It’s Wednesday, and that means we’re bringing you the latest and greatest in biotechnology! But how is that different than any other day? It’s not! So enjoy!

DR. FRANCIS COLLINS REFLECTS ON HUMAN GENOME SEQUENCING – Can you believe it’s been almost 10 years since we first sequenced the human genome? In honor of this milestone, Nature is publishing four commentaries from the industry’s heavy hitters, including Dr. Francis Collins, Director if the NIH and head honcho of The Human Genome Project, who stated that “The promise of a revolution in human health remains quite real”. The article from Wired went on to list the medical advancements as a result of the sequencing:

Analysis of gene disturbances in cancer tissues have produced several promising drugs. Testing for breast cancer mutations is now common. Individual response to about a dozen drugs can be predicted. And even if the big picture isn’t yet clear, researchers have thousands of new gene targets, each a providing a foothold on the path to understanding. For some complex diseases, such as schizophrenia, researchers are now looking at genes and physiological systems they never suspected were involved.

A PAIR OF GENES LINKED TO AUTISM – Researchers at the University of Oxford in England have discovered two genes for brain proteins that could potentially be linked to autism disorders. These genes encode proteins that are connected to the development of the nervous system, and control the connections between synapses.

“To our knowledge, this is one of the most comprehensive genetic analyses of association between these important genes in brain connections and ASD [autism spectrum disorder] risk,” said Anthony Monaco, of the Wellcome Trust Center for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford in England, in a statement.

GM TO TEST BIODIESEL FROM JATROPHA – General Motors announced a five-year partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to gauge the potential and efficiency of the jatropha plant at test sites in India for use as a sustainable biodiesel crop. Farms with more than 200 acres of the drought-resistant, non-edible plant will host life-cycle studies near GM plants in India. Mike Robinson, GM vice president of environment, energy and safety policy, touched upon the benefits of jatropha:

“In the long term, if jatropha is commercially viable, it will reduce dependence on petroleum as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote economic growth. Biodiesel based on the jatropha plant could address energy security concerns in Asia. The use of a non-edible plant, meanwhile, tackles many of the food crop issues with conventional biofuels.”

Good afternoon biotech community! Let’s check out today’s shining moments in biotechnology!

X-MEN POWERS NOT JUST FANTASY – Like something out of the next Wolverine movie, biologists at the Wistar Institute gave lab mice enhanced healing powers by simply altering one of their genes. And we’re not talking about some sort of fast-developing scar tissue either, it’s actually more related to the tissue regeneration seen in reptiles. And what if I told you this breakthrough all started by accident:

Biologist Ellen Heber-Katz said it all started in 1996, when she realized something had gone wrong in an experiment. An immunologist, she was working with mice that had been bred to develop symptoms of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. Employing a standard lab technique, she asked a postdoctoral fellow to tag some mice by punching a 2-millimeter hole in one ear to distinguish treated mice from the untreated controls. She thought the postdoc had forgotten to do her job. “I was horrified,” she said, until she realized that the mice had been punched and somehow healed almost overnight.

After years of research, Heber-Katz and her colleagues found that they could duplicate this effect by altering one gene, called p-21.

EFFICIENT BIOFUEL FROM TINY ORGANISMS – It seems that every day we’re inching closer and closer to the commercialization of biofuel. A new study from researchers at Arizona State University revealed the potential of producing biofuel directly from genetically engineered photosynthetic microbes:

To accomplish this, Liu introduced a specific enzyme, known as thioesterase, into cyanobacteria. The enzyme is able to uncouple fatty acids from complex carrier proteins, freeing them within the cell where they accumulate, until the cell secretes them. A second series of modifications enhances the secretion process, by genetically deleting or modifying two key layers of the cellular envelope-known as the S and peptidoglycan layers-allowing fatty acids to more easily escape outside the cell, where their low water solubility causes them to precipitate out of solution, forming a whitish residue on the surface.

AIR FORCE TURNS BIOFUEL TO BIO-COOL – If you’re still not convinced of the “coolness” factor of biotechnology from those first two stories, check out what the U.S. Air Force is doing with biofuel. That, my friends, is an A-10 Thunderbolt II, the first Air Force jet to be powered entirely by of a biofuel blend. Also known as a Warthog, the flight took place at Eglin Air Force Base in Flordia with, burning a combination of a fuel derived from camelina oil with conventional JP-8 jet fuel:

Biofuel used in the A-10 flight is referred to as hydrotreated renewable jet, or HRJ. The biomass-derived fuel is created from animal fats and plant oils. The camelina plant, the feedstock for the demonstration flight, is just one of the biofuels being looked at by the military. The Air Force has experimented with other alternative fuels in the past, including a synthetic fuel blend using the Fischer-Tropsch process that can be used to convert coal or natural gas into jet fuel. Several Air Force aircraft have been flown with the synthetic fuel, including a supersonic F-15 Eagle flight.

Some weeks are slow.  Others go by fast.  Sometimes it is slim pickins’ when it comes to the Monday morning video roundup from IAmBiotech.  Other times there’s so much to choose from you don’t know where to start.  Last week was the latter.  We’ve got a bit of everything this week from the serious to the silly.

We hope to be restarting our original video content soon.  Please stay tuned.

WHAT’S THE HULLABALOO ABOUT A SOYBEAN’S GENOME? – I’ll be honest, when I heard that someone had documented the sequencing of the soybean genome I couldn’t figure what the fuss was about.  It is a bean for God’s sake.  So hear from the mouth of the one who did it, Jeremy Schmutz, a faculty investigator at the Alabama-based HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, on the significance of this achievement.  The original paper on soybean genome sequence was published in the January 14, 2010 issue of the journal Nature.

WHAT’S AN ORPHAN DRUG? – From our sponsors at BIO.  Every day, organizations like the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) work with patients and families to connect them with the resources they need to manage rare diseases and disorders. These resources range from support group recommendations to contacts at companies creating therapies for rare and orphan diseases and disorders. In this video, we meet a family with two children affected by rare disease, and learn how, with the help of NORD and a drug therapy created by BioMarin, they refuse to let their disease hold them back.

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND PROACTIVE MEDICINE – Dr. Leroy Hood.  One smart dude.  In this lecture at the University of Montana Dr. Hood talks about biotechnology and the long term trend of using technology advances to move from a reactive to proactive model of medicine.  The lecture is a bit long and some of the audio isn’t the best but the lecture itself is quite good.

LET’S GO DUTCH – This is a standard business development video but interesting and well done.  It is by biotechnology company Bioceros presenting its hybrid business model for the production of monoclonal antibodies and other proteins.

AFRICANS ON AFRICA AND GMOs – Every time you stumble upon someone who talks about how terrible GMOs are for Africa we’d ask you to stop, think, and ask around.  Most important.  Ask an African.  Here’s Dr. Walter Alhassan in Ghana talking about how GMO seed is helping Africa meet its need for food without pesticides.

BIOTECH DOWN UNDER - Speaking of talking to ‘real people’ and GMOs, here’s a very well done piece sponsored by Monsanto on the benefits of genetically modified cotton down under in Australia.

VCs VOTE ON SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY – We’re hearing more and more from the synthetic biology world.  This piece is a news report from BloombergTV about “super genes” that help manufacture fuel.  The piece features work done by Dr. Michael Church at Harvard.  The claim is that advances in synthetic biology could lead to breakthroughs in fuel production that would be economical even at oil prices of $40 per barrel.  Let’s all hope so!

TREE PLANTING THE BIOTECH WAY – This well done piece comes from our friends at the Natural Resources Canada and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.  It highlights work on biotechnology and why it is important for forest in Ontario and Canada.

THE SINGING TOXICOLOGIST – We’ve reported on this guy in the past.  This is the latest sighting of Carl Winter, Extension Food Toxicologist and Director of the FoodSafe Program at UC Davis, aka the singing toxicologist.  He parodies of contemporary popular music by modifying lyrics to address food safety issues such as bacterial contamination, irradiation, biotechnology, government regulation, and pesticides.  This is your tax dollars at work, folks. Thanks to a grant from the USDA, Dr. Winter is now studying how to integrate his music into traditional food safety education programs.

Good morning biotech community! Here’s what we have going on today:

NAVY GOES GREEN TO SAVE LIVES – The Navy is looking to reduce its oil consumption and increase the use of biofuels in the name of saving lives. According to Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, fuel convoys are very risky and act as potential targets for enemy soldiers. Additionally, the funds used for gasoline could be used for much needed equipment and artillery:

With those concerns in mind, Mabus recently set ambitious energy targets for U.S. naval forces. They include switching half their energy consumption to renewable and alternate sources by 2020, making half their installations “net zero” energy consumers over that same time period and, by 2016, sailing what Mabus calls “The Great Green Fleet” — nuclear- and hybrid-powered ships and aircraft that run on biofuel…Next month, on Earth Day, the force will conduct an airborne test of an F/A-18 aircraft powered by biofuels. And Mabus said the Navy will shortly announce a joint project with the Agriculture Department to grow camelina, a type of flax that can be used to make biofuel, in Hawaii.

GENETIC BREAKTHROUGH FOR DIABETES AND CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE – Yale University Researchers have identified two gene variants that increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and the most common chronic liver disease in the U.S. These variants are found in the apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) gene, which produces an enzyme important in fat metabolism. When these variants are present, people have a higher incidence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Study leader and Yale professor, Dr. Gerald I. Shulman, has this to say:

Identification of the gene variants “might make it possible to screen individuals to see if they have a higher risk of fatty liver disease. It also can provide an ideal drug target to prevent development of fatty liver disease and insulin resistance. Fatty liver disease can be caused by excessive alcoholic consumption and obesity. Its incidence has increased in the United States, and more than 30 percent of Americans are estimated to have it.

ANGOLA SETS BIOFUEL INITIATIVE IN MOTION – In yesterday’s roundup, we told you about Malaysia’s national biofuel initiative. Now, Angola’s parliament has approved a law to facilitates biofuel production, in an aim to diversify their economy which currently depends on oil. Although Angola vies with Nigeria as Africa’s top oil producer, it does not refine enough fuel to meet the national demand.

“Biofuels will create jobs and a renewable supply of energy for the future,” oil minister Jose Botelho de Vasconcelos told parliament, in remarks broadcast on radio. The law sets out rules for producing biofuels and regulates the role of foreigners in the industry. Under the new law, foreign companies that invest in biofuels will have to ensure that the local populations have access to water, basic services and medical care.

Today we’re talking HEALTH CARE, BIOFUELS and ORANGE JUICE!

WHAT DOES THE NEW HEALTH CARE PLAN MEAN FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY? – America’s new health plan is bringing in a lot of cheers, jeers and most importantly, questions. Well one of those questions we’re looking to answer here is what does this new plan mean for biotech? Well, according to Richard Gayle of Xconomy, there are two “small bits” in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that are immediately relevant and timely for the biotechnology industry:

One provides tax breaks for smaller biotechnology companies, while the other simplifies some aspects of the regulatory landscape and adds some complicated wrinkles.

The Therapeutic Discovery Project Credit provides “an amount equal to 50 percent of the qualified investment for such taxable year with respect to any qualifying therapeutic discovery project,” permitting some of the costs for pre-clinical research, clinical trials and other research protocols to be reduced. It appears that it will be limited to organizations with fewer than 250 employees. The total amount of the credit is $1 billion.

The noteworthy part of the legislation, Approval Pathway For Biosimilar Biological Products, provides real clarity on an important regulatory issue. This section permits biologics—the complex therapeutics produced by most biotechnology companies—to maintain 12 years of market exclusivity after FDA approval of the product.

BIOTECHNOLOGY MAY SAVE YOUR ORANGE JUICE – According to a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences, the Florida orange industry must genetically engineer its crops in order to combat the huanglongbing disease, which has been ravaging the industry for the past five years. When infected, trees tend to sprout misshapen, sour fruit that is unsuitable even for juicing. According to the report:

Conventional plant breeding is unlikely to deliver resistant varieties given the little resistance currently found. This situation renders genetic engineering … as more viable for developing citrus with resistance. Though there are non-citrus plants that demonstrate resistance to greening, due to expense or incompatibility, the genes required for creating the modified trees would likely stem from “animal, plant, microbial or bacteriophage origin” or from components of venom or bacterial spore proteins.

MALAYSIA SETTING BIOFUEL STANDARD – Big biofuel news coming out of the Asia. Beginning in June 2011, Malaysia will make it mandatory for vehicles to use its B5 blend biofuel derived from the country’s palm crops, according to the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry. Malaysia is the world’s second-largest palm oil producer.

BIOFUEL ONE STEP CLOSER TO COMMERCIALIZATION - Massachusetts-based biofuels company Qteros Inc. and the University of Massachusetts Amherst have patented the fermentation method they use to make biofuel. The process, entitled “Q Microbe” speeds up the microbe breakdown process and reportedly makes it easier and cheaper to produce ethanol. Qteros chief executive, John A. McCarthy Jr., had this to say:

“The Q Microbe technology offers numerous important advantages over other ethanol-producing microorganisms, which we believe provides the operational foundation for profitable, commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production. The patent underscores the significance and the unique nature of our technology.”

Q: Dear IAmBiotech, what kind of flowers should I get my new girlfriend?

A: Read today’s roundup and find out!

ICAHN TO SELL BIOGEN IDEC – Big news in biotech big business today as billionaire investor Carl Icahn announced that he will push to sell Biogen Idec Inc., the world’s largest maker of multiple sclerosis drugs, to avoid his third proxy battle with them since 2007. According to the Bloomberg article:

“Biogen has a great pipeline with great drugs, that at the right price” should be sold to a big pharmaceutical company, Icahn said in a telephone interview today. He also proposed splitting the company into two separate business units, one focusing on neurology and the other on cancer.

Ichan added “It’s a lot easier to fight on one front than on two. Having a two-front war is more difficult”, referring to his ability to now shift his focus to Genzyme Corp, where he has nominated himself and three associates to the board.

LUNG CANCER GENE DISCOVERED – Scientists at the Mayo Clinic have identified a gene that is specifically associated with lung cancer in people who have never smoked. Aided by researchers from Harvard, UCLA, and MD Anderson Cancer Center, the team found that 30% of patients who never smoked and who developed lung cancer had the same uncommon variant, or allele, residing in a gene known as GPC5. Ping Yang, Mayo Clinic genetic epidemiologist and study lead investigator, said:

“This is the first gene that has been found that is specifically associated with lung cancer in people who have never smoked. What’s more, our findings suggest GPC5 may be a critical gene in lung cancer development and genetic variations of this gene may significantly contribute to increased risk of lung cancer. This is very exciting.”

And get this: it took researchers 12 years to specifically identify and enroll the 2,272 participants of the study.

BIOTECH KEEPS YOUR FLOWERS SMELLING THEIR BEST – As if global warming isn’t causing enough trouble these days, apparently it also causes flowers to lose their fragrance. But wait, biotechnology always comes to the rescue! Scientists are now genetically modifying plants so that they retain their aroma:

Owing to global warming, the chemical compounds in flowers that are responsible for the aroma, are drying up fast. The scent in flowers last longer in colder climate as plants can retain their essential oils for a longer period of time. Based on this, the scientists are genetically making flowers that would be able to retain its aroma even in a hot climate.

Health care reform looks like it is going to become a reality.  Got questions about what it means for biotechnology?  Stay tuned as we’ll fill you in this week on the impact that this will have on the sector and for the future of biotech.

Until then, as you know every Monday is Oscar day here at IAmBiotech.  So here are the picks of the week.  Consider yourself the academy and vote for your favorite.

U.S. BIOTECHNOLOGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE – This has to be considered the leader for any award this week as the series was everywhere on the Internet.  It is a series of short videos on biotechnology, climate change, and things you likely didn’t think were true (like Europe as a leader in the field).

SPREKENSE DEUTSCH? – No, you don’t have to know German to understand this video.  It is all in English and courtesy of Deutsch Welle, three minutes from reporter by Patrick Benning on the BioRN Cluster in Heidelberg.   The cluster focuses on gene therapies, cancer treatment, personalized medicine. Over the next five years the plan is to bring out 70 new medications that may offer new hope to patients.

PARLEZ-VOUS FRANCAIS? – Ok, we’ll stop now.  And no you don’t need to know French to appreciate this video of the third edition of the French American Biotechnology Symposium (FABS) which took place on March 16th at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA.  18 American and French scientists working in academic research and industry R&D gave lectures about their latest works and more than 60 people from the US and France attended to this event. This event was completed by the French BioTech Tour : two be-to-be events held in San Diego on March 15th and in San Francisco on March 17th and focused on business development and R&D partnerships.

ASIA AS A BIOFUELS POWERHOUSE? – That’s the conclusion of Per Dahlen, partner at Portelet Asia as he discusses investment opportunities in biotechnology with CNBC’s Oriel Morrison.

DR. TARGAN ON BIOTECH AND GLOBAL NUTRITION – From our friends and sponsors at BIO, the latest edition of BioBytes is on the role that biotech is playing in providing nutritious food for children around the world.  Did you know that in developing countries, malnutrition is responsible for more than half of the 12 million deaths of children under five years old? Watch and see.

SPREADING THE BIOTECH GOSPEL IN CALIFORNIA – While the video and audio are not of high quality, we wanted to recognize Assembly member Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Biotechnology in his continuing his effort to inform the State Legislature and the public about Californias leading role in the biotech industry.

OLDIE BUT GOODIE – This surfaced in our search this week and we’re going to list it even though it originally aired in 2006.  We’re talking the biotech fashion show.  Move over Project Runway!.

Bracket already busted? Cheer up with this very special Friday edition of the roundup, where we take a look at three recent “episodes” of genetic breakthroughs:

TRY ON THAT NEW PAIR OF GENES, PART I: BLOOD CLOTS – Scientists in Edinburgh have identified three genes that are essential in controlling how long it takes blood to clot. This discovery could lead to the causes of deep vein thrombosis and certain types of stroke.The study looked for associations between half a million genetic markers and the time taken for blood to clot. Research leader Professor Ian Deary had this to say:

“The team is excited to have contributed this first in the genetics of blood clotting.Within the team we are lucky to have experts in medicine, genetics and blood coagulation, who helped enormously in appreciating just how big a discovery this was. kWe are now following up these findings to establish their clinical significance.”

TRY ON THAT NEW PAIR OF GENES, PART II: ULCERATIVE COLITIS – Researchers at Cedars-Sinai have identified the genes linked to ulcerative colitis, one of the most common types of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The researchers analyzed genes of nearly 13,000 patients to find which parts of the genome are linked to UC. The study showed that more than 30 regions of the genome are connected to the risk of developing ulcerative colitis, a revelation that could lead to a more personalized approach of treating the disease. Study lead author, Dermot P.B. McGovern, said:

“This gives us a number of insights into the disease. An increased understanding of the genetics gives us some insight into what causes ulcerative colitis and will potentially help us identify new therapies for ulcerative colitis.”

TRY ON THAT NEW PAIR OF GENES, PART III: DOG ORIGINS – According to a genetic analysis by UCLA researchers of nealry 1000 dogs accross 85 breeds, the domesticated dog possesses an Arabian pedigree, reversing previous studies suggesting that an East Asian wolf was the key to their origins:

Earlier studies by the same team had found the most diversity in dog genes among East Asian breeds, leading the researchers to suspect the region was the original home of the domesticated dog. However, the new analysis of more samples from the complete dog genome says, “specific populations of Middle and Near Eastern grey wolves found to be most similar to domestic dogs.”