***Possible New Approach To Purifying Drinking Water using biotechnology
A genetic tool used by medical researchers may also be used in a novel approach to remove harmful microbes and viruses from drinking water. In a series of proof-of-concept experiments, engineers demonstrated that short strands The relatively new technology, known as RNA interference (RNAi), makes use of short snippets of genetic material that match -- like a lock and key -- a corresponding segment of a gene in the target. When these snippets enter a cell and attach to the corresponding segment, they can inhibit or block the action of the target gene. This approach is increasingly being used as a tool in biomedical research, but has not previously been applied to environmental issues. Methods currently used to treat water -- chlorine and ultraviolet (UV) light -- can be expensive to operate and the results of the treatment itself can affect the taste and smell of the water. Although these methods have been employed for years, problems can emerge once the treated water enters the distribution system, where pathogens are also present. For this reason, water is often over-chlorinated at the plant so that it remains in high enough concentrations in the pipes to neutralize pathogens. This explains why people living the closer to a treatment plant will be more likely to taste or smell the chemical than those farthest away from the plant, the researchers said. Additionally, chlorine can react with other organic matter in the system, leading to potentially harmful by-products. The researchers are currently conducting additional experiments targeting other regions of the fungus' genome. For their proof-of-concept experiments, they tested RNAi on a non-essential, yet easy to monitor, gene. They are now testing this approach to silence or block genes essential to the viability of the pathogen. *The experiments were funded by Duke's Pratt School of Engineering.of genetic material could successfully target a matching portion of a gene in a common fungus found in water and make it stop working.




**** Fruit Fly Protein Acts As Decoy To Capture Tumor Growth Factors

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown how Argos, a fruit fly protein, acts as a "decoy" receptor, binding growth factors that promote the progression of cancer. Knowing how Argos neutralizes tumor growth may lead to new drug designs for inhibiting cancer. Many types of tumors grow because of over-expression of a protein known as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or a peptide hormone called epidermal growth factor (EGF) that binds and activates EGFR. Argos mimics EGFR by binding to EGF. But, unlike EGFR, Argos does not signal cells to grow. Approaches using molecules that neutralize growth factors have proven themselves in other cases. The Avastin antibody works well to block the molecule that activates the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor and several drugs can block tumor necrosis factor-α in arthritis, including Remicade, Humira and Enbrel. An Argos-like drug would work the same way in EGFR signaling, suggests Lemmon. In the current study, Lemmon and colleagues have worked out the details of the three-dimensional structure of Argos when it binds to Spitz. "We were surprised to find that Argos has three very similar domains that capture Spitz by surrounding it like a C-clamp," explains Lemmon. Although Argos binding to Spitz mimics the characteristic binding of EGFR to EGF, Argos and EGFR do not share the same amino acid sequence or structural similarities. The structure of Argos was studied by X-ray crystallography, a technique that shows where each atom of the protein is located. Computer analysis is then used to put together all the data into a three-dimensional projection of the growth factor and its binding molecule. Daryl E. Klein, Steven E. Stayrook, Fumin Shi, and Kartik Narayan, all of Penn, are co-authors on the study. This work was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the U. S. Army Breast Cancer Research Program.

***Researchers Devise New Way Of Mapping The Viscosity Of Cells

A fluorescent dye can be used to map how viscous, or 'gloopy', different parts of a cell are, according to new research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Changes in viscosity have been linked to disease and malfunction in human cells. For example, changes in the viscosity of the membranes of red blood cells have been observed in diabetes patients. Knowing more about these changes could lead to a greater understanding of how some diseases affect the human body.

***New Mouse Model Mimics Hyperglycemia, Aids In Diabetes Research


Researchers have genetically engineered a laboratory mouse in which pancreatic beta cells can regenerate after being induced to die. The new animal model's regenerative ability may provide future insights into improved treatments of diabetes, which affects millions of Americans.The model, named the PANIC-ATTAC mouse, mimics what occurs in humans with type 1 diabetes, a condition that develops when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic beta cells, as well as in type 2 diabetes, where beta cells die from working overtimeDr. Scherer said this model lends itself to studying conditions of temporary hyperglycemia such as gestational diabetes, a condition in which pregnant women who have never had diabetes develop hyperglycemia. Gestational diabetes usually disappears after pregnancy, but it is not clear whether these transient bouts of elevated glucose can cause permanent damage in the vasculature that persists even after normal glucose levels have been restored. Dr. Zhao Wang, a postdoctoral researcher at UT Southwestern and lead author of the study, said the strength of the PANIC-ATTAC mouse as a research tool lies partly in the ability to test how specific pharmaceuticals impact beta-cell regeneration. "We can test which drugs can more rapidly repair the damage," Dr. Wang said. "We can also test which drugs are protective. That's probably more important physiologically because it allows us to screen for interventions that could protect beta cells during the early stages of diabetes to slow down and prevent the onset of hyperglycemia."



***Biotechnology seen as a key to solving food crisis

Biotechnology can help solve the world's food crisis with benefits such as flood-resistant rice in Bangladesh or higher cotton yields in Burkina Faso, a senior U.S. official said at a U.N. food summit on Tuesday. Some green groups say genetically-engineered crops threaten biodiversity while many European consumers are wary of eating products dubbed by critics as "Frankenfoods." Schafer said biotechnology, including genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), could help produce more food by raising yields and producing crops in developing nations that are resistant to disease and pests. "Genetic engineering offers long-term solutions to some of our major crop production problems," said Philippine Agriculture Minister Arthur Yap. But he said that it was not a panacea for all of his country's agricultural problems. Progress being made in the Philippines included research into rice and coconuts resistant to disease, he said. "We're also working on virus-resistant papaya, papaya hybrids with a longer shelf life that should be ready for market in 2009," he said.