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The first time I heard nematode worms can teach us something about human longevity, I balked at the idea. How the hell can a worm with an average lifespan of only 15 days have much in common with a human who lives decades?

The answer is in their genesespecially those that encode for basic life functions, such as metabolism. Thanks to the lowly C. elegans worm, weve uncovered genes and molecular pathways, such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling that extends healthy longevity in yeast, flies, and mice (and maybe us). Too nerdy? Those pathways also inspired massive scientific and popular interest in metformin, hormones, intermittent fasting, and even the ketogenic diet. To restate: worms have inspired the search for our own fountain of youth.

Still, thats just one success story. How relevant, exactly, are those genes for humans? Were rather a freak of nature. Our aging process extends for years, during which we experience a slew of age-related disorders. Diabetes. Heart disease. Dementia. Surprisingly, many of these dont ever occur in worms and other animals. Something is obviously amiss.

In this months Nature Metabolism, a global team of scientists argued that its high time we turn from worm to human. The key to human longevity, they say, lies in the genes of centenarians. These individuals not only live over 100 years, they also rarely suffer from common age-related diseases. That is, theyre healthy up to their last minute. If evolution was a scientist, then centenarians, and the rest of us, are two experimental groups in action.

Nature has already given us a genetic blueprint for healthy longevity. We just need to decode it.

Long-lived individuals, through their very existence, have established the physiological feasibility of living beyond the ninth decade in relatively good health and ending life without a period of protracted illness, the authors wrote. From this rare but valuable population, we can gain insight into the physiology of healthy aging and the development of new therapies to extend the human healthspan.

While it may seem obvious now, whether genes played a role in longevity was disputed for over a century. After all, rather than genes, wouldnt access to health care, socioeconomic status, diet, smoking, drinking, exercise, or many other environmental and lifestyle factors play a much larger role? Similar to height or intelligence (however the latter is assessed), the genetics of longevity is an enormously complicated and sensitive issue for unbiased studying.

Yet after only a few genetic studies of longevity, a trend quickly emerged.

The natural lifespan in humans, even under optimal conditions in modern societies, varies considerably, the authors said. One study, for example, found that centenarians lived much longer than people born around the same time in the same environment. The offspring of centenarians also have lower chances of age-related diseases and exhibit a more youthful profile of metabolism and age-related inflammation than others of the same age and gender.

Together, about 25 to 35 percent of the variability in how long people live is determined by their genesregardless of environment. In other words, rather than looking at nematode worm genes, we have a discrete population of humans whove already won the genetic lottery when it comes to aging. We just need to parse what winning means in terms of biology. Genes in hand, we could perhaps tap those biological phonelines and cut the wires leading to aging.

Identification of the genetic factors that underlie extreme human lifespan should provide insights into the mechanisms of human longevity and disease resistance, the authors said.

Once scientists discovered that genes play a large role in aging, the next question was which ones are they?

They turned to genome-wide association studies, or GWAS. This big data approach scans existing genomic databases for variations in DNA coding that could lead to differences in some outcomefor example, long versus short life. The differences dont even have to be in so-called coding genes (that is, genes that make proteins). They can be anywhere in the genome.

Its a powerful approach, but not that specific. Think of GWAS as rudimentary debugging software for biological code: it only looks for differences between different DNA letter variants, but doesnt care which specific DNA letter swap most likely impacts the final biological program (aging, in this case).

Thats a huge problem. For one, GWAS often finds dozens of single DNA letter changes, none powerful enough to change the trajectory of aging by itself. The technique highlights a village of DNA variants, that together may have an effect on aging by controlling the cells course over a lifetime, without indicating which are most important. Its also hard to say that a DNA letter change causally leads to (or protects against) aging. Finally, GWAS studies are generally performed on populations of European ancestry, which leaves out a huge chunk of humansfor example, the Japanese, who tend to produce an outsized percentage of centenarians.

So what needs to change?

Rather than focusing on the general population, the key is to home in on centenarians of different cultures, socioeconomic status, and upbringing. If GWAS are like fishing for a rare species in several large oceans, then the authors point is to focus on pondsdistributed across the worldwhich are small, but packed with those rare species.

Extremely long-lived individuals, such as centenarians, compose only a tiny proportion (~0.01 percent to 0.02 percent) of the United States population, but their genes contain a biological blueprint for healthy aging and longevity, the authors said. Theyre spared from usual age-related diseases, and this extreme and extremely rare phenotype is ideal for the study of genetic variants that regulate healthspan and lifespan.

Its an idea that would usually make geneticists flinch. Its generally thought that the larger the study population, the better the result. Here, the recommendation is to narrow our focus.

And thats the point, the authors argue.

Whatever comes out of these studies will likely have a much larger impact on aging than a GWAS fishing experiment. Smaller (genomic) pond; larger (pro-youth) fish. Whats more, a pro-youth gene identified in one European-based long-living population can be verified in another group of centenarianssay, Japaneseensuring that the gene candidates reflect something fundamental about human aging, regardless of race, culture, upbringing, and wealth.

A genomic screen of centenarians can easily be done these days on the cheap. But thats only the first step.

The next step is to validate promising anti-aging genetic differences, similar to how scientists validated such differences in nematode worms during classic longevity studies. For example, a promising pro-youth gene variant can be genetically edited into mice using CRISPR or some other tool. Scientists can then examine how the mice grow up and grow old, compared to their non-edited peers. Does the gene make these mice more resilient to dementia? What about muscle wasting? Or heart troubles? Or hair greying and obesity?

From these observations, scientists can then use an enormous selection of molecular tools to further dissect the molecular pathways underlying these pro-youth genetic changes.

The final step? Guided by centenarian genes and validated by animal models of aging, we can design powerful drugs that sever the connection between the genes and proteins that drive aging and its associated diseases. Metformin is an experimental pill that came out of aging studies in nematode wormsimagine what studies in human centenarians will yield.

Despite enormous improvements in human health over the past century, we remain far from a situation in which living to 100 years of age in fairly good health is the norm, the authors said.

But as centenarians obviously prove, this is possible. By digging into their genes, scientists may find a path towards healthy longevitynot just for the genetically fortunate, but for all of us.

Image credit:Cristian Newman / Unsplash

Physiology

Impact of delayed ventricular wall area ratio on pathophysiology of mechanical dyssynchrony: implication from single-ventricle physiology and 0D…

August 10, 2020 medical

This article was originally published here

J Physiol Sci. 2020 Aug 6;70(1):38. doi: 10.1186/s12576-020-00765-y.

ABSTRACT

Electrical disparity can induce inefficient cardiac performance, representing an uncoordinated wall motion at an earlier activated ventricular wall: an early shortening followed by a systolic rebound stretch. Although regional contractility and distensibility modulate this pathological motion, the effect of a morphological factor has not been emphasized. Our strain analysis in 62 patients with single ventricle revealed that those with an activation delay in 60-70% of ventricular wall area suffered from cardiac dysfunction and mechanical discoordination along with prolonged QRS duration. A computational simulation with a two-compartment ventricular model also suggested that the ventricle with an activation delay in 70% of the total volume was most vulnerable to a large activation delay, accompanied by an uncoordinated motion at an earlier activated wall. Taken together, the ratio of the delayed ventricular wall has a significant impact on the pathophysiology due to an activation delay, potentially highlighting an indicator of cardiac dysfunction.

PMID:32762655 | DOI:10.1186/s12576-020-00765-y

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Impact of delayed ventricular wall area ratio on pathophysiology of mechanical dyssynchrony: implication from single-ventricle physiology and 0D...

Physiology

Professor Horace Barlow, neuroscientist who did groundbreaking work on visual perception obituary – Telegraph.co.uk

August 10, 2020 medical

Following the outbreak of war, he went up to Trinity College, Cambridge, as a medical student, though he technically read Natural Sciences, which was the normal thing for medical students at Cambridge at the time.

He won a Rockefeller studentship to finish his clinical studies at Harvard Medical School, where he went after spending a year at the Medical Research Councils lab in London at Mount Vernon, working on problems of diving in relation to the war.

It was at Harvard that, with two fellow medical students, he first carried out research on vision, publishing papers on the effect of magnetic fields on the eye and on dark adaptation and light effects on the electric threshold of the eye.

By the time he returned to Britain, although he completed his medical training at University College Hospital, London, it was clear that he wanted to continue as a research neurophysiologist, and he returned to Cambridge to study Neurophysiology under Edgar (later Lord) Adrian.

Barlow was a fellow at Trinity College (1950-54), and a Fellow and lecturer in Physiology at Kings College, Cambridge (1954-64). In 1964 he crossed the Atlantic to take up an appointment as Professor of Physiology at the University of California, Berkeley.

There he researched many aspects of the physiology and psychology of vision, much of it in collaboration with Bill Levick. Among other things, he discovered that certain retinal cells fire signals when light passes over them in one direction but not in the opposite direction a discovery which stimulated enduring interest in the cellular mechanism behind this directional selectivity, which is now seen as the basis of motion perception.

Later, working with Colin Blakemore and Jack Pettigrew, Barlow discovered the brains mechanism of stereo vision by showing that signals from the two eyes converge on single cells in the visual cortex that respond to specific locations in 3D space.

In 1973 he returned to Cambridge, where he was Royal Society Research Professor of Physiology with a fellowship at Trinity College.

Soft-spoken, but resolute in his opinions and endlessly curious about the natural world, Barlow continued to write about the brain, working in his department and visiting Trinity well into his nineties. His definition of intelligence was the art of good guessing. He continued to be a presence at national and international meetings, taking great pleasure in meeting and educating younger scientists. He supervised the training of more than a dozen doctoral and postdoctoral students, and exerted a broad influence on thinking in the field through their influence as well as his own.

Barlow was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1969 and was awarded the Societys Royal Medal in 1993. In the same year he received the Australia Prize. He won the 2009 Swartz Prize from the Society for Neuroscience and the first Ken Nakayama Prize from the Vision Sciences Society in 2016.

Barlow married first, in 1954, Ruthala Salaman. The marriage was dissolved in 1970, and in 1980 he married, secondly, Miranda Weston-Smith, who survives him with their two daughters and a son, and four daughters from his first marriage.

Professor Horace Barlow, born December 8 1921, died July 5 2020

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Professor Horace Barlow, neuroscientist who did groundbreaking work on visual perception obituary - Telegraph.co.uk

Physiology

Community support urged for breastfeeding moms and babies – Press Publications Inc.

August 10, 2020 medical

August is National and World Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and on Aug. 1, Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine and Lt. Gov. Jon Husted signed a proclamation that Ohio is joining in the observance. The State of Ohio joins the Surgeon General and the United States Breastfeeding Committee in the belief that Ohio breastfeeding rates will improve if social policy and community norms support breastfeeding mothers and babies, the proclamation said. For this years Breastfeeding Awareness Month, Ohio has adopted the theme, Support Breastfeeding for a Healthier Planet. This theme focuses on the impact of infant feeding on the environment and climate change and the imperative to protect, promote and support breastfeeding for the health of the planet and its people. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life and continued breastfeeding with the addition of appropriate solid food for the first year and beyond. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that Ohios 2018 breastfeeding initiation rate of 81.9 percent ranks 36th in the nation. The CDC also states that rates of breastfeeding duration and exclusivity are lower among Black infants than among white infants. Increasing rates of breastfeeding initiation and supporting continuation of breastfeeding among Black women might help reduce disparities in breastfeeding duration. Strategies may include improving peer and family support, access to evidence-based maternity care, and employment support. In light of the financial and life-saving benefits of breastfeeding, all elements of the Wood County community must cooperate and support breastfeeding, said Jackie Mears, Wood County WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Director. Ultimately our whole society benefits from having healthier mothers, babies and children when breastfeeding is promoted, protected and supported. While breastfeeding is a personal choice, communities play a vital role in informing and supporting a mothers decision to breastfeed her baby, Mears said, adding that returning our communities to a breastfeeding supportive culture will take efforts by family, friends, employers, educational institutions, hospitals and businesses. The Wood County Health Department offers these suggestions for improving social policy and community norms to support breastfeeding mothers and babies.: Businesses and the community members can help mothers feel comfortable nursing in public. Hungry babies need to eat, and Ohio law allows breastfeeding in public. Businesses can show their support by placing the Breastfeeding Welcome Here universal sign for breastfeeding in their windows and educating their staff on the acceptance of breastfeeding in their establishments. Employers can also encourage employees and provide a private space (other than a bathroom) to pump. This will increase employee retention and reduce medical costs. Hospitals can adopt the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding as an indication that they are dedicated to supporting new mothers who choose to breastfeed. Educational institutions can support breastfeeding by presenting age-appropriate education on the anatomy and physiology of the human body. Breastfeeding mothers can reach out through groups and chatrooms on social media to get the support they need. For more information about breastfeeding, contact a member of the Wood County WIC Breastfeeding Team at 419-354-9661 or adonaldson@co.wood.oh.us. The mission of Wood County Health Department is to prevent disease, promote healthy lifestyles and protect the health of everyone in Wood County. The departments Community Health Center provides comprehensive medical services for men, women and children. All patients are welcome, including uninsured or underinsured clients, regardless of their ability to pay. Most third-party insurance is accepted. Visit http://www.WoodCountyHealth.org for more details.

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Community support urged for breastfeeding moms and babies - Press Publications Inc.

Physiology

Pizza Study Shows Body’s Resilience to ‘Pigging Out’ – HealthDay News

August 10, 2020 medical

FRIDAY, Aug. 7, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Ever felt guilty for that occasional binge on high-calorie, fatty foods?

Relax: A new study of folks overindulging on pizza finds that if you're healthy and you don't 'pig out' regularly, your body deals with it just fine.

British researchers looked at the effects of eating until not just full, but so full that the participants could not take another bite. Then, they tested the blood of the 14 healthy young men who participated in the study to determine whether there were any changes in blood sugar, blood fats, insulin and other hormones.

The team discovered that even when the men had eaten double the amount of pizza that it would take to make them comfortably full, their blood tests showed no negative consequences.

"I think that's the really remarkable thing here, that we have a huge capacity to overeat and, despite that huge capacity, the body does really quite well at controlling blood sugars and blood fat after that meal," said study author James Betts, a professor of metabolic physiology at the University of Bath's Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism.

Betts said it was notable both that the body's response kept blood sugar and lipids under control after such a big meal, and that it was possible for participants to consume so much excess food.

When eating until full, they averaged the equivalent of a large pizza. When eating until maximally full, they ate about two large pizzas, Betts said.

"We expected people to eat more when they were asked to go beyond full, but we expected that to be slightly more," Betts said. "We were really amazed that it was almost exactly 100% more."

The study was published online recently in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Betts and one of his co-authors stumbled upon the idea for the study while traveling to a conference. The only open airport restaurant was a McDonald's, so they each got a McMuffin breakfast sandwich.

"We ate those and enjoyed them and said, 'Oh, I could eat another one,'" Betts said. "That prompted a discussion of 'How many do you think you could eat?' and 'What would be the physiological responses to eating more and more?'"

While researching during the long flight, they discovered there had been no previous studies about eating beyond full, Betts said.

They chose pizza because it tastes good, so people would keep eating. Its high fat and carbohydrate content offered a big challenge to the body, Betts said.

Typically, blood sugar and blood lipids increase in response to how much a person eats, Betts said. A small meal will result in fewer changes than a medium meal, for example.

Yet, after overeating, blood sugar was no higher than after a normal meal. Blood lipids such as triglycerides were slightly higher, even though fat consumption was double. Insulin, which is released to control blood sugar, was 50% higher than normal. Hormones that increase feelings of fullness changed the most.

Connie Diekman, a food nutrition consultant in St. Louis, said the study documents what scientists already understand about the body and its ability to process food. Sometimes people get confused when wondering whether they are eating right, should consume fewer carbs, eat fewer fats or should try something like a Keto diet or intermittent fasting, Diekman said.

"I think it does demonstrate very nicely that our body knows what to do with the food we eat. It knows how to fuel us well," Diekman said.

Of course, Diekman added, constant overeating would challenge how well insulin can do its job and how well the body can move fat without having a lingering impact on blood lipids. This shows that it's OK to have a larger meal for a special occasion, she said.

"You should enjoy the meal," Diekman said, "and then you get back to your regular eating plan."

The study was limited to individuals who were healthy and lean. They ranged in age from 24 to 37. Only men volunteered. A future study may look at the impact of overeating on people who are overweight or have health issues, Betts said.

Though a one-time indulgent meal appears to be fine for a healthy person, Betts said that he hopes the message is clear that this isn't meant for people who are unhealthy or for indulging all the time.

"If you've got a diet that is already really very healthy and an active lifestyle to go with it, then these overindulgences can be even more frequent without imbalancing everything else," Betts said. "How often is too often really comes down to wider choices in the lifestyle."

More information

There's more on eating healthy at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: James Betts, Ph.D., professor, metabolic physiology, Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism, University of Bath, England; Connie Diekman, M.Ed., R.D., L.D., food nutrition consultant, St. Louis; British Journal of Nutrition, April 6, 2020, online

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Pizza Study Shows Body's Resilience to 'Pigging Out' - HealthDay News

Physiology

Brain scientists haven’t been able to find major differences between women’s and men’s brains, despite over a century of searching – The Conversation…

August 10, 2020 medical

People have searched for sex differences in human brains since at least the 19th century, when scientist Samuel George Morton poured seeds and lead shot into human skulls to measure their volumes. Gustave Le Bon found mens brains are usually larger than womens, which prompted Alexander Bains and George Romanes to argue this size difference makes men smarter. But John Stuart Mill pointed out, by this criterion, elephants and whales should be smarter than people.

So focus shifted to the relative sizes of brain regions. Phrenologists suggested the part of the cerebrum above the eyes, called the frontal lobe, is most important for intelligence and is proportionally larger in men, while the parietal lobe, just behind the frontal lobe, is proportionally larger in women. Later, neuroanatomists argued instead the parietal lobe is more important for intelligence and mens are actually larger.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, researchers looked for distinctively female or male characteristics in smaller brain subdivisions. As a behavioral neurobiologist and author, I think this search is misguided because human brains are so varied.

The largest and most consistent brain sex difference has been found in the hypothalamus, a small structure that regulates reproductive physiology and behavior. At least one hypothalamic subdivision is larger in male rodents and humans.

But the goal for many researchers was to identify brain causes of supposed sex differences in thinking not just reproductive physiology and so attention turned to the large human cerebrum, which is responsible for intelligence.

Within the cerebrum, no region has received more attention in both race and sex difference research than the corpus callosum, a thick band of nerve fibers that carries signals between the two cerebral hemispheres.

In the 20th and 21st centuries, some researchers found the whole corpus callosum is proportionally larger in women on average while others found only certain parts are bigger. This difference drew popular attention and was suggested to cause cognitive sex differences.

But smaller brains have a proportionally larger corpus callosum regardless of the owners sex, and studies of this structures size differences have been inconsistent. The story is similar for other cerebral measures, which is why trying to explain supposed cognitive sex differences through brain anatomy has not been very fruitful.

Even when a brain region shows a sex difference on average, there is typically considerable overlap between the male and female distributions. If a traits measurement is in the overlapping region, one cannot predict the persons sex with confidence. For example, think about height. I am 57". Does that tell you my sex? And brain regions typically show much smaller average sex differences than height does.

Neuroscientist Daphna Joel and her colleagues examined MRIs of over 1,400 brains, measuring the 10 human brain regions with the largest average sex differences. They assessed whether each measurement in each person was toward the female end of the spectrum, toward the male end or intermediate. They found that only 3% to 6% of people were consistently female or male for all structures. Everyone else was a mosaic.

When brain sex differences do occur, what causes them?

A 1959 study first demonstrated that an injection of testosterone into a pregnant rodent causes her female offspring to display male sexual behaviors as adults. The authors inferred that prenatal testosterone (normally secreted by the fetal testes) permanently organizes the brain. Many later studies showed this to be essentially correct, though oversimplified for nonhumans.

Researchers cannot ethically alter human prenatal hormone levels, so they rely on accidental experiments in which prenatal hormone levels or responses to them were unusual, such as with intersex people. But hormonal and environmental effects are entangled in these studies, and findings of brain sex differences have been inconsistent, leaving scientists without clear conclusions for humans.

While prenatal hormones probably cause most brain sex differences in nonhumans, there are some cases where the cause is directly genetic.

This was dramatically shown by a zebra finch with a strange anomaly it was male on its right side and female on its left. A singing-related brain structure was enlarged (as in typical males) only on the right, though the two sides experienced the same hormonal environment. Thus, its brain asymmetry was not caused by hormones, but by genes directly. Since then, direct effects of genes on brain sex differences have also been found in mice.

Many people assume human brain sex differences are innate, but this assumption is misguided.

Humans learn quickly in childhood and continue learning alas, more slowly as adults. From remembering facts or conversations to improving musical or athletic skills, learning alters connections between nerve cells called synapses. These changes are numerous and frequent but typically microscopic less than one hundredth of the width of a human hair.

Studies of an unusual profession, however, show learning can change adult brains dramatically. London taxi drivers are required to memorize the Knowledge the complex routes, roads and landmarks of their city. Researchers discovered this learning physically altered a drivers hippocampus, a brain region critical for navigation. London taxi drivers posterior hippocampi were found to be larger than nondrivers by millimeters more than 1,000 times the size of synapses.

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So its not realistic to assume any human brain sex differences are innate. They may also result from learning. People live in a fundamentally gendered culture, in which parenting, education, expectations and opportunities differ based on sex, from birth through adulthood, which inevitably changes the brain.

Ultimately, any sex differences in brain structures are most likely due to a complex and interacting combination of genes, hormones and learning.

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Brain scientists haven't been able to find major differences between women's and men's brains, despite over a century of searching - The Conversation...

Genetics

Generational Equity Advises New Generation Genetics in its Sale to Swissgenetics International – Business Wire

July 9, 2020 medical

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client, New Generation Genetics to Swissgenetics International. The acquisition closed July 1, 2020 and details were not disclosed.

New Generation Genetics (NGG), located in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, has a primary goal of providing its customers with the best Brown Swiss genetics in the industry. NGG focuses solely on Brown Swiss, giving them the advantage over their competitors. The Company has over 50 years of Brown Swiss A.I. experience combined. They currently offer top bulls for Milk, Type, Net Merit, Sire Conception Rate (SCR), Fat, Protein, and PPR Index. They currently sample only the top genomic bulls and continue to lead the breed by sampling 12 young bulls per year.

Swissgenetics International is located in Zollikofen, Switzerland. Successful milk and beef producers rely on sustainable breeding strategies and professional production methods. To achieve this, high-performance and healthy animals are needed. The genetics programs from Swissgenetics are aligned consistently to meet and exceed these requirements. Through the testing programs operated in partnership with breeders and breeding organizations, marketable and future-oriented genetics are developed at an international level. Beneficial breeding cooperation assumes mutual trust between genetics providers and breeders. This requires high levels of competence and transparency on both sides. Swissgenetics is a leader in this field.

Generational Equity Executive Managing Director of M&A Central Region, Michael Goss, and his team lead by Managing Director Mergers & Acquisitions, Stephen Dinehart, with support from Managing Director Mergers & Acquisition, Ryan Johnson, successfully closed the deal. Senior Managing Director Joe Van Voorhis established the initial relationship with NGG.

This is a great acquisition for the Brown Swiss producer family combining two of the major players in Brown Swiss Genetics, said Dinehart. It is a win for both the customers and employees of Swissgenetics and NGG.

About Generational Equity

Generational Equity, Generational Capital Markets (member FINRA/SIPC), Generational Wealth Advisors, Generational Consulting Group, and DealForce are part of the Generational Group, which is headquartered in Dallas and is one of the leading M&A advisory firms in North America.

With over 250 professionals located throughout North America, the companies help business owners release the wealth of their business by providing growth consulting, merger, acquisition, and wealth management services. Their six-step approach features strategic and tactical growth consulting, exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, M&A transactional services, and wealth management.

The M&A Advisor named the company the 2016, 2017, and 2018 Investment Banking Firm of the Year. For more information, visit https://www.genequityco.com/ or the Generational Equity press room.

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Generational Equity Advises New Generation Genetics in its Sale to Swissgenetics International - Business Wire

Genetics

Could induced pluripotent stem cells be the breakthrough genetics has been waiting for? – The New Economy

July 9, 2020 medical

Embryonic stem cells. The ethical issues associated with stem cell research could be resolved through the use of induced pluripotent stem cells, which are derived from fully committed and differentiated cells of the adult body

The almost miraculous benefits that stem cells may one day deliver have long been speculated on. Capable of becoming different types of cells, they offer huge promise in terms of transplant and regenerative medicine. It is, however, also a medical field that urges caution one that must constantly battle exaggeration. If stem cells do in fact hold the potential to reverse the ageing process, for example, then such breakthroughs remain many years away.

Recently, though, the field has had cause for excitement. In 2006, Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka discovered that mature cells could be reprogrammed to become pluripotent, meaning they can give rise to any cell type of the body. In 2012, the discovery of these induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) saw Yamanaka and British biologist John Gurdon awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Since then, there has been much talk regarding the potential iPSCs possess, not only for the world of medicine, but for society more generally, too.

A big stepHistorically, one of the major hurdles preventing further research into stem cells has been an ethical one. Until the discovery of iPSCs, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) represented the predominant area of research, with cells being taken from preimplantation human embryos. This process, however, involves the destruction of the embryo and, therefore, prevents the development of human life. Due to differences in opinion over when life is said to begin during embryonic development, stem cell researchers face an ethical quandary.

The promise of significant health benefits and new revenue streams has led some clinics to offer unproven stem cell treatments to individuals

With iPSCs, though, no such dilemmas exist. IPSCs are almost identical to ESCs but are derived from fully committed and differentiated cells of the adult body, such as a skin cell. Like ESCs, iPSCs are pluripotent and, as they are stem cells, can self-renew and differentiate, remaining indefinitely propagated and retaining the ability to give rise to any human cell type over time.

One important distinction to make is that both ESCs and iPSCs do not exist in nature, Vittorio Sebastiano, Assistant Professor (Research) of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (Reproductive and Stem Cell Biology) at Stanford Universitys Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, told The New Economy. They are both beautiful laboratory artefacts. This means that at any stage of development, you cannot find ESCs or iPSCs in the developing embryo, foetus or even in the postnatal or adult body. Both ESCs and iPSCs can only be established and propagated in the test tube.

The reason neither ESCs nor iPSCs can be found in the body is that they harbour the potential to be very dangerous. As Sebastiano explained, these cells could spontaneously differentiate into tumorigenic masses because of their intrinsic ability to give rise to any cell type of the body. Over many years of research, scientists have learned how to isolate parts of the embryo (in the case of ESCs) and apply certain culture conditions that can lock cells in their proliferative and stem conditions. The same is true for iPSCs.

To create iPSCs, scientists take adult cells and exogenously provide a cocktail of embryonic factors, known as Yamanaka factors, for a period of two to three weeks. If the expression of such factors is sustained for long enough, they can reset the programme of the adult cells and establish an embryonic-like programme.

Turning back the clockThere is already a significant body of research dedicated to how stem cells can be used to treat disease. For example, mesenchymal stem cells (usually taken from adult bone marrow) have been deployed to treat bone fractures or as treatments for autoimmune diseases. It is hoped that iPSCs could hold the key for many more treatments.

Global stem cell market:25.5%Expected compound annual growth rate (2018-24)$467bnExpected market value (2024)

IPSCs are currently utilised to model diseases in vitro for drug screening and to develop therapies that one day will be implemented in people, Sebastiano explained. Given their ability to differentiate into any cell type, iPSCs can be used to differentiate into, for example, neurons or cardiac cells, and study specific diseases. In addition, once differentiated they can be used to test drugs on the relevant cell type. Some groups and companies are developing platforms for cell therapy, and I am personally involved in two projects that will soon reach the clinical stage.

Perhaps the most exciting prospects draw on iPSCs regenerative properties. Over time, cells age for a variety of reasons namely, increased oxidative stress, inflammation and exposure to pollutants or sunlight, among others. All these inputs lead to an accumulation of epigenetic mistakes those that relate to gene expression rather than an alteration of the genetic code itself in the cells, which, over time, results in the aberrant expression of genes, dysfunctionality at different levels, reduced mitochondrial activity, senescence and more besides. Although the epigenetic changes that occur with time may not be the primary cause of ageing, the epigenetic landscape ultimately affects and controls cell functionality.

What we have shown is that, if instead of being expressed for two weeks we express the reprogramming factors for a very short time, then we see that the cells rejuvenate without changing their identity, Sebastiano said. In other words, if you take a skin cell and express the reprogramming genes for two to four days, what you get is a younger skin cell.

By reprogramming a cell into an iPSC, you end up with an embryonic-like cell the reprogramming erases any epigenetic errors. If expressed long enough, it erases the epigenetic information of cell identity, leaving embryonic-like cells that are also young.

Slow and steadyAs with any scientific advancement, financial matters are key. According to Market Research Engine, the global stem cell market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 25.5 percent between 2018 and 2024, eventually reaching a market value of $467bn. The emergence of iPSCs has played a significant role in shaping these predictions, with major bioscience players, such as Australias Mesoblast and the US Celgene, working on treatments involving this particular type of stem cell.

The business potential around stem cell research is huge, Sebastiano told The New Economy. [Particularly] when it comes to developing cell banks for which we have detailed genetic information and, for example, studying how different drugs are toxic or not on certain genetic backgrounds, or when specific susceptibility mutations are present.

Unfortunately, even as the business cases for iPSC treatments increase, a certain degree of caution must be maintained. The promise of significant health benefits and new revenue streams has led some clinics to offer unproven stem cell treatments to individuals. There have been numerous reports of complications emerging, including the formation of a tumour following experimental stem cell treatment in one particular patient, as recorded in the Canadian Medical Association Journal last year. Such failures risk setting the field back years.

The challenge for researchers now will be one of balance. The potential of iPSCs is huge both in terms of medical progress and business development but can easily be undermined by misuse. Medical advancements, particularly ones as profound as those associated with iPSCs, simply cannot be rushed.

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Genetics

Genetics company adds COVID-19 testing to services – Business Times of Western Colorado

July 9, 2020 medical

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Genetics company adds COVID-19 testing to services - Business Times of Western Colorado

Genetics

Predictive Genetic Testing and Consumer/Wellness Genomics Market Analytical Overview and Size(Value and Volume) by 2025 – Cole of Duty

July 9, 2020 medical

Predictive Genetic Testing and Consumer/Wellness Genomics Market: Snapshot

Genetic testing comprises examination of ones DNA. The term DNA refers to the chemical database that is responsible for conveying the instructions for functions that need to be performed by the body. Genetic testing is capable of revealing changes or mutations in the genes of living beings, which might result in any kind of disease or illness in the body.

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Predictive genetic testingrefers to the utilization of genetic testing methods in an asymptomatic individual to make a prediction about risk of contacting particular disease in future. These tests are regarded as representation of emerging class of medical tests, which differ in fundamental ways from the usual diagnostic tests.

The global predictive genetic testing and consumer/wellness genomics marketis likely to gather momentum owing to the benefits offered by predictive genetic testing.

The benefits of predictive genetic testing are

The global predictive genetic testing and consumer/wellness genomics marketis influenced by reducing cost of genetic sequencing and technological advancement in the field of genetics. North America is expected to emerge as a prominent region for the global predictive genetic testing and consumer/wellness genomics market in years to come due to high adoption rates of latest technologies in all fields.

Over centauries human DNA has undergone tremendous alteration due to evolutionary and lifestyle changes. They have led to both, advantages and disadvantages over the years. Some have given the mankind a deserving edge over other creatures while the others have led to disorders and diseases. Predictive genetic testing and consumer/wellness genomics market thrives on the growing demand for understanding the lineage of a certain gene pool to identify disorders that could manifest in the later or early stage of a human life. The surging demand for understanding the family history or studying the nature of certain diseases has given the global market for predictive genetic testing and consumer/wellness genomics market adequate fodder for growth in the past few years.

This new class of medical tests are aimed at reducing the risk of morbidity and mortality amongst consumers. The thorough surveillance and screening of a certain gene pool can allow an individual to avoid conditions that disrupt normal existence through preventive measures. The clinical utility of these tests remains unassessed. Therefore, increasing research and development by pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs by understanding diseases and disorders is expected to favor market growth.

Unlike conventional diagnostic testing, predictive genetic testing identifies the risk associated with potential conditions. In certain cases it is also capable of stating when the disease may appear and the how severe will it be. Thus, this form of testing is expected to allow consumers to take up wellness measurements well in time to lead a life of normalcy, characterized by good health.

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Global Predictive Genetic Testing and Consumer/Wellness Genomics Market: Overview

Predictive genetic testing are used to identify gene mutations pertaining to the disorders that surface at a considerably later stage in life after birth. These tests are particularly beneficial for people from a family with a history of genetic disorder, although they themselves show no symptoms of the disorder at the time of testing. Genetic testing promises to revolutionize the healthcare sector, providing crucial diagnostic details related to diverse verticals such as heart disease, autism, and cancer. As the healthcare sector touches new peaks, the global predictive genetic testing and consumer/wellness genomics market is projected to expand at a healthy growth rate during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025.

This report on the global market for predictive genetic testing and consumer/wellness genomics analyzes all the important factors that may influence the demand in the near future and forecasts the condition of the market until 2025. It has been created using proven research methodologies such as SWOT analysis and Porters five forces. One of the key aspect of the report is the section on company profiles, wherein several leading players have been estimated for their market share and analyzed for their geographical presence, product portfolio, and recent strategic developments such as mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations.

The global predictive genetic testing and consumer/wellness genomics market, on the basis of test type, can be segmented into predictive testing, consumer genomics, and wellness genetics. The segment of predictive testing can be sub-segmented into genetic susceptibility test, predictive diagnostics, and population screening programs, whereas the segment of wellness genetics can be further divided into nutria genetics, skin and metabolism genetics, and others.

By application, the market can be segmented into breast and ovarian cancer screening, cardiovascular screening, diabetic screening and monitoring, colon cancer screening, Parkinsons or Alzheimers disease, urologic screening or prostate cancer screening, orthopedic and musculoskeletal screening, and other cancer screening. Geographically, the report studies the opportunities available in regions such as Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and the Middle East and Africa.

Global Predictive Genetic Testing and Consumer/Wellness Genomics Market: Trends and Opportunities

Increasing number of novel partnership models, rapidly decreasing cost of genetic sequencing, and introduction of fragmented point-solutions across the genomics value chain as well as technological advancements in cloud computing and data integration are some of the key factors driving the market. On the other hand, the absence of well-defined regulatory framework, low adoption rate, and ethical concerns regarding the implementation, are expected to hinder the growth rate during the forecast period. Each of these factors have been analyzed in the report and their respective impacts have been anticipated.

Currently, the segment of predictive genetic cardiovascular screening accounts for the maximum demand, and increased investments in the field is expected to maintain it as most lucrative segment. On the other hand, more than 70 companies are currently engaged in nutrigenomics, which is expected to further expand the market.

Global Predictive Genetic Testing and Consumer/Wellness Genomics Market: Regional Outlook

Owing to robust healthcare infrastructure, prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, and high adoptability rate of new technology makes North America the most lucrative region, with most of the demand coming from the country of the U.S. and Canada. Several U.S. companies hold patents, which further extends the outreach of the market in the region of North America.

Companies mentioned in the research report

23andMe, Inc, BGI, Genesis Genetics, Illumina, Inc, Myriad Genetics, Inc, Pathway Genomics, Color Genomics Inc., and ARUP Laboratories are some of the key companies currently operating in global predictive genetic testing and consumer/wellness genomics market. Various forms of strategic partnerships with operating company and smaller vendors with novel ideas helps these leading players maintain their position in the market.

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Predictive Genetic Testing and Consumer/Wellness Genomics Market Analytical Overview and Size(Value and Volume) by 2025 - Cole of Duty