Plant Discovery Leads to Treatment of Leukemia
November 11, 2015 |
A technology developed for plant research by The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) scientist Dr. Matt Moscou has helped cure a one-year-old girl of leukemia. Dr. Moscou's research, which centers on how some plants are susceptible to diseases while others are not, has developed a new genome editing technique. The technology was used to precisely edit the genes in bone marrow tissue that was removed from the patient, so that it can be reintroduced back into the patient and promote the establishment of a second bone marrow transplant.
Dr. Moscou was looking at the effect of the bacterium Xanthomonas on crops. The pathogen's genes manipulate the plant's sugar production, increasing sugar in order to feed the bacterium which in turn has a detrimental effect on the plant. To understand how this works, Dr. Moscou discovered the TAL (transcription activator–like) technologies, which enabled him to understand how the genes within the bacteria could change the sugar response in the plant.
"The irony is that bacteria which causes diseases in plant has led to a technology that saves human lives," he said. "When we made this discovery six years ago we could not have predicted where it would lead today, with a little girl now cured of leukemia," he added.
For more information, read the news release at the TSL website.
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- Ghana High Court Rules in Favor of Biotech
- GE Cassava to Address Vitamin B6 Deficiency in Africa
- Boosting Plant Alert System to Counter Stealthy Diseases
- Genome Sequencing Project Sheds Light on Date Palm's Origin
- Tobacco Traded its Immunity to Survive Harsh Environments
- Former Biotech Critic/Journalist Authors Science-based Book on GM Crops
- Research Team Discovers How Plants Defend their Territory with Toxic Substances
- Poppy Genes Transferred to Different Plants to Prevent Self-Pollination
- JIC Scientists Develop Tomatoes Rich in Phytochemicals
- Plant Discovery Leads to Treatment of Leukemia
-
Research Highlights
- Conventional Backcrossing Practices Affect Grain Composition of GE Maize Hybrids
- TaNAC29 from Wheat Enhances Salt and Drought Tolerance in Arabidopsis
- Tobacco NsylCBL10 Overexpression Enhances Salt Tolerance in Arabidopsis
- Expression of RsMYB1 in Chrysanthemum Regulates Anthocyanin Biosynthetic Genes
-
From the BICs
- Vietnam BIC Holds Biotech Crops Seminar in Quang Ninh Province
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (October 30, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (October 30, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet