Update on Bear Biochemistry and Osteoporosis
The Wall Street Journal looks at ongoing research into the secrets of bear biochemistry: "Why don't bears suffer from osteoporosis during hibernation, he asked himself during one wilderness encounter nearly a decade ago? Even a few weeks of inactivity for humans, and most animals, are enough to soften and weaken bones. But bears snooze as much as six months a year and wake up robust and ready to rumble. ... bears have a uniquely potent form of a substance called parathyroid hormone, which helps maintain bones. The ursine version of the substance spurs bone growth when it normally wouldn't occur, offsetting the deterioration that one would expect for a bear snoozing away in the woods. Dr. Donahue's group has sequenced the gene for the bear parathyroid hormone and has had a small amount of it made synthetically. He's applied for a government grant to fund the lab's efforts to insert the gene into bacteria and coax them to produce the substance." It's a fair way from basic research such as this to accurate, safe control over human biochemistry - but that is the end goal.
Link: http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119983481583876129.html