GMU:Synbio: Difference between revisions

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====Comment====

Now, the scientific standpoint concerning your ideas, Yu.

1st idea) Analyzing the heartbeat, blood pressure and temperature is a pretty good starting point. Those are, by the way, non-invasive standard techniques used in every hospital today (as you know). So the idea to measure those is not far fetched.

Those indicators can indeed tell you, if there is something really wrong with your cat. But they are insufficient for the diagnosis of a certain disease or even a certain mood. If the cat is excitet blood pressure, heartbeat and temperature will go up, probably. The same could happen if the cat gets sick.

So what came to my mind was whether you should think about different or additional "input" parameters. I listed some of those in the last comment I made below (hormones, gene expression detecteble from RNA in human blood).

====General Information and some specific Information about future vision of Personalized Medicine====

Some general hopefully interesting for some of you. The personalized medicine idea (bacteria in gut) and some other ideas pointet me to a documentation I once saw in the ZDF about a future vision of our life and society.

This documentary series called "2057- Unser Leben in der Zukunft" ran some time ago. Althogh one could controversely discuss the scientific content in those documentations, I find they are interesting and they might be inspiring. The first episode is about future healthcare and personalized medicine. Although some of the ideas sound strange at first hand, people are already working on many of those (i.e. the organ inject printer [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070221093208.htm]

You can find the ZDF documentary series here: [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=2057+unser+leben+in+der+zukunft&aq=f Youtube: 2057- Unser Leben in der Zukunft]

b) The movie GATACA might also be interesting [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gattaca Wikipedia: GATACA]

Furthermore, I already told you about sequencing from simple blood samples.

Sequencing is the technology used to read the genetic code (AGCTTACCTTACC...). Therefor physical DNA (or RNA, I come to that later) is needed. DNA can simply be taken out from cells, i.e. cells of your skin. You can find some Information about DNA Sequencing on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequencing Wikipedia].

So why is that interesting?

1) Well, i.e. for diagnosis of genetic diseases. Recent studies showed, that DNA sequencing from the blood of pregnant women can be used to determine whether the fetus (baby) has the predisposition for a certain genetic disease. Keep in mind, that the DNA is sort of the genetic building plan of evey cell. So you can get information about this building plan and whether it has some errors here and there. Find some information about DNA Sequencing from blood [http://www.pnas.org/content/105/42/16266.full here].

2) Sequencing not the DNA, but the RNA is also very interesting, as the amount of RNA present in a cell gives you information about the gene expression (= the genes turned on and those turned of at a certain timepoint). RNA is the molecule that is used to translate the messages coded on the DNA in a from, that the inner cell machinary can read this massage and make the proteins. Proteins are the effector molecules and can be seen as the little machines, controlling the behaviour of a cell (i.e. energy production, movement, cell division- nearly everything). Strongly simplified, one can say, that one Gene codes for a certain RNA and that RNA codes for a certain protein.

DNA --> RNA --> Protein

The more RNAs of the same type are present in a cell, the more proteins of the same type are made. So, if I do RNA sequencing, I get the information about the genes that are turned on or off, and I can even tell in which ratio that happenes. Biologists are talking about gene overexpression (= genes turned on at a higher level than normal) and underexpression (= genes turned on at a lower level than normal).

Unnormal gene expression is a typical indicator for a disregulation in a cell and can therefor be indicator for a disease. In many diseases the gene expression (and therefor the gene regulation) is unnormal.

Coming back to the point: Sequencing RNA from human blood is possible since some years. In the future, as automated sequencing gets better and cheaper, that could give us the oppotunity to have a sort of online-look onto our gene expression. We would simply take blood samples and put them into a full-automatic sequencer.

Today, RNA analysis from blood samples is used i.e. for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV_test HIV-diagnosis] and is also taken into account for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV_test cancer diagnosis]. In general, if the RNA sequencing from blood will get better and better, we will probably be able to look at our gene expression profile online!

Despite those technologies, another important marker in the blood, especially for the detection of the mood and feelings of the persons are [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormones hormones]. Hormones have been shown to have a strong influence on many body functions, including blood pressure and heartbeat. Furthermore they have a strong influence on the way we feel and act. Lovers have a certain hormone-cocktail in their blood, people being excited or agressive have a high adrenaline level in their blood. In animal studies it was shown, that by injecting a certain hormone into animals normally not living in groups, they would be nice and friendly living with the group of their kind afterwards (I will look up which animal that was and add that later).

I hope their has been at least some interesting information in this much too long paragraph :)

--[[User:dniopek|Dominik Niopek]] 13:16, 19 May 2010 (UTC)

----

====My ideas about this project====

I have some more ideas about this project.

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+====Comment====
+Now, the scientific standpoint concerning your ideas, Yu.
+st idea) Analyzing the heartbeat, blood pressure and temperature is a pretty good starting point. Those are, by the way, non-invasive standard techniques used in every hospital today (as you know). So the idea to measure those is not far fetched.
+Those indicators can indeed tell you, if there is something really wrong with your cat. But they are insufficient for the diagnosis of a certain disease or even a certain mood. If the cat is excitet blood pressure, heartbeat and temperature will go up, probably. The same could happen if the cat gets sick.
+So what came to my mind was whether you should think about different or additional "input" parameters. I listed some of those in the last comment I made below (hormones, gene expression detecteble from RNA in human blood).
+====General Information and some specific Information about future vision of Personalized Medicine====
+Some general hopefully interesting for some of you. The personalized medicine idea (bacteria in gut) and some other ideas pointet me to a documentation I once saw in the ZDF about a future vision of our life and society.
+This documentary series called "2057- Unser Leben in der Zukunft" ran some time ago. Althogh one could controversely discuss the scientific content in those documentations, I find they are interesting and they might be inspiring. The first episode is about future healthcare and personalized medicine. Although some of the ideas sound strange at first hand, people are already working on many of those (i.e. the organ inject printer [http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070221093208.htm]
+You can find the ZDF documentary series here: [http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=2057+unser+leben+in+der+zukunft&aq=f Youtube: 2057- Unser Leben in der Zukunft]
+b) The movie GATACA might also be interesting [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gattaca Wikipedia: GATACA]
+Furthermore, I already told you about sequencing from simple blood samples.
+Sequencing is the technology used to read the genetic code (AGCTTACCTTACC...). Therefor physical DNA (or RNA, I come to that later) is needed. DNA can simply be taken out from cells, i.e. cells of your skin. You can find some Information about DNA Sequencing on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequencing Wikipedia].
+So why is that interesting?
+) Well, i.e. for diagnosis of genetic diseases. Recent studies showed, that DNA sequencing from the blood of pregnant women can be used to determine whether the fetus (baby) has the predisposition for a certain genetic disease. Keep in mind, that the DNA is sort of the genetic building plan of evey cell. So you can get information about this building plan and whether it has some errors here and there. Find some information about DNA Sequencing from blood [http://www.pnas.org/content/105/42/16266.full here].
+) Sequencing not the DNA, but the RNA is also very interesting, as the amount of RNA present in a cell gives you information about the gene expression (= the genes turned on and those turned of at a certain timepoint). RNA is the molecule that is used to translate the messages coded on the DNA in a from, that the inner cell machinary can read this massage and make the proteins. Proteins are the effector molecules and can be seen as the little machines, controlling the behaviour of a cell (i.e. energy production, movement, cell division- nearly everything). Strongly simplified, one can say, that one Gene codes for a certain RNA and that RNA codes for a certain protein.
+DNA --> RNA --> Protein
+The more RNAs of the same type are present in a cell, the more proteins of the same type are made. So, if I do RNA sequencing, I get the information about the genes that are turned on or off, and I can even tell in which ratio that happenes. Biologists are talking about gene overexpression (= genes turned on at a higher level than normal) and underexpression (= genes turned on at a lower level than normal).
+Unnormal gene expression is a typical indicator for a disregulation in a cell and can therefor be indicator for a disease. In many diseases the gene expression (and therefor the gene regulation) is unnormal.
+Coming back to the point: Sequencing RNA from human blood is possible since some years. In the future, as automated sequencing gets better and cheaper, that could give us the oppotunity to have a sort of online-look onto our gene expression. We would simply take blood samples and put them into a full-automatic sequencer.
+Today, RNA analysis from blood samples is used i.e. for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV_test HIV-diagnosis] and is also taken into account for [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV_test cancer diagnosis]. In general, if the RNA sequencing from blood will get better and better, we will probably be able to look at our gene expression profile online!
+Despite those technologies, another important marker in the blood, especially for the detection of the mood and feelings of the persons are [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormones hormones]. Hormones have been shown to have a strong influence on many body functions, including blood pressure and heartbeat. Furthermore they have a strong influence on the way we feel and act. Lovers have a certain hormone-cocktail in their blood, people being excited or agressive have a high adrenaline level in their blood. In animal studies it was shown, that by injecting a certain hormone into animals normally not living in groups, they would be nice and friendly living with the group of their kind afterwards (I will look up which animal that was and add that later).
+I hope their has been at least some interesting information in this much too long paragraph :)
+--[[User:dniopek|Dominik Niopek]] 13:16, 19 May 2010 (UTC)
+----
 ====My ideas about this project====
 I have some more ideas about this project.