july journal final - 2013 - abapabap.co.in/sites/default/files/news item.pdfhon’ble prime minister...

825Current Trends in Biotechnology and PharmacyVol. 7 (3) 808-824 July 2013, ISSN 0973-8916 (Print), 2230-7303 (Online)

US President Obama Recognized Biotechnology’sContribution to Renewable Energy

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)today applauded President Barack Obama’srecognition of the contribution that biotechnologymakes to the design of new biofuels and to agriculturalproductivity in the President’s Climate ActionPlan.Biotechnology enables energy efficiency and useof renewable resources in manufacturing and fuelsas well as increased productivity on our agriculturallands,” said BIO President & CEO Jim Greenwood.“Using our nation’s scientific leadership, we can leaveour children a healthier economy and environment byusing renewable fuels and chemicals, adopting cleanermanufacturing processes, and producing more foodon each acre while reducing pesticide applications,and water and on-farm fuel use. In addition, we areencouraged by the president’s plan to use advancedbiofuels to help reduce CO2 emissions in thetransportation sector.

Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan SinghInaugurates TERI’s Delhi Sustainable DevelopmentSummit (DSDS) 2013 on ‘Global Challenge ofResource-Efficient Growth and Development’

The Hon’ble Prime Minister of India,Dr.Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the 13th DelhiSustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2013organised by The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI) today at the Taj Palace Hotel.

Over the years, Delhi Sustainable DevelopmentSummit (DSDS) has evolved as a global platform thataddresses the key challenges of sustainabledevelopment and explores the means by which thiscan be attained. In its 13th edition, DSDS focusseson the theme, ‘The Global Challenge of Resource-

Efficient Growth and Development’. It is the firstimportant meeting of global leaders following the June2012, Rio+20 Summit. DSDS 2013 will take the Rio+20deliberations forward, and examine what has beenachieved and how awareness had been created; itwill also attempt to define new directions to be followed;and set an agenda for further action.

Delivering the inaugural address, Hon’ble PrimeMinister of India, Dr.Manmohan Singh congratulatedTERI on organising this global forum which once againbrought together eminent dignitaries, Nobel Laureates,CEO’s and thought leaders from across the globe,Dr.Manmohan Singh said, “I am very happy to bepresent here today in the midst of such a distinguishedgathering on the occasion of the inaugural session ofthe Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2013. Iwould particularly like to extend a very warm welcometo the numerous foreign dignitaries who have cometo Delhi from all over the world to attend this event.

NEWS ITEM

Dr. Singh further added, “We in our India take duesatisfaction in this development. Some 40 years ago,Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was one of the fewleaders of the developing world to be present at theStockholm Conference. Even then, she had made ourcommitment to environmental protection clear. But shehad also pointed out that our challenge was ensuringdevelopment for all. It is a matter of some satisfactionto us that recent discourse has seen an implicitunderstanding that unless we find pathways fordevelopment that address the concerns of all, ratherthan the interests of a select few, our objective of globalsustainable development will remain elusive.

Current Trends in Biotechnology and PharmacyVol. 7 (3) i - vi July 2013, ISSN 0973-8916 (Print), 2230-7303 (Online)

i

In this context, the theme of this year’s sustainableSummit, ‘The Global Challenge of Resource-EfficientGrowth and Development’, has a particular resonance.Humanity has traditionally put its faith in advances oftechnology to resolve problems of resource scarcities.However, there is now a growing realization that theremay be no easy alternatives for some resources,particularly environmental resources. Resource-efficiency is, thus, a necessary condition forsustainable development, and a key element of theeconomic pillar of sustainability.”

“Indian Biotech Industry slated to be 100 BillionDollars by 2025” Says DBT Secretary

With the recent breakthroughs by Indian BiotechCompanies such as Bharat Biotech, Biocon makingprofits globally, Biotech Startups gaining good mileage,DBT Secretary Dr RenuSwarup has come out with theexpectation that we will be cashing in dollar 100 Billionannually by the end of 2025. Currently the industry isgrossing $ 4 Billion and has shown steady growth evenin the recession Years. In 2001, DBT released its visionwhich emphasized on “attaining new heights inBiotechnology research, shaping Biotechnology intoa premier precision tool of the future for creation ofwealth and ensuring social justice-specially for thewelfare of the poor”Over the past 4-5 yearsBiotechnoloy industry has witnessed a optimisticchange in terms of more and more Industry andAcademia interactions and encouragement to convertresearch projects in profitable business models.Additionally incorporation of BIRAC and BiotechnologyIgnition Grant ( BIG ) has provided a catalytic role inprovding financial as well Infra related support. Withthe continued & collaborative efforts of BiotechCompanies, Academia, BIRAC, DBT today the countryis expecting to break the 100 Billion dollar mark by2025.

SCIENTIFIC NEWS

Scientist says GM crops can’t be overlooked forlong

The genetically modified (GM) crops were animportant technological advancement which thecountry cannot overlook for long in view of its prioritiesand policies such as national food security, saidAkhilesh Kumar Tyagi, Director, National Institute ofPlant Genome Research (NIPGR), an autonomousbody aided by Department of Biotechnology under theUnion Ministry of Science and Technology. “This is animportant technology to benefit the people and we

should have a clear policy on this so that it is notrestricted. At the same time, all quality controls shouldbe in place as is done in the case of any newtechnology,” On duplication and triplication of genesin plants, he said triplication of genes in tomatooccurred at a time when dinosaurs disappeared fromthe earth. “In that period, there had been great changesin the environment and to adapt to those changes theplants got a duplicated genome. Then they diversifiedand this helped adoption and evolution of the planttypes that we have today,” he said. “If there is morethan one gene, the pressure on the genes getsreduced and it paves way for them to diversify andoccupy a different niche in order to provide somethinguseful for the human beings,” he said.

Nanoparticles help disrupt tumor blood supply,destroy tumors

In recent years, cancer researchers have beendeveloping agents that destroy the blood vesselssurrounding tumors with the goal of starving tumorsto death. Some of these agents, such as tumornecrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) have shown promisingresults, but often their toxicity has proven too great tobe clinically useful. Using gold nanoparticles as adelivery vehicle for TNF-α has reduced this toxicityand the resulting construct has already completed aphase I clinical trial in humans.

Now, a team at the University of Minnesotaheaded by John Bischof, has shown that they can usethis gold nanoparticle-TNF-α system to enhance theeffects of either thermal therapy or cryosurgery.Moreover, the researchers demonstrated that they canuse standard magnetic resonance imaging technologyto visualize tumor destruction. Dr. Bischof and hiscolleagues reported their findings in the journalMolecular Pharmaceutics.

Experiments in a mouse model of humanprostate cancer showed that the gold nanoparticle-TNF-α system disrupted blood flow into tumors within90 minutes of injection, an effect that lasted up to sixhours. Using a technique known as dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, Dr. Bischof’s team was able to clearlyimage the changes in blood flow into and around thetumor following nanoparticle treatment. Theresearchers note that in human patients, a simple five-minute MRI scan would be sufficient to detect ameaningful change in tumor blood vessel function.

Once the tumor blood vessels had been“preconditioned,” Dr. Bischof and his collaborators


ii

treated the animals with either thermal therapy orcryosurgery, both of which produced markedreductions in tumors. They noted that none of theanimals treated with thermal therapy died, an importantfinding given that an equivalent dose of TNF-α withno gold nanoparticle attached followed by thermaltherapy was found to be lethal in a large percentageof animals. The researchers also showed thatnanoparticle-delivered TNF-α did not triggerinflammatory reactions associated with activatedneutrophils, something that does occur when tumorsare treated with native TNF-α.

LuxR:A new class of bacterial signaling moleculesLMU microbiologist PD Dr. Ralf Heermann and

Professor Helge Bode of the Goethe-University inFrankfurt have just reported the discovery of apreviously unknown bacterial “language”. Theirfindings are detailed in the latest issue of the journalNature Chemical Biology. “Our results demonstratethat bacterial communication is much more complexthan has been assumed to date,” Heermann says.Thebacterial communication system that is currently bestunderstood uses N-acylhomoserine lactones (AHLs)as signals. These compounds are made by enzymesthat belong to the group of LuxI-family synthases.Transmitting cells secrete the signal and neighboringcells recognize the concentration via a LuxR-typereceptor. Signal perception changes the pattern ofgene expression in the receiving cells, which results

and Professor Helge Bode of the Goethe-UniversityFrankfurt have identified a novel bacterial cell-cellcommunication system that uses alpha-pyrones. Itturns out that a LuxR solo of this bacterium respondsto compounds called alpha-pyrones, specifically tophotopyrones. Furthermore, the researchers haveidentified the pyrone synthase (PpyS) that catalyzesthe biosynthesis of photopyrones. The pyrone-basedsignaling system allows the bacteria to recognize oneanother, whereupon they produce a surface factor thatcauses cell clumping. Heermann and Bode assumethat this collective behavior makes the cells lessvulnerable to the insect’s innate immune system, andthen allows them to kill their victims by the productionof various of toxins. P. luminescens is a useful modelorganism, because it is related to many humanpathogens, including coliform bacteria such asenterohemorrhagicE. coli (EHEC) and well as plaguebacteria,Heermann points out.

Hidden Regulators: Viral Gene in CommercialGMO Crops

In the course of analysis to identify potentialallergens in GMO crops, the European Food SafetyAuthority (EFSA) has belatedly discovered that themost common genetic regulatory sequence incommercial GMOs also encodes a significant fragmentof a viral gene. This finding has serious ramificationsfor cropBiotechnology and its regulation, but possiblyeven greater ones for consumers and farmers. This isbecause there are clear indications that this viral gene(called Gene VI) might not be safe for humanconsumption. It also may disturb the normalfunctioning of crops, including their natural pestresistance.

What Podevin and du Jardin discovered is thatof the 86 different transgenic events (unique insertionsof foreign DNA) commercialized to-date in the UnitedStates 54 contain portions of Gene VI within them.They include any with a widely used gene regulatorysequence called the CaMV 35S promoter (from the


iii

in alterations in their functional properties or behavior.However, many bacteria have LuxR receptors but lackany LuxI homolog, so that they cannot produce AHLs.These receptors are referred to as LuxR solos.RalfHeermann and Helge Bode have now discovered atype of ligand that binds to LuxR solos. As modelsystem, they chose the species Photo-rhabdusluminescens, a pathogenic bacterium that islethal to insects. Novel bacterial ‘language’ discoveredBacteria communicate by means of chemicalprocesses. LMU microbiologist PD Dr. Ralf Heermann

cauliflower mosaic virus; CaMV). Among the affectedtransgenic events are some of the most widely grownGMOs, including Roundup Ready soybeans (40-3-2)and MON810 maize. They include the controversialNK603 maize recently reported as causing tumors inrats (Seralini et al. 2012).

The researchers themselves concluded that thepresence of segments of Gene VI “might result inunintended phenotypic changes”. They reached thisconclusion because similar fragments of Gene VI havealready been shown to be active on their own (e.g. DeTapia et al. 1993). In other words, the EFSAresearchers were unable to rule out a hazard to publichealth or the environment.

In general, viral genes expressed in plants raiseboth agronomic and human health concerns (reviewedin Latham and Wilson 2008). This is because manyviral genes function to disable their host in order tofacilitate pathogen invasion. Often, this is achievedby incapacitating specific anti-pathogen defenses.Incorporating such genes could clearly lead toundesirable and unexpected outcomes in Agriculture.Furthermore, viruses that infect plants are often notthat different from viruses that infect humans. Forexample, sometimes the genes of human and plantviruses are interchangeable, while on other occasionsinserting plant viral fragments as transgenes hascaused the genetically altered plant to becomesusceptible to an animal virus (Dasgupta et al. 2001).Thus, in various ways, inserting viral genesaccidentally into crop plants and the food supplyconfers a significant potential for harm

Migration of Heart Atrium cells to Repair VentricleScientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart

and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, together withU.S. colleagues, have now observed in the embryo of

the zebrafish that muscle cells migrate from theundamaged atrium into the ventricle and thussignificantly contribute to regeneration. This couldserve as the basis for novel therapeutic approaches.Ifclinicians fail to reopen occluded coronary arteries aftera heart attack within an appropriate time frame, theheart muscle is permanently damaged because of thelong-term interrupted oxygensupply. The result is,among other things, a lifelong restriction of cardiacfunction, or even heart failure.

For many years, scientists worldwide have beensearching for ways to stimulate the regeneration ofdamaged heart tissue. The working group of DidierStainier from the Max Planck Institute for Heart andLung Research has now, together with scientists fromthe University of San Diego, identified in zebrafish anovel mechanism, at which muscle cells from theatrium actively migrate into damaged parts of the heartmuscle in the ventricle, thus forming new ventriculartissue.For their study, the Max Planck researchersused genetically modified fish larvae, in which thetargeted muscle cells of the heart chamber weredestroyed by the administration of a substance. Thiswas done at a point in time, at which the heart wasalready functional and active. The damage of themuscle was followed by a reduction in heart functionand ventricular size.To monitor the behavior of thedifferent cell types, the heart muscle cells werefurthermore altered by genetic engineering in such away that cells from the atrium and the ventricle lit updifferently.In this way we were able to track, thebehavior of the individual cell types continuously in aconfocal microscope, explains Didier Stainier, thedirector of the Developmental Genetics departmentat the MPI.A few hours after ablation only few red cellswere remaining in the ventricle. Furthermore, it hadbeen significantly shrunk, both references to the deathof muscle cells,” says Stainier. Just 24 hours later,much more fluorescing cells were back, indicating theinitiation of cell division activity of surviving cells withinthe ventricle.In further studies, the scientists then foundclear evidence of a so-called transdifferentiation ofcells: The muscle cells of the atria of the heart of thefish lost their characteristic properties andsubsequently transformed into ventricular cells in thecourse of regeneration. With the progression of heartregeneration, these cells were permanently installedin the muscle tissue and made their contribution tothe restoration of cardiac function.The Max Planckresearchers in their study see potential for futuretherapy. “Although, a atrial cell population is known to


iv

be present in humans with comparable properties, itis questionable whether the human heart possessesa similar self-healing ability,” says Stainier. Onesolution might be, however, using gene therapy tostimulate such reprogramming of cells and thus tostrengthen the self-healing abilities of the heart.

SEMINARS/WORK SHOPS/CONFERENCESBioDownstream Technology Course India2013"conducted by VIT, Vellore: BioDownstreamTechnologies (BTC)-India will be jointly organized byCBST, India and COBIK, Slovenia. To Enhancing boththeoretical and practical knowledge of currentdownstream processes technologies for biomoleculesand looking in their future. A 5 day work shop willconduct during30th Sept – 4th Oct 2013 at Centre forBioseparation Technology (CBST), VIT University,Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India. Pin: 632014 for People fromindustry engaged in downstream processing, andacademic members who want to increase theirtheoretical and practical knowledge of moderndownstream processing. Participants will receiveanExtensive overview of the current state of the art indownstream processing of biomacromolecules,Theoretical aspects of commonly applied techniquesincluding chromatography, precipitation, liquid-liquidextraction, ultrafiltration, and crystallization. Specialtopic will be on the scale-up of each technique.Features of specific groups of biomacromoleculesespecially, monoclonal antibodies,DNA, andviruses.Modern in-process analytics.Downstreamprocess design based on collected results.Confrontingopinions of participants, experts from industry andacademiaca.Registration : There is INR 15000 /- feefor BTC-India which includes participation in lecturesand hands-on training, workshop materials, coffee andsnacks. Registrations are open until 10th August, 2013Space is limited to 20 participants, so sign-up now!Your registrations will be processed on a first-come-first-serve basis. All participants should take care oftheir travel expenses and accommodation. Theinternational participants are also requested to providea suitable insurance. There is INR 2000/- fee for BTC-India to attend only the lectures (no limitation).Forfurther Information contact :Prof. M A Vijayalakshmi .

Hands-on Workshop on Molecular Biotechnologyand Bioinformatics : A 5 day Workshop at ICSCCB,R.H. 2, Ujwal Regalia, Near Prabhavee Tech Park,Baner Road, Pune – 411045, India Only 10 seats perbatch so please register early to confirm your partici-pation. We will update on the website if a batch is

full.We have planned a series of five days basic work-shops with practical hands-on training on the topicsfrom molecular biology and bioinformatics. The biol-ogy and bioinformatics contents are interwoven in sucha manner that it would help a molecular biologist tofind solutions to real time problems in lab and abioinformatician to understand the laboratory aspectsof bioinformatics. All topics below will be covered ineach workshop by practical hands-on training: Recom-binant DNA Technology & Genetic Engineering,Bioinformatics part and Genomics Data Visualiza-tionRegistration Fees (food & accommodation is notincluded), Rs. 6000/- (US$ 150 for International can-didates). Accommodation can be booked in nearby ho-tels/guesthouses directly, we will provide the informa-tion by email. All UG/PG/PhD students, faculty, scien-tists as well as people working in industry in the fieldof Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Life Sciences, Medi-cal Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chemical Sci-ences and related subject areas

OPPORTUNITIES

Ph.D. fellowship in the development andcharacteri-zation of induced haemarthrosis in theFVIII knockout rat as a model of haemarthrosis inhuman haemophilia Aat the LIFEPHARM Centre:Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty ofHealth and Medical Sciences, University ofCopenhagen is offering afellowship commencing 1October 2013 or soon thereafter. The applicationdeadline is 7 August 2013. Project description:Haemophilia A is a genetically inherited X-linkedbleeding disorder caused by abnormalities in thecoagulation factor VIII (FVIII) gene located on the Xchromosome. Despite aggressive therapy regimens,detrimental effects of recurrent haemarthrosis are well-known. The purpose of the project is to investigatethe use of the Factor VIII knockout rat as a translationalmodel for such haemarthrosis by characterising theinterplay between inflammation and haemostasis tounderstand the different levels of the development ofthe haemarthrosis and if possible identify potentialways to dampen the inflammatory response andthereby improve the mobility and life quality of thepatients. The specific project goals are to visualizethe temporal relationship between bleeding,inflammation, and tissue remodeling, to map the timecourse of changes in circulatory inflammation markersin relation to development of the haemarthrosis , toinvestigate the inflammatory processes locally atdifferent time points following haemarthrosis, and toexplore pharmacological opportunities to dampen the


v

development of acute haemarthrosis and chronichaemophilic arthropathy. Further contact Principalsupervisor-Professor Axel Kornerup Hansen.

PhD fellow in Analytical Biosciences @ Universityof Copenhagen: The Department of Pharmacy,Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University ofCopenhagen is pleased to announce that a fellowshipwill be available from 1 October 2013 or as soon aspossible thereafter. The application deadline is 15August 2013. Applications are invited for the three-year fellowship from applicants who hold or expect tohold a master´s degree in a field relevant to thefollowing project: Pre-clinical studies of absorption,distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of newdrug candidates are required to evaluate both the drugsafety and to obtain the kinetics of drug plasmaconcentration after drug administration. In the bodythe drugs are being metabolized and converted intometabolites in which some are pharmacologicallyactive while others may have toxic effects. One groupof toxic metabolites is called reactive metabolites thathave a very short life span due to their instability andhigh reactivity. Traditional methods used for studyingdrug metabolism are time consuming and may not beable to detect the presence of reactive drugmetabolites. Likewise, current methods for analysisof large molecule protein drugs and their metabolismlack sensitivity and are very labour-intensive.

Postdoctoral Position in Molecular Microbiologyis Vacant @ University of Copenhagen: A 2-yearpostdoctoral position for a researcher with a strongbackground in molecular is available in theBiomolecular Regulation Research Group at theDepartment of Biology, University of Copenhagen.Areaof research, Our research focuses on fundamentalregulatory and mechanistic aspects of geneexpression in bacteria. A common interest among thegroup members is the role of RNA molecules asregulators and mediators of protein synthesis. Theposition is part of a project funded by the DanishCouncil for Independent Research, which aims tocharacterize a new class of bacterial noncoding RNAssuggested to mediate the degradation of cellular tRNAfollowing nutritional stress. The tRNA degradationpathway will be determined using a combination of

genetic, biochemical, and deep RNA sequencingapproaches More information about the researchgroup can be found on our webpage:www.bio.ku.dk/english/research/bv/biomolecular-regulation.Qualifications: Candidates should hold a -degreewithin the area of molecular and have documentedextensive experience with bacterial genetics and andbacterial growth physiology will be preferred. Excellentwritten and spoken English is a requirement for theposition.

PhD in Separation of Maillardglycated proteinsatWageningen University:a candidate for the project“Glycation of proteins through the Maillard reactionand separation of reaction products”. The position ispart of a project with two positions, aimed atunderstanding and controlling the Maillard reactionbetween reactive carbohydrates and proteins in orderto obtain tailored glycated proteins with specificfunctionalities. Using carbohydrates with differentchemical structures and reactivities, intermediate- andfinal Maillardglycated products will be analysed andinvolved reaction mechanisms revealed. In this partof the project, separation techniques will be developedto fractionate the complex mixtures of (un)reactedproteins and mechanisms of modification will beinvestigated by analyses of distinct populations ofmodified proteins obtained. requirements: An MScdegree in Chemistry, Food Technology, Experiencewith electrophoresis, or chromatography and massspectrometry. Experience with carbohydrates andproteins will add to the suitability of a candidate forthis post;Excellent research skills;Ability to work in amulti-disciplinary project;Excellent communicationskills; The selected fellow should have passed for anEnglish proficiency test (e.g. TOEFLL or IELTS) beforethe employment starts. We offer you a temporaryposition for a period of 1.5 years with extension of 2.5years after successful evaluation. Gross salary permonth • 2083,- in the first year rising up to • 2664,-per month in the fourth year. We not only offer acompetitive salary but also good (study) leave and apension of the ABP Pension Fund. For moreinformation about this position, please contact dr. ir.Peter Wierenga, assistant professor Food Chemistry,telephone number +31 317 483 786.


vi

♦ ♦ ♦

july journal final - 2013 - abapabap.co.in/sites/default/files/news item.pdfhon’ble prime minister...

Documents