g chip decodes the picture information and sends electric pulses to the retina's ganglion cells, which take the visual signals to the brain. (NOVA)HeartThe heart is probably the most common and popular organ in the body. Its obviously the most import since it keeps us alive by pumping blood throughout the whole body. It pumps 55 million gallons of blood and beats more than 2.5 billion times during an average lifetime. Currently there are devices called left ventricular assist devices are implanted beside the patient's heart. (NOVA) These take over pumping for the left ventricle of the heart. Human trials will begin on a new artificial heart shortly. Researchers hope to bioengineer a human heart within ten years, possibly doing away with mechanical devices altogether. Bio-Tech CompaniesCelera GenomicsCelera Genomics a private firm and the Human Genome Project are both working for the same goal, to map the 3.1 billion DNA subunits in the human genome. Dr. Francis Collins the head of the Human Genome Project and Dr. Craig Venter head of Celera both denied that they are racing to complete the human genome. A Celera spokesman has been said that they would make their finding public and double check the results. But the Chicago Tribune reports that Celera Genomics could reap huge profits from the intellectual property of the gene sequencing and the machines it used to sequence. The huge profits will come from selling the genome databases to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Immunex Corporation has been the first large company to purchase rights to the database. (Gillis, 6/28) One thing that may stop the growth of Celera and companies like it is that fact that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is going to set new guidelines relating to the biotech industry. This is because they dont want selling genes to companies when they do not know what these genes do. But fully characterized genes, such as the one that predisposes women to br...
