Scientists invent implantable slimming aid

Genetic regulatory circuit monitors blood fat

The research group headed by ETH-Zurich professor Martin Fussenegger from the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel has now developed an early warning system and treatment: an implantable genetic circuit mainly composed of human gene components. On the one hand, it constantly monitors the circulating fat levels in the blood. On the other hand, it has a feedback function and forms a messenger substance in response to excessively high blood-fat levels that conveys a sense of satiety to the body.

In order to construct this highly complex regulatory circuit, the biotechnologists skilfully combined different genes that produce particular proteins and reaction steps. They implanted the construct in human cells, which they then inserted into tiny capsules.

The researchers studied obese mice that had been fed fatty food. After the capsules with the gene regulatory circuit had been implanted in the animals and intervened due to the excessive levels, the obese mice stopped eating and their bodyweight dropped noticeably as a result. As the blood-fat levels also returned to normal, the regulatory circuit stopped producing the satiety signal.

“Instead of placing the mice on a diet to achieve weight loss, we kept giving the animals as much high-calorie food as they could eat,” stresses Fussenegger. The animals ate less because the implant signalised a feeling of satiety to them. Mice that received normal animal feed with a five-per-cent fat content did not lose any weight or reduce their intake of food, says the biotechnologist.

Sensor for different dietary fats

One major advantage of the new synthetic regulatory circuit is the fact that it is not only able to measure one sort of fat, but rather several saturated and unsaturated animal and vegetable fats that are ingested with food at once. However, this development cannot simply be transferred to humans. It will take many years to develop a suitable product. Nonetheless, Fussenegger can certainly envisage that one day obese people with a body mass index of way over thirty could have such a gene network implanted to help them lose weight. Fussenegger sees the development as a possible alternative to surgical interventions such as liposuction or gastric bands. “The advantage of our implant would be that it can be used without such invasive interventions.” Another merit: instead of intervening in the progression of a disease that is difficult to regulate, it has a preventive effect and exploits the natural human satiety mechanism.

This gene network is one of the most complex that Fussenegger and his team have constructed to date and was made possible thanks to the biotechnologist’s years of experience in the field. It is not the first time he and his team have succeeded in constructing such a complex feedback regulatory circuit: a number of years ago, they produced an implant that can also be used to combat gout via a feedback regulatory circuit.

Cloning

Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of a human. It does not refer to monozygotic multiple births or the reproduction of humans/animals cells or tissue. The ethics of cloning is an extremely controversial issue. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning; human clones in the form of identical twins are commonplace, with their cloning occurring during the natural process of reproduction.

There are two commonly discussed types of human cloning:

•  therapeutic cloning 
• reproductive cloning. 

 Therapeutic cloning involves cloning cells from an adult for use in medicine and transplants, and is an active area of research. Reproductive cloning would involve making cloned humans, for couples wanting to have a child, but cannot naturally.

A third type of cloning called replacement cloning is a theoretical possibility, and would be a combination of therapeutic and reproductive cloning. Replacement cloning would entail the replacement of an extensively damaged, failed, or failing body through cloning followed by whole or partial brain transplant or harvesting the internal organs of the clone.

Pros
When it comes to animal cloning, the strongest argument that you are likely to hear is the fact that we can use this process to save several animal species from extinction. Similarly, the advocates of human cloning put forth the argument that it will help to solve the infertility problems in humans. They also state that the process of organ transplantation will become much easier if human cloning is developed to its full potential. By resorting to therapeutic cloning the doctors will be able to replace damaged tissues and organs in the human body, and treat various diseases and disorders with ease. Similarly, genetic modification will have an all new meaning as parents will be able to choose the traits that they would like to see in their child.

Cons
While the advocates of human cloning are armed with several reasons to support their stand, the critics don't seem to be impressed at all. The critics are of the opinion that creating a human clone would mean interfering with the natural process of procreation. At the same time, one needs to also ponder upon the fact that if genes are modified to create smarter human beings by means of cloning, what would happen to the average humans who are not the products of this process. Critics also cite the fact that cloning will result in a huge divide among people, and clones will not be subjected to equal treatment. In a world full of divides on the basis of race and caste, we can't afford to have one more reason to add to the differences. The religious heads of different religious sects are of the opinion that human cloning will put forth man as the creator - which would be like challenging the authority of the supreme entity. At the same time, the critics also cite that more than 90 percent of the attempts to clone mammals have met with failure in the past.

When it comes to therapeutic cloning, the pros seem to have a slight advantage over cons. There also exist concepts such as replacement cloning - wherein a clone of previously living person can be created, and persistence cloning - wherein the cloned body will be created to do away with the process of aging. However, these concepts are still on the paper, and it's a bit too early to talk about them.

 

The Risks

 

• Inefficient Process
• Genetic Anomalies
• Trouble During Growth
• Contracting Telomeres
• Social and Ethical Issues

 

Benefits

• Infertility Treatment: Human cloning could be a blessing for infertile couples, as reproductive cloning does not involve the fusion of the sex cells.
• Treating Diseases: As already discussed, therapeutic cloning can be used to treat a number of degenerative diseases like those of the nervous system, spinal cord injury and organ failure. Also who knows, it could also be used to regenerate whole limbs. This would provide a life changing line of treatment for amputees.
• Replacing Defective Genes: Defective genes would cause sickness in an individual, however healthy a lifestyle he leads. Advances in human cloning will help him to replace the defective genes with healthy ones
• Cosmetic Treatment: Relieving individuals of the diseases that are caused due to plastic or cosmetic surgery, is another human cloning benefit.

Genetically Modified Foods – GMO’s Their Dangers and Health Hazards

Scientific Studies have proven that Genetic Modification of foods can cause cancer and create Allergies, Toxins, Antibiotic Resistant Diseases, Carcinogenic, Anti-Nutritional and other Nutritional Problems. Monsanto and our government have opened a Pandora’s Box in our food Supply which can create serious Health Hazards for all who ingest these Genetically Modified products.Few people would eat Monsanto’s “genetically modified food” if they understood what it was or knew that they were eating it. President Obama and his family won’t eat it. Neither did the Bush family. Even a Monsanto employee cafeteria rejects it. This is no laughing matter! Your health and the health of your children and grandchildren are at stake. It seems more like a scene from a horror flick than something happening in modern day America.

Genetic Engineering (GE) or Genetic Modification (GM) of food involves the laboratory process of artificially inserting genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. The result is called a genetically modified organism or GMO. GMOs can be engineered with genes from bacteria, viruses, insects, animals or even humans. Most Americans say they would not eat GMOs if labeled, but unlike most other industrialized countries , the United States (U.S.) does not require labeling.

The people must know the dangers and what GMO or Genetically Modified Foods are to arm themselves with knowledge on protecting themselves and their familys. Many countries have banned the sale of GMO’s. There are good reasons that are scientifically proven.

Human Health Risks

Allergenicity Many children in the US and Europe have developed life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods. There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals.

Unknown effects on human health There is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health.

Environmental hazards

Unintended harm to other organisms Last year a laboratory study was published in Nature showing that pollen from B.T. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars consume milkweed plants, not corn, but the fear is that if pollen from B.T. corn is blown by the wind onto milkweed plants in neighboring fields, the caterpillars could eat the pollen and perish. Although the Nature study was not conducted under natural field conditions, the results seemed to support this viewpoint. Unfortunately, B.t. toxins kill many species of insect larvae indiscriminately; it is not possible to design a B.t. toxin that would only kill crop-damaging pests and remain harmless to all other insects. 

Reduced effectiveness of pesticides Just as some populations of mosquitoes developed resistance to the now-banned pesticide DDT, many people are concerned that insects will become resistant to B.T. or other crops that have been genetically-modified to produce their own pesticides.

Gene transfer to non-target species Another concern is that crop plants engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds will cross-breed, resulting in the transfer of the herbicide resistance genes from the crops into the weeds. These “superweeds” would then be herbicide tolerant as well. Other introduced genes may cross over into non-modified crops planted next to GM crops. The possibility of interbreeding is shown by the defense of farmers against lawsuits filed by Monsanto. The company has filed patent infringement lawsuits against farmers who may have harvested GM crops.

If you arm yourself with the knowledge we are providing you in this blog, you will be doing what we all should do to make our lives richer and healthier. 

Sewage and coffee related!!

E.coli bacteria is commonly used to evaluate and regulate the levels of fecal pollution of our water from storm water discharge, but because storm sewer systems collect surface runoff, non-human sources can contribute significantly to the levels that are observed," Sauvé explained. "Our study has determined that there is a strong correlation between the levels of caffeine in water and the level of bacteria, and that chemists can therefore use caffeine levels as an indicator of pollution due to sewerage systems."

The researchers took water samples from streams, brooks and storm sewer outfall pipes in Montreal, and analyzed them for caffeine, fecal coliforms, and a third suspected indicator, carbamazepine. Shockingly, all the samples contained these contaminants, which would suggest that contamination is widespread in urban environments. Carbamazepine is an anti-seizure drug which is also increasingly used for various psychiatric treatments, and the researchers thought it might be a useful indicator because it degrades very slowly. However, no correlation like that seen between sewage and caffeine was found.
Caffeine degrades within a few months in the environment and is very widely consumed. The presence of caffeine is also a sure indicator of human sewage contamination, as agriculture and industry do not tend to release caffeine into the environment. The team also noted that the data suggest that Montreal's storm water collection system is widely contaminated by domestic sewers. On the other hand, the researchers observed high levels of fecal coliforms but little or no caffeine in some of the samples, which they attribute to urban wildlife.
"This data reveals that any water sample containing more than the equivalent of ten cups of coffee diluted in an Olympic-size swimming pool is definitely contaminated with fecal coliforms," Sauvé said. "A caffeine sampling program would be relatively easy to implement and might provide a useful tool to identify sanitary contamination sources and help reduce surface water contamination within an urban watershed."