Word: proteins
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That's a big problem, whether you're managing astronomical sums of other people's money or just deciding what to pack for London. It might seem another problem altogether to spend your time reconstructing that fateful period 3.5 billion years ago, when protein molecules dancing through the earth's primordial foam collectively spit forth the first proto-bacteria, life's earliest ancestors. You know the rest...
...truth serum for the industry." He may be right; Incyte now says what it's got is the number of "messages" sent by genes, not the genes themselves. Their mistake, but maybe their profit too. Because the first consequence inflated numbers mean is that the longstanding "one gene, one protein" tenet of human biology has been thoroughly exploded. And the biotech world just got slapped in the face by a new frontier...
Animal studies have already shown that a protein called nerve growth factor is vital to keeping cholinergic cells healthy. Using gene-therapy techniques, the San Diego team transformed samples of their patient's skin cells into NGF mini-factories. They then implanted the modified cells into their patient's brain. If all goes well, the deterioration of the cholinergic cells could slow or even stop...
Still, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic. Chronic myeloid leukemia occurs as the result of a single genetic accident. By blocking the wayward protein that is formed as a result, Glivec tricks the leukemic cells into, in essence, committing suicide. (Normal white blood cells soon take their place.) So far, 51 of 53 patients who received the highest dose of the drug in one of the studies have gone into remission. In seven of those cases doctors can no longer detect any cancer-causing genetic abnormalities...
...NUTS Who would have guessed that an allergy to peanuts could be passed from mother to child not through genes but through breast milk? It turns out, say scientists, that peanut protein in the milk can sensitize susceptible babies to peanut allergens, causing a buildup of antibodies that may trigger a peanut allergy later in life. Doctors caution, if any family member is allergic, a mom should refrain from eating nuts while nursing. Watch for the peanut protein in unexpected places, like tomato sauce, chili con carne and Chinese takeout...