Sabrina Rai

The experiment we were given in #MB1031 scientific report assessment was a very interesting one. About 1 in 12 men lack either the red or the green-sensitive photoreceptor proteins that are normally present in the colour-sensing cells, or cones, of the retina, and so have red–green colour blindness. This article shows how Neitz and his colleagues introduced the human form of the red-detecting opsin gene into a viral vector, and injected the virus behind the retina of two male squirrel monkeys. After 20 weeks, the monkeys' colour skills improved dramatically. Three human gene therapy trials are currently under way for loss of sight due to serious degeneration of the retina. - Sabrina Rai from Bookmarklet

Last weeks #MB1005 presentation on genomic DNA library was a good revision and an opportunity to brush up on my presentation skills. I am now looking forward to giving a presentation #MB1004 on Acetylcholine. The group poster is allowing me to get in touch with my artistic side which i am very happy about. :) - Sabrina Rai

Recently, we wrote an essay for microbiology #BS1009 justifying how microorganisms prove to be more than just disease causing organisms. This article explain how salmonella, a bacteria that naturally infects the body, can be "weaponized" to be used for our advantage to control tumour growth. University of Minnesota researchers hope that by using genetically modified salmonella packaged with IL-2, they can identify cancerous cells and trigger an immune response near the tumor. Use of microorganisms in treating deadly diseases such as cancer opens the door to potential cheaper alternative to chemotherapy and radiation. - Sabrina Rai from Bookmarklet

This week has been one of the busiest weeks of the semester. Now that I have submitted practical report for genes & medicine and microbiology booklet, I have decided to focus on my #BS1009 Microbiology essay and #MB1005 genes and medicine group presentation. I am also glad that the timetable is going to be more relaxing from next week so I can start revising. One of the lessons I learnt from semester 1 is that it's never too early to start revision. - Sabrina Rai

I am glad to have finished my #MB1031 scientific report, ready to hand in. Now I can focus on #BS1009 essay and #MB1031 essay planning. I am glad that we have been given a familiar topic to write an essay on. Going over #BS1005 lectures on meiosis is going to be a good help. - Sabrina Rai

I agree..the #MB1031 report seemed to take forever to get completed (usually because I ended up falling asleep whilst doing it!) Im looking foward to writing the meiosis essay although I would have prefered mitosis..no doubt my A2 biology notes will come in use - Maryam

We're going to be writing a scientific report on Week 20 that will count towards 25% of the module mark. The practice scientific report definitely gave a gist of how to write and what to include. Hope i can encompass everything i have learnt so far. :D - Sabrina Rai

this is a very good website that will help write the scientific report for #MB1031 - Sabrina Rai from Bookmarklet

Just quickly scanned through the pages and different sections on the website and it seems very interesting. I'll be looking at it in more detail when I finally get round to writing that report! - Maryam

yes maryam, i am glad there are plenty of sites on the web to help us structure our scientific report. :D - Sabrina Rai

Also, is the question asking about the function of all types of microorganisms? - Aneeka Ul-Haq

thankyou very much for the help :) - Sabrina Rai

I am very pleased to have passed my January exams. Now I am waiting for my personal tutor to arrange an appointment to discuss the result. I am eager to know my grades. I was quite annoyed at my #BS1011 Session 2-3 result as I made very very very silly mistakes such as the wrong cell reference. This has helped me understand the importance of double checking. - Sabrina Rai

This article is relevant to #BS1009 where we were recently studying about viruses and resistance of drugs. Biochemists at Florida State University and Brigham Young University have used a 40-ton magnet to obtain atomic-level images of the virus, influenza A, with surface protein known as M2. Due to the change in M2's shape antiviral drugs amantadine and rimantadine which previously plugged the M2 pathway prevented reproduction of virus are no longer effective and its use has been minimised. Although the general mechanism of resistance has been known for some time, exactly how M2 functions was less clear. This article describes how the function of M2 was determined using an approach called solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, delivers images similar to MRI. They found that the protein, shaped like a channel with pores at both ends, has to be activated by an acidic environment to function. Two amino acids histidine and tryptophan set the process in motion: histidine... more... - Sabrina Rai from Bookmarklet

This article summarises concisely what we have learnt in #MB1005 about mutation and in #MB1031 about navigation via chemotaxis in bacteria. Escherichia coli bacteria genes mutate more rapidly when under stress. - Sabrina Rai from Bookmarklet

I just finished playing around the training version of swift; took a lovely snapshot of my avatar in a crisp white labcoat and sent it to swift. Todays training session is definitely going to help me in the real swift programme. I also luckily got copies of recommended genetics and physiology books from the library. I am going to make sure this semester is a productive and fruitful one. - Sabrina Rai

Can you tell us a bit more about a swift ? What is it and what will you be doing? - Dr Jo Badge from iPod

SWIFT is using the programme 'second life' to carry out laboratory works in a virtual environment. Each user is represented by an avatar which can be modified to the users taste. There is wide range of choice of clothing including a fabulous white lab coat. The training version introduced me to the way swift works including using arrow keys to move about, interact with other swift... more... - Sabrina Rai

Yup Im very happy with what i got. If only the #CH1070 exam could have been a bit more like this difficulty wise! - Maryam

For my #MB1030 module, I gave a presentation on MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) or “superbug” which are as its name suggests resistant to the antibiotic Methicillin causing a major threat to global health. The researchers report in the Dec. 16 issue of Cell Host & Microbe that Staphylococcus aureus (staph) favors human haemoglobin over haemoglobin from other animals. The article also states that genetic variations in haemoglobin could contribute in making some individuals more susceptible to staph infections. Studies to find out whether genetic variations in hemoglobin contribute to individual susceptibility to staph infections are currently being done. - Sabrina Rai

Really interesting article Sabrina...we get our presentation results today dont we?! Fingers crossed :-/ - Minelli Torosyan

As we understood from Professor Catrin Pritchards’ lecture on cancer #MB1030, cancerous tumours have the ability to metastasize and spread to other parts of the body. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have identified components in pomegranate juice that both inhibit the movement of cancer cells and weaken their attraction to a chemical signal that promotes the metastasis of prostate cancer to the bone. A year ago a similar article had proposed that consumption of pomegranate juice is beneficial to prostate cancer patients (http://esciencenews.com/article...). The research could lead to new therapies for preventing cancer metastasis. - Sabrina Rai

Recently, we had an edifying talk from Professor Catrin Pritchard on ‘the origins of human cancer’ (#MB1030) where we learnt that tumours grow their own blood vessels, a process also known as angiogenesis. This article talks about improving the treatment of cancer by inhibiting vascular endothelial growth factor receptors to suppress angiogenesis. - Sabrina Rai

Yes, daily we see articles about that talk about ways of treating cancer which is a good thing. More research means the probability of curing cancer is increased. It is just a matter of which treatment works and which doesnt. - Sabrina Rai

This article proved to be relevant to my #MB1030 presentation entitled ‘MRSA’. MRSA is an antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria posing great threat to humans. Drug resistance in bacteria in general is a major problem faced by scientist presently. The article describes of a study published December 2 in the journal Nature that could aid in development of new antibiotics used to fight multidrug resistant superbugs such as MRSA. More effective antibiotics that target the ribosomal machinery, in particular, of harmful organisms is hoped to develop. - Sabrina Rai

Phosphorus, in the form of the compound phosphate, forms the backbone of DNA and RNA as we understood in the early #BS1015 lectures. Phosphate is also found in ATP and NAD, two molecules that provide energy to the cells. A recent stir in science has been caused by the observance of bacteria using arsenic to build DNA in absence of Phosphorus. Arsenic sits just below phosphorus on the periodic table and has similar chemical properties. - Sabrina Rai

scientists are proposing an international effort, on the scale of the Human Genome Project (HGP), to identify all the proteins present in cancer cells. HGP was the international scientific research project that identified and mapped all the genes in humans. it is believed that the results of the new effort could provide cancer patients with more effective treatments customized to their own biology (personalized treatment). having recently done an essay on the role genomics is playing in cancer medicine, it is very interesting and promising to see ongoing progress on cancer medicine. - Sabrina Rai

thankyou Zohaib :) - Sabrina Rai

In #BS1015 lecture on lipids by Dr. Wells, we learnt about the cholesterol being a hydroxy-methyl-glutaric acid derivative and that cholesterol is used in membranes and steroid hormone synthesis. A new study reveals how that critical cholesterol synthesis in the brain is derailed in mice with diabetes. The study hinted that uncontrolled diabetes may lead to changes in the cholesterol-rich myelin that insulates neurons.Cholesterol synthesis was completely restored when mice were injected with insulin. The findings also point to a general need in science to learn much more about cholesterol metabolism in the brain and what might affect it. - Sabrina Rai

This is extremely interesting! - Mohamed

While writing the essay on the role of genomics in cancer medicine for #MB1030, I had come across the term 'personalized treatment'. I further researched 'personalized treatment' and found this link to be extremely informative http://www.personalizedcancert... . The website gives us an insight of how a sample of the patient's living tumor that is grown and genetically tested, so that treatments are more likely to be successful. This article suggests understanding cancer biology will enable cancer patients to recieve a more effective treatment. - Sabrina Rai

In MB1030 tutorial today, we looked at how blood smears can be used to diagnose certain diseases. This article reveals more potential uses of blood. Scientists have developed a technique to estimate the age of a suspect from blood left at a crime scene. Predicting human phenotypes from DNA information is a newly emerging field in forensics. - Sabrina Rai

Dietary supplementation with arginine can help improve meat quality in pigs prior to slaughter. Balanced portions of amino acids for cardiovascular and reproductive health. This is an interesting article about the function of amino acid. This follows on from Dr. Willmotts' lecture on amino acids. - Sabrina Rai

Most cancer chemotherapy relies on cells absorbing drugs by diffusion across the cell membrane. This does not always work, because some cells simply push the drug molecules back out using a natural pump mechanism. The researchers tested their technique by applying the light for 1 minute to human cervical cancer cells surrounded with common anti-cancer drugs such as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This short period of light exposure was sufficient to kill off 70 per cent of cancer cells surrounded by EGCG, compared with 31 per cent of cells not exposed to light. - Sabrina Rai

Is this significant to any of your modules? If so, which one? - Joshua Bower

This is relevant to the essay we have to do about the role of genomics in cancer medicine for the module #MB1030 - Sabrina Rai

In my opinion, google document is a great way to make your contribution to a group work in your own time without having to find the suitable time in your schedule to meet up with the group. However, like any other program, there are slight flaws with google docs.. i have trouble selecting texts, i dont know if anyone else has this problem.. but nonetheless it is great to have another medium to do group work besides the normal group meeting. - Sabrina Rai

In the November 12th issue of Cell, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their collaborators report on a novel human pain gene. People with minor variations in this gene showed clear differences in susceptibility to acute heat pain and chronic back pain. This article corresponds to my MB1030 presentation (Pain). There are very interesting insights as to how genes controls pain sensitivity. - Sabrina Rai

I was feeling really happy, coz it wasn't spectroscopy again.! - Paskuwal Kosalie Mendis

Decoding the DNA of a woman who died of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has led researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis to a gene that they found to be commonly altered in many patients who died quickly of the disease. "This discovery is a clear example of the power of comprehensive analysis of cancer genomes," says Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the National Institutes of Health. "By using high-throughput DNA sequencing, researchers will be able to discover all of the common genetic changes that contribute to cancer. With that knowledge, a growing list of targeted treatments will be developed, based on a firm biological understanding of the disease." - Sabrina Rai

I also found the feedback very helpful and am working on my presentation for next week. It was so good to know the positives as well as the negative. - Ramila Afshari

i learnt that i need to make my presentation a bit longer as i had plenty of time to spare.. hehe..i will try not to rush next time.. :D - Sabrina Rai

scientists headed by Modesto Orozco at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have presented the world's largest data base on protein motions. This will be useful to the pharmacological field to determine potential targets of a new drugs. - Sabrina Rai

Previous studies have suggested that genes affecting dopamine activity - the chemical strongly involved in the reward pathways in the brain - can influence prosocial behaviours such as social bonding and positive emotions. One might argue that the environment shapes a persons behaviour and that genes do not play a part. Though this article does not go in detail, I found it interesting. - Sabrina Rai