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Glow in the dark cats may lead to important advances in finding a cure for HIV

Cats That Glow For AIDS Research Join List of Animals That Shine http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/09/14/140465088/cats-that-glow-for-aids-research-join-list-of-animals-that-shine 'Green-Glowing' Cats May Help to Fight Against HIV/AIDS http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/213108/20110913/glowing-cats-mayo-clinic-japan-hiv-aids.htm The Scientist: Fluorescent Cats Aid Research http://the-scientist.com/2011/09/13/fluorescent-cats-aid-research/ Glowing Animals: Pictures of Beasts Shining For Science http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/photogalleries/glowing-animal-pictures International Society for Transgenic Technologies http://www.transtechsociety.org/ The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2008 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2008/ "Glow in the dark" animals have been around for a few years, but scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Yamaguchi University in Japan have come up with a rather curious use for such creatures. This week, researchers at these two institutions announced that they had genetically modified cats to glow in the dark. The cats were created by using a virus to carry a gene, called green fluorescent protein, into the eggs from which these animals eventually grew. It is hoped that this type of genetic modification will allow scholars to learn about vital clues for treating the AIDS virus. The idea is that scientists will now be able to monitor the activity of individual genes or cells in cats, and eventually in a number of different animals. This type of genetic modification expresses fluoresces when illuminated with UV light, which produces a green glow that scientists use to track the activity of individual genes or cells. Commenting on the work he shared with his colleagues, Eric Poeschla of the Mayo Clinic remarked, "One of the best things about this biomedical research is that it is aimed at benefiting both human and feline health." The first link will take visitors to a post from this Wednesday's NPR blog "The Two Way" about this recent discovery. The second link leads to an article from this Tuesday's International Business Times which offers some more details about the world of "green" cats. Moving along, the third link will take visitors to "The Nutshell" column from The Scientist website which also delves into fluorescence, kittens, and genetic modification. The fourth link will whisk users away to an interesting photographic feature on animals that have glowed in the name of science, courtesy of the folks at National Geographic. The fifth link leads to the homepage for the International Society for Transgenic Technologies (ISTT). Here visitors can learn about courses like "Genetics of Laboratory Rodents" and also view professional information about the ISTT and their activities. The last link will take interested parties to the official Nobel Prize page for the individuals who won the prize in 2008. They received the prize for developing the technique used by the researchers working on these cats, and the technique is now widely used throughout the world.
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September 16th, 2011
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Date of Scout Publication
September 16th, 2011
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September 16th, 2011 at 8:02am
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September 20th, 2011 at 11:27am
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