the faculty, Dr. Harsh Vardhan emphasized the need for doing new innovations that have an immediate societal impact with the common man as the target. He counseled researchers to shift from routine to out of the box thinking and to dream big to translate their efforts to greater innovations. He also said there should be a method for scientists to work to set timeframes to achieve their targets.

NABI is the first Agri-Food and Nutritional based Biotechnology Institute, which has been set up by the Dept. of Biotechnology in the Knowledge City, Sector 81, Mohali. CIAB has been set up adjacent to NABI and is the first institute dedicated to generation of secondary agriculture bioproducts through value addition to unutilized and underutilized biomass. Both the institutes area part of agri-food cluster in the Knowledge City, Mohali along with its neighboring institutes, like; IISER, ISB, INST and Biotech Park. The campus comprises of laboratory buildings, 15 acres of land for field experiments, a large glass house, transgenic net houses, office area, housing, guest house, research scholar hostel, utilities and other requisite services. Total entire area of the campus is 50 acres. The building complex of CIAB has a total floor space of 77000 square feet built at a cost of Rs Forty three crores whereas NABI has a total floor space of 3,17,500 square feet built at a cost of Rs one hundred and thirty five crores.

The institutes apart from providing quality research in the field of agricultural biotechnology and bio processing also provide innovative technologies in the field of food processing.. Under reach to community program NABI is playing an important role in conducting motivational course to the students of local schools to increase their awareness in life sciences. Their products of nutritionally rich crops and processing of crop residues in useful products will be provided to the local farming communities to increase their income.The industry ready specialized products like high anthocyanin have already been taken by local industries under specific MOU. They are acting as nodal agencies for local organization in the areas Agri food and nutritional biotechnolgy.

Originally posted here:
Inauguration of National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (NABI-CIAB ... - Business Standard