Journal Article

This PNAS article describes using a lectin microarray to analyze the various changes that occur in the glycosylation status of cells. This powerful new approach opens up the world of glycosylation to global analysis. Such an approach could be a source of new biomarkers and treatment targets in a wide variety of diseases, such as inflammation and cancer.

This paper from Craig Venter's lab came out a few couple of weeks ago in Science Express. Many people have declared this a great breakthrough for science, while others have tried to downplay it's significance. I think it is a promising step forward in synthetic biology, as genome transplantation is key to the whole process.

What does society get for the billions it spends on science?

Now that is a long distance relationship worth pursuing. Beam me up! And for those a little rusty on their quantum theory, the cliff notes: http://news.independent.co.uk/sci_tech/article2611757.ece#2007-06-04T00:00:25-00:00

Unlocking the genetic code was one of the most insightful scientific discoveries in the history of man. It is amazing to think that, in contrast, sequencing every base pair of one who unlocked the genetic code provides almost no insights at all. When you cast aside all of the hype, the sobering truth is that genome sequencing may for years to come provide nothing more than a lot of purines and pyrmidines. It is my belief that trying to extract insights into the genetic basis of human disease from the primary sequence will be a challenge for generations to come.

Imagine your worst nightmare ... drinking a glass contaminated with the urine of Oliver Cromwell might not come to mind, but that would be a nightmare indeed. Of course, the sad part is that is no nightmare at all, rather a probabilistic postulate of the quantum mechanical underpinnings of our strange existence.

I'm always interested in how science is protrayed in the media (typically not well). This is an article from News Week about synthetic biology. Its an interesting field and read, albeit sensationalized.

Collaborative web documents, instant messaging, open source models of publishing, web 2.0... Current technologies are making it easier to share information real-time and encouraging collaboration amongst scientists. It is only natural to assume that ideas formed in this way will be, by definition, collective. A whole generation of young scientists, fluent in these technologies, are emerging and their collective voice is beginning to be heard. No wonder it feels awkward when they hit graduate school and are told they have to "independent" to succeed. It is as unnatural to ask a young scientist to stop collaborating as it is to tell them to turn off their wireless.

This article in the May issue of Cancer Cell describes, "bacterially derived nano-sized particles (minicells) for encapsulation of a range of different chemotherapeutic drugs." This is another derivative of liposome technology to deliver higher doses of traditional chemotherapeutics. This technology is exciting because it appears to be effective at even lower doses of drug than current liposome technology.

This paper adds to the debate about what is really regulating senescence. They argue that mitochondria can regulate telomere length.