scholarly journals Genomics innovation: transforming healthcare, business, and the global economy

Genome ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 511-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerardo Jimenez-Sanchez

The genomics revolution has generated an unprecedented number of assets to propel innovation. Initial availability of genomics-based applications show a significant potential to contribute addressing global challenges, such as human health, food security, alternative sources of energies, and environmental sustainability. In the last years, most developed and emerging nations have established bioeconomy agendas where genomics plays a major role to meet their local needs. Genomic medicine is one of the most visible areas where genomics innovation is likely to contribute to a more individualized, predictive, and preventive medical practice. Examples in agriculture, dairy and beef, fishery, aquaculture, and forests industries include the effective selection of genetic variants associated to traits of economic value. Some, in addition to producing more and better foods, already represent an important increase in revenues to their respective industries. It is reasonable to predict that genomics applications will lead to a paradigm shift in our ability to ease significant health, economic, and social burdens. However, to successfully benefit from genomics innovations, it is imperative to address a number of hurdles related to generating robust scientific evidence, developing lower-cost sequencing technologies, effective bioinformatics, as well as sensitive ethical, economical, environmental, legal, and social aspects associated with the development and use of genomics innovations.

2012 ◽  
pp. 68-95
Author(s):  
Marco Seri ◽  
Claudio Graziano ◽  
Daniela Turchetti ◽  
Juri Monducci

The pace of discovery in the field of human genetics has increased exponentially in the last 30 years. We have witnessed the completion of the Human Genome Project, the identification of hundreds of disease-causing genes, and the dawn of genomic medicine (clinical care based on genomic information). Reduction of DNA sequencing costs, thanks to the so-called "next generation sequencing" technologies, is driving a shift towards the era of "personal genomes", but scientific as well as ethical challenges ahead are countless. We provide an overview on the classification of genetic tests, on informed consent procedures in the context of genetic counseling, and on specific ethical issues raised by the implementation of new DNA sequencing technologies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amishi Bhatt ◽  
Dhyey Kothari ◽  
Charmy Kothari ◽  
Ramesh Kothari

Most of our gut microbiota live with us in a mutually beneficial life-long relationship. The gut microbiota plays a vital role in the host’s overall health through its metabolic activities. Human microbiota might be supported by consuming friendly bacteria (probiotics) and consuming foods to improve the microbiota (prebiotics). During the last two decades, probiotics’ interest has increased with rising scientific shreds of evidence of benefits on human health. Hence, they have been exploited as various food products, mainly fermented foods. Probiotics as a treatment modality may restore normal microbiota and functioning of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Strong scientific evidence is associating these bacteria with the prevention and therapy of various GI disorders. (In light of the ongoing trend of probiotics, further research is needed to obtain the perspective of potential applications for better health. Probiotic applications have been extended from health applications to food and agricultural applications. The benefits of probiotics led to its applications in probiotic ‘health food’ industries and agricultural sectors.


Perspektif ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIBYO PRANOWO ◽  
MAMAN HERMAN ◽  
. SYAFARUDDIN

<p>ABSTRAK<br /><br />Kemiri sunan (Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw) merupakan salah satu jenis tanaman penghasil minyak nabati yang memiliki potensi besar sebagai sumber bahan baku untuk biodiesel. Tingkat produktivitas yang dapat mencapai 8-9 ton minyak kasar atau setara dengan 6-8 ton biodiesel/ha/tahun memiliki nilai strategis terkait dengan program pemerintah dalam mencari alternatif sumber energi baru yang terbarukan. Pengembangan sumber energi terbarukan seperti yang berasal dari minyak nabati kemiri sunan merupakan salah satu alternatif dalam upaya memenuhi defisit energi untuk keperluan domestik sehingga Indonesia dapat keluar dari himpitan krisis energi. Lahan-lahan yang telah terdegradasi di Indonesia dari tahun ke tahun luasnya semakin bertambah baik karena faktor alam maupun karena eksploitasi yang tidak terkendali. Disisi lain pengembangan tanaman sumber BBN terkendala karena keterbatasan lahan. Kajian yang telah dilakukan secara intensif terhadap karakteristik tanaman, minyak dan biodiesel yang dihasilkannya, serta daya adaptasinya yang sangat luas terhadap beragam agroekosistem yang ada di Indonesia, tanaman kemiri sunan memberikan harapan yang baik disamping sebagai sumber bahan baku biodiesel, juga dapat berfungsi sebagai tanaman konservasi untuk mereklamasi lahan-lahan marginal yang telah terdegradasi. Disamping itu, pengembangan tanaman kemiri sunan di lahan yang telah terdegradasi tidak hanya akan dapat meningkatkan nilai ekonomi lahan tersebut, tetapi juga dapat dijadikan tanaman yang bernilai ekonomi tinggi, serta mampu menyediakan kebutuhan energi bagi masyarakat sekitar maupun ke wilayah yang lebih luas. <br />Kata kunci: Kemiri sunan, biodiesel, energi baru terbarukan, lahan terdegradasi, lahan bekas tambang.<br /><br />ABSTRACT</p><p>The Multiple Benefits of Developing Kemiri Sunan (Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw) In Degraded Land<br /><br />Kemiri sunan (Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw) is one kind of vegetable oil crops that have great potential as a source of raw material for biodiesel. The productivity level that can reach 8-9 tons of crude oil, equivalent to 6-8 tons of biodiesel/ha/year make as a strategic commodity associated with government programs to find alternative sources of renewable energy. Development of renewable energy such as from vegetable oils of kemiri sunan is one of the alternatives in an effort to solve the deficit of energy for domestic use so that Indonesia can way out of the crush of the energy crisis. Lands that have been degraded in Indonesia continuously increasing both cause of the extent of natural factors and uncontrolled exploitation. On the other hand the development of this plants retricted by aviability of land. The research88 Volume 14 Nomor 2, Des 2015 : 87 - 101 studies have been conducted on the characteristics of plants, oil and biodiesel production, and adaptability in very broadly of Indonesian agro-ecosystem, this plant show well hopes besides as a source of raw material for biodiesel, it can also function as a conservation plant to reclaim marginal lands that have been degraded. In addition, the development of kemiri sunan on degraded land will not only be able to increase the economic value of the land, but also can be used as crops of high economic value, and able to provide for the energy needs of the surrounding communities and to the wider region.<br />Keywords: Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw, biodiesel, renewable energy, degraded land, post mained land.</p>


2021 ◽  
pp. 37-68
Author(s):  
R. I. Kapeliushnikov

The paper presents a wide set of estimates for returns to education in Russia, introducing a number of new sources of microdata that previosly remained unused by both Russian and foreign researchers. Until now virtually all available estimates for Russia were based on data from a single source — The Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey — Higher School of Economics (RLMS-HSE). According to these data, since the mid-2000s returns to education rapidly declined and have dropped to abnormally low levels. The paper tests the thesis of ultra-low economic value of Russian education using data from three alternative representative surveys regularly conducted by Rosstat. The analysis shows that currently returns to education in Russia reach 12—13%, which is much higher than the standard RLMS estimates. University-type tertiary education almost doubles earnings (its premium approaches to 100%), and even short-cycle tertiary education provides a premium of about 20—30%. Alternative sources also indicate that over the past 15 years, returns to education in Russia remained stable and, therefore, no decreasing trend in the economic value of education has been observed. This makes it possible to reject the currently popular thesis about abnormally low returns to education in Russia.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 462-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Getzner ◽  
Denise Schulz-Zak

The European Union’s regulation for chemical safety (REACH) addresses the registration, evaluation, assessment, and consequent authorization (or restriction) of chemicals which are potentially harmful for both public health and the environment. The current study aims at ascertaining the costs and benefits of the REACH framework for the Austrian economy under major uncertainties, and draws on a wide range of databases on public and workplace health, chemical accidents in households, and the potential environmental impacts of harmful chemicals.The uncertainties in the REACH system assessments of the effects of chemicals on health lie not only in the insufficiency of scientific evidence but also in the economic evaluation of effects on health, especially in regard to the value of statistical life (VSL), and the economic value of diseases attributed to chemicals.This benefit-cost analysis (BCA) of the REACH system in Austria therefore takes into account these manifold uncertainties by designing a conservative baseline scenario and by varying all determinants in comprehensive sensitivity analyses. Projected over a period of about 30 years, this paper provides evidence that the REACH system most probably leads to net benefits for the Austrian economy (benefit-cost ratio of about 10.6) even though many benefits are still highly uncertain or unknown.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Kaya ◽  
Evren Tok ◽  
Muammer Koc ◽  
Toufic Mezher ◽  
I-Tsung Tsai

This paper develops a theoretical model to analyze whether a rentier state can diversify its economy away from the rent revenue and hence sustain the economic development and preserve the status-quo. Considering the decarbonization process of the global economy and rapidly fall in economic value of hydrocarbons in the face of the supply glut, rentier states depending on oil and gas revenues urgently need to diversify their economies to avoid social backlash and political upheaval. There are three intertwining factors that determine an effective economic diversification away from the rent revenue: The profitability of non-rentier sectors, the size of the domestic economy to induce a “Big Push” for industrialization to non-rentier sectors, and the level of economic inclusivity. For an optimal level of economic diversification in a rentier state: (1) Non-rentier sectors should be attractive to private agents without the entry barriers; (2) domestic economy should be large enough to induce investment into non-rentier sectors; (3) the ruler(s) should have sufficient tolerance (inclusivity) for private agents investing into non-rentier sectors. Our findings indicate that a rentier state can achieve an optimal level of economic diversification provided that the conditions above are met even without any political change.


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Thistlethwaite

Although rarely studied, international accounting standards shape what information regarding a firm's environmental performance is communicated to international financial markets. This article builds on scholarship describing the influence of international accounting standards on private financial markets to show that nominally technical choices regarding how to recognize and measure firms' environmental impacts hold the potential to reduce these impacts. Obscure accounting debates within the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) mask important political choices about what a firm must disclose to investors about its environmental liabilities and risks. IASB decisions about how these appear on corporate balance sheets change the link between a firm's environmental performance and its economic value and, thereby, contribute to steering private financial markets toward rewarding sustainable behavior within the global economy. This analysis demonstrates the authority of the IASB as an overlooked source of global environmental governance.


1993 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 607-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Barron ◽  
Gordon J. Vanscoy

OBJECTIVE: To contrast scientific facts with suggested manufacturers' claims regarding food supplements (natural products) marketed for enhanced athletic prowess. DATA SOURCES: A MEDLINE search was performed to obtain documentation supporting the claims of natural-product manufacturers. In addition, several references pertaining to pharmacognosy, natural products, herbs, pharmacy practice, and sports medicine were reviewed. Claims were obtained from promotional advertisements in bodybuilding magazines, product labels, and fact sheets for sales representatives in nutrition and health-food stores. DATA EXTRACTION: We reviewed all of the clinical trials, published between 1966 and 1992, relative to the manufacturers' claims regarding these products. DATA SYNTHESIS: Pertinent human and/or animal studies supporting each natural product were compared with the manufacturers' claims. CONCLUSIONS: We found that there was no published scientific evidence to support the promotional claims for a large proportion of the products (8/19,42 percent). Only 4 of 19 products (21 percent) were associated with any documented human clinical trials supporting their promotional claims. Six of 19 agents (32 percent) had some scientific documentation to support their promotional claims; however, these products were judged to be marketed in a misleading manner.


2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-102
Author(s):  
Elena M. Stoffel ◽  
John M. Carethers

The prevalence of genetic predisposition to cancer is greater than initially appreciated, yet most affected individuals remain undiagnosed. Deleterious germline variants in cancer predisposition genes are implicated in 1 in 10 cases of advanced cancer. Next-generation sequencing technologies have made germline and tumor DNA sequencing more accessible and less expensive. Expanded access to clinical genetic testing will improve identification of individuals with genetic predisposition to cancer and provide opportunities to effectively reduce morbidity through precision cancer therapies and surveillance. Cross-disciplinary clinical education in genomic medicine is needed to translate advances in genomic medicine into improved health outcomes.


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