Story Summary: We want to enhance the potential of stem cell research. The little-noted decision two weeks ago puts New York at odds with policies in every other state that provides funding for human embryonic stem cell research and with prevailing guidelines from scientific organizations, including the National Academy of Sciences. The move was welcomed, however, by proponents of stem cell research, stem cell scientists and some bioethicists, who said it would remove a major obstacle to pursuing some of the most exciting goals of the research — including producing replacement tissues tailored to individual patients. This is a really great, appropriate policy, said Susan Solomon, co-founder of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, a private, nonprofit research organization. said Jonathan D. Moreno, a professor of bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Supporters consider human embryonic stem cell research one of most promising fields in biomedical science. But the field is highly controversial, largely because the cells are derived by destroying days-old embryos, a process some consider the equivalent of killing a person. One of the goals of the research is to produce cells tailored to individual patients through a process known as somatic cell nuclear transfer….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Fruit flies are a powerful model organism that has been extensively used to understand the genetics of human development, behaviour and disease. Our project is mostly focusing on identifying genetic variation that underlies natural sleep variation between individuals. Analysing the variation in sleep pattern has already allowed us to identify several genome regions that include candidate genes that cause natural variation in sleep. Experiments are currently being carried to identify the specific DNA variations that cause the changes in sleep pattern. Mobina Khericha will be presenting her research at the Festival of Postgraduate Research which is taking place on Thursday 25th June in the Belvoir Suite, Charles Wilson Building, University of Leicester between 11. This event is open to the public and is FREE to attend. uk0116-2523421SourceUniversity of Leicester, UKAny medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. General Practitioners say they regularly see patients who come in complaining of severe tiredness. Back-to-school SleepGoing back to school is tough for families who have been enjoying a relaxed summertime schedule. Sleep InventoryPoor sleep is a fact of life for lots of tired Americans. What you do before getting in bed and even the room you sleep in may be contributing to the problem….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: New piece found in colorectal cancer puzzleJune 25th, 2009 Prostasin, a relatively unknown protease enzyme expressed in most epithelial cells, may play a role in the genesis of colorectal cancer. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Cancerhave associated a reduction in the expression of inhibitors of the enzyme with malignant cellular behavior. Lotte Vogel, from the University of Copenhagen, worked with a team of Danish and Norwegian researchers to investigate levels of prostasin and its inhibitorsin colorectal tissue samples from 222 patients and 23 controls. This complex web of interactions between relevant proteases and their inhibitors makes firm conclusions difficult to draw. The tumor starts off as a polyp but then turns into an invasive and violent cancer, which often spreads to the liver. Now for the first time researchers have identified a specific gene expression profile of prostate cancer stem cells, . . . Americans have similar average magnesium intake as East Asian populations. If that were all that were involved, observers might expect both groups . . ….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: However, using nanoparticles, scientists from the Universities of Birmingham and Warwick have found a way to preserve membrane proteins intact, enabling detailed analysis of their structure and molecular functions. Using a polymer – styrene maleic acid lipid particles (SMALPs), the researchers solubilised a pair of membrane proteins. Dr Tim Dafforn who jointly ran the study, said: In the past, studies have concentrated largely on soluble proteins as membrane proteins are so difficult to make. However, the discovery of the SAMLPs removes this barrier and opens up access to membrane proteins – this has exciting clinical implications as it may enable drug discovery on receptors that are currently too difficult to produce or study by current methods. Commenting on the findings, BBSRC Chief Executive Professor Doug Kell, said: The attrition rate in developing new drugs is phenomenal. Fundamental bioscience working in coordination with medical research is vital to deliver new, effective drugs. Journal reference:Knowles et al. Membrane Proteins Solubilized Intact in Lipid Containing Nanoparticles Bounded by Styrene Maleic Acid Copolymer….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: As of Wednesday, nationwide there have been 6,764 confirmed cases of H1N1, including 10 deaths, Green said, noting statistics from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization declared that H1N1 has become a global pandemic. Symptoms of H1N1 generally include fever, cough, sore throat, head and body aches, chills and fatigue, and some people also have reported nausea, diarrhea and/or vomiting, the health department information shows. Green said anyone experiencing those symptoms should consult a doctor. Measures to treat patients with H1N1 and control its spread are much like those long used in dealing with seasonal flu, a VDH Web site shows. Antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu generally are only effective if patients start taking them within two days of the onset of symptoms, he said. Currently, most cases of H1N1 seem to be of moderate severity, and the people who become the most sick from the virus are ones who are suffering from other health problems while they have the virus, Green said. To try and keep from contracting the virus, as well as to control its spread, health officials recommend: * Covering the nose and mouth with a tissue while sneezing, and throwing the tissue away after it is used….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: They also found no evidence that HIV/hepatitis B-infected individuals taking antiretroviral therapy had an increased risk of dying of an AIDS-defining illness. However, co-infected individuals had an increased risk of dying of illnesses not normally considered HIV-related, including both liver disease and cardiovascular illnesses. These patients were divided into groups according to their hepatitis B infection status: The investigators then compared outcomes in these patients over a median of seven years of follow-up. The rate of such deaths was highest in individuals with chronic hepatitis B infection (22 per 1000 person years), followed by those isolated core infection (14 per 1000 person years) and past infection with hepatitis B (6 per 1000 person years). Deaths because of non-AIDS-related illnesses were least frequent in patients never infected with hepatitis B (2 per 1000 person years). Four of the six non-HIV-related deaths amongst hepatitis B-chronically infected individuals were liver-related. One of these deaths was in an individual who was also infected with hepatitis C virus, and another in an injecting drug user. The investigators first set of statistical analysis showed that isolated core-infected individuals were less likely than other groups to achieve HIV suppression (p = 0. But after adjustment for potentially confounding factors, hepatitis B infection status was not shown to affect virological response to HIV therapy. The only factors significantly affecting this outcome were baseline CD4 cell count (p = 0. 01), and the proportion of study visits with an undetectable viral load (p < 0. This study demonstrates that hepatitis B virus status at HAART initiation does not affect the long-term ability of HIV-infected patients to respond to HAART in terms of HIV RNA suppression and immunological recovery, conclude the investigators. This study demonstrates that hepatitis B virus status at HAART initiation does not affect the long-term ability of HIV-infected patients to respond to HAART in terms of HIV RNA suppression and immunological recovery, conclude the investigators. This study demonstrates that hepatitis B virus status at HAART initiation does not affect the long-term ability of HIV-infected patients to respond to HAART in terms of HIV RNA suppression and immunological recovery, conclude the investigators….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: They warned that the virus could mutate during the southern hemispheres flu season before returning north in a more lethal form in autumn, in a pattern similar to that seen in the deadly 1918 flu pandemic, which claimed an estimated 20 to 50 million lives around the globe. The method does not need a seed strain to develop a vaccine, Adams said. While everyone else was waiting to get a seed strain, we worked with the genetic code from the virus, said Adams. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) sent us a dead virus, which is perfectly safe, and then we extracted genetic information from that virus. It would also have to produce at least 50 million doses of flu vaccine within six months of pandemic onset. We can manufacture our product facilities that make monoclonal antibodies, which is a huge class of products with a huge manufacturing capacity around the world, said Adams. Swiss drugs giant Novartis, which the U. S. government gave 289 million dollars to help develop a vaccine against (A)H1N1 flu, said around two weeks ago that it was poised to begin pre-clinical trials — tests in vitro and on animals — on its first batch of novel swine flu vaccine. Sanofi-Pasteur of France has said it hopes to have doses of swine flu vaccine ready for clinical trials within weeks, while Taiwans Adimmune Corporation said it expects to complete clinical trials on its A(H1N1) influenza vaccine around September….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: org303-398-1002Eczema patients at risk for serious viral infections have more severe disease, are more likely to be allergic to food and other allergens, and have a frequent history of staph infections, according to researchers at National Jewish Health and other institutions in the NIH-funded Atopic Dermatitis Vaccinia Network. The findings, published June 25 in the online version of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, could help identify people at risk for serious complications of smallpox vaccinations, and point to defects in the skin barrier and antimicrobial-protein production as possible causes for the increased susceptibility. The herpes simplex virus is common but only rarely causes disseminated skin infections that can spread to the eye and bloodstream sometimes leading to encephalitis and meningitis. They found that eczema patients susceptible to herpes simplex infections had more severe disease, earlier age of disease onset, more frequent history of other allergic diseases such as food allergy, asthma and hay fever, more allergic biomarkers, and more frequent skin infections with other microbes. These characteristics associated with eczema herpeticum should help us identify young patients at greater risk for eczema herpeticum so that we can be more vigilant with them and better equipped to prevent this serious complication of eczema, said Dr. Leung. The greater allergic disease and sensitization, as well as infection by other microbes, point to a potential mechanism for the increased susceptibility to viral skin infections. The even higher allergic sensitization among EH patients suggests the skin-barrier defect is particularly acute in those patients….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: In terms of the future, he says genetics is about to take off – the technology is working and the worlds need to produce more food from less has governments seeking solutions. With this science, Professor Goddard said there is the potential to double the rate of genetic gain. As far as Australias role in genetic advancement, considering its size we have been at the forefront in livestock all along. If you were to nominate one scientific area where Australia contributes more to world knowledge than expected from its population size, it would be in genetic improvement of livestock, he said. In the worlds leading genetic early adoption country, the United States, 4500 progeny-tested dairy bulls have been tested and thousands more are scheduled. For beef and sheep, DNA testing is not a new concept, but Professor Goddard says we cant yet predict genetic merit in beef and sheep as accurately as in dairy cattle. What Professor Goddard and his colleagues are aiming for is a commercial arrangement with a DNA company such as Pfizer, but to retain a centralised common estimated breeding value database from which producers can benchmark stock. For years it has been relatively easy to find the gene for traits that are controlled by a single gene such red coat color, but many traits are controlled by lots of genes which each have a small effect so the advantage with the SNP chip is that we can test up to 50,000 markers all at once. It began as a young veterinary graduate, in the 1970s, when he completed his PhD on a breeding program for guide dogs for the blind at University of Melbourne. It was working with the genetics/breeding scheme of dogs that Professor Goddards unfaltering intrigue in genetic possibilities started. Looking back he said it is difficult to conceptualise that a lot of the work has only just started to eventuate, but he has no doubt that genomic selection will spawn a whole new way of selecting animals. Gradually genetic selection will be introduced into all livestock sections and it will revolutionise them….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Beginning in December 2007, the agency recommended that parents forego booster shots for Haemophilus influenzaetype B (Hib), an infection that can lead to bacterial meningitis. A booster shot of the vaccine was traditionally recommended for children at ages 12-15 months, but that was curtailed following a shortfall in supply from one of the two manufacturers of the vaccine, Merck & Co. At the time, the CDC said the shortage meant that shots should be restricted to the initial series given to infants at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Parents of children who missed the booster shot at 12 to 15 months should wait until their next routinely scheduled visit or medical encounter and discuss the situation and their particular childs need for the shot with their doctor, the CDC said. The shortfall was caused by Mercks recall of certain lots of Hib conjugate vaccine, followed by a suspension of production beginning in December 2007. At the time, Merck spokeswoman Amy Rose said that problems with the vaccines sterilization process necessitated recalling the vaccine and then stopping production. There are many different types of influenzae and there are many steps involved in testing and reporting the various types, so information often gets lost along the way, he said. Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine, said at the time that parents whose children missed the booster shot shouldnt panic. There used to be 20,000 cases a year, but the vaccine has brought it to less than 100, Siegel said. Weve almost stamped this thing out with the vaccine, so dont assume your kid is going to get it….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: One TLR, known as TLR8, triggered a robust immune response in antigen-presenting cells, which are crucial for vaccine responses, suggesting that agents that stimulate TLR8 could be used to enhance immune responses in newborns, perhaps as adjuvants given along with vaccines. As we better understand the molecular pathways that account for newborns susceptibility to infections, we can leverage them to enhance their immune defenses, Levy says. The ability to vaccinate newborns — rather than wait until they reach 2 months of age — would provide important global health benefits, adds Levy, whose lab is one of the few in the world to specifically focus on vaccination in newborns. Birth is a point of contact with healthcare systems, he says. But in newborns, most of them respond poorly — except for TLR8. Levy and colleagues believe that agents that stimulate TLR8 could be given as vaccine adjuvants to enhance newborns immune responses. (Credit: Illustration: Patrick Bibbins, Childrens Hospital Boston)Related StoriesIn Other News . . ….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: DescriptionScientists at Burnham Institute for Medical Research have discovered that specific microRNAs (non-coding RNAs that interfere with gene expression) reduce HIV replication and infectivity in human T-cells. In particular, miR29 plays a key role in controlling the HIV life cycle. The study suggests that HIV may have co-opted this cellular defense mechanism to help the virus hide from the immune system and antiviral drugs. The scientists further demonstrated that strains of HIV-1 with mutations in the region of the genome that interact with miR29 are not inhibited by miR29. Blocking the activity of miR29 with interfering RNA resulted in increased replication and infectivity of the virus. The scientists tested the association of miR29 and HIV-1 by mutating both miR29 and its target region on the HIV virus. This suggests that HIV may use miRNAs to become dormant and escape immune response. About Burnham Institute for Medical ResearchBurnham Institute for Medical Research is dedicated to revealing the fundamental molecular causes of disease and devising the innovative therapies of tomorrow. Burnham, with operations in California and Florida, is one of the fastest-growing research institutes in the country. The Institute is known for its world-class capabilities in stem cell research and drug discovery technologies….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Pushmi-pullyu of B-Cell Development FoundPosted on: Thursday, 25 June 2009, 08:46 CDT Although every cell in the body carries the genes necessary to function as an antibody-producing B cell, only a small proportion of stem cells mature into those important immune-system cells. James Hagman, PhD, Professor of Immunology at National Jewish Health and his colleagues have identified two molecular motors that work in opposing directions to control the development of B cells. They published their findings June 19 in the online version of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA. When wrapped tightly around these spools, individual genes are inaccessible to the molecules that bind and activate them. By altering the epigenetic state of several genes, it is estimated that EBF can turn on hundreds of genes necessary for B-cell development. When they inactivated Mi-2/NuRD instead, expression of the B-cell gene increased 1,727-fold. Mi-2/NuRD was apparently acting as a brake, and its removal vastly increased expression of the B-cell gene….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: The findings are good news for countries in Europe considered under growing threat from the midge-borne disease, capable of killing up to 90 per cent of horses exposed to it. The research, published in the open access journal PLoS One, focused on inducing an antibody response to the virus which causes the disease in ponies inoculated with a vaccine based on Recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA), a virus considered to have a higher safety profile. They created vaccines carrying one of three different genes, called VP2, VP7 and NS3, from the African Horse Sickness virus (AHSV). It is endemic in tropical and sub-tropical areas of Africa, south of the Sahara, but outbreaks have occurred outside Africa, resulting in high mortality rates and severe economic loses. Such outbreaks were reported in the Middle East in 1959, and in North Africa and Spain during 1969 and 1987. In the latter outbreaks, an extensive vaccination programme and movement-control measures led to complete eradication of the disease. In the past, inactivated vaccines have been shown to induce protective immunity, but are not readily available. Due to the similarities between Bluetongue and African Horse Sickness viruses and their vectors, it has been suggested that should AHSV incur into Europe, there is the potential for it to become as widespread as Bluetongue virus. As there are concerns over the use of modified live AHSV vaccines, the development of efficacious and safer AHSV vaccines, suitable for use in both endemic and non-endemic regions, is therefore an important focus of research. More on African Horse SicknessChiam R, Sharp E, Maan S, Rao S, Mertens P, et al. (2009) Induction of Antibody Responses to African Horse Sickness Virus (AHSV) in Ponies after Vaccination with Recombinant Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA). 0005997 If youre in the market for a horsefloat, you need to do your home- work….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: If these resources are not already overwhelmed, one wonders how they will cope if there is a further rise in swine influenza A cases combined with the work generated by Australias normal influenza season, he writes. This compares to annual figures of about 18 000 hospitalisations and 3000 deaths directly or indirectly attributable to seasonal influenza. Meanwhile, Professor Peter Collignon, an infectious diseases physician and microbiologist at the Australian National University, has filed the following analysis for Croakey: This current Swine flu virus spreads easily but it only has relatively low virulence (aggressiveness) levels. It causes less serious disease than what we see predicably every year from the spread around the world of new seasonal flu strains. This is effectively, the approach that Canada and most parts of the US have taken. More than 99% of people who become infected with this virus have had only mild symptoms and fully recover within a few days. We have been spending too much time monitoring, testing and treating these people. The problem at the moment is that those who are most at risk will have difficulty being seen by healthcare professionals, because too many of the 99% (because of fear, public health directions and other reasons), are in the queue in front of them at doctors surgeries and emergency departments. On current data it looks likely that there is less than 1 death for every 10,000 people infected and these deaths are occurring mainly in those with risk factors (diabetes etc). Some have argued that we need to keep a more aggressive response, re quarantine of those not ill, school closures etc, because second and third waves of infection will occur and then there is a high chance that the virus will have mutated to become more virulent – as they say happened in 1918/19. In general the effect with most viruses is that they usually become less aggressive with time – not more. )Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a continuing and rapidly growing global problem, especially in developing countries. In Australia, we remain much more fortunate with much lower antibiotic resistance rates. Thus we would not expect to have very high mortality rates associated with this virus in this country, providing we can readily identify and promptly treat those with complications. With a virus of such low comparative virulence it is very doubtful however that closing schools and keeping people away from school and workplaces in home quarantine when they are asymptomatic, is an appropriate response. There was however a relatively rare side-effect from the vaccine that lead to an excess (in about 1 per 100,000 vaccine recipients) of Gilluiane-Barre Syndrome – a form of ascending neurological paralysis. The implementation of stricter controls via the different phases of a Pandemic plan, should only be adopted when a new influenza strain looks likely to arrive in Australia that is both hyper-virulent AND spreads easily. The very early approach of most of the US and Canada, to treat this as seasonal influenza, seems a more appropriate current response than our prolonged and ultimately futile attempts at containment in many Australian States. The Croakey blog is a forum for debate and discussion about health issues and policy. Publishers: Eric Beecher, Diana Gribble. Level 7, 22 William St, Melbourne, 3000….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: aWe are excited about the opportunity to use the Genome Sequencer FLX System to identify the mutations underlying drug resistance in T. bruceisubspecies,a explained MA$?ser. For approximately 50 million years, leaf-cutting ants have been farming fungi for food. Like human agriculture, this ancient system is complex, involving symbiotic associations between farmers, crops, beneficial microbes and harmful pathogens. aBuilding on previous ecological and evolutionary studies, we will utilize metagenomics, transcriptomics and genomics based on the Genome Sequencer FLX System to explore the molecular processes underlying these intimate associations,a stated Nicole Gerardo. aWe are pleased to see the adoption of the Genome Sequencer FLX System across a wide range of scientific disciplines,a said Chris McLeod, President and CEO of 454 Life Sciences, a Roche company. We are inspired by the scientific community and their ability to find new applications for the Genome Sequencer FLX System. Specific applications include de novosequencing and re-sequencing of genomes, metagenomics, RNA analysis, and targeted sequencing of DNA regions of interest. The hallmarks of the Genome Sequencer FLX System are its simple, unbiased sample preparation and long, highly accurate sequence reads, including paired-end reads. Rocheas personalised healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2008, Roche had over 80,000 employees worldwide and invested almost 9 billion Swiss francs in R&D. The Group posted sales of 45. Genentech, United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. com….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: The new information about the mechanism of action of the protein, called gp78, may enable researchers to explore new types of therapies to prevent the spread of cancer. The study, by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, was published in the June 26, 2009, issue of Molecular Cell. Other targets of gp78 include proteins that are involved in cystic fibrosis and in the regulation of lipid metabolism. D. , and Weissman, used advanced structural techniques to study the structure of gp78 and its associated E2 enzyme to gain insight into how the complex functions in cells. The researchers determined the structural basis for the interaction between gp78 and its E2 and uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which ubiquitylation can be regulated. This binding causes subtle changes in the shape of the E2 that allow the gp78 RING finger domain and the E2 to join together 50 times more tightly than they otherwise would. Further research showed that this increased binding strength enhances ubiquitylation of target proteins by gp78. This introduces the possibility of entirely new therapeutic avenues in cancer and other diseases. This team is currently working to further define the interactions of E2s and RING finger domains. They also are collaborating with other NCI scientists to design and construct potential inhibitors of gp78, based on their discovery, for testing in animal models. NCI leads the National Cancer Program and the NIH effort to dramatically reduce the burden of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nations Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. 6….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: Along with 20 other Nobel Laureates, all three of last years prizewinners will be coming to Lake Constance to report on their work. In summer 1960, Princeton University biology professor Frank Johnson instructed his assistant, Osamu Shimomura, to investigate this phenomenon. During the following 19 years, Shimomura and his staff fished some 850,000 jellyfish from the Pacific. Why, though, was the light that the intact jellyfish emitted green-coloured? This second protein is GFP: a light-absorber/emitter in the form of a molecule known as a chromophore. At the time, it was still too early to specify these findings further, or to put them to practical use in the field. Only with the rapid progress made in gene technology could Douglas Prasher, beginning in the mid-1980s, uncover the genetic blueprints, first of aequorin and, later, of GFP and thus identify their structures. While C. elegans consists of a mere 959 cells, it nevertheless has a brain, it ages and reproduces. One third of its genes – the blueprints for its proteins – are related to genes found in humans. Chalfie knew that its organs would be easier to study under a microscope if they were fluorescent. With the help of the head of his seminar, Chalfie contacted Douglas Prasher, who was working on decoding the GFP gene at the time, and who was then able to send a copy of the gene to Chalfie in 1992. Chalfie now coupled it with the gene for a protein that is only active in the nematodes six touch receptor neurons. In 1994, the results of this experiment were emblazoned across the title page of Science magazine: a nematode that had bright green bioluminescent nerve receptors. It is due to the work of Roger Tsien that, from todays viewpoint, GFP is only the point of departure for an entire palette of luminescent colours that can be applied in biology and that are also suitable for use in mammalian cells. Targeted coupling of proteins on luminescent markers similar to GFP makes it possible to view live scenes under the microscope – mitosis in individual stages of cell division, the interactions between signal molecule and receptor, or the formation of new viruses in infected cells. Yet monitoring proteins dynamics within living cells using the methods of structural elucidation is only possible by sequenced still images. Roger Tsien continues to work intensively on developing new areas of application for these methods. These could then be used in human patients, where they would serve as clinical biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases….Read the Full Story

Story Summary: If you can break any part of the transmission cycle then youll interrupt transmission. This immunity could help fight off a more potent malaria virus. If all goes well, the vaccine could be on the market as early as 2013, Sanaria CEO Stephen Hoffman said. The parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which causes most malaria cases in Africa, is responsible for more child deaths in the world than any other infectious agent, he added. Sanaria – which means healthy air in Italian – needs a large batch of highly infected mosquitos to study. In order for Sanaria to make a vaccine, they need to grow and dissect up a lot of mosquitoes, and they need to infect a lot of large numbers of mosquitoes, and they need to dissect the mosquitoes one at a time and harvest the salivary glands, OBrochta said. Some of the salivary glands are loaded with these parasites, but not all of them are, and thats where we come in. OBrochta is using transgenic technology to turn off the genes that trigger each insects immune response to the parasite, developing a genetically engineered mosquito that will become super-infected. Both OBrochta and Hoffman said such a vaccine could save millions of lives….Read the Full Story