an astounding 125,000 Indian famers—all duped into borrowing money to plant
Monsanto’s genetically engineered Bt cotton seeds and associated chemical
sprays—were so desperately in debt when their harvests failed to perform that
they took their own lives. …
Category: Biotechnology
Hidden Dangers in Kids’ Meals: Genetically Engineered Foods (Institute for Responsible Technology)
It makes a clear case that GMOs are unsafe, particularly for children. Please
pass the link onto as many parents and school personnel as you can …
FDA approves GTC’s transgenic drug ATryn (FierceBiotech)
This marks the first time the agency has given the okay to a transgenic
therapy–a drug developed in genetically engineered animals–and the first
recombinant antithrombin approved in the U.S. …
Drugs from genetically engineered animals poised to debut in U.S. (Medill Reports, Chicago)
“Transgenic animals are probably going to be the drug stores of the future,”
said biologist Bryan Pickett, who works with genetically engineered zebra fish
at Loyola University of Chicago. …
Austrian Government Study Confirms Genetically Modified (GM) Crops Threaten Human Fertility and Health Safety
the Executive Director of the Institute for
Responsible Technology says, “GM foods are likely responsible for
several negative health trends in the US. The government must impose an
immediate ban on these dangerous crops.” He says, “Consumers don’t need
to wait for governmental action. They can download a free Non-GMO
Shopping Guide at www.HealthierEating.org …
Harvard researchers use chemical to transform human skin cells into pluripotent cells
Using valproic acid, a chemical often used as a medication to treat seizure
disorders, the scientists loosened the chromatin—the packaging of the cellular
chromosome—making it easier to alter the cell’s DNA to transform ordinary human
skin cells into more powerful induced pluripotent cells, or iPS cells. …
Deprived Of A Sense Of Smell, Worms Live Longer
In the long term, Kornfeld’s goal is to identify compounds that could
potentially delay human aging. …
Scientists develop drug delivery system for brain cancers, other diseases (FierceBiotech)
scientists in the company and collaborators in the US and Canada found that the
drug was transported rapidly across the blood-brain barrier and into the
functional part of the brain, the parenchyma. …
Synthetic biology attracts VC attention
Synthetic biology could be used to create new drugs and medical devices,
solve ecological problems and even create new organisms. …
Researchers kill off pancreatic cancer cells with ‘suicide gene’
“We are working on making sure only pancreatic cancer cells see this suicide
gene,” Brody says. “By this, we are putting tighter regulation on the expression
of this toxic gene. We hope to just help pancreatic cancer patients.” …