Wednesday, December 27, 2006

The Year in Biotech

Continued from page 1

By Emily Singer

Reviving Neandertals.
New sequencing technologies that can decode genomes faster and cheaper than ever before are opening a window on our evolutionary past. Earlier this year, scientists at the Max Plank Institute, in Germany,and at 454 Life Sciences, a sequencing company based in Branford, CT,announced plans to decode the Neandertal genome from 30,000-year-old bone fragments. (See "How Neandertal DNA Will Shed Light on Human Genes.") Because of contamination with bacterial DNA, researchers need to sequence the genome an equivalent of 20 times to get adequate genomic information--a feat made possible by 454's sequencing technology. Researchers plan to compare the small genetic differences among chimps, Neandertals, and humans -- about 4 percent of the genome -- in order to uncover the genetic changes that make us uniquely human.

Brain chips move closer to the clinic.
In 2006, two paralyzed patients received experimental neural implants developed by technology startup Cyberkinetics that translate brain activity directly into action. (In 2004, Matthew Nagle, severely paralyzed from a spinal-cord injury, became the first person to test a neural implant, also using technology from Cyberkinetics. See "Implanting Hope.") Both patients--one with ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and the other with brain-stem stroke, a particularly devastating type of stroke that paralyzes the body but leaves the mind intact--quickly learned to employ the device, controlling a computer cursor and even a wheelchair just by using their thoughts. (See "Piloting a Wheelchair with the Power of the Mind.") John Donoghue, a Brown neuroscientist and Cyberkinetics's founder, and his colleagues are now collaborating with another team of scientists to create a wireless device that directly stimulates muscle; it may one day allow paralyzed patients to move their limbs. (See "A Brain Chip to Control Paralyzed Limbs.")

Uncovering the genetic mysteries of disease.
Two gene-chip makers released new chips this year that cansimultaneously detect 500,000 or more specific genetic variations, allowing scientists to hunt for the genetic causes of disease faster than ever before. A number of studies of complex genetic diseases, such as autism and Alzheimer's, are now in the works, with results expected next year. (See "A Massive Search for Autism Genes Begins" and "Searching for Disease Genes Gets Easier.") Scientists say the studies, which scan the entire genome for variants, could uncover unexpected sources of disease. For example, one such study of age-related macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in people older than 55 in the United States) highlighted genes involved in the function of the immune system rather than genes specific to the eyes or brain.