Dr Nicky Nelson talks conservation biology Dr Nicky Nelson from the School of Biological Sciences, ranked top in New Zealand for research quality, talks about her research in the field of conservation biology. By: Victoria University of Wellington … Continue reading →

July 22, 2014 Glenna Picton, Baylor College of Medicine A team of scientists from around the world led by Baylor College of Medicine and Washington University in St. Louis has completed the genome sequence of the common marmoset the first sequence of a New World Monkey providing new information about the marmosets unique rapid reproductive system, physiology and growth, shedding new light on primate biology and evolution. The team published the work today in the journal Nature Genetics. We study primate genomes to get a better understanding of the biology of the species that are most closely related to humans, said Dr. Jeffrey Rogers, associate professor in the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor and a lead author on the report. The previous sequences of the great apes and macaques, which are very closely related to humans on the primate evolutionary tree, have provided remarkable new information about the evolutionary origins of the human genome and the processes involved. With the sequence of the marmoset, the team revealed for the first time the genome of a non-human primate in the New World monkeys, which represents a separate branch in the primate evolutionary tree that is more distant from humans than … Continue reading →

New genetic disorders pop up all the time each one represents a child who may face incredible challenges, or even be doomed to death. A child named Bertrand exhibited some serious symptoms profound developmental disabilities shortly after he was born, and no one could figure out what was wrong with him. So they took advantage of 21st century biotechnology and sequenced his genome, and the genome of both of his parents, and asked what novel mutations the child carried. For years, sequencing was too expensive for common usein 2001, the cost of sequencing a single human genome was around a hundred million dollars. But by 2010, with the advent of new technologies, that figure had dropped by more than ninety-nine per cent, to roughly fifty thousand dollars. To reduce costs further, the Duke researchers, including Shashi and a geneticist named David Goldstein, planned to sequence only the exomethe less than two per cent of the genome that codes for proteins and gives rise to the vast majority of known genetic disorders. In a handful of isolated cases, exome sequencing had been successfully used by doctors desperate to identify the causes of mysterious, life-threatening conditions. If the technique could be shown … Continue reading →

Using synthetic biology to make new antibiotics Research at Victoria University of Wellington could lead to a new generation of antibiotics, helping tackle the global issue of superbugs that are resistant to modern medicine. Led by Mark Calcott, who has just completed his PhD study, under the supervision of Dr David Ackerley, an associate professor in the School of Biological Science, the research is delivering new knowledge about how synthetic biology might be used to counter bacteria that have become resistant to existing antibiotics. The recently published study defines new ways that microbes, which are used to make some commonly used types of antibiotics, can be reengineered to produce modified forms of the original molecules. Part of the problem is that people have historically been careless when using antibiotics, which has, one-by-one, allowed bacteria to build resistance, thrive and multiply. Were smarter now, but at a time when were running out of options, says Dr Ackerley. There is a serious and immediate need for new antibioticseither we have to develop the next generation or find clever and affordable ways of modifying the ones we currently have, he says. The basis of our research is the idea that the microbial machinery … Continue reading →