Your Inner Healers

Imagine a world where diseases could be completely eliminated from our bodies... that's what could potentially happen if the art of creating iPSC colonies is mastered.


Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells have the ability to become any type of cell that you want. This is because they tap into the embryonic stages of cells where the determination of what kind of cell it is going to be is to undecided. Scientists do this by reprogramming certain cells using retroviruses so that they return to the embryonic stage and they can then be changed into certain cells to fight diseases. Or, they can be used to mimic diseases so that scientists can then study the diseases and learn to fight them.


The Stages of the iPSC:


Every cell must first undergo the Early Embryo Stage. This is when the cell is pluripotent, and can give way to any cell type.


Next is the Late Embryo Stage. Here is where the cell becomes multipotent, where it can become any cell within a certain range of tissue groups.


Thirdly is the Adult Stage. This is where the cell begins to form into a certain type of cell. Skin, hair, blood, etc...


Then the cells lock onto their certain type of cell and remain a mature body cell.


In the iPSC process, the mature cells are then reprogrammed and become iPSCs, reverting the cell back to the embryonic stage.


Here is a pic of what I just explained:

Cancer Week

This past week was dedicated to cancer. On Tuesday, we glanced over our tests briefly then went on to look over the Cancer Review Paper, and began researching for it. I chose the skin cancer called Melanoma, specifically the radiation method of treatment.


On Thursday, we reviewed the videos about cancer and telomeres that we watched the night before. We then had a whiteboard "sesh" and continued to take a quiz.

Here is a brief breakdown of what we talked about.


Proto-Oncogenes: Proto-oncogenes are genes that code for proteins and help the cell's growth and development.

Oncogenes are proto-oncogenes that have been mutated so that they now have the potential to be a cancer cell.

We created a proto-oncogene called BRCA-1 and discussed how a point mutation would turn it into an oncogene and then possibly become a cancer cell.



Tumor suppressor gene: A tumor suppressor gene is a gene such as p53 that regulates certain checkpoints throughout the cell cycle to help prevent cancer cells from reproducing.

Ras gene: Ras genes code for ras proteins that signal when cells to divide or grow at appropriate times. Ras genes can be modified to keep checkpoints on so cancer cells can then grow and divide.

The ras gene

After this we then went on to continue research for our cancer papers.


Cancer is a really interesting topic because it is amazing how much the technology has changed.
Just four days ago, on January 7, 2014, scientists discovered a protein called MCL-1 that when disabled, can limit cancer's growth and ultimately disappear.

The MCL- 1 Protein

Its amazing to think that scientists have attempted to thwart cancer since the 2nd Century, when a  Roman doctor named Galen wrote several books regarding cancer that are still alive today.

Galen

All info comes from:
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/cancer-breakthrough-researchers-discover-key-protein-20140107-30ffp.html


http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/thehistoryofcancer/the-history-of-cancer-cancer-treatment-surgery


Then meet our Apoptosis cell (Suicidal cell), Swaggy C 

Microscope Lab Day + Extra Credit + Your Inner Fish/ New World Example

Today in class, we did a lab using SUPER DUPER high tech microscopes.

First, we looked at a dead flea:

Note: not my picture. http://cdn.orkin.com/images/fleas/flea-exterior-interior_1162x1248.jpg. 

Then, we looked at some skin cells from James' cheek.

Next, we looked at a plant with a drop of water.

Finally, we looked at a slab of algae from saltwater.

The point of the lab was to get used to the microscopes and observe plant and skin cells.

Extra Credit:

This is the answer to the problem that was emailed to us.

Key:
BB = black Lab, no chocolate gene 
Bb = black Lab, carries chocolate gene 
bb = chocolate Lab, no black gene

Yellow is produced by the presence of a recessive epistatic gene which has the effect of masking the the black or chocolate genes.
EE = no yellow gene 
Ee = yellow carrier but apears either black or chocolate 
ee = yellow Lab

So....
EEBB =Basic Black (BB)
EEBb =Black that carries Choc. (Bc)
EeBB =Black that carries Yellow(By)
EeBb =Black that carries Yellow and chocolate (Byc)
eeBB =Yellow (Yy) [does not carry chocolate]
eeBb =Yellow that carries Chocolate (Yc)
eebb =chocolate pigmented yellow ~ No Black Pigment (NBP)
EEbb =Chocolate (CC) [does not carry yellow]
Eebb =Chocolate that carries yellow (Cy)

From: http://www.blueknightlabs.com/color/coatcolor.html

Because:

In the picture, it is about half of the puppies black, and half of the puppies chocolate, so the punned square above would make sense.

Embryology:

Embryology is the comparing of embryos. Species, such as salamanders, chickens, and fish, look completely different as adults, but look very similar as embryos.

http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v7/n11/images/nrg1918-f2.jpg 

Scientists use these embryos to discover the similarities within different species.

"Limbs as different as bird wings and frog legs looked very similar during their development" (99).

Embryology in Today's World

Embryology is used to help parents that cannot conceive naturally, conceive.

It previously had been a tedious and error-ridden job. However, new technology, called IVF Technology, has been created to make this job easier, faster, and more effective. 

Eeva (Early Embryo Viability Assessment test) is an example of this technology. The €100,000 Eeva is really new technology, as the first birth occurred today using its technology.

Here's a picture of the happy couple:

Embryology Manager Tony Price said of Eeva: “The main advantage of this technology is that we are able to identify embryos which have an extremely low chance of advanced development, and these can be excluded from use in treatment.”

IVF systems will continue to be used and make artificial conception a cheaper and more effective option in the future.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/10873585.Baby_is_first_to_be_born_in_Southampton_using_new_IVF_technology/

Genetics Test Day

The test went well... Yeah.

Final Day of Genetics

Today, we reviewed what we learned last class and took a short quiz on it.

Then, we learned a new concept called pedigrees.

Basically, pedigrees use symbols to determine who carries what gene for certain illnesses. Here is what a pedigree looks like:

After, we did some pedigree practice problems and that was it for this class.

Genetics Day 3

Today, we learned of different types of genetics, such as: Incomplete Dominance, Sex-Linked Crosses, and Medical Disease Inheritance.

Incomplete Dominance:

Incomplete Dominance is when one allele is not completely dominant over another allele. Here is an example: Yellow fur in guinea pigs is represented by: C^Y C^Y, White is represented by C^W C^W, and Cream is represented by C^Y C^W. Say a white guinea pig crosses with a white guinea pig, and produces all white guinea pigs. Cross a cream guinea pig with a cream guinea pig. Determine the phenotypic ratios.

Here's how you do it:

Simply use the foil method.

So then, you just convert the genotypes to phenotypes.

1 yellow : 2 cream : 1 white.

Sex-Linked crosses

Sex linked crosses are crosses that pass down traits through a sex chromosome.

Here is an example of a problem: 

Red  eyes is dominant over white eyes.

Red = R

White = r

Cross a homozygous red-eyed woman with a white eyed male.

Females are XX and Males are XY. Thus, because males don't have 2 X's, they can only have 1 half of an allele. Here is how you solve this problem:

So then you end up with 2 red-eyed females and 2 red-eyed males.

Medical Disease Inheritance

This has or so with blood types.

O, written as i, always is recessive.

A is written as I^A, AB is written as I^A I^B, and B  is written as I^B.

Blood type A can either be I^A or I^A i.

Blood type AB is the same as above.

Blood type B can either be I^B or I^B i.

Blood type O is I^O I^O or ii.

So here's a sample problem:

A mother has a blood type A, her daughter has blood type AB, and her son, blood type O.

What is the mother's blood?

Answer: I^A i, because without the i, then the son would never be able to have the blood type O.

That's it for this class.

Genetics Day 2

Today, we took a quiz on mono-hybrid crosses then went over di-hybrid crosses. This occurs when there are 2 genes involved in the cross. Here is an example of a di-hybrid cross problem. A heterozygous running, heterozygous white fur rabbit crosses with a homozygous running, homozygous brown fur rabbit. Determine the genotypic ratios. R = running r = waltzing. W = white w= brown. 

First, you can use Dr. Fitz's or Mr. Quick's way.

Here is Mr. Quick's way:

Then, you take each square from the left and combine them with all four from the right.

RRWw RRWw RRww RRww

RRWw RRWw RRww RRww

RrWw RrWw Rrww Rrww

RrWw RrWw Rrww Rrww

So the genotypic ratios would be:

4 RRWw : 4 RRww : 4 RrWw : 4 Rrww

Or 1:1:1:1

That was all for the di-hybrid cross class.