Biopeer

Scientists unravel dietary fiber genes

Scientists at the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, Waite Campus, University of Adelaide, have succeeded in identifying the genes involved in making a key component of the dietary fiber found in cereals. This is a breakthrough in grain breeding that has come after more than three decades of extensive research by institutes all over the world, and is expected to bring about a new and revolutionary range of health foods. The discovery will enable researchers to increase the amount of fiber in foods with potentially high human health benefits and these could be used to target medical conditions such as colorectal cancer, obesity, non-insulin-dependent diabetes, high serum cholesterol and cardiovascular disease to name a few.

Dietary fiber is found in cereals, fruits and vegetables. It is made up of the indigestible compounds of plants that pass relatively unchanged through our stomach and intestines. The main role of fiber is to provide roughage that keeps the digestive system healthy. It also contributes to other processes, such as stabilizing glucose, lowering cholesterol levels and reducing disease risk.  Recently a research conducted in Toronto, Canada, has been able to develop a combination of natural fibers called PolyGlycoplex or PGX, which helps in reducing weight, stabilizing blood sugar and lowering cholesterol.

Another parallel research has shown that antioxidants in wheat, allied with dietary fiber, are very useful in reducing the risk of colon cancer among humans. All in all, its been understood that dietary fiber is an important factor in preventing various disease and maintaining a healthy life. The new genetic breakthrough coupled with other researches could help in creating better awareness about dietary fiber and formulating a revolutionary healthy diet for people worldwide.

Your personal genome for $1000

One of the promises of genomics is the ability to have your own genome analyzed and then for you to receive personalized treatments.  Sounds great, but at $20 million a shot, a tad pricey.  A group of researchers have cut that my almost a factor of ten, brining the cost down to $2.2 million.  How?  Drop the fancy and expensive lab equipment and look for ways to use more common tools.

 

A step toward the $1,000 personal genome using readily available lab equipment

A step toward the $1,000 personal genome using   readily available lab equipment

 

BOSTON-August 4, 2005-The theoretical price of having one's personal genome sequenced just fell from the prohibitive $20 million dollars to about $2.2 million, and the goal is to reduce the amount further--to about $1,000--to make individualized prevention and treatment realistic.

The sharp drop is due to a new DNA sequencing   technology developed by Harvard Medical School (HMS) researchers Jay Shendure,   Gregory Porreca, George Church, and their colleagues, reported on August 4 in   the online edition of Science. The team sequenced the E. coli bacterial genome   at a fraction of the cost of conventional sequencing using off-the-shelf   instruments and chemical reagents. Their technology appears to be even more   accurate and less costly than a commercial DNA decoding technology reported   earlier this week.

The Church group's technology is based on converting   a widely available and relatively inexpensive microscope with a digital camera   for use in a rapid automated sequencing process that does not involve the much   slower electrophoresis, a mainstay of the conventional Sanger sequencing   method.

This is, of course, how most research and manufacturing proceeds.  Making a prototype or a few custom one-offs or a single experiment and it's time consuming and expensive.  As time goes on people figure out how to do the same thing with cheaper materials or comment techniques or tools.  Such as the breakthrough in genomics.  With the goal of a $1000 genomic profile, there would be hope that more people will be able to be analyzed, treated, and add to a greater understanding of our genetic diversity (or lack thereof).

 

Technorati Tags : genomics, Harvard+medical+school, gene+sequencing, personal+genome

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Tristram Hussey, M.S. is a professional blogger and blog consultant, the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software, and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He holds a B.A. in Anthropology and a M.S. in Quaternary Studies.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com or tris AT trishussey DOT com.

 

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Bioinformatics leads to locating a new gene regulation system

Researchers at  Institute for Information Transmission Problems (IITP) in Moscow have used bioinformatics techniques to analyze several taxa of bacteria—Bioinformatics reveals new gene regulation system.

 

"By comparing 140 sequenced bacterial genomes, researchers have uncovered a system for regulating genes essential to bacterial replication – and they did it solely by computer keystrokes and mouse clicks."

While the researches say that this particular research isn't applicable to human health research the techniqueis:

 

"There are 100 enzymes functioning at the core of bacterial metabolism for which the genes are still unknown," ... "By comparing hundreds of genomes, you can see patterns that are not seen when looking at just a couple of them."

Technorati Tags : Bioinformatics

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Tristram Hussey, M.S. is a professional blogger and blog consultant, the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software, and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com or tris AT trishussey DOT com.

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Blog for women in science, by a woman scientist

Being a grad student can suck the life out of you.  I know, I've been there.  I love this quote I found:

What stands out to me about them is how hard they work, ALL THE TIME. They have this amazing work ethic. I used to have that, but I guess I've been influenced by a) the west coast attitude of, you have to live your life and be a person as well as a scientist, or you'll go nuts, and b) all the crap that has happened to me, reminding me that if you work your tail off and get screwed by some political thing, that is just 5 years of weekends you can't get back.  Ms.PhD 

This never happened to me, but I saw it happen to others.  A woman who started with me at UMaine I don't think ever finished her Masters.  She changed thesis ideas a few times and after two years the department cut off her funding (we were both on a very nice NSF subsidy that let us study an work as a research assistant to our advisor).  They instituted a new policy the year we started that you could be on non-TA funding for only two years.  This was done to get people to finish their Masters work quickly within two years.  Work and work and work.

 

The women I was friends with at UMaine and when working at Duke lamented things that us guys just couldn't get--like when to have kids.  One thing was incredibly important for the women though was having good female role models.  And not just in grad school, but university, high school, and primary school.  Science can be such a male-dominated career path, that having great people to be role models is key.  I think this personal blog of a young post-doc is so interesting--YoungFemaleScientist.  Have a read.  If you've never been in academia, it might be eye opening.  And if you have daughter, like I do, it could be a good way to learn about the reality of science and grad school.

 

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Tris Hussey is the Chief Blogging Officer for Qumana Software and Managing Director of Qumana Services.  He can be reached at tris AT qumana DOT com or tris AT trishussey DOT com.

 

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