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Post by Admin on Sept 28, 2023 18:34:54 GMT
In the year 2020, when most of the European countries were in lockdown due to the COVID pandemic, an aircraft containing a Chinese creation called the Fire-Eye arrived in the Serbian capital.
It was a refined portable laboratory that could detect coronavirus infections from tiny genetic elements that the deadly virus leaves behind, as per the latest report by the Washington Post.
The Serbians then soon found out that this was one of the capabilities of the Fire-Eye.
The Washington Post, citing the Chinese inventors of the portable lab, said that not only did it crack the genetic code for viruses but also for humans, with machines that can interpret genetic instructions retained within the cells of every person on this planet.
In late 2021, with the COVID pandemic still seething, Serbian officials made an announcement saying that they would work together with a Chinese firm to transform the lab into a permanent facility with strategies to gather and curate the entire genomes, or genetics blueprints, of Serbian citizens.
Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic had appreciated China, saying that the country had given Belgrade the “most advanced institute for precision medicine and genetics in the region.”
However, China’s Fire-Eye labs is now attracting the attention of Western intelligence agencies in the midst of rising concern about China’s intentions.
As per the report, some analysts say that behind China’s act of philanthropy, was its hidden agenda to tap into new origins of highly valuable human DNA data in countries around the globe.
According to the US and Western intelligence officials, China's collection effort, which has been underway for more than a decade now had included the acquisition of US genetics companies and also refined hacking operations.
Also read: Indian-origin girl receives first rejection-free kidney from mother in UK
However, the COVID pandemic gave it the required boost and created opportunities for Chinese companies and institutes to disseminate gene-sequencing machines and create partnerships for genetic research in places where Beijing formerly had very little to no access, said the officials.
Amid the COVID pandemic, Fire-Eye labs would grow rapidly, spreading to four continents and more than 20 countries, from Canada and Latvia to Saudi Arabia, and from Ethiopia and South Africa to Australia. Several, like the one in Belgrade, now function as permanent genetic testing centres.
“Covid-19,” said one senior U.S. intelligence analyst who closely tracks China’s biotechnology sector, “was the door.”
A spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington rebuffed suggestions that the Chinese companies had inappropriately gained access to genetic data.
The spokesman, Liu Pengyu, said the Fire-Eye labs helped many countries combat a hazardous pandemic and persist in playing a crucial role in screening for cancer and other diseases.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Post by Admin on Jan 21, 2024 2:09:44 GMT
A comprehensive multicohort genome-wide association study (GWAS) among individuals with African ancestry provided novel insight into genetic variants with pathophysiological significance for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), the most common form of the hereditary disease.1 An investigative team of ophthalmologists and genetic researchers behind the GWAS detected 46 genome-wide risk loci significantly associated with glaucoma. Replication and post-GWAS analyses identified two previously undescribed variants and one previously associated variant as potentially causal for glaucoma. A leading cause of global, irreversible blindness, glaucoma affects nearly 44 million people, with a projected prevalence of 80 million by 2040.2 Individuals of African ancestry are often frequently and severely affected by the inherited disease, but the genetic structure in this population has rarely been studied. “Individuals with African ancestry are five times more likely to be affected by glaucoma and up to 15 times more likely to experience vision loss or blindness from the disease compared to individuals with European ancestry,” corresponding author Joan O’Brien, MD, director of the Penn Medicine Center for Genetics of Complex Disease, explained in a statement.3 “Our current treatments for this blinding disease are inadequate, and precision medicine could be applied if we more clearly understood the full pathophysiology of this inherited neurodegeneration.” POAG can occur when normal drainage of eye fluid is blocked and a buildup of intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye damages the optic nerve and results in permanent vision loss.2 Loss of vision generally begins in the periphery, followed by loss in the central field of vision. As the disease does not exhibit early symptoms, permanent damage has usually already occurred by the time vision loss is experienced. The GWAS involved data and genetic samples for 11,725 individuals of African ancestry, including 6,003 cases of glaucoma and 5,272 controls, from 3 African population datasets.1 In the study, investigators worked with Black community leaders and radio stations to promote the importance of glaucoma screening for people of African descent. Those enrolled in the GWAS were prompted with the opportunity to either enroll in or opt out of future studies. After the GWAS and other genetic analyses, investigators identified two novel gene variants implicated in the formation of glaucoma. Replication and post-GWAS analyses, including functionally informed fine-mapping, multiple trait co-localization, and in silico validation, implicated the variants rs1666698 (mapping to DBF4P2) and rs34957764 (mapping to ROCK1P1), as likely causal. The analysis also indicated a third variant, rs11824032 (mapping to ARHGEF12), as likely causal. Previously, the variant was associated with the cup-to-disc ratio in a genetic co-localization analysis. For individuals of African ancestry, the polygenic risk score for POAG from the mega-analysis was found to outperform a much larger GWAS derived from individuals with European ancestry, suggesting the importance of diversity in genetic research. “Without our focus on this specific ancestry group, these unique and critical insights might have remained lost, and we would not have been able to substantially enhance our understanding of the genetics behind POAG in this overaffected population,” Shefali Verma, PhD, an assistant professor in pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a statement.2 Based on these data, O’Brien and colleagues are aiming to develop better methods for early diagnosis of glaucoma for early treatment. The improved risk score from this analysis could benefit both screening and treatment decisions for glaucoma before it leads to vision loss. “We are now working with community leaders to lead us in determining which other diseases over-affect this understudied population and are of greatest importance for further screening and research,” O’Brien said.2 “We are also sharing our genetic database with other researchers across departments and schools that are studying diseases that over-affect African ancestry populations.” References A multi-cohort genome-wide association study in African ... - cell press. Cell. January 18, 2024. Accessed January 19, 2024. www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)01338-7. CellPressNews. Study with over 11,000 individuals of African descent finds genetic variants linked to glaucoma. EurekAlert! January 18, 2024. Accessed January 19, 2024. www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1031002. Tham, Y.C., Li, X., Wong, T.Y., Quigley, H.A., Aung, T., and Cheng, C.Y. (2014). Global prevalence of glaucoma and projections of glaucoma burden through 2040: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ophthalmology 121, 2081–2090
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Post by Admin on Jan 30, 2024 20:51:14 GMT
Excessive stress during adolescence can cause alterations in the profile of genes expressed in the brain, especially those associated with bioenergy functions. These alterations may affect cell respiration, resulting in behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders in adulthood, according to a study in rats conducted by researchers at the University of São Paulo's Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP) in Brazil. The results are published in the journal Translational Psychiatry. It is no secret that many changes occur in our bodies and behavior during adolescence when the brain undergoes structural and functional alterations shaped both by neurobiological and social factors. "Like the human brain, the brain of an adolescent rat is highly plastic. This plasticity is seen at the molecular level and in terms of behavior. Changes in the expression profiles of specific genes in different brain regions lead to alterations in brain cell connectivity, which spread systemically and can produce persistent alterations in adulthood that correlate with psychiatric disorders," said Thamyris Santos-Silva, first author of the article. At the time of the study, she was a Ph.D. candidate in pharmacology at FMRP-USP. "Adolescence is a critical period for brain plasticity, which is significantly influenced by social experience," added Felipe Villela Gomes, last author of the article and a professor in FMRP-USP's Department of Pharmacology. "Susceptibility to adverse social and environmental factors, such as traumas, insults and abuse, increases during this period, and social experience can influence vulnerability and resilience to stress." The prefrontal cortex is a brain region that is extremely susceptible to stress during adolescence. When it matures, it is crucial to enhanced cognitive control of emotions normally observed in adulthood. In rats subjected to stress during adolescence, this region displayed lower levels of expression of genes that play a key role in mitochondrial respiration. Mitochondria are organelles found in most cells of both humans and rats, as well as many other living organisms. Through cell respiration, they are the main source of chemical energy for the functioning of neurons, one of the main types of brain cells. They therefore help regulate social behavior, including the response to stress. The study began by analyzing behavioral responses to stress, such as anxiety, social interaction and cognition, in late-adolescent rats. The animals were exposed to a stress protocol for ten consecutive days that coincided with an intense period of brain plasticity. They were then submitted to specific tests to assess their behavior, and the results showed distinct impairment in every case. "We found that stressed animals in this life stage displayed a markedly poor behavioral profile, with anxiety, reduced sociability and impaired cognitive function," Gomes said. To discover whether these variations were reflected by gene expression, the researchers sent RNA samples to the Behavioral Genetics Laboratory of the Brain Mind Institute (BMI) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). The laboratory is led by Carmen Sandi, a professor of neuroscience. More information: Thamyris Santos-Silva et al, Transcriptomic analysis reveals mitochondrial pathways associated with distinct adolescent behavioral phenotypes and stress response, Translational Psychiatry (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02648-3 Journal information: Translational Psychiatry Provided by FAPESP www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02648-3
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Post by Admin on Feb 2, 2024 5:58:08 GMT
Mothers with higher blood pressure give birth to lighter and shorter babies than do mothers with lower blood pressure. This was just one of a multitude of links between maternal health and fetal development observed in a large genetic analysis of Chinese parents and their babies, which included some unexpected results. The study, published in Nature today1, is among the first to look at the genetic profiles of East Asians, a largely under-represented population in genomic research, says Vicki Clifton, a researcher who studies maternal and child health at Mater Research in Brisbane, Australia. “The study fills an important gap in knowledge.” The team looked at genetic data from participants in the Born in Guangzhou Cohort Study. Launched in 2012, the study has so far collected biological, environmental and social data on more than 58,000 babies born at the Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Centre and their families. Researchers have published a host of epidemiological studies on the cohort, but the latest is the first to analyse the trove of genetic data, says Xiu Qiu, an epidemiologist at the Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center and the director of the cohort study. “We are opening a black box,” says Qiu. Genetic effects The analysis included 4,053 individuals in parent–child pairs or trios that included both parents. Participants were randomly selected from the larger Guangzhou group. Qiu and her colleagues sequenced genetic data from blood samples taken from the parents and umbilical-cord blood of the infants, and collected physical information about the mothers and their babies, including height and weight. The researchers uncovered genetic variants that have not been observed in other populations. One variant was associated with weight gain in the mother during pregnancy. Another was associated with increased levels of bile acid and risk of developing the liver disease cholestasis in pregnant women, which has been linked to an increased risk of fetal death. The researchers say the variant could be more prevalent in East Asian mothers than in those from other regions because it also has a role in protecting people from the hepatitis B virus, which is common in China. The researchers identified discrepancies in the effect of some genetic variants on the same trait between mothers and their babies. For example, some variants were associated with altered cholesterol levels in infants but not in their mothers, and vice versa. “That is really fascinating,” says Clifton, revealing the importance of a baby’s genes — not just the mother’s diet — in determining their cholesterol profile in the womb. These discrepancies between child and mother suggest that a person’s genetic risk profile could change with age or have an epigenetic component, which Qiu says the team hopes to further explore. The researchers also developed a method to look at how certain maternal attributes affect child growth. Their analysis confirmed some previously established links, including that mothers who are taller and have higher blood sugar levels when fasting have heavier babies, and mothers with higher blood pressure have lighter and shorter babies. In quantitative terms, they found, for example, that for every 1-centimetre increase in maternal height, there was an increase of 15 grams, on average, in infant birth weight. The study also identified some new links. For example, mothers with higher levels of bile acid had shorter babies. Clifton says the analysis falls short of establishing causality but offers leads for further research. More work needed Genetic studies that explore links between genomes and disease are becoming increasingly popular, says Teri Manolio, director of the Division of Genomic Medicine at the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. Manolio says they allow researchers to analyse data in an “agnostic fashion” and “find stuff you didn’t expect”. But Manolio cautions that the number of study participants is relatively small, and any associations would need to be confirmed in larger sample sizes and in experimental studies. Nonetheless, Clifton is excited that the Guangzhou project is starting to yield findings. “We can look forward to a lot more data from this cohort and a lot more interesting outcomes,” she says. doi: doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00270-xReferences Huang, S. et al. Nature doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06988-4 (2024).
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Post by Admin on Feb 2, 2024 21:23:00 GMT
Remains of people who lived on the eastern coast of South America nearly 2,000 years ago have yielded the oldest known evidence for the family of microorganisms that cause syphilis. The discovery, reported today in Nature, casts further doubt on the already shaky idea that Christopher Columbus’s crew exported syphilis to Europe. More importantly, say scientists, the ancient genomes push back the origins of Treponema pallidum, which causes syphilis and other ‘treponemal’ diseases, by thousands of years. A DESTRUCTIVE FAMILY The most notorious treponemal infection is venereal syphilis, which is generally caused by the subspecies T. pallidum pallidum but can be caused by other ones as well. A second subspecies is most commonly linked to yaws, which cause skin lesions on the hands and feet. And a third causes most cases of an oral infection known as bejel. Left untreated, all three diseases can damage the bones. The origins of syphilis and the other treponemal diseases remain a mystery. Explosive syphilis outbreaks in Europe starting during the late fifteenth century led to the theory that Columbus’s crew imported the disease from the Americas. But the lack of clear evidence for syphilis in pre-Columbian remains from the Americas raised questions about this theory. In 2020, researchers reported the discovery of diverse T. pallidum strains in fifteenth century Europe — some of them potentially pre-dating the return of Columbus’s crew. The find suggested that the bacterium had already evolved in Europe for a considerable amount of time before the voyagers’ return. BEFORE COLUMBUS To better understand the history of treponemal disease in the Americas, Verena Schuenemann and Kerttu Majander, archaeogeneticists at the University of Zurich in Switzerland who led the 2020 study, and their colleagues looked for signs of treponemal bacteria in bone specimens of human remains buried some 2,000 years ago on Brazil’s southern coast. The researchers found that the T. pallidum genomes recovered from the bones were most similar to those of the modern subspecies that usually causes bejel — a disease that is not typically found in the Americas today. The ancient genomes were less similar to those of the strains usually associated with yaws or syphilis, which are both found in South America. This implies that the current distribution of T. pallidum subspecies differs from that of the past. Further analysis of the genomes suggested that known T. pallidum lineages probably began to diversify as long as 14,000 years ago — 10,000 years earlier than previously suggested — and that modern strains evolved in the past 3,000. “It seems they have been accompanying us for a long time, which wasn’t expected,” says Schuenemann. www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00191-9
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