Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

An enzyme that hydrolyzes (cuts) only a terminal phosphodiester bond of a nucleic acid. An enzyme that cleaves nucleotides from either the 3′ or 5′ ends of DNA or RNA.  

Amino acids present in the brain, which can kill brain cells when in excess (results from strokes, which cause the release of too many EAAs in the brain). Some spiders paralyze their prey with venom that contains a substance that blocks the action of EAAs (thus may be used to prevent brain damage in stroke…

Removal of cells (e.g., certain blood cells) from a patient’s body, alteration of those cells in one or more therapeutic ways, followed by re-insertion of the altered cells into the patient’s body.  

The testing of a substance by exposing it to (excised) living cells (but not to the whole, multicelled organism) in order to ascertain the effect of the substance (e.g., pharmaceutical) on the biochemistry of the cell.  

Refers to each instance of a genetically engineered organism. For example, the same gene inserted by man into a given plant genome at two different locations (i.e., loci) along that plant’s DNA would be considered two different “events.” Alternatively, two different genes inserted into the same locus of two same-species plants would also be considered…

One of the international SPS standard-setting organizations that develops plant health standards, guidelines and recommendations (e.g., to prevent transfer of a plant disease or plant pest from one country to another). Its secretariat is in Paris, France. EPPO is one of the organizations within the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and it covers the countries…

The Munich, Germany based agency of the European Union (EU)—established in 1977—that is responsible for common patent protection matters for all of the (EU) member countries, plus the non-EU countries of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The European Patent Office originally did not allow a “plant or animal breed” to be patented, whereas its American counterpart—the U.S.…

An international patent treaty signed in 1973, by which the countries of Europe agreed to recognize and honor the patents granted by each country, plus those patents granted by the European Patent Office (EPO). Plant varieties or animal breeds were initially excluded from patentability by the European Patent Convention. In 1997, the European Parliament removed…

A London-based agency of the European Union (EU) that began operation in 1 995. It coordinates drug licensing and safety matters throughout the nations of the EU. Its licensing/approval process is compulsory throughout the EU.