Latest SciTech Headlines

Complete Genomics' Genome Sequencing Service Used to Verify Gene Responsible for Miller Syndrome

Mountain View, CA (Scicasts) - Complete Genomics, a third-generation human genome sequencing company, has announced that the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) employed Complete Genomics' human genome sequencing service to sequence a family quartet to determine the depth of genetic information possible in analyzing a full family's sequence, and to verify the gene responsible for Miller syndrome, a rare craniofacial disorder. Results from this collaboration was be published online in the journal Science; the manuscript is titled "Analysis of Genetic Inheritance in a Family Quartet by Whole Genome Sequencing."

EMBL Opens Advanced Training Centre

Heidelberg, Germany (Scicasts) - The German Minister for Education and Research, Annette Schavan, has officially opened the new training and conference centre for the life sciences on the campus of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg.

Cresset Introduces FieldStere V2.0

Hertfordshire, UK (Scicasts) - Cresset, a UK-based company developing software for calculating and comparing the molecular Field characteristics of chemical compounds, has announced the release of a new version of its FieldStere bioisostere generator. FieldStere delivers shorter lead optimization cycles to computational and medicinal chemists by enabling them to choose the best syntheses, to fine-tune portions of lead molecules and to scaffold hop to expand into new areas of chemical space.

Mitochondrial DNA's Surprising Variability Could Complicate Forensic and Genealogical Analyses

Chevy Chase, MD (Scicasts) - Forensic anthropologists, human evolution researchers, and crime scene investigators might want to take note: The mitochondrial genome–long thought to be nearly identical in every cell in the human body–actually varies to a surprising degree, according to new research by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists. The research shows that different forms of the mitochondrial genome can be present in different organs from the same individual, and that these forms probably arise during embryonic development.

The Next-Generation, Lightning Fast Internet Technology Unveiled by Cisco

Maxiwill.com -- Cisco today announced the Cisco CRS-3 Carrier Routing System (CRS), a major advancement in Internet networking designed to serve as the foundation of the next-generation Internet and set the pace for the astonishing growth of video transmission, mobile devices and new online servicesfor the coming decades.

With over 12 times the traffic capacity of the nearest competing system, the company says that Cisco CRS-3 is designed to transform the broadband communication and entertainment industry by accelerating the delivery of compelling new experiences for consumers, new revenue opportunities for service providers, and new ways to collaborate in the workplace.

Researchers Create Atlas of Transcription Factor Combinations

San Diego, CA (Scicasts) - In a significant leap forward in the understanding of how specific types of tissue are determined to develop in mammals, an international team of scientists has succeeded in mapping the entire network of DNA-binding transcription factors and their interactions. This global network, indicating which factors can combine to determine cell fate, was published in the March 5 issue of the journal Cell.

Symyx Transitions to Pure-Play Scientific Software Company

Sunnyvale, CA (Scicasts) - Symyx Technologies has announced it's successful transition to a pure-play scientific software company with the completion of the planned divestiture of its High Productivity Research (HPR) business unit assets, previously announced on February 11, 2010. The divested assets will be owned and operated by FreeSlate (formerly HPR Global) in HPR's current location in Sunnyvale, California.

EMBL Scientists Present Genetic Catalog of our Gut Flora

Heidelberg, Germany (Scicasts) - The thousands of bacteria, fungi and other microbes that live in our gut are essential contributors to our good health. They break down toxins, manufacture some vitamins and essential amino acids, and form a barrier against invaders. A study published this week in Nature shows that, at 3.3 million, microbial genes in our gut outnumber previous estimates for the whole of the human body.

Naegleria Genome Sequenced

Berkeley, CA (Scicasts) - In the long evolutionary road from bacteria to humans, a major milestone occurred some 1.5 billion years ago when microbes started building closets for all their stuff, storing DNA inside a nucleus, for example, or cramming all the energy machinery inside mitochondria.

New Compounds Discovered Open Doors for New Class of AIDS Drug

La Jolla, CA (Scicasts) - A team of researchers at the Scripps Research Institute has discovered two new compounds that prove the existence of new binding sites on HIV protease. Associate Professor C. David Stout, senior author of the study, explained “These results open the door to a whole new approach to drug design against HIV protease,” which is an enzyme used by HIV to create new, infectious viral particles.

IBM Donates Supercomputer to Rice University

Houston, TX (Scicasts) - Rice University and IBM have unveiled a new high-performance computing (HPC) initiative for biomedical and life sciences research that features one of the most powerful supercomputers in the Texas Medical Center. According to the announcement, Rice scientists will use the supercomputer in collaboration with researchers from across the medical centre to study cancer, AIDS and other complex diseases.

Researchers Sequence Ancient Polar Bear Fossil

Buffalo, NY (Scicasts) - According to a report from the University of Buffalo, a rare, ancient polar bear fossil discovered in Norway in 2004 is yielding a treasure trove of essential information about the age and evolutionary origins of the species whose future is now seen as synonymous with the devastation wrought by climate change.

Smoking Significantly Increases Risk of Aneurysm in People with Certain Genes

Dallas, TX (Scicasts) - According to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010, for people who carry common gene variants, cigarette smoking greatly increases the risk that a blood vessel in the brain will weaken and balloon out – called an aneurysm – which could be life-threatening if it ruptures.

NHGRI Launches Online Genomics Center

Bethesda, MD (Scicasts) - An online tool to help educators teach the next generation of nurses and physician assistants about genetics and genomics was launched by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The tool is part of NHGRI’s effort to address the growing need among health care professionals for knowledge in this area, which is paving the way for more individualized approaches to detect, treat and prevent many diseases.

Internet Explorer's Domination May End in Europe

Maxiwill.com - As of today, Microsoft will begin offering a “Web browser choice screen” to Internet Explorer users in Europe, following demands from the European Commission.

In December last year, the European Commission and Microsoft arrived at a resolution of a number of long-standing competition law issues. Microsoft agreed to use Windows Update to provide a browser choice screen to Windows users in Europe who are running Internet Explorer as their default browser. This browser choice screen presents a list of browsers, with links to learn more about them and to install them. According to Microsoft, the design and operation of this choice screen was worked out in the course of extensive discussions with the Commission. Users who get the choice screen will be free to choose any browser or stick with the browser they already installed.

Life Technologies Debuts the SOLiD PI System

Carlsbad, CA (Scicasts) - Life Technologies has unveiled plans for the Applied Biosystems SOLiD PI System, a flexible and easy-to-use genomic analysis platform that, the company believes, will bring next-generation sequencing within the grasp of all life science research laboratories worldwide. Early customer adoption of the SOLiD PI System is expected to begin in the second half of 2010.

Genetic Link between Misery and Death Discovered

San Diego, CA (Scicasts) - In ongoing work to identify how genes interact with social environments to impact human health, UCLA researchers have discovered what they describe as a biochemical link between misery and death. In addition, they found a specific genetic variation in some individuals that seems to disconnect that link, rendering them more biologically resilient in the face of adversity.

imaGenes GmbH Adds Certification of Roche NimbleGen DNA Methylation Analysis to Service Portfolio

Madison, WI, (Scicasts) - Roche NimbleGen has announce that imaGenes GmbH, located in Berlin, Germany, has passed the certification process to qualify as a Roche NimbleGen Certified Service Provider (CSP) for DNA Methylation Analysis. imaGenes is a solution provider for functional genomics and proteomics with a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality services for molecular life sciences. This is the second certification for imaGenes to provide service for NimbleGen arrays, following the successful certification as ChIP-chip CSP in December 2009, and makes them the first service provider in Europe with multiple certifications.

Intel and Nokia Merge Software Platforms for a New Era of Mobile Computing

Maxiwill.com -- Earlier this month, Intel and Nokia merged their popular Moblin and Maemo software platforms, creating a unified Linux-based platform called MeeGo. According to their announcement, MeeGo will run on multiple hardware platforms across a wide range of computing devices, including pocketable mobile computers, netbooks, tablets, mediaphones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems. Intel says that this open software platform will accelerate industry innovation and time-to-market for a wealth of new Internet-based applications and services and exciting user experiences. MeeGo-based devices from Nokia and other manufacturers are expected to be launched later this year.

CLC bio and Isilon Form Partnership

Aarhus, Denmark (Scicasts) - CLC bio, a bioinformatics solution provider, has announced a partnership with Isilon Systems, which the company believes will help the life science community eliminate some of the toughest workflow bottlenecks when working with high-throughput sequencing data: Analysis and storage.