Absract Archive
October - 06
RNA interference mediated sequence specific therapeutic gene silencing
of the neurological disorder Spino Cerebellar AtaxiaIntroduction
Brain is the primary control center of our body. It controls both voluntary (physical movements) as well as the involuntary (heart beat, respiration) functions of the body. It is the site of our consciousness, which gives rise to imagination, perception, interpretation and creativity. A normal human brain weighs 1 to 1.5 Kg with an average volume of 1600cm3. Though both males and females have similar brain weight according to their body weight ratios, male brain has an average 4% more cells and around 100 grams more tissue than females. Our brain is typically
divided into four lobes (together known as cerebrum) and the cerebellum.Author:Meenakshi Malhotra
RNAi: Gene silencing or Gene regulation?
Introduction
RNA interference, or RNAi as it is popularly known today, has turned out to be a phenomenon with considerable significance and implication for the field of therapeutics. RNA interference is the process of using specific sequences of double stranded RNA (dsRNA) to knock down the expression levels of complementary genes. Until early nineties, Geneticists had an infuriating void in their molecular toolbox (Table 1). They had many tools for adding new genes to cells but no simple way to find out what would happen if a gene were taken away. This left one face of the genetic research more or less unexplored. Initial studies on RNA-induced silencing and prediction of its genetic basis and biochemical requirements came about with plant pathology research. The strange occurrence of post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) was first documented in the plant Petunia and later in other plant species (Napoli et al. 1990). Experiments in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila revealed that the same mechanism also occurs in animal system.
Author:Meenakshi Malhotra.
“Siderophores” - The Unique Iron Chelators.
Iron and its importance
Iron is the second most abundant element in the earth's crust after aluminum (Howard, 1999). Iron is also essential to the basic life processes of all organisms. Although iron is one of the most abundant chemical elements, it is scarcely available because of the rapid oxidation of ferrous (Fe2+) to ferric (Fe3+) ions. Ferric ions are highly insoluble under physiological conditions and make its acquisition by microorganisms (and indeed higher organisms) a considerable challenge (Dave et al., 2006).
In wild aqueous environments ferric iron rapidly precipitates as hydroxide polymers. In the biological fluids of the vertebrates, iron is found bound by transferrin, lactoferrin. Iron also circulates in the body as hemoglobin, which is normally ensconced within red blood cells. Iron serves as a cofactor in a multitude of cellular processes. It plays a key role in oxidation - reduction reactions and certain types of catalysis.Authors:RM.Murugappan.
Recent Advances in the Quantum dot Technology for the Diagnosis of Cancer
Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are colloidal nanoparticles that have recently attracted widespread interest in biology and medicine due to their unique optical and electronic properties. These include intense and stable fluorescence for a longer time; resistance to photobleaching; large molar extinction coefficients; and, highly sensitive detection due to their ability to absorb and emit light very efficiently. These properties make them ideal for biosensor applications for the detection of cancer biomarkers in vitro as well as in cells, tissues and whole body. There is considerable interest in researchers based on the recent developments in using QDs as fluorescent probes for biomedical applications. They have been encapsulated with amphiphilic polymers and bound to tumor-targeting ligands and drug delivery vesicles for their possible applications for targeting, imaging and treating tumor cells. Recent research is focused on exploring the massive multiplexing capabilities of the QDs for the simultaneous detection of multiple cancer biomarkers in blood assays and cancer tissue biopsies. QD technology has unraveled a great deal of information about the tumor cells and the diagnosis of cancer.
Author:Sandeep Kumar Vashist.
Towards a Plant Genomics Initiative
Introduction
The complete genetic make up of a plant is known as its genome. The study of genomes, called GENOMICS consists of mapping, sequencing and analyzing genomes to determine the function of genes. The ultimate goal of plant genomics is to understand the structure and function of agriculturally important genes in plants. In the current phase of implementation of its strategic plan, the plant genomics focus area has concentrated on three major areas:
Plant biochemistry, with an emphasis on deciphering the synthesis, accumulation, and function of primary and secondary metabolites; Plant diversity, with the goal of evaluating and preserving natural biodiversity, and Plant genome informatics in coordination with the Computational Genomics Focus Area, with the goal of developing plant genome databases and specialized software for comparative genomics and for mining the voluminous data generated by genomics research.Author:C. Lavanya.
Training of Postgraduate Biotechnology Students in industry
Biotechnology industry has recorded 37% growth and has touched $1.5 billion mark with biopharma accounting for 72% share and bioagri sector being the fastest growing sector with 80% growth. With bioservices growing at 69.3% and occupying 11% of the market share (industry overview, Biospectrum, July 2006), India is fast becoming one of the most important destinations for clinical trials, contract research and contract manufacturing. According to Dr. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon, Biotechnology in India has potential of generating revenues of about $5 billion and creating one million skilled jobs in the next five years through products and services, as biotechnology is a highly human capital-intensive industry. However, prominent industry leaders and HR experts feel that it is difficult to find the right candidates as the skill sets of manpower produced by academic institutions often do not match the requirements of the ever competitive biotechnology industry. This could be due to big gap between the knowledge imparted Vis Vis knowledge required by the industry. Finding the right people for the job is the immediate challenge faced by the industry, as industry finds it difficult to invest in in -service training of hired candidates.
India is one of the first few countries in the world to initiate an integrated programme of human resource development in biotechnology comprising of postgraduate teaching programmes, training in national and overseas laboratories for upgradation of skills, participation in seminars and symposia etc. Support has been provided to 33 universities for conducting M.Sc. general biotechnology, 11 agricultural universities for M.Sc. agricultural & veterinary biotechnology, 6 M. Tech. programmes. In addition, master's programmes in medical biotechnology, molecular and human genetics, neurosciences, marine, industrial, environmental and pharmaceutical biotechnology have been supported. On an average, 1000 postgraduate students are passing out every year out of DBT supported programmes.
Author: Purnima Sharma.