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The article presents a list that ranks researchers based on theirs papers and patent output along with a pie chart depicting areas of focus by percentage for research papers highlighted SciBX, a weekly publication that scans 50 select journals for articles of translational interest.

The article focuses on a research paper published in the journal "Nature" which reveals sequencing of the tomato genome in the evolution of fruit size, texture, flavor and nutritional quality. The paper also reports genome sequences of cultivated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and its closest wild relative (Solanum pimpinellifolium) and reveals introgressions from wild relatives that prevent various agriculturally important traits.

This article presents summaries of studies related to nature biotechnology. A research study by Kobayashi et al published in a 2010 issue of "Cell" shows that it is possible to gestate rat-mice chimeras to term. A new paper by Ji et al from a 2010 issue of "Nature" is the first to map the methylome of a differentiation hierarchy that encompasses several stages of progressive cell-fate restriction. Rottmann et al in a 2010 issue of "Science" reported the use of cellular proliferation assays as antimalarials.

The article focuses on the health biotechnology sector of Cuba. Cuban health biotechnology has reached its relatively advanced stage of development because of the vision of its political leaders and their continued commitment to promote the sector, despite difficult economic conditions. Vaccines have been a particular focus for Cuban biotechnology. More recently, the Synthetic Antigen Laboratory at the University of Havana in Havana, Cuba has played a leading role in developing the world's first human vaccine with a synthetic antigen. Ongoing work includes research on recombinant Dengue vaccine, preventative and therapeutic AIDS vaccines, cholera vaccine and a cancer therapeutic vaccine.

The article offers information regarding the trends in biotechnology literature in 2005. The number of output of biotech papers of the European Union outnumbered the U.S. scientists. South Korea was replaced by Belgium in the top 15 countries in terms of biotech paper output. It was also revealed that most researches deal in the field of metabolomics and nanotechnology.

The article presents data related to biotechnology research papers in the U.S. The US remains the most productive country in terms of biotech-related papers. But numbers of papers from the European Union surpassed the US last year (with Germany and the UK ahead of most EU countries); elsewhere, Korea, China and Japan also publish frequently. Some of the top cited papers, published in different journals, by field are: RNAi--Systematic functional analysis of the Caenorhabditis elegans genome using RNAi; Gene therapy--LMO2-associated clonal T cell proliferation in two patients after gene therapy for SCID-X2 and Nuclear transfer--Derivation of oocytes from mouse embryonic stem cells.

Comments on the mass media coverage of biotechnology research. Sources of materials about biotechnology; Problems resulting from pre-publication of research results.

Presents corrections for several articles published in the preceding issues of the journal 'Nature Biotechnology,' as of May 2000. 'FDA, researchers consider first transgenic fish,' published on page 143 of the February issue; 'Combinatorial chemistry gives cell biology some muscle,' published on page 261 of the March issue; Correction for an article published on page 390 of the April issue.

The authors contend that increased data sharing, transparency, openness and academic rewards for team and multidisciplinary behavior are important aspects in developing a productive and vibrant biomedical discovery establishment in the U.S. in March 2011. They say that historical trends are directed to steady progress towards collaboration and openness, which include the widening fraction of open-access publications with continuously increasing impact. They also discuss the challenges in achieving integrative medicine that leverages different data types.

The article focuses on the significance of embryology in pointing out better ways of generating endodermal cells from embryonic stem (ES) cells. Researchers have made efforts to generate specialized cell types from ES cells wherein recapitulating in vitro the processes that produce definitive endoderm in the embryo would offer the surest route to differentiating human ES cells into insulin-producing hepatic cells. Significantly, the papers presented describe similar approaches to directing the differentiation of ES cells to definitive endoderm, with differences in the details of the methods and in the resulting cell populations.

The article discusses intellectual property rights (IPRs) developed through biobank initiatives and questions the participation of publicly funded biobanks in IPRs as it addresses concerns of biobank administrators on the access phase. It suggests that alternate policy choices should be considered to strike a balance between the interests of the stakeholders. It sets the stage for further discussions on how intellectual property strategies and alternate policies can be instrumental in promoting the objectives of publicly funded research infrastructures.

Synthetic biology has shown that the metabolic behavior of mammalian cells can be altered by genetic devices such as epigenetic and hysteretic switches, timers and oscillators, biocomputers, hormone systems and heterologous metabolic shunts. To explore the potential of such devices for therapeutic strategies, we designed a synthetic mammalian circuit to maintain uric acid homeostasis in the bloodstream, disturbance of which is associated with tumor lysis syndrome and gout. This synthetic device consists of a modified Deinococcus radiodurans-derived protein that senses uric acids levels and triggers dose-dependent derepression of a secretion-engineered Aspergillus flavus urate oxidase that eliminates uric acid. In urate oxidase–deficient mice, which develop acute hyperuricemia, the synthetic circuit decreased blood urate concentration to stable sub-pathologic levels in a dose-dependent manner and reduced uric acid crystal deposits in the kidney. Synthetic gene-network devices providing self-sufficient control of pathologic metabolites represent molecular prostheses, which may foster advances in future gene- and cell-based therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on several biotechnology-related researches. A phase I clinical trial in eight individuals with mild Alzheimer disease appears to have slowed the decline of cognitive function. The treatment involved transplantation into the brain of autologous fibroblasts genetically modified to express nerve growth factor. Two papers in Science describe the use of synthetic gene regulatory cascades in Escherichia coli for determining what intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to gene expression fluctuations and how these fluctuations or "noise" are transmitted through gene cascades within single cells. The spread of West Nile virus, a zoonotic agent that can cause meningitis and encephalitis in the elderly and immunocompromised, is adding urgency to the search for new treatments to supplement human polyclonal antibodies.

Engineering artificial gene networks from modular components is a major goal of synthetic biology. However, the construction of gene networks with predictable functions remains hampered by a lack of suitable components and the fact that assembled networks often require extensive, iterative retrofitting to work as intended. Here we present an approach that couples libraries of diversified components (synthesized with randomized nonessential sequence) with in silico modeling to guide predictable gene network construction without the need for post hoc tweaking. We demonstrate our approach in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by synthesizing regulatory promoter libraries and using them to construct feed-forward loop networks with different predicted input-output characteristics. We then expand our method to produce a synthetic gene network acting as a predictable timer, modifiable by component choice. We use this network to control the timing of yeast sedimentation, illustrating how the plug-and-play nature of our design can be readily applied to biotechnology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antigen-specific human polyclonal antibodies (hpAbs), produced by hyperimmunization, could be useful for treating many human diseases. However, yields from available transgenic mice and transchromosomic (Tc) cattle carrying human immunoglobulin loci are too low for therapeutic applications. We report a Tc bovine system that produces large yields of hpAbs. Tc cattle were generated by transferring a human artificial chromosome vector carrying the entire unrearranged, human immunoglobulin heavy (hIGH) and κ-light (hIGK) chain loci to bovine fibroblasts in which two endogenous bovine IgH chain loci were inactivated. Plasma from the oldest animal contained >2 g/l of hIgG, paired with either human κ-light chain (up to ∼650 μg/ml, fully human) or with bovine κ- or λ-light chain (chimeric), with a normal hIgG subclass distribution. Hyperimmunization with anthrax protective antigen triggered a hIgG-mediated humoral immune response comprising a high proportion of antigen-specific hIgG. Purified, fully human and chimeric hIgGs were highly active in an in vitro toxin neutralization assay and protective in an in vivo mouse challenge assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the existence of intellectual property (IP) rights in the biological sciences and evaluates what effects patents have on shared access to research tools. A published study examines data pertaining to this conundrum and finds that an entity or individual controlling material property generally presents more obstacles to the sharing of research tools than does an entity or individual owning intellectual property. The data derives from a survey that is evaluated in detail. Also discussed are the influences that research delays have on the sector.

DNA sequence represents a single format onto which a broad range of biological phenomena can be projected for high-throughput data collection. Over the past three years, massively parallel DNA sequencing platforms have become widely available, reducing the cost of DNA sequencing by over two orders of magnitude, and democratizing the field by putting the sequencing capacity of a major genome center in the hands of individual investigators. These new technologies are rapidly evolving, and near-term challenges include the development of robust protocols for generating sequencing libraries, building effective new approaches to data-analysis, and often a rethinking of experimental design. Next-generation DNA sequencing has the potential to dramatically accelerate biological and biomedical research, by enabling the comprehensive analysis of genomes, transcriptomes and interactomes to become inexpensive, routine and widespread, rather than requiring significant production-scale efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses efforts to standardise the reporting guidelines for data used to support the findings of biological and biomedical experiments. This necessity is framed in terms of the importance of meta-analysis of datasets from separate experiments. The development of checklists by the Minimum information for Biological and Biomedical Investigations project is described. The relationship between areas of experimentation and applicable checklists is explored. The special issue on data standards of the journal "Omics," published in volume 10 in 2006, is noted.

The article present the findings of a study that was a joint effort of partners from 15 developing countries on three continents and the International Food Policy Research Institute to analyze the current state of research, regulation, genetic resources and institutional roles in developing genetically modified (GM) crops. This study was meant to be representative of key trends, rather than comprehensive in approach. In the 15 countries studied, public research pipelines for GM crops contained 201 genetic transformation events for 45 different crops.

The article focuses on the health biotechnology sector in China. China is focusing on several aspects of health biotechnology, including therapeutic antibodies, severe acquired respiratory syndrome research, gene therapy, functional genomics and stem cells. In addition to work in the field of genome sequencing, the country is pioneering research on adult stem cells from blood and umbilical cord. In 2003, the Chinese firm Shenzhen SiBono GenTech was the first firm in the world to obtain a drug license for a recombinant gene therapy. It's participation as the only developing country in the Human Genome Project showcased its capability in genomics.

Historically, investments in crop research and plant breeding have resulted in substantial public benefits worldwide. Because benefits came largely in the form of improved crop varieties released publicly and requiring only small additional investments for local adaptation, production and marketing, the small potential for private returns historically left crop research and development (R&D) largely to public-sector research institutions. With the emergence of stronger intellectual property (IP) rights in biological innovations, biotechnology startups and established seed and agrochemical companies initiated intensive research efforts, taking a leading role in the development, production and marketing of new biotechnology-based crop varieties. The proliferation of IP rights among multiple owners in agricultural biotechnology appears to have affected the rate and direction of innovation, a result of the so-called intellectual 'anticommons' as has been observed in biomedical research.

Proviruses carrying drug-inducible Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc used to derive 'primary' induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were segregated through germline transmission, generating mice and cells carrying subsets of the reprogramming factors. Drug treatment produced 'secondary' iPS cells only when the missing factor was introduced. This approach creates a defined system for studying reprogramming mechanisms and allows screening of genetically homogeneous cells for compounds that can replace any transcription factor required for iPS cell derivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses three studies that suggest alternative methods of transgene delivery and the use of small molecules for induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). These new methodologies are intended to circumvent the disruption of endogenous gene expression which increases the risk of insertional mutagenesis. One study describes the production of mouse iPS cells with adenoviral vectors, while the second reprograms mouse cells using plasmid transfection, and the third shows that one of the reprogramming factors may be replaced by a small molecule to generate human iPS cells through only two factors. Each methodology is evaluated. Charts and tables are provided.

The article discusses how the qualification of carbon fluxes from mammalian cells may enable clarification of dynamic metabolic networks associated with human disease. A study succeeded in quantifying flux in cultured human fibroblasts through a combination of C-tracer experiments and mathematical analysis of labeling kinetics. This provided insight into the behavior of cytomegalovirus infection. Analytical developments in canonical transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics are advancing fields such as systems biology and pharmacology. Also discussed is how flux data may benefit therapies in obesity, cancer and drug metabolism.

The utility of blue fluorescent protein (BFP) has been limited by its low quantum yield and rapid photobleaching. A library targeting residues neighboring the chromophore yielded a variant with enhanced quantum yield (0.55 versus 0.34), reduced pH sensitivity and a 40-fold increase in photobleaching half-life. This BFP, named Azurite, is well expressed in bacterial and mammalian cells and extends the palette of fluorescent proteins that can be used for imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses some of the perceptions about patenting and the commercialization of biomedical technology by the public. Public trust is an important component of biotechnology research particularly human embryonic stem cell research and biobanking initiatives. Thus, this requires an understanding of and respect for public concerns, attitudes and values.

The article focuses on a research in which researchers engineered human cells to enable them to perform adding and subtracting single bits of information processing systems.

The article offers information on the highlights of several biotechnology studies conducted in 2011. One study recommended the use of coating synthetic nanopores with fluid lipid bilayers to overcome the problems with artificial nanopores. A scientific research showed that the iHep cells including Foxa3 and Gata4 can help in the stem cells development needed for liver failure. Another study found that the microbial flora in the soil contributes to the tolerance of plants to root diseases.

This section presents highlights of selected research in biotechnology. Bova and colleagues use high-resolution chromosome mapping tools to ascertain that distant metastases from 29 patients with prostate cancer are derived from a single tumor cell. Townsend et al. and Shukla et al. show that zinc-finger nucleases (ZFN) in tobacco and corn plants can modify their endogenous genes. Johnson et al. reveals that the introduction of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-neutralizing antibody to protect the cells from AIDS.

Discusses the guidelines for embyronic stem cell research in Sweden. Ethics and acceptability of research; Legal framework regulating therapeutic cloning.

Editorial. Discusses public reactions over the advances made in the biotechnology research and its implications. Factors that have enabled the biotechnology research to compete with other conventional technologies; Need for a joint collaboration between public and industrial bioprocessing for a clean environment.

Presents information related to research collaborations of various biotechnology companies as of May 2000. Agreement to develop the platelet-activating factor; Collaboration to deliver Athersys' synthetic microchromosomes; Alliance to apply advances in biotechnology and matrix chemistry.

Presents an errata for the research analysis article entitled 'Nurturing nature: engineering new antibodies,' published in the June 1999 issue of the journal 'Nature Biotechnology.'