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Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - August 16, 2010

August 16, 2010

Volume 3 Issue 4

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- August 16, 2010 -

Welcome to GenOmics the bi-weekly newsletter from Genome Alberta. You are receiving this because of past contact with us but there is no need to unsubscribe to anything. We just want to take a few minutes of your time to update you on some of our ongoing activities.

In particular you might want to check out our digital art contest, check out the top stories from our GenOmics life sciences news site, check a sample of articles from our GE3LS Digest, and see what events are coming up of interest to the biotech community.

Of course we do hope you’ll subscribe to some of our regular features.

GenOmics – our bi-weekly information update
GE³LS Digest – a round-up of information related to Genomics, ethics, environment, and societal issues.
Twitter – follow us as @mikesgene or @GenomeAlberta
Blogs – subscribe to our blog RSS feed

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

GE³LS Digest

Events

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Genomics News

Mini-Livestock Symposium

On Tuesday, September 7^th, Genome Alberta and the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will be hosting an afternoon symposium where we have some excellent speakers in Calgary to talk about livestock genomics. The event will take place at the U of C and there will be no charge to attend. Here is the tentative schedule and you can check our home page at http://genomealberta.ca for registration details and exact location later this month.

1:30 pm Opening: David Bailey, President and CEO Genome Alberta

1:35 pm Deb Hamernik, Associate Director, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, Professor, Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska, Lincoln NB, USA Steve Kappes, Deputy Administrator for Animal Production and Protection USDA-ARS. Beltsville MD, USA

2:15 pm Martien Groenen, Professor Animal Science, Wageningen Research University, the Netherlands

2:55 pm Break

3:20 pm Heidi Parker, Senior Staff Scientist, Cancer Genetics Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute of NIH.

4:00 pm Close and wrap-up: Alastair Cribb, Dean Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

Digital Art Contest & National Biotechnology Week

If you're interested in digital art, why not turn your hand to creating something unique and have it showcased during National Biotechnology Week in Canada.

We're running a digital art contest which is underway now through to Biotechnology Week. We have cash prizes for first, second, and third place and all entries will be considered for use in Genome Alberta's print publications, on our website and on our GenOmics news site on Facebook. It is an excellent chance to use art to express your thoughts about how biotechnology has become part of our world, some of the advantages it has brought to us, and where we should be thinking about the possible implications. We are accepting entries now through to September 16^th and look forward to hearing from you. Our last contest winners came from Israel, Ontario, and Quebec so it wouldn't hurt to get your entry in early to grab those early votes.

Check our blog pages for full details or send an e-mail to Communications Director Mike Spear for more information.

Genome Canada, Genome Alberta, our partner Genome Centres across Canada, and BIOTECanada are getting together to mark National Biotechnology Week in Canada from September 17^th to the 24^th in other ways as well. There will be special events during that week and we'll be working with BioAlberta to co-sponsor some of those activities here in Alberta. Check our home page at http://genomealberta.ca in late August for more details and we’ll be sure to update you in the next issue of GenOmics.

New Genome Atlantic Board Members

Genome Atlantic has two new Board members, both with roots in Atlantic Canada.

Ms. Kathy Penney was born and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador. Currently a Regulatory and Environmental Manager with Shell Canada, Ms. Penney has over 20 years experience in environmental management, regulatory strategy, aboriginal and stakeholder consultation and biophysical, socio-cultural and socio-economic systems with companies such as Petro Canada and Jacques Whitford. Ms. Penney's expertise lies in regulatory, consultation, government relations, negotiation and conflict resolution in large projects related to land use, water, energy and the environment. Her leadership skills have been instrumental in a variety of large-scale, multi-billion-dollar projects across Canada.

Dr. William Davidson brings an outstanding background in genomics as well as an in-depth understanding of research in Atlantic Canada. Born in Scotland, Dr. Davidson spent 18 years at Memorial University of Newfoundland in roles that included professor and department head in the biochemistry department and dean of science. He is currently a professor in the department of molecular biology and biochemistry at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.

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GenOmics Top Stories

GenOmics is part of an Open Source community platform supported by Newscloud. Genome Alberta’s Communications Director Mike Spear has been highlighting the application at social media and government conferences around North America and will be talking about it at the U.S. National Association of Science Writers’ Annual General Meeting in November. The platform software will also be showcased at the World News Editors Forum in Germany in November. We like to view GenOmics as a 24 hours life science newsroom but it is also being used by a variety of media organizations including the Boston Globe, The Charlotte Observer, NPR Radio, and ProPublica.

You can replace many of your science news digests and feeds with GenOmics which rounds up some of the latest news, video, audio, and image and put them all in one place.

Here is a sample of some of this week’s stories but you can find more by going to the site at http://facebook.genomealberta.ca There is no charge and you don’t have to register to read the latest life science news.

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Found on Twitter

While Facebook boasts 500 million users and a lot of attention in the social media world, Twitter is generating more and more content. Last week Twitter hit 20 billion tweets (according to the tracking service GigaTweet, whose numbers, though unofficial, are pretty accurate). Genome Alberta has a growing number of followers who track @mikesgene or @GenomeAlberta and we encourage you to not only see what Twitter is all about, but how we it can be used in the life science sector.

Here is a small sample of what we’ve come across over the last 2 weeks and you can find a more complete list on our latest Twitter Snips blog entry.

@BiologyAnswers What is cell theory? http://bit.ly/dA1Vj8

@BitesizeBio Part 3 of Jode Plank's series on Writing your first (or next) paper is now up at BsB http://tinyurl.com/2ue7jms

@Comprendia Science blogs aggregator from @davewiner (thx @maverickny) http://bit.ly/9oH9gJ

@idtdna Study Finds Diet and Alcohol Alter Epigenetics of Breast Cancer and Could Predict Severity of Disease http://ow.ly/2jXBI

@JoVEJournal : "the primary means by which scientists communicate with each other has remained frozen in time." http://fb.me/EaD9tOgy

@PR4Science NY Times - science communications - specialized journalists a vanishing breed. opportunity for science PR? http://tinyurl.com/249x5bb

The people behind the tweets:

@BiologyAnswers Biology Questions and Answers is a website that explains the entire Biology through reviews made of questions and answers. http://www.biology-questions-and-answers.com/

@BitesizeBio Tweets from everyone at Bitesize Bio, the home of tasty brain food - articles, seminars, questions - for cell and molecular biologists http://www.bitesizebio.com/

@Comprendia Mary Canady tweets for her company Comprendia a Biotechnology and Life Sciences Marketing and Business Development company in San Diego. More at http://comprendia.com/

@idtdna is the company account for Integrated DNA Technologies in Iowa

@JoVEJournal PubMed Indexed Online Video Journal for Methods and Research in Biological Sciences www.jove.com

@PR4Science Robyn Quinn is based in Saanich, B.C. where she toils away communicating science and technology takes mini wiener dog walks and who is very fond of golfing. Not well she says, but thats another profile.

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GE³LS Digest

Making 'BioArt' a cultural practice – July 30, 2010

At this year's Society for Social Studies Conference at the University of Tokyo, Aug. 25-29, there will be a session on "BioArt," which begs the question: What would that be? BioArt describes the variety of art forms emerging in the last two decades that use biotechnology or genetics to manipulate living things, altering food, plants, even livestock. In best do-it- yourself tradition, artists have started to swap their studios for laboratories and are using molecular biology to deliberately create hybrids, clones or mutations as artistic expressions. So is science the new art? A question posed by author Ingeborg Reichle in the newly published and thorough compendium about biotechnology and art "Art in the Age of Technoscience: Genetic Engineering, Robotics, and Artificial Life in Contemporary Art."

GenOmics’ Editors have added a video interview with Eduardo Kac.

Who’s afraid of genetically modified foods – August 4, 2010

We cannot turn back the clock on agriculture and only use methods that were developed to feed a much smaller population. It took some, 10,000 years to expand food production to the current level of about 5 billion tons per year. By 2025, we will have to nearly double current production again. This increase cannot be accomplished unless farmers across the world have access to current high-yielding crop production methods as well as new biotechnical breakthroughs that can increase the yields dependability, and nutritional quality for our basic crops. We need to bring common sense into the debate on agricultural science and technology and the sooner the better. -Norman E. Barlaug
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, 1970

GenOmics’ Editors have included a video interview with Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug taking about genetically modified crops.

DNA Dilemma: The Full Interview With the FDA on DTC Genetic Tests – August 5, 2010

In an interview yesterday, the FDA made some potentially controversial and confusing statements about consumer genetics, an area it’s in the process of deciding how to regulate. I criticize the agency in my piece for not being fully transparent, so it’s only fair that I live up to my own standards and post the entire interview here (I’ve edited out stammering and a few digressions for clarity, but all other quotes are faithful to the tape). Besides, since these issues can be very confusing, I wanted the FDA to have an opportunity to have all its statements on the record. Here is a transcript of the interview, with Alberto Gutierrez and Elizabeth Mansfield, respectively the FDA’s director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Device Evaluation and Safety and its director for personalized medicine in the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health:

GenOmics’ Editors have added a video interview of Alberto Gutierrez of the FDA talking about genetic diagnostic testing

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Events

Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference

The theme of this year's Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2010) is Bridging Biology and Business and features three streams: energy, Health, and Sustainability.
This is an annual event for industry leaders, policy makers, scientists, researchers and other professionals working in the area of agricultural biotechnology. The conference is a forum where the latest scientific advances in agricultural biotechnology are presented, and where future directions of the technology are highlighted and discussed. Attendees will hear about advances, barriers and action options which may influence science and business endeavours on a global scale.
There will be plenary speakers, a full breakout program, poster session, and a trade show.

When:September 12-15
Where:TCU Place, 35 - 22nd Street East, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

You can view agenda details on the ABIC website.

International Data Sharing Conference

The University of Oxford is taking a non-traditional approach to this conference by moving away from a format of prepared presentation series.
Instead the event will have plenary sessions of invited speakers at the beginning and end of the conference as well as at the beginning and end of every day. These will be broadcast in real time and podcast to reach a wide audience. For the rest of the conference there will be parallel panel sessions designed to encourage conversation and the exchange of ideas.
The conference content will focus on how data sharing practices are changing scientific practice, as well as the technological, legal, ethical and social challenges for people working in the field of genomics.

Where: St. Hugh's College, University of Oxford
When: September 20 -22, 2010

Visit the conference website for registration details

Banff Venture Forum

The Forum is designed to showcase the hottest hi-tech companies from across North America, offer insight into key issues within the industry, provide networking opportunities and give companies a chance to learn from world-class professionals in the investment community.
There are three streams of Information Technology, Energy Technology, and Life Sciences Technology for participant to showcase themselves to leading private equity and venture capital investors.

Where: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Alberta
When: September 23 & 24, 2010

For more information visit the main conference website.

AdvaMed 2010

AdvaMed 2010 MedTech Conference is one of North America’s biggest medical technology, business development, and policy forum events. Whether you need to finance, partner, or license technology; learn the latest important developments in reimbursement, regulatory, legal, intellectual property, and other critical areas; or meet with and hear from leaders in the Obama Administration and Congress, AdvaMed 2010 is your introduction to key decision-makers.

BioAlberta members have access to reduced early (until Aug 20), standard (through Oct 15) and on-site (Oct 18-20) registration rates. For more information on this program and the special member registration code, contact Charlene Navarra at charlene@bioalberta.com

Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
When: October 18 - 20, 2010

Visit the conference website for more details or visit our calendar page to also see a video of James Mazzo, Senior Vice President of Abbott Medical Optics talking about the benefits of attending AdvaMed.

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GE3LS Digest - September 1, 2010

September 1, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: September 1, 2010

This news digest is published by GE³LS at Genome Alberta. Feel free to forward to your colleagues.
To view past issues of the GE3LS Digest or to subscribe to the Digest please go to:
http://genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/newsletters.aspx

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NEWS

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What's the beef? All you need to know about cloned meat -- August 5, 2010
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/05/what-s-the-beef-all-you-need-to-know-about-cloned-meat-115875-22465860/
It sounds like something out of science fiction - but this week the news that meat from cloned cows could be on our dinner plates or takeaway burgers makes it very much science fact. The revelations have created a storm of controversy but what is all the fuss about cloning? Can you spot if your Sunday roast is from a cloned cow? And if it is, should you be worried about it? Here we put some meat on the bones of a tough issue. What is a clone? A clone is an exact genetic copy of an animal or plant with identical DNA. The first cloned mammal was Dolly the sheep born in June 1996 at the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh, who lived to the age of six. Other animals which have been cloned are cows, mice, pigs, goats, dogs, cats, horses and mules.

GM fruit may be more acceptable if consumers see personal gain - August 11, 2010
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science-Nutrition/GM-fruit-may-be-more-acceptable-if-consumers-see-personal-gain
Consumers could be more accepting of genetically modified foods if they deliver some personal benefit, a new study on attitudes to hypoallergenic apples suggests. Genetically-modified (GM) foods have met with strong resistance from consumers in the EU, partly due to concerns over long-term health and environmental implications, but also because many products proposed on the market so far have been perceived as delivering benefits to farmers or industry, but not to consumers. However research is underway to develop GM crops with traits that are beneficial to humans. For instance, biotech firms such as BASF and Monsanto have been working on plants engineered to contain omega-3 long chain fatty acids. Moreover, the technology can enable gene silencing so that particular allergens can be eliminated from a product. This approach has already been investigated for soy, tomatoes and peanuts, as well as apples. The new research, which has been accepted for publication in the Elsevier journal Food Quality and Preference, set out to capture the views on an apple that had been engineered to be hypoallergenic amongst consumers with a mild allergy to apples. They wanted to gauge whether consumers might accept both the GM products, and the processes that created them.

The Race to the Perfect Price – August 16, 2010
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/science/article_195680a2-a424-11df-a130-001cc4c03286.html
When the CEO of a local biotech company saw actress Glenn Close at a party, he asked for more than her autograph. He wanted to take a peek at her DNA. Jay Flatley, who runs Illumina, hoped to take an in-depth look at the three billion ladder rungs that make up a strand of Close's DNA. This analysis, called genome sequencing, would tell the Fatal Attraction star about her genetic risk of developing disease. In return, her participation would give Illumina major attention. Close said yes, and Illumina scored in the genome-sequencing publicity sweepstakes -- but not for long. Three months after Illumina announced its Close connection in March, a competitor, Carlsbad's Life Technologies, countered with a celebrity of its own. It would sequence the DNA of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, who joked the results might explain why he's still alive after biting off a bat's head and enduring years of drug use.

The case for putting genomic medicine to work – August 16, 2010
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/aug/16/case-putting-genomic-medicine-work/
We are all biologically unique, even those of us who have an “identical” twin. The way we respond to a medication varies considerably, from being unresponsive or hyper-responsive, or developing serious side effects. Our knowledge about pharmacogenomics — the interaction of one’s genes with medications — is exploding, and this area now represents the biggest advance in the first decade since the human genome was sequenced. We now know the principal genes — and common variations in these genes — that are connected to the muscle inflammation side effects from statins (the No. 1-prescribed group of medicines for lowering cholesterol), the response to Plavix to prevent blood clots, the response to Interferon therapy for hepatitis C, the liver side effects of antibiotics like flucloxacillin, and many more. There is remarkable waste in the use of prescription medications, now accounting for $300 billion per year in the United States. This is because the drugs don’t work in many people, or the dose is incorrect, or severe side effects occur and lead to hospitalizations and consumption of more medical resources.

Would You Take the New Alzheimer’s Test? – August 18, 2010
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2010/08/would-you-take-the-new-alzheimers-test/
The news that an international team has found a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease in spinal fluid has surely caused much soul-searching since it was reported last week. Perhaps most striking was the observation that, in the dispassionate language of medical science, “The unexpected presence of the AD signature in more than one-third of cognitively normal subjects suggests that Alzheimer’s pathology is active and detectable earlier than has heretofore been envisioned.” This finding suggests that many people who are destined for the disease can be diagnosed some time before they develop any obvious symptoms. This development is a sign of how elegant the power of detection in modern medicine has become. But it’s also a reminder of how clumsy the power of treatment remains. We’ve seen that with genetics: For all of the talk about genetically engineering super-babies, by splicing and dicing chromosomes, it looks like information from embryonic DNA will mostly be used (for better or worse, depending on your perspective) when couples fearing genetic disease want to select healthier embryos to implant.

Study: In Communicating about Nano and GMOs, Do the Frames or the Facts Matter? – August 20, 2010
http://bigthink.com/ideas/22955
When attempting to communicate effectively with the public about a science-related debate, which is more important, framing the message or conveying science-based facts about the topic? A forthcoming study (Word) at the Journal of Communication by Northwestern University researchers James Druckman and Toby Bolsen sheds new light on this long standing question. As I will be highlighting at this blog, previous research consistently finds that the public typically form opinions in the absence of factual information, instead relying on mental short-cuts based on personal experience, values, and the selective presentation—or “framing”--of an issue. Frames influence perceptions and decisions because they focus on just one dimension of a complex topic over another, in the process communicating why an issue matters, why it might be personally relevant, and why a related action might lead to specific benefits or risks.

GM salmon may go on sale in US after public consultation – August 25, 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/25/gm-salmon-us-fda-consultation
US authorities today began the process to approve the first GM animal for human consumption.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a 60-day period of consultation and public meetings over whether to permit a GM strain of salmon to be eaten by humans, even though it has been called a "frankenfish" by critics. The approval process could take less than a year, and if it gets the green light the fish could be on the market in 18 months. Environmentalists and scientists see the decision as marking a threshold. If it is approved it is likely to open the door to a large range of GM animals being raised for consumption. If not, scientists say that will have a negative effect on research, in part because there will be no money to be made from it. Among the considerations by the FDA is whether, if the fish is approved for consumption, it must be labelled as genetically engineered.

Newspaper Editorials React To Stem Cell Policy Reversal – August 27, 2010
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/199146.php
Newspapers across the country published editorials reacting to U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth's recent ruling challenging the legality of the Obama administration's guidelines allowing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Summaries of the editorials appear below.
~ Boston Globe: "Stung by a federal court ruling that has frozen federal support for research with embryonic stem cells, President Obama should move on three fronts: in court, in Congress, and in the public square," the editorial states. It continues, "To minimize disruption in laboratories all over the country, the Obama administration should work to reverse Lamberth's ruling as quickly as possible." In addition, "the president should also use this moment to rally voters and Congress to clarify" the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, which bars the use of federal money for research that destroys embryos. It concludes, "Few families have been left untouched by a disease that could be the subject of stem cell research. This research should not become another occasion for congressional gridlock. Obama needs to push his case strongly, and the public will respond.”

New Court Ruling Could Cripple Stem-Cell Research: Once again, federal funding restrictions cast uncertainty over the field. – August 30, 2010
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/26150/
It was just 18 months ago that U.S. scientists studying embryonic stem cells thought their nearly decade-long battle for federal funding was finally won. President Obama had signed an executive order ending a restrictive policy enacted in 2001 by President Bush. That policy had blocked federal funds from being used to study most human embryonic stem cells. But a surprise ruling by a lower court last week left the stem-cell community stunned. A federal judge issued an injunction, blocking federal funding for any research involving embryonic stem cells. Researchers say the decision--even if it is later reversed--will have a damaging effect on the field, stunting promising medical research that was just building momentum. All grants under review at the nation's largest funding agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that involve human embryonic stem cells have been put on hold while the NIH and other government agencies try to get the injunction reversed.

‘Extra healthy' apples on the way as scientists crack genetic code for Golden Delicious –August 30, 2010
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1307185/Extra-healthy-apples-way-scientists-crack-genome-Golden-Delicious.html
The genetic code of the apple has been mapped by researchers, paving the way for crunchier, juicier and healthier fruits to be developed. The information from the Golden Delicious variety is already being used to breed red-fleshed apples with more anti-oxidants, which are credited with health benefits from keeping joints healthy to warding off Alzheimer’s. Apples that suppress appetite could also be in the pipeline, with the first varieties on shelves within five yearsResearcher Roger Hellens of New Zealand firm Plant & Food Research, said: ‘Now we have the sequence of the apple genome, we will be able to identify the genes which control the characteristics that our sensory scientists have identified as most desired by consumers – crispiness, juiciness and flavour.’

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PAPERS

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Policy Recommendations from the 13th ICABR Conference on the Emerging Bioeconomy
http://www.agbioforum.org/v13n2/v13n2a01-smyth.htm
The International Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology Research held its 13th annual conference in Ravello, Italy in June 2009. The theme of the conference was the bioeconomy, and this topic was addressed through research presentations from academia, government, and industry. Numerous presentations from developing countries highlighted the benefits of agricultural biotechnology in these nations. The broad range of presentations provided a wealth of insights, resulting in three policy recommendations regarding future funding, international regulation, and technology transfer.

The Adoption and Diffusion of GM Crops in United States: A Real Option Approach
http://www.agbioforum.org/v13n2/v13n2a06-savastano.htm
The article aims at modelling adoption and diffusion decisions of farmers towards genetically modified crops under a real option framework. Modern GM crops help farmers to resolve two main sources of uncertainty: output uncertainty and input uncertainty. Those crops represent a revolutionary form of farming compared to the technology adoption studied in the literature in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The article develops a theoretical model of adoption and diffusion of new GM crops under uncertainty and irreversibility. We test our theoretical predictions using data from 2000 to 2008 of a panel dataset constructed for 13 US states involved in the production of four different GM crops. These conclusions may appear to contradict the general perception of a delayed penetration for the GM crops, whose success seems to be retarded by lack of information, mistrust, and an exaggerated perception of risks. GM crops tend to be invasive, in that their short-term profitability is so high as compared with the investment needed, that once the hump of uncertainty is overcome, they operate a veritable takeover of agriculture.

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CONFERENCES/EVENTS

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The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

British Human Genetics Conference 2010
September 6-8, 2010
Birmingham, UK
http://www.bshg.org.uk/BSHG.htm

Personalized and Translational Medicine
September 21-20, 2010
Boston, MA
http://www.conferencealerts.com/seeconf.mv?q=ca16i380

American Society for Human Genetics
November 2-6, 2010
Washington DC
http://www.ashg.org/2010meeting/

International Data Sharing Conference 2010
September 20-22, 2010
St Hugh's College, Oxford

Register your place now to avoid missing out!
New ways of using vast amounts of data could transform scientific practice for the better. It is vital that decisions about the use of individual medical data are as well-informed as possible. The International Data Sharing Conference 2010 will provide a venue in which debates about these issues can flourish, and will be of interest to anyone concerned about large international projects involving personal medical data.

The International Data Sharing Conference 2010 will bring together key figures from academia, research ethics committees and clinical practice to discuss these issues. It will raise a number of technological, legal, ethical and social challenges for people working in the field of medical research.

The conference will seek to address some of the challenges of data sharing, such as:

Can we promise anonymity of research participants when medical records, whole sequences and phenotypic data are being used for research purposes?
What is the best way to harmonise different datasets collected for different purposes?
Should participants be fed back individual findings?
Are our national research governance systems adequate to cope with global data sharing?
What new IT mechanisms exist to share data and samples that address some of these issues?
How should data-generators be rewarded for their efforts to the scientific community?
What projects provide examples of good practice?

The conference will use a conversational format, using panels focussed on specific questions to generate insights into these issues. Our plenary sessions will focus on feedback, new technologies for data sharing, governance structures for research and safeguarding identifiability.

In addition to the plenary panel sessions, there will be break-out sessions, workshops, presentations in a ten minute ‘stations’ format, a ‘meet the experts’ lunch, and presentations by our artists in residence.

We have an exciting range of speakers from different fields and different countries around the world. You can see all the details on the conference programme

It is very important to register now or as soon as possible, as the conference is now only 5 weeks away and we expect a flurry of registrations at around this time, so please secure your place if you wish to attend, before they run out!!

Conference Website: http://www.publichealth.ox.ac.uk/helex/events/data-sharing-international-conference-1
Registration: https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/courses/coursedetails.asp?CourseDateID=126&CourseID=72&compid=1

For further details please do not hesitate to contact helexconference@dphpc.ox.ac.uk.

Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - September 1, 2010

September 1, 2010

Volume 3 Issue 5

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- September 1, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

GE³LS Digest

Events

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Genomics News

Mini Livestock Symposium

On Tuesday, September 7^th, Genome Alberta and the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will be hosting an afternoon symposium where we have some excellent speakers on hand talk about livestock genomics. The event will take place at the U of C Health Sciences Centre Theatre 3, 3280 Hospital Drive NW.

There is no charge to attend and everyone is invited. For more information contact Mike Spear at Genome Alberta at 403-503-5220.

1:30 pm   Opening: David Bailey, President and CEO Genome Alberta

1:35 pm    Deb Hamernik, Associate Director, Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station, Professor, Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska; Steve Kappes, Deputy Administrator for Animal Production and Protection USDA-ARS

2:15 pm    Martien Groenen, Professor Animal Science, Wageningen Research University, the Netherlands

2:55 pm    Break

3:20 pm    Heidi Parker, Senior Staff Scientist, Cancer Genetics Branch at the National Human Genome Research Institute of NIH.

4:00 pm    Close and wrap-up: Alastair Cribb, Dean Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

New CIHR Publication Award

The Institute of Genetics of CIHR has launched the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Genetics (CIHR-IG) Lap-Chee Tsui Publication Awards, a set of prizes for exceptional trainee-conducted research that falls within the mandate of the Institute of Genetics. The Institute established the awards to honour one of Canada's greatest geneticists, Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui, whose discovery of the gene for cystic fibrosis was a milestone in human genetic disease research.

Each year, a total of up to four $1000 prizes will be made available for published, peer-reviewed scientific articles by Ph.D. level graduate students, post-doctoral fellows or medical residents. Two awards will be for publications in biomedical research, and two awards will be for publications in clinical, health services, population health, or genetic ethical, legal or social issues research.

Additional details, including nomination forms and complete eligibility requirements, can be found on the Lap-Chee Tsui Publication Award page under CIHR-IG Regular Funding Programs.

Canadian Pediatric Genetic Disorders Sequencing Consortium

Genome Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have announcement the establishment of a new program called 'Advancing Technology Innovation through Discovery'. This one-year program will focus on the rapid identification of genes causing pediatric disorders using the latest genomic technologies available at the Genome Canada funded Science & Technology Innovation Centres. The program has three stages:
Stage 1: Establishment of a National Disease Consortium;
Stage 2: Application of next-generation sequencing technologies;
Stage 3: Validation of proposed mutations.

The CPGDS Consortium is a pan-Canadian team of clinicians, clinical investigators and scientists interested in the application of new genomic technologies to rare pediatric single-gene disorders. The goal of the Consortium is to identify new genes and pathways responsible for human disease and translate this knowledge to improved patient care. The Consortium can provide funding, infrastructure and expertise for the collection of patients, genotyping, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatic analysis and validation studies. Information on how to become a member of the Consortium can be found at the URL below.

This is the first call for proposals of disorders for study. The names and/or clinical features of submitted disorders will be circulated to members of the Consortium in an attempt to identify additional patients for sequencing or subsequent validation. Disorders should be submitted by September 15, 2010, for consideration for the first round of sequencing, to the Consortium Clinical Coordinator, Janet Marcadier (jmarcadier@cheo.on.ca).

Complete details and all forms are available at www.cpgdsconsortium.com.

Latest Edition of the Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter

http://gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/27aug10/cbhd_news_27aug10.htm

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GenOmics Top Stories

GenOmics is slowly but steadily finding a niche in science communications. Genome Alberta’s Communications’ Director Mike Spear has been asked to present it as part of a panel at the U.S. National Association of Science Writers Annual General Meeting and conference at Yale University in November. Our developer Jeff Reifman of newscloud.com will be speaking at the World Editors’ Forum in Germany in October to talk about the underlying Open Source platform and the media partners who have come together to develop and refine the project.

GenOmics is a science newsroom for the Omics Generation. It is a place to go to find stories, video, and audio from the top -omics stories of the day. You’ll find new media releases, feature articles, breaking news, and background information. There is a calendar, a directory link, a place to ask questions, and there is a tab to send a virtual gene to your friends. You can read stories without ever having to register but once you sign up you can post your own stories, share ideas, and add items to the calendar.

It looks great on the iPad and you can subscribe to an RSS feed to have the information pushed straight to your newsreader. We like to see it as the future of science communications.

Here are just a few of the stories from the last 2 weeks:

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Found on Twitter

In every issue of this GenOmics newsletter we open a tiny 140 character window on the internet for you. You all know it as Twitter and with over 75 million people around the world using it to create millions of posting everyday it has become a medium in its own right. Journalists use it to find sources and to in turn disseminate news. During events such as the recent minor earthquake around Ottawa Twitter reports we in before media had broadcast the information.

Here are just a few of the interesting bits we have found in the last 2 weeks and there is a more wide ranging collection of tweets in our latest Twitter Snips posting. We’ve checked the links so you’re safe to click through and see what is waiting on the other side.

@bakercom1 Killer Patents http://bit.ly/drItSw If you think patents are bad in computer technology, look at what they do in medicine. by @sjvn

@billschrier Sometime this month, the 5 billionth device will plug into the Internet - in 10 years there will be 20 billion - http://bit.ly/bbmqB1

@DaveHancockMLA Challenge-engage educators + students to create quality, commitment, results + relevance for today's world + future #abed # ableg Emerge2010

@DougBastien I have better access to academic journals as a University alumnus than through #GoC. From knowledge student -> Knowledge worker w/o tools

@GenomeBiology Wheat genome made available today. Congratulations to Neil Hall and team http://bbc.in/bKpHiz #openaccess

@_modscientist_ Hey @_Lavaland_, i'm playing with your DNA today! You're gonna help me optimize SNP genotyping by RTpcr

@pearlf Cambridge-based PatientsLikeMe now has over 45,000 patients on its social networking site, patient communities, http://bit.ly/a9uiGL

Who’s Who:

@bakercom1 Pam Baker is a prolific and popular freelance journalist and author. Her work appears in leading print and online publications around the globe. Find out more about her at http://www.netpress.org/ipg-membership-directory/pambaker

@billschrier Bill Schrier is the CTO / CIO for City of Seattle, interested in using tech in government, building stuff, politics, bicycling

@DaveHancockMLA Dave Hancock is Minister of Education for Alberta. http://www.davehancock.ca/ and he really does his own tweeting

@DBast is Doug Bastien from Ottawa. He works in the public service, and says he is alson a sophist, technologist, digital enthusiast, deconstructivist, debureaucratist, change management entrepreneur and twitterer. He has a blog at http://blog.dbast.com/

@GenomeBiology Genome Biology publishes articles from the full spectrum of biology. Their first conference, Beyond the Genome is in October 2010

@modscientist is based in the Seattle and likes to keep a low profile by saying he or she is a triple threat - A immunogenetics post-doc
@pearlf Pearl Freier is based in Cambridge, Mass and is founder of Founder of Cambridge BioPartners

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GE³LS Digest

The case for putting genomic medicine to work – August 16, 2010

We are all biologically unique, even those of us who have an “identical” twin. The way we respond to a medication varies considerably, from being unresponsive or hyper-responsive, or developing serious side effects. Our knowledge about pharmacogenomics — the interaction of one’s genes with medications — is exploding, and this area now represents the biggest advance in the first decade since the human genome was sequenced. We now know the principal genes — and common variations in these genes — that are connected to the muscle inflammation side effects from statins (the No. 1-prescribed group of medicines for lowering cholesterol), the response to Plavix to prevent blood clots, the response to Interferon therapy for hepatitis C, the liver side effects of antibiotics like flucloxacillin, and many more. There is remarkable waste in the use of prescription medications, now accounting for $300 billion per year in the United States. This is because the drugs don’t work in many people, or the dose is incorrect, or severe side effects occur and lead to hospitalizations and consumption of more medical resources.

GenOmics’ Editors have added a video from Dr. Topol.

New Court Ruling Could Cripple Stem-Cell Research: Once again, federal funding restrictions cast uncertainty over the field. – August 30, 2010

It was just 18 months ago that U.S. scientists studying embryonic stem cells thought their nearly decade-long battle for federal funding was finally won. President Obama had signed an executive order ending a restrictive policy enacted in 2001 by President Bush. That policy had blocked federal funds from being used to study most human embryonic stem cells. But a surprise ruling by a lower court last week left the stem-cell community stunned. A federal judge issued an injunction, blocking federal funding for any research involving embryonic stem cells. Researchers say the decision--even if it is later reversed--will have a damaging effect on the field, stunting promising medical research that was just building momentum. All grants under review at the nation's largest funding agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), that involve human embryonic stem cells have been put on hold while the NIH and other government agencies try to get the injunction reversed.

GenOmics’ Editors have added a PBS Newshour report about the ruling and implications.

Regrowing body parts closer to reality – July 20, 2010

Scientists in Toronto are trying to crack the secrets of regeneration to trigger the human body to grow tissues and organs damaged by disease. In his lab at Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Ian Rogers is working on a replacement pancreas that would be grown in a lab and then placed in those with Type 1 diabetes to restore their insulin production."When I talk to parents of kids with Type 1 diabetes, I always apologize: 'Right now our goal is to treat for a year or two,'" Rogers says. "And they're very happy, because they say, 'I nag my child three times a day to take their insulin, check their glucose,' and they're saying if they get a reprieve for a year they'll be very happy." At this stage, Rogers's team is building a pancreas out of a surgical sponge, a three-dimensional structure seeded with insulin-producing islet cells. The pancreas would be grown in the lab and then placed under the skin of those with Type 1 diabetes to restore their insulin production.

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Events

Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference

The theme of this year's Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2010) is Bridging Biology and Business and features three streams: energy, Health, and Sustainability.
This is an annual event for industry leaders, policy makers, scientists, researchers and other professionals working in the area of agricultural biotechnology. The conference is a forum where the latest scientific advances in agricultural biotechnology are presented, and where future directions of the technology are highlighted and discussed. Attendees will hear about advances, barriers and action options which may influence science and business endeavours on a global scale.
There will be plenary speakers, a full breakout program, poster session, and a trade show.

When: September 12-15
Where: TCU Place, 35 - 22nd Street East, Saskatoon

You can view agenda details on the ABIC website.

How the Life Science Job Market has Changed

From Genomics To Jobs: A Look at the Ontario Bioeconomy in the 2nd Decade of the Millenium.
Join the Ontario Genomics Iinstitute, Life Sciences Ontario and MaRS Discovery District for the launch of National Biotechnology Week and learn about Genomics, Biotechnology and Jobs in the Ontario Life Science Sector. Featuring experts in the field of genomics, human resources and research commercialization.

Speakers:

Darlene Homonko, Golden Horseshoe Biosciences Network

Herbert Hess, Hess Associates Executive Search

Alison Symington, Ontario Genomics Institute

When: September 16, 7:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Where: MaRS Discovery Centre, Toronto

7:30 – 8:00 Breakfast and Networking, National Biotech Week Announcement

8:00 – 9:30 Remarks and Panel Discussion, Audience Q&A

10:00 Event Conclusion

To register please go to: http://nationalbiotechlaunch-2010.eventbrite.com/

Banff Venture Forum

The Forum is designed to showcase the hottest hi-tech companies from across North America, offer insight into key issues within the industry, provide networking opportunities and give companies a chance to learn from world-class professionals in the investment community.
There are three streams of Information Technology, Energy Technology, and Life Sciences Technology for participant to showcase themselves to leading private equity and venture capital investors.

Where: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff
When: September 23 & 24

For more information visit the main conference website.

Social Media for Government
When: September 27 – 30
Where: Ottawa
This conference is designed to help government and non-profit organizations and agencies build a social media strategy, integrate it into the overall communications strategy, keep it cost effective, and develop the policies necessary to work within public policy guidelines.

Genome Alberta’s Mike Spear will be presenting along with speakers from Industry Canada, Prescient Digital Media, Thornley Fallis Communications & 76design, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, City of Guelph, and a variety of others from the public and private sector. Visit the conference website for more information and if you decide to register, mention you heard about it from Mike Spear and you’ll get a 400.00 discount on the registration fee. How’s that for the Genome Alberta Advantage!

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GE3LS Digest - August 16, 2010

August 16, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: August 16, 2010

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NEWS

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CANADA

Regrowing body parts closer to reality – July 20, 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/07/20/regenerative-medicine-toronto.html
Scientists in Toronto are trying to crack the secrets of regeneration to trigger the human body to grow tissues and organs damaged by disease. In his lab at Mount Sinai Hospital, Dr. Ian Rogers is working on a replacement pancreas that would be grown in a lab and then placed in those with Type 1 diabetes to restore their insulin production."When I talk to parents of kids with Type 1 diabetes, I always apologize: 'Right now our goal is to treat for a year or two,'" Rogers says. "And they're very happy, because they say, 'I nag my child three times a day to take their insulin, check their glucose,' and they're saying if they get a reprieve for a year they'll be very happy." At this stage, Rogers's team is building a pancreas out of a surgical sponge, a three-dimensional structure seeded with insulin-producing islet cells. The pancreas would be grown in the lab and then placed under the skin of those with Type 1 diabetes to restore their insulin production.

INTERNATIONAL

Genetic Tests Get Bad Grades: A federal investigation finds conflicting test results and false marketing claims – July 23, 2010
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25853/
Consumers who buy genetic tests in hopes of seeing what diseases they are likely to contract may be misled, according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. In addition, the results can vary so widely that they are "of little or no practical use," the report concludes. Congress and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are trying to regulate this nascent but burgeoning field even amid uncertainty over the meaning of test results that indicate someone has genetic risks for certain diseases. "The problem with these marketing practices is that it is not clear today whether the exciting scientific developments in human genetics research actually transfer into ways to improve and individualize health care," Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) said Thursday at a congressional hearing on the industry.

Hip hope from stem cell technique – July 28, 2010
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10790259
US researchers have developed a promising new technique that might one day enable doctors to regrow broken or diseased joints in patients. Writing in the The Lancet, US researchers say they have regrown the forelimb thigh joint of rabbits using their own stem cells. It was the first time an entire joint surface had been regenerated with the return of functions, they said. The research could benefit patients with damaged hips, shoulders or knees. The team removed the limbs from 10 rabbits and replaced them with an artificial limb-shaped skeleton. This was soaked with chemicals which attract bone and cartilage stem cells. Four weeks later the rabbits had regrown their joints and were able to move normally.

Five reasons not to clone yourself – July 28, 2010
http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/bhargava20100728
Given the current state of technology, reproductive cloning is not a safe and effective means of human reproduction. Cloning reduces genetic diversity, is beneficial neither for the child nor the parent, and without restrictions could create many legal and social problems. While I strongly support therapeutic cloning and have no reservations about using embryonic stem cells for research, I think there are serious issues to consider with regards to human reproductive cloning. At present, given the current state of technology, I do not believe it is safe enough to be attempted. Furthermore, if done in the future it should only be with certain limitations, which I will address below. The best way for me to explain why reproductive cloning is bad is to refute Kyle Munkittrick’s article “Daddy Wants a Clone.”

Stem Cell Trial Wins Approval of F.D.A – July 30, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/31/health/research/31stem.html?ref=health
The world’s first authorized test in people of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration. The clinical trial could offer the first glimpse of the safety and possible effectiveness of a technology that has been hailed for its vast medical promise but also embroiled in political and ethical controversy. The trial will test cells developed by the Geron Corporation and the University of California, Irvine in patients with new spinal cord injuries.
The F.D.A. had initially cleared the clinical trial in January 2009. But before any patients could be treated, the agency suspended the trial after cysts were discovered in some rats injected with the cells. Geron had to do another rat study and develop better ways to check cell purity. On Friday, the company announced that the F.D.A. had lifted the hold. Geron’s shares rose 17 percent, to $5.63.

Making 'BioArt' a cultural practice – July 30, 2010
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fa20100730a1.html
At this year's Society for Social Studies Conference at the University of Tokyo, Aug. 25-29, there will be a session on "BioArt," which begs the question: What would that be? BioArt describes the variety of art forms emerging in the last two decades that use biotechnology or genetics to manipulate living things, altering food, plants, even livestock. In best do-it- yourself tradition, artists have started to swap their studios for laboratories and are using molecular biology to deliberately create hybrids, clones or mutations as artistic expressions. So is science the new art? A question posed by author Ingeborg Reichle in the newly published and thorough compendium about biotechnology and art "Art in the Age of Technoscience: Genetic Engineering, Robotics, and Artificial Life in Contemporary Art."

California Cryobank and designer babies: The L.A.-based sperm bank offers an option to prospective parents of seeing which celebrity a donor looks like. That's just silly -- July 31, 2010
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-spermbank-20100731,0,6881253.story
In a marriage of modern science and the culture of celebrity, a Los Angeles-based sperm bank is grouping donors according to which famous people they resemble. On its website, the California Cryobank asks: "Have you ever wondered if your favorite donor looks like anyone famous? You know how tall he is and his hair and eye color, but wouldn't it be great to have an idea of what he really LOOKS like? Now you can find out with a CLICK of your mouse!" Browsers are typically directed to pictures of two or three celebrity lookalikes. The purpose of the celebrity option is to compensate for the fact that, for privacy reasons, photographs of the donors themselves aren't available. But it surely will appeal to star-struck prospective parents who dream of the day when a passerby peers into the stroller and remarks on Junior's resemblance to this action hero or that talent contest winner — or maybe a combination of the two?

Gene variants in Japanese prostate cancer patients – August 1, 2010
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6701F320100801
A large study in Japan into possible genetic causes for prostate cancer has uncovered five new gene variants which have never been seen in previous studies in Caucasians, researchers said on Monday.
Hidewaki Nakagawa, lead author of the study, said these variants appear to be specific to Japanese men and may be used to screen for susceptibility to the disease in the future. "We discovered five novel genetic variants which were associated with prostate cancer risk in Japanese men," wrote Nakagawa at the RIKEN Center of Genomic Medicine in Tokyo. "They (have not been) reported in other Caucasian studies, indicating these five could be specific to Japanese," he wrote in reply to questions from Reuters.
The researchers screened the DNA of 4,584 Japanese prostate cancer patients and compared these with 8,801 other Japanese without the disease and these five variants showed up consistently in the group with the disease.

Adult stem cell research far ahead of embryonic – August 1, 2010
http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/news/canadianpress-article.aspx?cp-documentid=25065501
A few months ago, Dr. Thomas Einhorn was treating a patient with a broken ankle that would not heal, even with multiple surgeries. So he sought help from the man's own body. Einhorn drew bone marrow from the man's pelvic bone with a needle, condensed it to about four teaspoons of rich red liquid, and injected that into his ankle.Four months later the ankle was healed. Einhorn, chairman of orthopedic surgery at Boston University Medical Center, credits "adult" stem cells in the marrow injection. He tried it because of published research from France. Einhorn's experience is not a rigorous study. But it is an example of many innovative therapies doctors are studying with adult stem cells. Those are stem cells typically taken from bone marrow and blood, not embryos. For all the emotional debate that began about a decade ago to allow the use of embryonic stem cells, it is adult stem cells that are in human testing today. An extensive review of stem cell projects and interviews with two dozen experts reveal a wide range of potential treatments.

One Small Step for Embryonic Stem Cells: FDA approves first clinical trial for stem cell treatment – August 4, 2010
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2010/08/one-small-step-for-embryonic-stem-cells/
In our shrill political climate let’s celebrate the quiet passing of a science milestone. Last week the Food and Drug Administration gave its first approval for a clinical trial of an embryonic stem cell treatment. Embryonic stem cells are special because they can grow, or differentiate, into any kind of human tissue. Many believe they hold great promise for treating a wide range of diseases and disorders, from Alzheimer’s to cancer to spinal cord injuries to blindness.The FDA had put the application from biopharmaceuticals company Geron Corp, which produced the cells, on clinical hold after some mice given the treatment developed tiny spinal cysts. But another animal study found no cysts. The testing will involve patients with recent spinal cord injuries, who will receive infusions of embryonic stem cells that have been differentiated into cells that can produce myelin, the coating that conducts electrical impulses in the spine.

Meat from cloned animal was eaten in UK, confirms FSA – August 4, 2010
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/Meat-from-cloned-animal-was-eaten-in-UK-confirms-FSA
The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has confirmed that meat from a cloned animal has entered the nation’s food chain and has been consumed. An agency investigation found that two cloned bulls born in the UK have been slaughtered and meat from one of them entered the food chain in July last year. Meat from the second animal did not enter the food chain. The investigation came after reports that products from the offspring of cloned animals had hit the market in the UK, which would have been illegal as these products would be considered ‘novel foods’ and would therefore need authorization to be sold. Novel food legislation covers food that has not been consumed to any significant degree in the EU before May 1997. A spokesperson from the Representation of the European Commission to the UK told FoodNavigator.com that “no application was been made by any company in order to put foods from cloned animals on the market.”

DIY genetic test firms face new rules: Firms that sell DIY genetic tests for conditions such as Huntingdon's disease are facing tougher guidelines to prevent customers receiving incorrect information about their health – August 4, 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7925829/DIY-genetic-test-firms-face-new-rules.html
Tests are offered in private clinics and over the internet with the aim of predicting the risk of disease later in life. However, there have been warnings of firms making bogus claims about their tests, with several having little basis in science. There are also concerns that parents who pay for a test for their offspring could be breaching their child's rights. Now the Human Genetics Commission (HGC) has published a set of voluntary principles for the industry relating to all aspects, including marketing.
The principles stop short of forming an official code of practice, which the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee called for last year. Its report said the industry must be much more tightly regulated and tests needed to be thoroughly reviewed before being marketed.

Who’s afraid of genetically modified foods – August 4, 2010
http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6484737-whos-afraid-of-genetically-modified-foods?r=1
We cannot turn back the clock on agriculture and only use methods that were developed to feed a much smaller population. It took some, 10,000 years to expand food production to the current level of about 5 billion tons per year. By 2025, we will have to nearly double current production again. This increase cannot be accomplished unless farmers across the world have access to current high-yielding crop production methods as well as new biotechnical breakthroughs that can increase the yields dependability, and nutritional quality for our basic crops. We need to bring common sense into the debate on agricultural science and technology and the sooner the better. -Norman E. Barlaug
Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, 1970

Two New Paths to the Dream: Regeneration – August 5, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/06/science/06cell.html?_r=1&ref=health
Two research reports published Friday offer novel approaches to the age-old dream of regenerating the body from its own cells. Animals like newts and zebra fish can regenerate limbs, fins, even part of the heart. If only people could do the same, amputees might grow new limbs and stricken hearts be coaxed to repair themselves. But humans have very little regenerative capacity, probably because of an evolutionary trade-off: suppressing cell growth reduced the risk of cancer, enabling humans to live longer. A person can renew his liver to some extent, and regrow a fingertip while very young, but not much more. In the first of the two new approaches, a research group at Stanford University led by Helen M. Blau, Jason H. Pomerantz and Kostandin V. Pajcini has taken a possible first step toward unlocking the human ability to regenerate. By inactivating two genes that work to suppress tumors, they got mouse muscle cells to revert to a younger state, start dividing and help repair tissue.

DNA Dilemma: The Full Interview With the FDA on DTC Genetic Tests – August 5, 2010
http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-human-condition/2010/08/05/dna-dilemma-the-full-interview-with-the-fda-on-dtc-genetic-tests.html
In an interview yesterday, the FDA made some potentially controversial and confusing statements about consumer genetics, an area it’s in the process of deciding how to regulate. I criticize the agency in my piece for not being fully transparent, so it’s only fair that I live up to my own standards and post the entire interview here (I’ve edited out stammering and a few digressions for clarity, but all other quotes are faithful to the tape). Besides, since these issues can be very confusing, I wanted the FDA to have an opportunity to have all its statements on the record. Here is a transcript of the interview, with Alberto Gutierrez and Elizabeth Mansfield, respectively the FDA’s director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Device Evaluation and Safety and its director for personalized medicine in the Office of In Vitro Diagnostics in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health:

GM crop escapes into the American wild – August 6, 2010
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100806/full/news.2010.393.html
A genetically modified (GM) crop has been found thriving in the wild for the first time in the United States. Transgenic canola is growing freely in parts of North Dakota, researchers told the Ecological Society of America conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, today. The scientists behind the discovery say this highlights a lack of proper monitoring and control of GM crops in the United States. US farmers have dramatically increased their use of GM crops since the plants were introduced in the early 1990s. Last year, nearly half the world's transgenic crops were grown in US soil — Brazil, the world's second heaviest user, grew just 16%. GM crops have broken free from cultivated land in several countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan, but they have not previously been found in uncultivated land in the United States.

Playing Politics with Stem Cells – August 8, 2010
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/08/playing_politics_with_stem_cel.html
When scientists play politics with science, society and science both suffer, sometimes with life-threatening implications. One recent example is Climategate, with revelations that leading global warming researchers played with the data, concealed and tried to suppress data that challenged their assertions, and attempted to game the peer review system. And as a result of scientists caught playing politics with science, claims of man-made global warming have been met with growing skepticism.
But a similar scenario has played out regarding human embryonic stem cell research (hESCR). With the introduction of legislation to codify the Obama administration's rules expanding the federal role in funding hESCR, it's time that the extravagant claims for such research suffer the same fate. Like Climategate, the public policy debate over hESCR has shown that scientists are not always disinterested parties. Rather, scientists can be every bit as political and partisan as the politicians, selectively using scientific "evidence" to justify their ideological viewpoint.

CDC Advises Docs to Inform Patients of Limitations of DTC Gene Scans – August 11, 2010
http://www.genomeweb.com//node/946366?hq_e=el&hq_m=785285&hq_l=5&hq_v=42c8152690
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted video commentary this week advising doctors to discuss with their patients the limitations of gene scans marketed directly to consumers.
According to Muin Khoury, director of CDC's Office of Public Health Genomics, gene scans sold online by consumer genomics firms are still not ready for clinical use by doctors. "The promise of genomics in the practice of medicine is great and exciting, but today the use of personal genomic tests is still not ready for prime time," Khoury said in a video address to doctors and the general public.
The video, available here, is part of the "CDC Expert Series" collaboration between CDC and WebMD's Medscape, an online community for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals.
Jeanette St. Pierre, health communications officer for OPHG, told PGx Reporter via e-mail that OPHG decided to focus the video on personal genomic tests since they are "a hot topic."

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PAPERS

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Low-Level Presence of New GM Crops: An Issue on the Rise for Countries Where They Lack Approval
http://www.agbioforum.org/v13n2/v13n2a08-cerezo.htm
This study addresses a new issue in the commercialization of GM crops, namely the occurrence of traces—or “low-level presence” (LLP)—of nationally unapproved GM material in crop imports. The commercialization of GM crops is a regulated activity, and countries have different authorization procedures. Hence, new GM crops are not approved simultaneously. This “asynchronous approval” (AA), in combination with a “zero-tolerance” policy towards LLP, is of growing concern for its potential economic impact on international trade. To forecast the future evolution of this issue, we compiled a global pipeline of GM crops that may be commercialized by 2015. This pipeline is analyzed by crop and likely LLP scenarios are discussed. While currently there are about 30 commercial GM crops with different transgenic events worldwide, it is expected that by 2015 there will be more than 120. Given that problems of LLP have already occurred with the 30 current events, these issues are likely to intensify when more events become available in more countries.

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CONFERENCES/EVENTS

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The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

British Human Genetics Conference 2010
September 6-8, 2010
Birmingham, UK
http://www.bshg.org.uk/BSHG.htm

Personalized and Translational Medicine
September 21-20, 2010
Boston, MA
http://www.conferencealerts.com/seeconf.mv?q=ca16i380

American Society for Human Genetics
November 2-6, 2010
Washington DC
http://www.ashg.org/2010meeting/

International Data Sharing Conference 2010
September 20-22, 2010
St Hugh's College, Oxford

Can we promise anonymity of research participants when medical records, whole sequences and phenotypic data are being used for research purposes?
What is the best way to harmonise different datasets collected for different purposes?
Should participants be fed back individual findings?
Are our national research governance systems adequate to cope with global data sharing?
What new IT mechanisms exist to share data and samples that address some of these issues?
How should data-generators be rewarded for their efforts to the scientific community?
What projects provide examples of good practice?

Conference Website: http://helex.medsci.ox.ac.uk/data-sharing-international-conference-1
Registration: https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/courses/coursedetails.asp?CourseDateID=126&CourseID=72&compid=1

For further details please do not hesitate to contact helexconference@dphpc.ox.ac.uk.

Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - August 3, 2010

August 3, 2010

Volume 3 Issue 3

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- August 3, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

GE³LS Digest

Events

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Genomics News

Digital Art for Biotechnology Week

Canada’s Genome Centres are partnering with BIOTECanada and many provincial bio associations to mark Biotechnology Week in Canada in September. Here at Genome Alberta we’ll be working with BioAlberta to plan a couple of events in Calgary and Edmonton but we’re also going to get a head start on the activities with a new digital art contest. We ran a successful contest in 2008 and we’re going to do it again with a new theme and new prizes.

We’re challenging artists with an interest in science, or researchers with an interest in art, to turn their creative talent to the interaction between biotechnology and the societal, ethical, and public policy world we live in. How can we best put biotechnology to work? Are regulations keeping up with the science? What exactly is biotechnology? Our 2008 entries came from across Canada and around the world and we hope to attract the same range of entries. Check our first blog post on the contest for more details and to see a slide show of past entries.

Come up with an original work of digital art and you could win cash prizes for first, second, and third place, your work will be displayed online and there is a chance your entry will become part of Genome Alberta’s print material as well.

Reminder of 2010 Genome Canada Competition Deadline

August 9^th is the deadline date for the submission of pre-application material to Genome Alberta.

If you have an general questions on the process please call our office at 403 503 5220. For specific technical questions please send an email to Genome Alberta’s Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Gijs van Rooijen vanrooijen@genomealberta.ca

Research Associate Position

A Research Associate position is available in the area of tree cell wall biochemistry and molecular biology in the Wood and Fibre Quality Lab directed by Dr. Shawn Mansfield in the Faculty of Forestry at the University of British Columbia. Applicants must have a Ph.D. and extensive postdoctoral research experience in tree biochemistry, molecular biology, transcript profiling and functional genomics – all skills are required for successful placement.

The position is supported by an applied genomics project of Genome British Columbia.

For more information on the position and application information please go to the University of British Columbia Forestry Department website.

Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter

Latest edition available at http://gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/17jul10/cbhd_news_17jul10.htm

International Livestock Congress

Don’t forget the International Livestock Congress Beef 2010: Raising Optimism. Global Strategies, on Wednesday August 11, 2010

There is still time to register so go to http://www.ilccalgary.com/ for more information.

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GenOmics Top Stories

GenOmics has the potential to replace many of your daily or weekly life science news digest you get in your Inbox, or many of the site or RSS feeds you check on a regular basis. Genome Alberta’s Communications Director Mike Spear presented the application as a case study at a Government and Social Media Conference in Washington D.C. in July, and he’ll be showing it off again in the September in Ottawa and Chicago. He has also been invited to the U.S. National Association of Science Writers Annual Meeting and Conference in November to talk about online science communications like GenOmics.

You’ll find news, videos, blogs, and media releases by going to http://facebook.genomealberta.ca You don’t have to register to read the news but we hope you will sign up so you can add comments, and post your own stories.

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Found on Twitter

You’d be surprised at what can be said in 140 characters and what we stumble across from the people and organization we track using Twitter. The big science event in the online world over the last couple of weeks was the Open Science Summit held in Berkeley, California. Many of the posts mentioned here and in our latest Twitter Snips blog post are are connected to the OSS.

Feel free to click on any of the urls listed here. They’re safe and they’ll take you to a corner of the internet you may never have found otherwise.

@andrewhessel July 29-31, Open Science Summit at Berkeley. Great lineup, super interesting. See you there! http://bit.ly/9G2jua

@Duncande At the Open Science Summit at Berkeley @openscience2010 how open should science be? http://tinyurl.com/29gwhcz

@edyong209 On the Origin of Science Writers: read tales from world-class writers about how they started & tips for newbies http://bit.ly/sciwriters

@fermarsan PHG Foundation | New Australian guidelines on biobanks and genetic databases: http://bit.ly/dsjjvb via @addthis

@GenomeScience "Our success as Americans will bhttps://na3.marqui.com/genomealberta/sm/smPage.aspx?i=1134e in how we can address health issues worldwide..." #OMalley press conf

@SciTechMuseum Top Ten Reasons Why the Canada Science and Technology Museum is One of the Coolest Family Venues this Summer http://bit.ly/azyH4u

@shwu FundScience supports young researchers w untested ideas because NIH won't. Microfinancing - accountable, public, communicative. #oss2010

@UofC_Science Gender-bending fish: U of C researchers say cocktail of chemicals skew sex ratios in river populations http://tinyurl.com/2cuka5r

And who are these busy tweeters?

@andrewhessel describes himself as Building DIYbiotech Founding Director, CEO at Pink Army Cooperative. Co-Chair, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology at Singularity University

@Duncande David Ewing Duncan is a journalist, broadcaster, Director of the Center for Life Science Policy, UC Berkeley and author. His latest book is the Experimental Man www.experimentalman.com

@edyong209 Ed Yong is science writer & blogger @ Not Exactly Rocket Science and freelance journalist living in London, England

@Fernando Martin is based in Madrid Spain. He is a Researcher and Professor in Biomedical Informatics, not to mention a Marathon runner, acoustic guitar player, and a skeptic

@GenomeScience is a non-profit Genome Research Institute located in the BioPark complex on the University of Maryland Baltimore campus. http://www.igs.umaryland.edu/

@SciTechMuseum CSTM SciTech Museum is located in Ottawa, Ontario. Find out more at http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/index.cfm

@shwu Shirley Wu lives in San Francisco and says she is interested in opening up science in more ways and to more people. Love Ultimate Frisbee, cooking, reading, nature, and music.

@UofC_Science belongs to University of Calgary Faculty of Science online at http://www.science.ucalgary.ca/

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GE³LS Digest

There will be no GE3LS Digest this week but they’ll be back for the August 15^th edition. In the meantime here’s a few links from the last Digest.

'He says/she says' just doesn't work for science – June 29, 2010

Ten years after the last polarised debate about GM, the coverage of two high-profile resignations from a committee of the Food Standards Agency set up to run a new national dialogue on the issue suggests we may be in for an unedifying re-run. Producers on BBC Radio 4's You and Yours and BBC1's Breakfast contacted the Science Media Centre looking for 'pro' and 'anti' GM guests. And when the science editor on Radio 4's Today went to Norwich to cover the announcement of a rare field trial of GM potatoes, producers rushed to book an anti-GM campaigner to 'balance' the package. The resulting item gave more time to a Friends of the Earth spokesperson than the scientist describing the new work. If I was to single out one main complaint about the media from the scientific community it would be that journalists tend to be too 'balanced' - in other words, they try to give roughly equal time to opposing viewpoints even when the weight of evidence lies strongly on one side. Like 'objectivity', the concept of 'balance' is one of journalism's fundamental rules. Some suggest it is rooted in our system of parliamentary democracy and adversarial politics and works well for politics - giving equal treatment to the main political parties.

Europe’s New Approach to Biotech Food – July 7, 2010

After decades of pushing nations to surrender more power to Brussels, the European Union is about to throw in the towel on one highly contentious issue: genetically modified foods. On Tuesday, the European Commission will formally propose giving back to national and local governments the freedom to decide whether to grow crops that many Europeans still call Frankenfoods. The new policy is aimed at overcoming a stalemate that has severely curtailed the market for biotech seeds in Europe for years. Only two crops, produced by Monsanto and B.A.S.F., are sold for cultivation here. The new flexibility is supposed to open up markets in countries like the Netherlands, where governments are broadly favorable toward growing and trading biotech products, while countries like Austria, where the products are unpopular, can maintain a ban. But far from celebrating, the growing global industry, as well as some farmers themselves, is extremely wary of the new approach.

Myths, Misconceptions and Myopia: Searching for Clarity in the Debate about the Regulation of Consumer Genetics -- June 2010

The new wave of companies offering genome scans direct-to-consumer (DTC) has prompted commentary from scientists, clinicians, bioethicists and those interested in the ethical, legal and social issues arising from genomics. It has thus brought a far wider range of actors into a longstanding debate about the regulation of genetic tests. However, some of the recent discussion is characterised by misunderstanding of the regulatory landscape, a failure to grasp the lessons of the past and lack of clarity of thought. In this commentary I challenge a series of myths and misconceptions which plague current academic and policy discussion: the conflation of regulation and proscription; the failure to recognise that DTC companies are gatekeepers; the assumption that requiring a medical intermediary for testing is paternalistic; the belief that online services cannot be regulated; the presumption that we must avoid genetic exceptionalism; the idea that policy is lagging behind science or that it is too soon to act; and finally, the view that DTC genetics is a reality we have to adapt to.

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Events

Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference: Bridging Biology & Business

Scientific and industry leaders from around the world will address Agricultural Biotechnology and its impact on world agriculture from meeting the growing demand for food & feed production to the development of sustainable biofuels. The full program is available at http://www.abic.ca/abic2010/html/program.html

There are special registration rates available for students, government, non-profits, academia, and startup companies.

Genome Prairie, Genome B.C. and Genome Alberta are sponsoring the opening reception on Sunday, September 12^th at 6:00p and we look forward to seeing you there.

Pacific rim Summit Call for Papers, Panels, and Posters Extended

The new deadline for papers and panels is August 15 and September 24^th for posters.

For further information on how to submit an abstract, please visit bio.org/pacrim

Alberta Initiative for Integration of Medicine & Innovative Technology

The leadership team of Alberta Initiative for Integration of Medicine & Innovative Technology (AiiMiT) invite to you to participate in the inaugural clinical problem-solving forum. The role of this forum is to present an existing clinical challenge to a group of open-minded problem solvers who will then be asked to brainstorm potential solutions.

If you are a creative thinker who can help identify innovations to address existing clinical challenges, we are looking forward to having your perspective, experience and insights at the table.

This is an exciting opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a project with considerable future potential.

When: Wednesday, August 25^th
4:00-6:00 pm (refreshments served)

Where: TELUS building, University of Alberta, Room 217

For more information you can view the complete invitation online or contact Shawn Drefs at sdrefs@ualberta.ca

Brassica 2010

When: September 5^th – 8^th

Where: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Sessions will explore the scope of international research in the areas of:

genetic diversity

seed quality traits

breeding and trait genetics

comparative and functional genomics

environmental stress

alternative products

impact of transgenic technologies

We hope to see the genome sequence of Brassica rapa released in 2010, so the special session on Brassica genome sequencing which will highlight the status of International efforts to sequence and analyse the genomes of Brassica and related species will be of special interest to researchers.

For more information visit the conference website at: http://www.brassica2010.ca/

6th International Congress of Pathophysiology

Under the shared banners of "Gene-environment interaction in health and disease" and "Ecogenomic models of cardiometabolic diseases", the three primary themes of the Congress are:

Pathophysiological pathways of health and diseases

Novel pathophysiological approaches and tools

Novel therapeutic/diagnostic pathophysiological targets

When: September 22 - 25

Where: Palais des Congrès/Montréal Convention Centre, Canada

There will be plenary sessions, workshops, symposia, and poster sessions. You can see the full program at http://ispmontreal2010.com/program_glance.html

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Unsubscribe to GenOmics

To unsubscribe to GenOmics, please follow this link:

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GE3LS Digest - July 19, 2010

July 19, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: July 19, 2010

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NEWS

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INTERNATIONAL

'He says/she says' just doesn't work for science – June 29, 2010
http://www.bbc.co.uk/journalism/blog/2010/06/he-says-she-says-just-doesnt-w.shtml
Ten years after the last polarised debate about GM, the coverage of two high-profile resignations from a committee of the Food Standards Agency set up to run a new national dialogue on the issue suggests we may be in for an unedifying re-run. Producers on BBC Radio 4's You and Yours and BBC1's Breakfast contacted the Science Media Centre looking for 'pro' and 'anti' GM guests. And when the science editor on Radio 4's Today went to Norwich to cover the announcement of a rare field trial of GM potatoes, producers rushed to book an anti-GM campaigner to 'balance' the package. The resulting item gave more time to a Friends of the Earth spokesperson than the scientist describing the new work. If I was to single out one main complaint about the media from the scientific community it would be that journalists tend to be too 'balanced' - in other words, they try to give roughly equal time to opposing viewpoints even when the weight of evidence lies strongly on one side. Like 'objectivity', the concept of 'balance' is one of journalism's fundamental rules. Some suggest it is rooted in our system of parliamentary democracy and adversarial politics and works well for politics - giving equal treatment to the main political parties.

Defining the Boundaries of Genetic Testing: New Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Tests Raise Privacy Concerns – July 1, 2010
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2010/07/defining-the-boundaries-of-genetic-testing/
A recently released study by direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe reveals the privacy challenges ahead for public health policymakers as so-called genome-wide association studies, which look for specific genetic traits in huge genetic databases, enter the mainstream of scientific inquiry.
23andMe, a personal genomics company co-founded in 2006 with investment from Google, Inc., just published its first genome-wide association study in the online journal PLoS Genetics. The decision by the journal’s editors to proceed with publication brings to light some of the more overlooked controversies surrounding direct-to-consumer, or DTC, genetic tests involving the methods of data collection and concerns about consumer privacy.

Genes predict living beyond 100 – July 1, 2010
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10475018
US scientists have developed a way of predicting how likely a person is to live beyond the age of 100.
The breakthrough, described in the journal Science, is based on 150 genetic "signposts" found in exceptionally long-lived people. The Boston team created a mathematical model, which takes information from these signposts to work out a person's chance of reaching 100. It is based on the largest study of centenarians in the world. This is a rare trait - only one in 6,000 people in industrialised countries reaches such a ripe old age. And 90% them are still disability free by the age of 93.
The researchers now think they have cracked the genetic secret of this longevity. The team originally embarked on their study in 1995. Since then, they have scanned the genomes of 1,000 centenarians.

Exposing the Student Body: Stanford Joins U.C. Berkeley in Controversial Genetic Testing of Students – July 6, 2010
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=exposing-the-student-body
This week, the University of California, Berkeley will mail saliva sample kits to every incoming freshman and transfer student. Students can choose to use the kits to submit their DNA for genetic analysis, as part of an orientation program on the topic of personalized medicine. But U.C. Berkeley isn't the only university offering its students genetic testing. Stanford University's summer session started two weeks ago, including a class on personal genomics that gives medical and graduate students the chance to sequence their genotypes and study the results.The idea behind the two novel projects is that students will learn about optimizing treatment based on one's genetic profile most effectively if they are studying their own DNA—an idea that has met with both praise for educational innovation and criticism centering on potential ethical issues.

Europe’s New Approach to Biotech Food – July 7, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/business/energy-environment/08biotech.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Europe%27s%20New%20Approach%20to%20Biotech%20Food&st=cse
After decades of pushing nations to surrender more power to Brussels, the European Union is about to throw in the towel on one highly contentious issue: genetically modified foods. On Tuesday, the European Commission will formally propose giving back to national and local governments the freedom to decide whether to grow crops that many Europeans still call Frankenfoods. The new policy is aimed at overcoming a stalemate that has severely curtailed the market for biotech seeds in Europe for years. Only two crops, produced by Monsanto and B.A.S.F., are sold for cultivation here. The new flexibility is supposed to open up markets in countries like the Netherlands, where governments are broadly favorable toward growing and trading biotech products, while countries like Austria, where the products are unpopular, can maintain a ban. But far from celebrating, the growing global industry, as well as some farmers themselves, is extremely wary of the new approach.

Europe Seeks to Ban Food From Clones – July 7, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/business/global/08clone.html?_r=2
The European Parliament asked on Wednesday for a ban on the sale of foods from cloned animals and their offspring, the latest sign of deepening concern in the European Union about the safety and ethics of new food technologies. The chamber, meeting in Strasbourg, France, also called for a temporary suspension of the sale of food containing ingredients derived from nanotechnology, which involves engineering substances down to very small sizes. Members were voting on legislation that would have regulated the sale of foods based on new production processes, including cloning. That legislation would have required companies to ask permission to market food derived from cloned animals. But the chamber rejected that plan and instead called for separate legislation on cloning because of potential problems with the technology and concerns about animal cruelty.

A Turning Point for Genetic Testing: The FDA plans to overhaul its regulation of the increasingly common diagnostic tests – July 13, 2010
http://www.technologyreview.com/printer_friendly_article.aspx?id=25793&channel=biomedicine&section=
In a prelude to overhauling its regulatory oversight of genetic diagnostic testing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will convene a public meeting next week to gather input from test makers and others.
The event reflects a turning point in genetic testing, a cornerstone of personalized medicine. Once mainly the domain of rare diseases, scientists have discovered a growing number of genetic variations linked to both the risk of more common disease and patients' response to drugs. The number of genetic diagnostic tests has expanded rapidly, and tests have become increasingly complex, making it more challenging to interpret and act on the results. "We don't think physicians are going to be able to interpret the results; they are relying on the labs that make them," says Alberto Gutierrez, director of the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Device Evaluation and Safety at the FDA. "So we think a third party should assess these devices."

Gene Patenting Produces Profits, Not Cures – July 14, 2010
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harriet-a-washington/gene-patenting-produces-p_b_645862.html?view=print
Predictably, Myriad Genetics recently appealed a federal district court's recent decision rendering seven of its lucrative BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene patents invalid. The battle will probably run long, ending only when it reaches the Supreme Court, so the appeal raised hardly a ripple. This stands in contrast to the semantic mayhem triggered by the original ruling "Pigs fly!" a headline of the Genomics Law Report had wondered, going on to clarify, "Federal Court Invalidates Myriad's Patent Claims." In a ruling the GLR described as "jaw-dropping," "radical," and "astonishing," Judge Sweet of the United States District Court invalidated the patents on the breast- and ovarian-cancer genes, declaring that they are not made by man and thus patent-ineligible. Genae Girard had been astonished, too, when she learned that women like herself who need genetic testing to quantify their risks and to define the best treatment for their cancer could obtain it only by paying Myriad's $3,400 fee, enabled by the monopoly that the BRCA patents bestow. She resorted to wide-angle legal buckshot, suing not only Myriad and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and other companies who hold patents on human genes.

Banks of off-the-shelf body parts could be created for transplants: researchers – July 14, 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7887477/Banks-of-off-the-shelf-body-parts-could-be-created-for-transplants-researchers.html
Scientists are perfecting ways of creating bare 'scaffold' building blocks of body parts which can then be used as a frame for a patient's own cells to grow around. The technique involves taking a piece of dead donor or animal body part and removing all the soft tissue so just the bare structure is left. Stem cells from the patient can then be placed on the frame and will regrow into a new body part for them.
The technique has already been successful in creating a new section of windpipe for patients who have suffered injury or disease and it is hoped it can be used for a wider set of organs. Experts said the scaffold for the most commonly used parts could be created in advance and stored ready for use when needed.

Scientists Create 'Malaria-Proof' Mosquito: Gene-tweaked insect can't be infected by parasite that spurs the disease, researchers say – July 15, 2010
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/infectious-diseases/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100261283
In what might someday be a major advance against one of the world's most devastating diseases, researchers say they've created a mosquito that is unable to infect humans with malaria. The University of Arizona team reported that their genetically altered mosquitoes are immune to the malaria-causing parasite, a single-cell organism called Plasmodium. The mosquitoes used in the research were Anopheles stephensi, a species that plays a major role in malaria transmission throughout the Indian subcontinent.
It may be possible someday to replace wild mosquitoes with lab-bred mosquitoes that can't infect humans with malaria, researchers said. "If you want to effectively stop the spreading of the malaria parasite, you need mosquitoes that are no less than 100 percent resistant to it. If a single parasite slips through and infects a human, the whole approach will be doomed to fail," research leader and entomology professor Michael Riehle said in a university news release.

Researchers tap into carrots for colour and health – July 16, 2010
http://www.foodnavigator.com/Financial-Industry/Researchers-tap-into-carrots-for-colour-and-health
White, yellow and pink carrot varieties developed in France unlock new natural colours to target booming demand from food formulators. The research cluster crouched in the Vegepolys matrix in the Loire region spent three years working on the 'carrot pigment' project, aiming to deliver robust carrots that pack a nutritional - and colour - punch. The three year study, that involved seed firm Vilmorin, colour supplier Diana Naturel, Angers university and the government-funded science laboratory INRA, studied: factors involved in pigmentation; the nutritional profile for carrots of 'all colours'; and the diversity of their pigments. "Expression profiles of carrots' genes allowed us to understand the root factors behind the diversity, which then accelerated our ability to create new varieties that meet market and consumer needs for colour, taste and health," said the project cluster.

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PAPERS

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Gene test kit oversight could prove a mixed blessing for research -- Nature Medicine 16, 728 (2010)
http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v16/n7/full/nm0710-728b.html#a1
Last month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent letters to five commercial providers of direct-to-consumer genetic tests, stating that the companies' devices must receive regulatory approval before they can be marketed. The move, which stops short of requiring the tests to be pulled from the market, may eventually increase consumer trust, but it could curtail current research.

Stem Cell Research and Economic Promises – Summer 2010
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123550239/abstract
In the context of stem cell research, the promise of economic growth has become a common policy argument for adoption of permissive policies and increased government funding. However, declarations of economic and commercial benefit, which can be found in policy reports, the scientific literature, public funding policies, and the popular press, have arguably created a great deal of expectation. Can stem cell research deliver on the economic promise? And what are the implications of this economic ethos for the researchers who must work under its shadow?

Myths, Misconceptions and Myopia: Searching for Clarity in the Debate about the Regulation of Consumer Genetics -- June 2010
http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?doi=313330&hl=1&q=myths%20misconceptions
The new wave of companies offering genome scans direct-to-consumer (DTC) has prompted commentary from scientists, clinicians, bioethicists and those interested in the ethical, legal and social issues arising from genomics. It has thus brought a far wider range of actors into a longstanding debate about the regulation of genetic tests. However, some of the recent discussion is characterised by misunderstanding of the regulatory landscape, a failure to grasp the lessons of the past and lack of clarity of thought. In this commentary I challenge a series of myths and misconceptions which plague current academic and policy discussion: the conflation of regulation and proscription; the failure to recognise that DTC companies are gatekeepers; the assumption that requiring a medical intermediary for testing is paternalistic; the belief that online services cannot be regulated; the presumption that we must avoid genetic exceptionalism; the idea that policy is lagging behind science or that it is too soon to act; and finally, the view that DTC genetics is a reality we have to adapt to.

Regional differences in awareness and attitudes regarding genetic testing for disease risk and ancestry – June 2010
http://www.springerlink.com/content/w76h3570627734l5/fulltext.html
Little is known about the lay public’s awareness and attitudes concerning genetic testing and what factors influence their perspectives. The existing literature focuses mainly on ethnic and socioeconomic differences; however, here we focus on how awareness and attitudes regarding genetic testing differ by geographical regions in the US. We compared awareness and attitudes concerning genetic testing for disease risk and ancestry among 452 adults (41% Black and 67% female) in four major US cities, Norman, OK; Cincinnati, OH; Harlem, NY; and Washington, DC; prior to their participation in genetic ancestry testing. The OK participants reported more detail about their personal ancestries (p = 0.02) and valued ancestry testing over disease testing more than all other sites (p < 0.01). The NY participants were more likely than other sites to seek genetic testing for disease (p = 0.01) and to see benefit in finding out more about one’s ancestry (p = 0.02), while the DC participants reported reading and hearing more about genetic testing for African ancestry than all other sites (p < 0.01). These site differences were not better accounted for by sex, age, education, self-reported ethnicity, religion, or previous experience with genetic testing/counseling. Regional differences in awareness and attitudes transcend traditional demographic predictors, such as ethnicity, age and education. Local sociocultural factors, more than ethnicity and socioeconomic status, may influence the public’s awareness and belief systems, particularly with respect to genetics.

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CONFERENCES/EVENTS

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The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

2010 Genetic Alliance Annual Conference
July 15-18, 2010
Rockville, MD
http://www.geneticalliance.org/conference2010

10th World Congress of Bioethics
July 28-31, 2010
Singapore
http://www.bioethics-singapore.org/wcb2010/

British Human Genetics Conference 2010
September 6-8, 2010
Birmingham, UK
http://www.bshg.org.uk/BSHG.htm

American Society for Human Genetics
November 2-6, 2010
Washington DC
http://www.ashg.org/2010meeting/

International Data Sharing Conference 2010
September 20-22, 2010
St Hugh's College, Oxford

Registration is now open for the International Data Sharing Conference 2010, which will bring together key figures from academia, research ethics committees and clinical practice to discuss how the increase in data storage and access are changing scientific practice, as well as raising a number of technological, legal, ethical and social challenges for people working in the field of genomics.

The conference will seek to address some of the challenges of data sharing - such as: How should data-generators be rewarded for their efforts to the scientific community? Can we promise anonymity of research participants when whole sequences and phenotypic data are being used for research purposes? What is the best way to harmonise different datasets collected for different purposes? Should participants be fed back individual findings? Are our national research governance systems adequate to cope with global data sharing?

The conference will use a conversation format, using panels focussed on specific questions to generate insights into these issues. Our plenary sessions will focus on feedback, new technologies for data sharing, governance structures for research and safeguarding identifiability. Speakers confirmed for our plenaries so far are: Ellen Wright Clayton, Jane Gitschier, Bartha Knoppers, Timothy Caulfield, and Brad Malin. In addition to the plenary panel sessions, there will be break out sessions.

We have a number of bursaries for people from developing countries and students that are funded by the Wellcome Trust. These can be applied for through our Conference Website.

Conference Website: http://helex.medsci.ox.ac.uk/data-sharing-international-conference-1
Registration: https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/courses/coursedetails.asp?CourseDateID=126&CourseID=72&compid=1

For further details please do not hesitate to contact helexconference@dphpc.ox.ac.uk.

Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - July 16, 2010

July 16, 2010

Volume 3 Issue 2

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- July 16, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

GE³LS Digest

Events

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Genomics News

Genome Canada Appoints New Chair of its Science and Industry Advisory Committee

Genome Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jacques Simard (Ph.D.) as Chair of Genome Canada's Science and Industry Advisory Committee. The Science and Industry Advisory Committee (SIAC) is a permanent committee of the Board of Directors and provides strategic advice on approaches and directions that contribute to the achievement of the corporation's goals.

Dr. Simard has been a member of Genome Canada's Board of Directors since 2005 and has served on a number of Board committees. He is taking the helm of the SIAC in this 10^th anniversary year for Genome Canada.

For more on Dr. Simard please visit Genome Canada’s website.

Michael Houghton is the new Canada Excellence Research Chair in Virology

In 2008, the Government of Canada created the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) Program to establish up to 20 research chairs in universities across the country. Earlier this week the selection committee announced Michael Houghton has been appointed as Canada Excellence Research Chair in Virology at the University of Alberta. Before accepting this new position he was chief scientific officer at Epiphany Biosciences in California. Previously, he spent 25 years in a distinguished career at the blood diagnostics company Chiron, ultimately serving as vice-president of HCV and virology research. In 2000, Houghton received the enormously prestigious Albert Lasker Clinical Research Award for his work at Chiron.

Building on the knowledge he gained while making his breakthrough discovery of the virus that causes HCV, and his identification of the Hepatitis D viral genome, Michael Houghton will work to develop low-cost prophylactic vaccines against HCV, and therapeutic vaccines against HBV. Through experimental trials using chimeric mice with human liver, as well as through woodchuck infection models, Houghton hopes to improve current HBV treatment methods and significantly reduce how long treatment takes.

You can find more on the appointment and in the Canada Excellence Research Chairs by visiting the CERC website.

Genome Prairie Announces Board Appointments

Genome Prairie Board Chair Arnold Naimark has announced the appointment of two new members to the Genome Prairie Board of Directors. John Cross and Kutty Kartha have been appointed for three-year terms. The announcement was made recently at Genome Prairie's Annual Meeting of Members.

For more details we have posted the full story on our GenOmics site.

Lights, Camera, Action for Gene Screen Competition

Gene Screen BC is the first Annual Genetics Video Competition, hosted by the BC Clinical Genomics Network and Genome BC, to explore the world of human genetics on the screen. Winning films should accurately portray the current and near-future clinical science. First prize is $3,500 so visit http://genescreenbc.com/ for more details.

}Deadline for a Letter of Intent is July 31^st and your entry must be submitted by August 15^th so get out the video camera and start rolling.

Pacific Rim Bio Call for Papers, Panels, and Posters Extended

The 2010 Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioenergy will be held at the Hilton Hawaiian Village from December 11-14, 2010.

Topics still needed Include:

Renewable chemical platforms

Biobased Chemistry and biobased polymers

Algae for biofuels and coproducts

Microbial specialty chemicals

Plant and feedstock crop genomics

Marine biotechnology

Advanced biofuels

New Enzyme development

Synthetic biology

Metabolic engineering

Biorefinery evolution

For further information on how to submit an abstract, please visit our website at bio.org/pacrim or contact us at pacrim@bio.org or 202.962.9200.

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GenOmics Top Stories

Scientists in Genome Atlantic project discover gene linked to brain evolution

Solid-state systems could sequence a genome for $10

Exposing the Student Body: Stanford Joins U.C. Berkeley in Controversial Genetic Testing of Students

Scientists Criticize Study on Genetics of Old Age

Ethical, scientific issues related to 'post-market' clinical trials

Why sequencing matters for personal genomics

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Found on Twitter

Twitter is not just for kids or for telling everyone what you had for breakfast. It has become a serious tool for spreading information, breaking news and bringing together people with common interests. We track many people involved in government, biotechnology, life sciences, communications, and public relations. Here a sample of what we’ve seen on Twitter over the last couple of weeks and for more you can visit this week’s Twitter Snips at http://tinyurl.com/2ecyld3

@23andMe Update on 23andMe and Committee on Energy and Commerce of the United States House of Representatives http://bit.ly/9vGZsS

@Argent23 For any plant DNA geeks out there http://bit.ly/bYu8Lg

@blausengroup Duke studying how iPad can be used by medical researchers http://bit.ly/b8ISan via @imedicalapps #meded #clinicaltrials

@doe_jgi Many eyes on single cell genomics videos from the Sequencing, Finishing, Analysis in the Future meeting - up at http://bit.ly/aOtKDZ #fb

@GenomeBiology Due to popular demand the deadline for abstract submissions to Beyond the Genome extended 'til 30 July http://cot.ag/dnrGi1 #BTG2010 #genome

@lindaavey Pharma and lawyers will continue to make money; meanwhile we're all guinea pigs. Personalized med is still more of a myth than a reality.

@ScienceAlert Stem cell gene linked to cancer: Australian researchers have found a mutation in stem cell… http://goo.gl/fb/0dHC2

@StemCellNetwork Personalized medicine is not only a goal, but a part of the process, too http://bit.ly/djd1TI

And who are these busy tweeters?

@23andMe is the Twitter account for the California based genetics testing company 23andMe www.23andme.com

@Argent23 Alexander Knoll is a molecular biology PhD student and science blogger, who tweets in English and German. http://www.scienceblogs.de/alles-was-lebt/

@blausengroup Blausen Group provides medical, scientific animation & illustrations via web, iphone, ipad Blausen and Human Atlas. You can find them online at http://blausen.com/

@doe_jgi U.S. Dept. of Energy Joint Genome Institute enables advances in bioenergy and environmental research. http://jgi.doe.gov/

@GenomeBiology Genome Biology publishes articles from the full spectrum of biology. Their first conference, Beyond the Genome is in October 2010. www.beyondthegenome2010.com

@lindaavey is a co-founder of 23andMe and says her work now is all about instigating a healthquake.

@ScienceAlert is a website offering the best of Australasian science and technology news http://www.sciencealert.com.au/

@StemCellNetwork SCN supports cutting-edge projects that translate Canadian stem cell research discoveries into new and better treatments. http://www.stemcellnetwork.ca/

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GE³LS Digest

For more information about GE3LS Digest, please visit http://www.genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/newsletters.aspx

Monsanto GM seed ban is overturned by US Supreme Court – June 21, 2010

The bio-tech company Monsanto can sell genetically modified seeds before safety tests on them are completed, the US Supreme Court has ruled. A lower court had barred the sale of the modified alfalfa seeds until an environmental impact study could be carried out. But seven of the nine Supreme Court Justices decided that ruling was unconstitutional. The seed is modified to be resistant to Monsanto's brand of weed killer. The US is the world's largest producer of alfalfa, a grass-like plant used as animal feed. It is the fourth most valuable crop grown in the country. Environmentalists had argued that there might be a risk of cross-pollination between genetically modified plants and neighbouring crops.

This story has been featured on our GenOmics site with an added video report on the court ruling.

Gene data for all 'within a decade'—June 24, 2010

Genetic information will be available to most people in the developed world within 10 years, allowing better treatment and safer prescription of drugs. Francis Collins, director of the US National Institutes of Health, believes mass genome sequencing of individuals would soon be possible at a cost of less than $1,000 per person (£670). In an interview with The Times to mark the 10th anniversary of the sequencing of the human genome, he said bespoke genetic health care would identify those with a higher inherited risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer and reduce the diseases though drug treatment, early screening or diet and exercise

Study shows some men may be born with a cheating gene – June 17, 2010

Wedding vows are supposed to mean you stay married forever, but a study shows for some men it just may not be possible. Apparently, the more we learn about DNA the more researchers are finding evidence that some men are born with a so-called cheating heart. "There's a gene that's been shown, that if men have this particular gene or a variant of the gene, they have more trouble in relationships," said Brenda Wade, Ph.D., a marriage and relationship expert. Dr. Brenda wade has written three books on marriage and relationships. She says a Swedish study followed more than a 1,000 twins finding that there is a bonding chemical in some men, which makes them less likely to stay married and more likely to end up in bad relationships. However, as a psychologist, she says the good news whether you have that gene variant or not, the brain can be trained to resist temptation.

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Events

International Livestock Congress 2010

The conference will highlight the complex forces at work in today's fast changing beef industry with a focus on what each member of the livestock industry can do to impact the image of beef and the beef industry in a positive manner. The theme for this year's ILC is Beef 2010: Raising Optimism, Global Strategies

Main topics of the 1 day event are:

International economics

Global demand and how Canada is perceived in the world market

The value chain and how to become more competitive in the market place

How Canadian beef can win in globalization

Speakers scheduled to appear include:

Jack Hayden, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development for Alberta

Travis Toews, President of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association

James Bo Reagan, Senior Vice President Research, Education & Innovation, U.S. National Cattlemen's Beef Association

When: August 11, 2010

Where: Deerfoot Inn and Casino
11500 - 35th St. S.E.
Calgary, Alberta

For more details please visit the main conference website.

Genome Alberta is a sponsor of the Congress and we look forward to seeing you there.

BioProExpo 2010

BioProExpo™ 2010 is a new cross-industry event that explores existing and emerging ways for transitioning a variety of biomass feedstocks into energy and biofuel. At BioPro Expo, suppliers of agricultural, municipal and wood wastes, as well as producers of dedicated energy crops and food processing facilities, will find the practical answers they need for capitalizing on biomass resources.
BioProExpo is organized by TAPPI.

Where: Cobb Galleria Centre
Atlanta, Georgia

When: August 24^th - 26^th, 2010

BioProExpo Website: http://www.bioproexpo.org

Contact pages for sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, and media: http://www.bioproexpo.org/contact.asp

Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference

The theme of this year's Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2010) is Bridging Biology and Business and features three streams: Energy, Health, and Sustainability.

This is an annual event for industry leaders, policy makers, scientists, researchers and other professionals working in the area of agricultural biotechnology. The conference is a forum where the latest scientific advances in agricultural biotechnology are presented, and where future directions of the technology are highlighted and discussed. Attendees will hear about advances, barriers and action options which may influence science and business endeavours on a global scale.

There will be plenary speakers, a full breakout program, poster session, and a trade show.

When: September 12-15, 2010

Where: TCU Place, 35 - 22nd Street East,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

You can view agenda details on the ABIC website.
This video is from BIOTECanada and is a look into the future of agriculture and biotechnology.

The Genomics of Common Diseases 2010

Nature Genetics in association with the Wellcome Trust are sponsoring the fourth Genomics of Common Diseases meeting.

Where: Cullen Building
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

When: October 6^th - 9^th, 2010

2010 Canadian Science Policy Conference

With the success of the 1^st CSPC last year in Toronto, the Conference is set to become an annual event attracting some of the best scientists, civil servants, elected officials, and academics in a position to influence science policy in Canada. The Canadian Science Policy Conference was initiated by young researchers and has subsequently received a groundswell of support from prominent members of the science community. The main objectives of the CSPC are to identify and discuss current Canadian science policy and to forge stronger links between stakeholders and policymakers.
This year’s event will be held in Montreal October 20^th - 22^nd and the theme will be Building Bridges for the Future of Science Policy.

CSPC 2010 will feature more than 50 speakers, 14 panels and 2 workshops, branded across 5 themes, along with hundreds of delegates representing numerous stakeholders who will discuss critical issues in Science and Technology policy in Canada – many of which have never been discussed at a forum on this scale.

Be sure to visit the CSPC 2010 website at http://sciencepolicy.ca/cspc2010 for more detailed information as it becomes available and to register for the event.

Main conference website: http://sciencepolicy.ca/cspc2010

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Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - July 6, 2010

July 6, 2010

Volume 3 Issue 1

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- July 6, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

Events

GE³LS Digest

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Genomics News

Ontario Genomics Institute Announces SIG Prize

The Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) has announced the launch of a new $10,000 prize to promote and recognize research reflecting integrative and inter-disciplinary approaches to characterizing the societal issues, outcomes and impacts of genomics projects.

The OGI Societal Impact of Genomics (SIG) Prize will be awarded based on an annual competitive evaluation – by a multi-disciplinary panel of experts – of submitted candidate publications authored by one or more Ontario-based researchers.

Applications for the SIG prize are accepted from Ontario researchers currently or previously funded by OGI. The first deadline for application submission is January 30, 2011.

For more information on the SIG prize and application details, visit: http://www.ontariogenomics.ca/research/ogi-societal-impact-genomics-sig-prize

Genome Canada Competition Dates

For those who successfully completed a registration for the new Genome Canada 2010 funding there are important dates to note:

July 15, 2010 Pre-Application due date – Genome Centres

August 9, 2010 Pre-Application due date – Genome Canada

September 14, 2010 Applicants notified of results of Pre-application

November 1, 2010 Deadline for full applications to Genome Centres

December 1, 2010 Deadline for full applications to Genome Canada

Late January 2011 Review committee meets (including meetings with applicants)

Mid-February 2011 Decision by Genome Canada Board of Directors

Late February 2011 Notification of Award (NOA)

Genome Alberta has held 2 information webinars on the process for applicants and if you have made it through the registration stage and still have questions please contact Genome Alberta Cheif Scientific Officer Gijs van Rooijen at vanrooijen@genomealberta.ca

The list of accepted Registrations for the 2010 Large-Scale Applied Research Project Competition is now posted on the Genome Alberta website (pdf file, will open in a new window)

New Quebec Research and Innovation Strategy

The Government of Quebec has released an update to its Québec Research and Innovation Strategy (QRIS), called Mobilize. Innovate. Prosper. The announcement promise more than 1.16 billion dollars to support health research, support for merit awards, workplace internship awards, international internships, and strategic clusters in health fields considered priorities. A new financial measure will help to fund innovative strategic development projects in research centres. The funding builds on the previous strategy which covered 2007–2010 and will take Quebec through to 2013.

Also announced in the new strategy will be the appointment of a Québec chief scientist. A competition will be held to recruit this individual for a period of five years. His or her job will be to oversee Fonds Recherche Québec and ensure operational efficiency, particularly on interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral matters.

Full details of the strategy can be found on the QRIS pages on the Government of Quebec website.

New VP – Outreach for Ontario Genomics Institute

The Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) has announced the appointment of Dr. Alison Symington as Vice President, Outreach where she will assume responsibility for OGI’s external stakeholder relations, corporate communications and educational outreach programs.

Dr. Symington joins OGI from Bioscience Education Canada, where as Executive Director she led the organization through a substantive rebranding and refocusing, and managed a number of outreach and educational events that significantly increased the visibility of Canadian science education nationally and internationally. Notably, she led the Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge, the Biotech Toolbox Program and was involved in the creation of several laboratory courses for high school teachers

For more on the appointment visit the OGI website.

3^rd Issue of GE3LS Impact Newsletter Now Online

Impact is Genome Canada’s GE³LS newsletter and the 3^rd issue is available online at http://www.genomecanada.ca/en/ge3ls/newsletters/spring-2010/

Latest Edition of the Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter

http://www.gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/28jun10/cbhd_news_28jun10.htm

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GenOmics Top Stories

Get our your iPad and go to http://facebook.genomealberta.ca. The new and improved GenOmics looks great, the video and audio displays nicely and it won’t burn up your data plan. Use the same link from your laptop or desktop computer and you’ll be treated to an ad-free site where the stories change a couple of time a day to bring you the latest in science news from sources you can trust.

Consider it a complete science newsroom squeezed into your computer.

Genetic signatures of human exceptional longevity discovered

A New Way to Change the World

Scientists create 3-D models of whole mouse organs

Giant salmon will be first GM animal available for eating

Where Genomics, Public Policy, and Society Meet

Strong medicine for French research

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Found on Twitter

This is just a snapshot of the thousands of postings that appear every day on Twitter and that are related in some way to biotech, the life sciences, genomics or some of the other related omic sciences. We have a more complete rundown of what we have unearthed on Twitter is on one of our latest blog postings.

@BiologyAnswers What are lethal genes? http://bit.ly/cRx0h0

@carlzimmer Listening to the podcast roundups of #evol2010 meeting posted at Evolution, Development, and Genomics blog

@drkiki It's Thursday! That means it's science time on TWIT... Dr. Kiki's Science Hour is celebrating its first birthday... http://fb.me/zMLS8JJT

@GenomeBiology New article in #genomebiology from Hans Ellegren and colleagues, a study of molecular evolution in two bird genomes http://bit.ly/9mZu4m

@genomicslawyer CA Legislature proposes bill to halt Berkeley's proposal to offer students DNA testing: http://bit.ly/affAgE

@jaffathecakeOhh, British Medical Association has voted to remove NHS funding for homeopathy & for it to be removed from pharmacies. Go science!

@phylogenomics At least evolutionary biologists know what is important: big crowd watching #ESPvs #POR #evol2010 #ievobio

@wyattsgirl 10 years later...few clinical impacts- HGP lacks the clinical relevance http://bit.ly/aDcsUJ despite what Sanger says: http://bit.ly/9WB0Ll

Our featured tweeters are:

@BiologyAnswers   Biology Questions and Answers is a website at http://www.biology-questions-and-answers.com/ that explains Biology through reviews made of questions and answers.

@carlzimmer   Carl Zimmer is a science writer who says he is a “champion of mind-controlling tapeworms, walking whales, and underappreciated forms of life everywhere”. Find out more about him at http://carlzimmer.com/

@drkiki   Dr. Kirsten Sanford is a scientist in neurophysiology who somehow escaped from the lab and is now making her way in independent science media and journalism

@GenomeBiology    Genome Biology publishes articles from the full spectrum of biology. Their first conference, Beyond the Genome is in October 2010. Find more at www.beyondthegenome2010.com

@genomicslawyer Dan Vorhaus brings news and notes from the frontier of genomics, personalized medicine and the law. He has a very popular blog at http://www.genomicslawreport.com/

@jaffathecake Jake Archibald is a web developer at the BBC.

@phylogenomics is another Twitter Snips regular. Jonathan Eisen is an evolutionary biologist, microbiology & genomics researcher, open science advocate, and professor at UC Davis.

@tgoetz Thomas Goetz is Executive Editor at Wired and has recently released a new book called The Decision Tree - a manifesto on healthcare & personalized medicine. The book’s website is at http://thedecisiontree.com/blog/

@wyattsgirl is Kenna Shaw who still wants to be a scientist but toils for the NIH in the U.S.

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GE³LS Digest

For more information about GE3LS Digest, please visit http://www.genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/newsletters.aspx

Gene tests have answers, but do we want them? – May 30, 2010

Direct-to-consumer genetic tests allow anyone with a few hundred dollars to submit a saliva sample and get back genetic information on everything from family ancestry to Alzheimer's disease. The powerful technology could lead to personalized medical treatments based on individuals' genetic risks. But these tests have long been controversial, with many bioethicists worried they could mislead people about their disease risks. Now the government is taking a harder look at the tests. A Food and Drug Administration warning earlier this month prompted drugstore chain Walgreens to delay plans to sell gene test kits in stores. Less than a week later, the House of Representatives Energy and Finance Committee launched an investigation of personal genomics companies 23andMe, Navigenics and Pathway Genomics.

Stanford School of Medicine Launches Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine – June 4, 2010

Stanford University's School of Medicine this week announced the creation of a new Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine designed to integrate genomics information with every aspect of medicine, as well as draw on collaborations between Stanford's basic scientists and clinical researchers, and on technologies developed in Silicon Valley. Stanford says the center will promote personalized medicine by building on research from the sequencing of the genome of Stephen Quake, the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and co-chair of Stanford's bioengineering department. Quake made news last August by using a technology he helped invent — Helicos BioSciences' Heliscope single molecule sequencer — to sequence and publish his own genome for less than $50,000. Researchers published results from their study of Quake's genome in the May 1 issue of the Lancet.

Gene data for all 'within a decade'—June 24, 2010

Genetic information will be available to most people in the developed world within 10 years, allowing better treatment and safer prescription of drugs. Francis Collins, director of the US National Institutes of Health, believes mass genome sequencing of individuals would soon be possible at a cost of less than $1,000 per person (£670). In an interview with The Times to mark the 10th anniversary of the sequencing of the human genome, he said bespoke genetic health care would identify those with a higher inherited risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer and reduce the diseases though drug treatment, early screening or diet and exercise

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Events

The GEEE! in Genome

If you are planning to spend part of your summer holiday in B.C. this year consider taking a side trip to Prince George for the Geee! In Genome running from May 1 through to September 5.

The exhibit was a big hit when it was here in Alberta last year so if you missed it then, this is a good chance to catch it and take in some beautiful B.C. scenery at the same time. For details visit the website at http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

HUPO 2010

The Human Proteomics Conference will be held in Sydney, Australia this year from September 19^th to the 23^rd.

The program will address clinical, biomedical, biological, cellular and proteomic discoveries through the themes of Oncology, Neurology, Cardiovascular/diabetes/obesity, and Infection/immunity. A large number of leading international scientists have accepted invitations to speak and 50% of all oral presentations will be draw from the best submitted abstracts. For more information visit the conference website at http://www.hupo2010.com/

2010 Canadian Science Policy Conference

With the success of the 1^st CSPC last year in Toronto, the Conference is set to become an annual event attracting some of the best scientists, civil servants, elected officials, and academics in a position to influence science policy in Canada.

This year’s event will be held in Montreal October 20^th – 22^nd and the theme will be Building Bridges for the Future of Science Policy.

The main objectives of the CSPC are to identify and discuss current Canadian science policy and to forge stronger links between stakeholders and policymakers.

The Canadian Science Policy Conference was initiated by young researchers and has subsequently received a groundswell of support from prominent members of the science community. Be sure to visit the CSPC 2010 website at http://sciencepolicy.ca/cspc2010

American Society for Human Genetics Annual Meeting
November 2-6, 2010
Washington DC
http://www.ashg.org/2010meeting/

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GE3LS Digest - July 5, 2010

July 5, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: July 5, 2010

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NEWS

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CANADA

Welcome to Impact
http://www.genomecanada.ca/en/ge3ls/newsletters/spring-2010/
Genomics offers a wealth of potential benefits — it also raises important questions for society. "GE3LS" research examines the ethical, economic, environmental, legal and social implications of genomics. Genome Canada's new electronic newsletter, Impact, showcases leading-edge GE3LS research in Canada and the "impact" it's having both here and around the world

INTERNATIONAL

Study shows some men may be born with a cheating gene – June 17, 2010
http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?S=12668599
Wedding vows are supposed to mean you stay married forever, but a study shows for some men it just may not be possible. Apparently, the more we learn about DNA the more researchers are finding evidence that some men are born with a so-called cheating heart. "There's a gene that's been shown, that if men have this particular gene or a variant of the gene, they have more trouble in relationships," said Brenda Wade, Ph.D., a marriage and relationship expert. Dr. Brenda wade has written three books on marriage and relationships. She says a Swedish study followed more than a 1,000 twins finding that there is a bonding chemical in some men, which makes them less likely to stay married and more likely to end up in bad relationships. However, as a psychologist, she says the good news whether you have that gene variant or not, the brain can be trained to resist temptation.

Scientists create 'sick pigs' to cure humans – June 17, 2010
http://news.scotsman.com/news/Scientists-create-39sick-pigs39-to.6366995.jp
Scottish scientists are creating pigs that are genetically modified to suffer from incurable human diseases – so they can be used by drug companies to test new therapies. The team of researchers is trying to produce pigs which are diseased with the lethal lung condition cystic fibrosis and an eye disease that leads to blindness in humans, The Scotsman has learned. The highly controversial research is being carried out at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, famous for creating Dolly the cloned sheep. If the team is successful, the diseased animals would be used by drug companies to test potential new gene therapies for the conditions. The cutting-edge research raises major ethical issues about harming animals intentionally for the benefit of humans. It has led to outrage from animal rights organisations.

Monsanto GM seed ban is overturned by US Supreme Court – June 21, 2010
http://www.physorg.com/health-news/health/
The bio-tech company Monsanto can sell genetically modified seeds before safety tests on them are completed, the US Supreme Court has ruled. A lower court had barred the sale of the modified alfalfa seeds until an environmental impact study could be carried out. But seven of the nine Supreme Court Justices decided that ruling was unconstitutional. The seed is modified to be resistant to Monsanto's brand of weedkiller. The US is the world's largest producer of alfalfa, a grass-like plant used as animal feed. It is the fourth most valuable crop grown in the country. Environmentalists had argued that there might be a risk of cross-pollination between genetically modified plants and neighbouring crops.

Marketing push targets bioengineered food: Campaign promotes products free of genetic manipulation – June 21, 2010
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37576031/ns/business-consumer_news/
To GMO or not to GMO? No, it’s not a social networking site or a new dance. It stands for “genetically modified organisms” and if you’re like most Americans, you probably don't know what it means or that many of the foods you eat contain GMOs. Food marketers are trying to change that. By the fall, as many as 200 products — including Nature’s Path, Lundberg Family Farms and Earth Balance — will hit store shelves carrying a new “Non-GMO Project” food label, certifying that an independent lab has tested and confirmed the product contains no bioengineered ingredients... While labeling of genetically modified food is common overseas, especially in Europe, it is practically unheard of in the United States, where big agricultural producers long have argued that such products are no different than traditional crops.

Genome at 10: Faster, cheaper... worse – June 23, 2010
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627651.500-genome-at-10-faster-cheaper-worse.html
One of the most tangible benefits of the human genome project is that sequencing genomes is getting much faster and cheaper. When it began, DNA sequencing was still largely a manual process. A highly skilled worker might manage 10,000 DNA letters, or base pairs, per day if all went well - which it seldom did. The latest automated instruments can generate up to 100 million base pairs of raw sequence data each day. If you have a little cash to spare, you can now get your genome sequenced by Illumina for less than $20,000. Once, the aim was the $1000 genome. Today, talk is already turning to the $100 genome.

Xenotransplantation: a pig issue – June 23, 2010
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2010/06/23/2933487.htm
The shortage of organ donors means an estimated 100 Australians die on waiting lists each year. Could xenotransplantation from genetically engineered animals fill the gap? Pigs may provide a source of tissue transplants for humans in the future. To say that there is room for improvement in current treatments for type-1 diabetes is an understatement. The chronic illness affects about 150,000 Australians, with those at the more severe end at risk of blindness, vascular problems and potential amputation of limbs, says Professor Philip O'Connell, director of transplantation at Sydney's Westmead Hospital. Implanting insulin-producing islet cells from pigs into the pancreas could allow people with severe type-1 diabetes to start producing their own insulin in response to fluctuating blood glucose levels, O'Connell says.

Dating Website Promises to Share Attractive Genes – June 23, 2010
http://www.aolnews.com/tech/article/beautifulpeoplecom-dating-website-starts-fertility-forum-to-share-attractive-genes/19527928
They promise not to hog all the pretty genes. BeautifulPeople.com says it's creating a fertility introduction site for its members, and eventually -- gasp -- even the unattractive. The online forum is a place where people can discuss reproductive issues and move forward if they find a match, an effort to help infertile couples and single women."Initially, we hesitated to widen the offering to non-beautiful people," Robert Hintze, a founder of the site, said in a statement. "But everyone -- including ugly people -- would like to bring good-looking children into the world, and we can't be selfish with our attractive gene pool." The 8-year-old controversial dating site claims 600,000 members from 190 countries. So far, 150 of them said they'd be interested in donating to a virtual sperm and egg bank, Greg Hodge, the site's managing director, told AOL News. "They've agreed this is something they'd be interested in doing," he said.

Gene data for all 'within a decade'—June 24, 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7850919/Gene-data-for-all-within-a-decade.html
Genetic information will be available to most people in the developed world within 10 years, allowing better treatment and safer prescription of drugs. Francis Collins, director of the US National Institutes of Health, believes mass genome sequencing of individuals would soon be possible at a cost of less than $1,000 per person (£670). In an interview with The Times to mark the 10th anniversary of the sequencing of the human genome, he said bespoke genetic health care would identify those with a higher inherited risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer and reduce the diseases though drug treatment, early screening or diet and exercise

Genetically Altered Salmon Get Closer to the Table – June 25, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/26/business/26salmon.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=salmon&st=cse
The Food and Drug Administration is seriously considering whether to approve the first genetically engineered animal that people would eat — salmon that can grow at twice the normal rate.The developer of the salmon has been trying to get approval for a decade. But the company now seems to have submitted most or all of the data the F.D.A. needs to analyze whether the salmon are safe to eat, nutritionally equivalent to other salmon and safe for the environment, according to government and biotechnology industry officials. A public meeting to discuss the salmon may be held as early as this fall. Some consumer and environmental groups are likely to raise objections to approval. Even within the F.D.A., there has been a debate about whether the salmon should be labeled as genetically engineered (genetically engineered crops are not labeled).

Deeper into uncharted waters: embryo research – June 26, 2010
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/deeper-into-uncharted-waters-embryo-research/story-e6frg8y6-1225884026332
IN November 2007 the world of stem cell science changed overnight. That's when independent Japanese and US teams simultaneously reported that they'd made "embryo-free" human embryonic stem cells from ordinary skin cells. Although the advent of these so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells -- nearly as versatile as true human embryonic stem cells -- freed researchers from many disputes surrounding hES cell work, complexities remain. That's why ethical issues, ranging from donor consent to the creation of human-animal chimeras, were front and centre last week in San Francisco at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. Japan's Kazuo Kato from Kyoto University told delegates that although human cloning grips the popular imagination, it's science fiction, not fact. Not only do researchers dismiss it and many governments outlaw it, there are significant technical and biological barriers.

Fat and muscle turned into bone and cartilage – June 26, 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7856378/Fat-and-muscle-turned-into-bone-and-cartilage.html
Researchers have been able to regrow bone and cartilage by inserting a gene into muscle and fat cells and then implanting them at the site of an injury. It is hoped the technology could dramatically cut the amount of time patients have to spend in traction after breaking bones and could help improve recovery from cartilage damage such as occurs in knee injuries. The scientists, based at Harvard Medical School, Boston, found they were able to encourage muscle and fat cells to change into cartilage and then bone by using a form of gene therapy. Tests in rats showed that the implanted muscle and fat rapidly caused a bridge to form between broken bones within days.

Egg screening test 'predicts genetic problems’ – June 28, 2010
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10433577.stm
A new egg screening technique, which doctors hope will boost the success rate of IVF, can predict genetic problems in 90% of cases, research shows. However, it is not yet clear whether or not it increases pregnancy rates, European fertility experts warned. Some clinics already offer the £2,000 test to older women who have failed multiple attempts at IVF. A large trial is due to start next year to further assess the technology. Up to half of the eggs in younger women and up to 75% in women over 39 are chromosomally abnormal. Fertility doctors want a reliable way of finding which eggs are genetically sound to try to boost the chances of IVF success.

Uh, Oh. FrankenSalmon! Why is genetically modified food so scary? – June 28, 2010
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-risky-is-it-really/201006/uh-oh-frankensalmon-why-is-genetically-modified-food-so-scary
Imagine sitting down to a lovely meal of grilled salmon, firm, moist, delicious…and genetically engineered. Does that sound different than firm, moist, delicious wild salmon? Or firm, moist, delicious farm-raised salmon? Probably. But why. Salmon is salmon is salmon right? Well, no, you might say. With genetic engineering there might be a gene in there from a peanut or a potato or a pig. They can mix anything they want together these days. What if I told you that the only genes in the entire salmon, are salmon genes. The genetic engineering just took genes from one species that matures faster, the Chinook, and put them in the Atlantic salmon which people like to eat and which can be farm-raised and mass produced, so the salmon grows to its normal size faster. (They also put in a gene from a salmon relative, the ocean pout, to turn the Chinook growth gene on.

Berkeley Scheduled to Move Forward with Freshmen DNA Testing – June 29, 2010
http://predicter.blogspot.com/
Yesterday, Berkeley’s student newspaper The Daily Californian published on op-ed questioning Berkeley’s decision to move forward with its experiment designed collect DNA from consenting incoming freshman. The “Bring Your Genes to Cal” experiment originally made headlines over a month ago, when the New York Times and other major newspapers described the program and the corresponding polarized responses. In a few weeks, Berkeley is scheduled to send out information packets, informed consent forms, and buccal swab kits to the incoming freshman class to test for genetic variation related to their ability to process lactose, metabolize alcohol, and examine their levels of folic acid. Mark Schlissel, MD, PhD, Professor of Immunology and Dean of Biological Sciences at Berkeley views the program as a lesson of how genetics and personalized medicine will impact students’ lives in the future. “We wanted to give students a sense of what’s coming, through genes that can provide them with useful information. I think it’s one of the best things we’ve done in years,” said Schlissel to the New York Times.

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PAPERS

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Sergey Brin’s Search for a Parkinson’s Cure
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/06/ff_sergeys_search/all/1
Several evenings a week, after a day’s work at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, Sergey Brin drives up the road to a local pool. There, he changes into swim trunks, steps out on a 3-meter springboard, looks at the water below, and dives….The diving is the sort of challenge that Brin, who has also dabbled in yoga, gymnastics, and acrobatics, is drawn to: equal parts physical and mental exertion. “The dive itself is brief but intense,” he says. “You push off really hard and then have to twist right away. It does get your heart rate going.”There’s another benefit as well: With every dive, Brin gains a little bit of leverage—leverage against a risk, looming somewhere out there, that someday he may develop the neurodegenerative disorder Parkinson’s disease. Buried deep within each cell in Brin’s body—in a gene called LRRK2, which sits on the 12th chromosome—is a genetic mutation that has been associated with higher rates of Parkinson’s. Not everyone with Parkinson’s has an LRRK2 mutation; nor will everyone with the mutation get the disease. But it does increase the chance that Parkinson’s will emerge sometime in the carrier’s life to between 30 and 75 percent. (By comparison, the risk for an average American is about 1 percent.) Brin himself splits the difference and figures his DNA gives him about 50-50 odds.

The Path to Personalized Medicine – June 15, 2010
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMp1006304
Major investments in basic science have created an opportunity for significant progress in clinical medicine. Researchers have discovered hundreds of genes that harbor variations contributing to human illness, identified genetic variability in patients' responses to dozens of treatments, and begun to target the molecular causes of some diseases. In addition, scientists are developing and using diagnostic tests based on genetics or other molecular mechanisms to better predict patients' responses to targeted therapy. The challenge is to deliver the benefits of this work to patients. As the leaders of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), we have a shared vision of personalized medicine and the scientific and regulatory structure needed to support its growth. Together, we have been focusing on the best ways to develop new therapies and optimize prescribing by steering patients to the right drug at the right dose at the right time.

OECD: Agricultural Biotechnologies to 2015
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/19/36/44534300.pdf
The 105-page article provides an overview of the current state of technological development and presents estimates and projections for the types of biotechnologies expected to reach the market for use in agriculture and related natural resources to 2015.

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CONFERENCES/EVENTS

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The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

2010 Genetic Alliance Annual Conference
July 15-18, 2010
Rockville, MD
http://www.geneticalliance.org/conference2010

10th World Congress of Bioethics
July 28-31, 2010
Singapore
http://www.bioethics-singapore.org/wcb2010/

British Human Genetics Conference 2010
September 6-8, 2010
Birmingham, UK
http://www.bshg.org.uk/BSHG.htm

American Society for Human Genetics
November 2-6, 2010
Washington DC
http://www.ashg.org/2010meeting/

International Data Sharing Conference 2010
September 20-22, 2010
St Hugh's College, Oxford

For further details please do not hesitate to contact helexconference@dphpc.ox.ac.uk.

GE3LS Digest - June 16, 2010

June 16, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: June 16, 2010

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NEWS

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CANADA

Quebec DNA bank halfway to goal – May 30, 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/05/28/mtl-cartagene-progress.html
A Quebec project to create a giant bank of DNA for medical research purposes has passed the halfway mark toward its goal. The CARTaGENE project wants to collect specimens from 20,000 donors by the fall. The project is targeting people between the ages of 40 and 69 who live in Montreal, Sherbrooke, Saguenay and Quebec City. Unlike other genetic studies that look at markers for disease in a specific population, the CARTaGENE bank aims to get a cross-section of urban Quebecers, said the project's scientific director, geneticist Philip Awadalla. "We are trying to really get a snapshot of the Quebec population as a whole," said Awadalla. "So, we will, by chance, recruit a large number of individuals of French descent. "But we are also going after the overall Montreal makeup of ethnicities as well. Because we are interested in where people are coming from, where they live, how that affects their lifestyles and how that effects their general health." He said the data will allow scientists to identify how genes interact with a person's environment and how that could affect potential treatment options for different illnesses. Doctoral students are already working on the sample data collected and the research is bearing fruit, said Awadalla.

Genetic finding paves way for controversial autism testing – June 9, 2010
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/genetic-finding-paves-way-for-controversial-autism-testing/article1597861/
An international effort led by Canadian scientists has uncovered the complex genetic architecture of autism, revealing brand new targets for treatment and making it possible to predict with a DNA test at birth, or even before, about 10 per cent of those who will develop the condition.
But precisely how or when people should have access to such a test could prove to be nearly as tricky as the disorder itself, now seen as the most common serious developmental condition of childhood.
After sifting through the DNA of 1,500 families, members of the Autism Genome Project, a consortium of 120 researchers in 11 countries, have made the humbling discovery that the genetic risk factors for autism are different for each person who suffers from it.

INTERNATIONAL

Gene tests have answers, but do we want them? – May 30, 2010
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37407874/ns/health-health_care/wid/11915773
Direct-to-consumer genetic tests allow anyone with a few hundred dollars to submit a saliva sample and get back genetic information on everything from family ancestry to Alzheimer's disease. The powerful technology could lead to personalized medical treatments based on individuals' genetic risks. But these tests have long been controversial, with many bioethicists worried they could mislead people about their disease risks. Now the government is taking a harder look at the tests. A Food and Drug Administration warning earlier this month prompted drugstore chain Walgreens to delay plans to sell gene test kits in stores. Less than a week later, the House of Representatives Energy and Finance Committee launched an investigation of personal genomics companies 23andMe, Navigenics and Pathway Genomics.

Costa Rica shuts stem cell clinic – June 2, 2010
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6516UR20100602?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews&rpc=69
Costa Rica has ordered the country's largest stem cell clinic to stop offering treatment, saying there is no proof that it is effective, the country's health minister said on Wednesday. About 400 patients, mostly foreigners from the United States, have been treated at the Institute of Cellular Medicine in San Jose for multiple sclerosis, arthritis, spinal injuries and other illnesses. "This isn't allowed in any serious country in the world," Health Minister Maria Luisa Avila said in a telephone interview. The Health Ministry several weeks ago ordered the clinic, owned by Arizona entrepreneur Neil Riordan, to stop performing the treatment, in which stem cells extracted from the patients are reinjected into their bodies.

Stem cell research no longer threatened by Ohio Senate bill – June 3, 2010
http://www.medcitynews.com/2010/06/ohio-senate-passes-bill-to-ban-human-animal-hybrids/
The Ohio Senate passed a bill that would outlaw the mixing of human and animal cells to create “human-animal hybrids,” such as the implanting of an human embryo into an animal’s womb.
But the big news for stem cell researchers is that the bill passed by the Senate no longer would ban human cloning, as the version introduced in March did. Scientists and stem cell research advocates were concerned that a blanket ban on human cloning would harm the state’s ability to attract grants and top-notch biomedical researchers. Those fears would seem to have eased as a result of the bill’s new, stripped-down language. The bill lists eight examples of “human-animal” hybrids, including an embryo produced by introducing a nonhuman nucleus into an human cell and “a nonhuman life form engineered such that it contains an human brain.” Steve Buehrer, R-Delta, said he introduced the bill after hearing news reports of scientists using rabbits, mice and cows to make human clones, according to a statement. “While thoughts of animal-human hybrids conjure up images of science fiction movies, it is no fantasy that several labs around the world have or are attempting to combine animal and human cells,” he said.

Ag biotech conference to focus on health impacts of food, agriculture and nutrition – June 3, 2010
http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=9526
Leading scientists from throughout the United States will gather June 16-18 at UC Davis to identify research priorities and government policies that enhance human health through agriculture, food and nutrition. “With health care consuming so much of the developed world’s resources, there is a critical need to understand how diet, nutrition, and the underlying agricultural production systems impact human health,” said Alan Bennett, a UC Davis plant sciences professor and conference organizer.
“Promoting Health by Linking Agriculture, Food and Nutrition” is the theme of the 22nd annual conference of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council. The conference is organized into five sessions that will address topics such as designing and producing healthy food, social and cultural dimensions of eating habits, bringing nutrition science to regulations and how business can find food and nutrition innovations.

Survey suggests most Americans would accept 'sustainable' GM wheat – June 3, 2010
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Financial-Industry/Survey-suggests-most-Americans-would-accept-sustainable-GM-wheat
Many American consumers would be receptive to foods containing genetically modified wheat if it is produced sustainably, suggests a new survey examining attitudes to food technologies from the International Food Information Council (IFIC). The survey, the fourteenth conducted by the council, polled 750 US adults to gauge current attitudes toward the newest food technologies.
Although commercially available genetically modified (GM) wheat crops are likely to be at least a decade away, 80 percent of survey respondents said they would be likely to purchase bread, crackers, cookies, cereal, or pasta products containing GM wheat “if they were produced using sustainable practices to feed more people using fewer resources such as land and pesticides.” And consistent with the 2008 survey, 77 percent of respondents said they would buy foods produced through biotechnology if they helped cut pesticide use. IFIC said that these results suggested there would be “a receptive audience” to products containing GM wheat if or when they become commercially available.

Stanford School of Medicine Launches Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine – June 4, 2010
http://www.genomeweb.com//node/942320?hq_e=el&hq_m=735518&hq_l=7&hq_v=42c8152690
Stanford University's School of Medicine this week announced the creation of a new Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine designed to integrate genomics information with every aspect of medicine, as well as draw on collaborations between Stanford's basic scientists and clinical researchers, and on technologies developed in Silicon Valley. Stanford says the center will promote personalized medicine by building on research from the sequencing of the genome of Stephen Quake, the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and co-chair of Stanford's bioengineering department. Quake made news last August by using a technology he helped invent — Helicos BioSciences' Heliscope single molecule sequencer — to sequence and publish his own genome for less than $50,000. Researchers published results from their study of Quake's genome in the May 1 issue of the Lancet.

Genetic Testing Can Change Behavior – June 7, 2010
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/25297/
People who find out they have high genetic risk for cardiovascular disease are more likely to change their diet and exercise patterns than are those who learn they have a high risk from family history, according to preliminary research. The findings, from a personalized medicine study at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, a non-profit research institute based in Camden, NJ, suggest both a potential benefit of genetic testing--inspiring patients to get healthy--and a misunderstanding of the power of genetics. The research is part of a larger effort designed to help answer two major questions surrounding genetic testing: how both patients and doctors will react to the information and whether the information can actually improve health outcomes. For example, someone who finds out he has a high genetic risk of diabetes might adopt a fatalistic attitude and stop exercising, or he might be motivated to start a new diet. The answers to these questions are becoming increasingly important as the amount of genetic information available to both patients and general consumers--via direct-to-consumer tests available via the internet--has rapidly grown over the last couple of years.

Success with 'cisgenics' in forestry offers new tools for biotechnology -- June 8, 2010
http://www.physorg.com/news195221223.html
Six weeks after being transplanted, genetically modified trees developed through the science of "cisgenics," at left, are growing substantially taller than a control group, at right. This research program at Oregon State University is moving genes from very similar or identical plant species, as an alternative to the more traditional "transgenic" approach to genetic modification. (Photo courtesy of Oregon State University). Forestry scientists at Oregon State University have demonstrated for the first time that the growth rate and other characteristics of trees can be changed through "cisgenics" - a type of genetic engineering that is conceptually similar to traditional plant breeding.

Website helps evaluate stem cell clinics - June 8, 2010
http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/news/canadianpress-article.aspx?cp-documentid=24509462
It's "irresponsible and despicable" that many overseas clinics are purporting to offer stem cell treatments for people with illnesses without any scientific evidence, says the head of Canada's Stem Cell Network.
A study group report released Tuesday by the International Society for Stem Cell Research aims to educate those who might be tempted, by providing criteria for people to evaluate claims made by hundreds of these so-called "rogue" clinics around the world. "There's been so much excitement around stem cell research and with good reason — it offers tremendous hope to cure many devastating diseases that currently there's no treatment for, but we're not there yet," Drew Lyall, executive director of the Stem Cell Network, said from Ottawa. Clinics and companies are "preying on the desperate and the vulnerable, and taking as much money as they can from them in the process," he said.

Biotech Crops Benefit Environment & Farmers, Research Group Finds – June 9, 2010
http://planetsave.com/blog/2010/06/09/biotech-crops-benefit-environment-farmers-research-group-finds/
Since the widespread adoption of so-called biotech, or genetically modified/engineered (GM/GE), crops by many large U.S. farms a decade and a half ago, U.S. farmers and scientists have been conducting one, large-scale, agricultural experiment. This experiment–mostly involving corn, soy and cotton–has raised several concerns (e.g., the spread of GM genes to other plant populations) both here and abroad. The two main concerns with biotech crops are the environmental impact(s), and, the economic costs/benefits. In Europe, food safety is also a major concern. But according to a new report from the National Research Council (NRC), the research arm of the National Academies, the U.S. agricultural industry’s shift to genetically modified crops has proven to be mostly beneficial–both economically and environmentally.

23andMe Says LabCorp Incorrectly Processed 96 Samples, Mixing up Customer Data – June 9, 2010
http://www.genomeweb.com//node/942439?hq_e=el&hq_m=739114&hq_l=2&hq_v=42c8152690
23andMe informed its customers last week that the contracted laboratory where saliva samples are analyzed “incorrectly processed” many of them. “Up to 96 customers may have received and viewed data that was not their own,” 23andMe said in a posting to its community. “Upon learning of the mix-ups, we immediately identified all customers potentially affected, notified them of the problem and removed the data from their accounts.”23andMe customers' samples are analyzed by the Laboratory Corporation of America. The company informed customers on June 4, that “the lab is now concurrently conducting an investigation and re-processing the samples of the affected customers.” Corrected DNA results of affected customers will be posted this week, after "independently verifying the new results," according to the Google-backed direct-to-consumer genomics firm. Meanwhile, LabCorp is expected to complete its investigation in the next few days.

Collagen manufactured from transgenic tobacco plants – June 10, 2010
http://www.physorg.com/news195381413.html
Natural human type I collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and is the main protein found in all connective tissue. Commercially produced collagen (pro-collagen) is used in surgical implants and many wound healing devices in regenerative medicine. The current market for collagen-based medical devices in orthopedics and wound healing exceeds US $30 billion annually worldwide.
Currently, commercial collagen is produced from farm animals such as cows and pigs as well as from human cadavers. These materials are prone to harbor human pathogens such as viruses or prions (mad-cow disease). Human cadaver is scarce, and for certain indications possesses serious ethical issues.
Producing human recombinant type I pro-collagen requires the coordinated expression of five different genes. Prof. Oded Shoseyov of the Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture has established the only laboratory in the world that has reported successful co-expression all the five essential genes in transgenic tobacco plants for the production of processed pro-collagen.

FDA cracking down on genetic tests: Issues letters to 5 companies that devices must be approved – June 11, 2010
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37638671/ns/health-more_health_news/
The Food and Drug Administration has put five genetic test makers on notice that they must get federal approval before marketing their products for use by consumers. The regulatory letters posted online Friday are the first sign that the government agency plans to crack down on companies marketing products that claim to predict inheritable diseases using DNA samples. The FDA letters notify each company that their products are considered medical devices and therefore must be federally approved as safe and effective. The letters posted online deal with specific technologies from: 23andMe Inc., deCODE Genetics, Illumina, Navigenics and Knome Inc.

Awaiting the Genome Payoff – June 14, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/15/business/15genome.html
Assisted by the robots and other complex machinery, scientists are studying what happens to the cells as each of the roughly 22,000 human genes is turned off. They hope to find the genes involved in different diseases, the starting point for creating a drug. It is a merger of sophisticated biology and brute force made possible only because the Human Genome Project provided the identity of all the human genes. But as with so much else that has spun off from the genome project, it is also an expensive gamble, with success far from assured. “Can I point to a single drug right now that this has facilitated?” said Michele Cleary, Merck’s senior director for automated biotechnology. “No, because we are in the early stages of this. There’s information feeding into the early stages of the pipeline that we’ll see the fruits of in years to come.” Ten years after President Bill Clinton announced completion of the first draft of the Human Genome Project, in June 2000, its application to drug development is still, at best, a work in progress. But while many genetics scientists outside the drug industry say the project has had few medical benefits, industry researchers urge a wait-and-see patience.

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PAPERS

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Medical Genetic Testing: information for health professionals – June 2010
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/synopses/e99.pdf
The purpose of this paper is to provide a source of information for use by health professionals involved in genetic testing. It supports the health professional in: assisting patients when considering genetic testing; ordering the appropriate genetic test; interpreting its result in the context of clinical decision making; and providing follow-up care and support to the patient and family. In addition to addressing technical issues of test utilisation and performance, the paper highlights the ethical, legal and social issues resulting from genetic testing, including: direct to consumer testing, personalised medicine and other emerging technologies; and genetic testing for purposes other than the direct health care of the individual such as; relationship testing, ins! urance, workplace or sport applications, and research.

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CONFERENCES/EVENTS

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The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

2010 Genetic Alliance Annual Conference
July 15-18, 2010
Rockville, MD
http://www.geneticalliance.org/conference2010

10th World Congress of Bioethics
July 28-31, 2010
Singapore
http://www.bioethics-singapore.org/wcb2010/

British Human Genetics Conference 2010
September 6-8, 2010
Birmingham, UK
http://www.bshg.org.uk/BSHG.htm

American Society for Human Genetics
November 2-6, 2010
Washington DC
http://www.ashg.org/2010meeting/

International Data Sharing Conference 2010
September 20-22, 2010
St Hugh's College, Oxford

For further details please do not hesitate to contact helexconference@dphpc.ox.ac.uk.

Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - June 15, 2010

June 15, 2010

Volume 2 Issue 5

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- June 15, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

Events

GE³LS Digest

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Genomics News

Genome Canada Funded Research Finds Key Changes in People with Autism

A new international study from The Autism Genome Project and published in the June 9th edition of Nature, demonstrates that people with autism may have differences in their genes that are unique to each person. This Canadian led study is funded by public and private partners including major awards and support from Genome Canada, through the Ontario Genomics Institute. The research team is co-led by Dr. Stephen Scherer, a molecular genetics researcher at the University of Toronto, Director of the McLaughlin Centre for Molecular Medicine and Director of the Hospital for Sick Children's Centre for Applied Genomics and by Dr. Peter Szatmari, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University and Director of Hamilton's Centre for Child Studies.

For the complete release, additional links, and a video from Dr. Scherer please visit the GenOmics News site.

Genome Canada Large Scale Applied Research Competition Webinar

To reach a greater number of researchers and save time and travel expense Genome Alberta held a webinar on June 1st to help guide interested researchers through the funding application process.

There were 71 people registered for the webinar and not only did most of them logon for the event, in some cases there were several people in a single office so the actual number of attendees was likely even higher. Those that could not attend the webinar live had the chance to view a recording of it later or download the slide presentation that was part of the webinar. With the tight timelines for this competition we felt that a webinar accessible from anywhere in the world was an efficient way to dispense the information and we're pleased with the positive response we’ve received.

If you are planning to submit a Registration, please remember that the deadline for submission to our office is June 15, 2010. We will accept an electronic submission as long as we receive scanned versions of the signature page AND the Originals signatures are sent to us by courier the same day. Please send a pdf or Word version of the Registration and in a SEPARATE file send us the scanned signatures.

You can go to our home page at http://genomealberta.ca to find links to all the necessary application forms and guidelines and to view the webinar or the slide show.

OGI Awards Summer Research Fellowships to Six Ontario Students

The Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) has announced the recipients of its 2010 OGI Summer Research Fellowship Program. The program offers undergraduate students at Ontario universities a unique opportunity to engage in leading-edge genomics and proteomics research, gain familiarity with associated enabling technologies, or explore the societal outcomes, impacts and issues associated with the research. Through their fellowship experience, students acquire a deeper understanding of the impact genomics is having and will have across the spectrum of human and animal health, agriculture, biosurveillance, natural resource management and sustainable energy.

To read the full press release visit: http://www.ontariogenomics.ca/media-centre/news/2010-6-11/527

Latest edition of the Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter

http://gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/01jun10/cbhd_news_01jun10.htm

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GenOmics Top Stories

GenOmics is a 24 hour science newsroom which headlines some of the top ‘omics’ stories of the day. Not only will GenOmics keep you in tune with what both popular and science media are saying, you’ll get background video, blogs and other related stories. Synthetic biology, metagenomics, genetic testing, persoanlized medicine and agriculture biotechnology are all featured on GenOmics. You can add comments to stories, pose questions and add your own items to the calendar. You can even add your own stories. If you own an iPad we have tweaked the site so you can simply sit back and enjoy reading the features in our digital science newsroom.

GenOmics has been featured as a case study at numerous conferences on social media and government and is getting a good reception from the PR and communications community. We are part of the Newscloud social media community and are working with newscloud.com and several media organizations in the United States to enhance the software and introduce new features.

Try it – we’re sure you’ll like it.

Autism linked to gene changes

Berkeley Asks Freshmen for DNA Samples

Dr. Steven Vamosi is in Nerd Corner this week

FDA Warns Consumer Genomics Firms, Illumina on Selling Unapproved Dx Products

Breaking: FDA Likely to Require Pre-Market Clearance for DTC Personal Genomics Tests

Commercial GM wheat 10 years away

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Found on Twitter

What does a painting from 1922 have to do with the Twitter of today? Check our latest Twitter Snips to find out and to find more links to more Twitter posts we think you’ll find interesting.

@crossborderbio New Post: Friday Science Review: June 11, 2010 - Catch up on these genetics stories between World Cup soccer games G... http://ow.ly/17HlZP

@dvergano "NIH chief Collins faces stem cell donation dilemma." Includes me on complex ethics of the case http://bit.ly/9BCM5X #HeLa

@matthewherper You know, when you quote Francis Collins in full, his genome predictions weren't that far off. http://ow.ly/1XHml

@NikonSmallWorld In honor of the 8th Annual ISSCR Meeting this week, check out this image of stem cell neurons: http://bit.ly/986xJd

@phylogenomics More on UC vs Nature from #UCDavis: UC fights $1 million increase in license fee for Nature journals http://ff.im/-lSOe1

@scisu Oil from spill could have powered 38,000 cars (and more) for a year, UD researcher says http://bit.ly/bi1cEg

Our featured tweeters are:

@crossborderbio Jeremy Gruschow is a Ph.D. J.D. practicing corporate law at Ogilvy Renault LLP in Toronto

@dvergano is a science and society reporter at USA TODAY.

@matthewherper Matthew Herper is a reporter with Forbes covering science and medicine

@NikonSmallWorld is the Twitter account for Nikon's annual competition recognizing excellence in photography through the light microscope

@phylogenomics Jonathan Eisen is an evolutionary biologist, microbiology & genomics researcher, open science advocate, and professor at UC Davis

@scisu Susan Steinhardt loves all things science and handles communications for @BioKM, and write for @PostDocsForum

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GE³LS Digest

For more information about GE3LS Digest, please visit http://www.genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/newsletters.aspx

College Bound, DNA Swab in Hand – May 18, 2010

Instead of the usual required summer-reading book, this year’s incoming freshmen at the University of California, Berkeley, will get something quite different: a cotton swab on which they can, if they choose, send in a DNA sample. The university said it would analyze the samples, from inside students’ cheeks, for three genes that help regulate the ability to metabolize alcohol, lactose and folates. Those genes were chosen not because they indicate serious health risks but because students with certain genetic markers may be able to lead healthier lives by drinking less, avoiding dairy products or eating more leafy green vegetables. Berkeley’s program for the class of 2014 is the first mass genetic testing by a university. Jasper Rine, the professor of genetics who is leading the project, said it was designed to help students learn about personalized medicine and identify their own vulnerabilities.

Synthetic Biology Grows Up: Announcement of New Organism Paves Way to for Smart Governance – May 20, 2010

Today’s announcement from the J. Craig Venter Institute that the group has engineered a synthetic cell is cause for celebration. Made-to-order life forms may someday be used for a variety of tasks that could significantly improve the quality of human life. The tools of synthetic biology, among many other benefits, will allow scientists to:

advance our understanding of basic biology

create new vaccines, drugs and diagnostic tools

repair diseased tissue

engineer new carbon-neutral energy sources

provide countermeasures for polluting environmental toxins

Synthetic biology, or “synbio,” is a relatively new laboratory discipline that involves creating or altering new life forms. The basic tools of synbio are standard biological parts—sets of genes and chromosomes with known and specific functions created in modern biology labs—that can be assembled to program cells and control an organism’s functions. The process resembles computer programming in that scientists assemble blocks of genetic “code” into instructions for tiny cellular machines.

Framing Genomics, Public Health Research and Policy: Points to Consider

Genetic information can be used to target interventions that improve health and prevent disease. Indeed, the results of population genomics research could be useful for public health and national pandemic plans. Yet, firm scientific evidence originating from such research and the indicators of the role of health determinants, gene-gene and gene-environment interaction remain to be assessed and validated before being integrated into pandemic plans or public health programmes. It is not clear what is the role of the State in research on the elucidation of the determinants of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions and how, when, and if such data can be accessed and used for such planning. Over a period of 3 years, we sought to address these questions by gathering data and literature relevant to research in public health genomics, preparing issues papers and, finally, consulting with stakeholders on a provisional ‘points to consider’ document at various times. Examining in turn the issues of privacy, State powers, stakeholder perceptions, and public participation, we propose in this article, for each of these themes, a series of recommendations aiming to provide guidance on the role of the State in the use of genomic information for public health research, prevention and planning.

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Events

We have a new Calendar of Events page on our website at http://www.genomealberta.ca/Event_list that will give you both a Calendar view by month and a list of specific upcoming events. If you have an event you’d like included in the calendar or in our newsletter, send the information to info@genomealberta.ca Here are a few events you might want to note on your own calendar.

World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing
June 27^th to 30^th, 2010
Gaylord National Resort and Convention Centre, Washington, D.C.

This is the 7^th World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing and it has become the world's largest industrial biotechnology event for business leaders, investors and policy makers in biofuels, biobased products, and renewable chemicals.
There will be plenary session, a full breakout program, investor session, and a poster session. For the full agenda you can go to http://bio.org/worldcongress/program/

Genetic Alliance Annual Conference 2010
July 15^th - 18^th, 2010
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center
Washington, DC.

The theme for the 2010 Annual Conference is Advancing Novel Partnerships.
The conference starts on Thursday, July 15th with Genetics Day on the Hill, followed by Gene Screen: A Night of Film on Health and Genetics and over the 4 days features plenary sessions, breakout workshops, and end with an “Open Innovation” where participants develop their own workshops.

Main Conference Website: http://www.geneticalliance.org/conference2010

10^th World Congress of Bioethics
July 28^th - 31^st, 2010
Singapore
http://www.bioethics-singapore.org/wcb2010/

Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference
September 12^th -15^th, 2010
TCU Place, 35 - 22nd Street East,
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The theme of this year's Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2010) is Bridging Biology and Business and features three streams: energy, Health, and Sustainability.
This is an annual event for industry leaders, policy makers, scientists, researchers and other professionals working in the area of agricultural biotechnology. The conference is a forum where the latest scientific advances in agricultural biotechnology are presented, and where future directions of the technology are highlighted and discussed. Attendees will hear about advances, barriers and action options which may influence science and business endeavours on a global scale.
There will be plenary speakers, a full breakout program, poster session, and a trade show.

You can view agenda details on the ABIC website.

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Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - May 31, 2010

May 31, 2010

Volume 2 Issue 4

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- May 31, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

Events

GE³LS Digest

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Genomics News

2010 Applied Research Competition Information Session

Genome Alberta will be hosting an information webinar on Tuesday, June 1^st at 10:30a MDT, to review the guidelines and requirements for funding under the new Genome Canada Science Competition.

Dr. Gijs van Rooijen, Chief Scientific Officer for Genome Alberta, will go over the application process and be on hand to answer questions. Topics to be covered will include important deadline dates, co-funding requirements and important criteria for successful applications. The first competition deadline is June 15th so if you are interested in applying for funding this webinar will be important to you.

The webinar will be moderated by Genome Alberta's Communication Director Mike Spear. Attendees should have speakers on their computer to make the most of the presentation and there will be time for Dr. van Rooijen to answer general questions. You must pre-register for this webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/258496880 If you are unable to attend the webinar the presentation and a recording of the event will be posted on the Genome Alberta website at http://genomealberta.ca by the next day.

Tim Caulfield Receives New ELSI Funding

The Cancer Stem Cell Consortium has approved $500,000 in funding over 4 years for Tim Caulfield as the ELSI Team Project Leader on the project From the Lab to the Clinic: ELSI Issues in Cancer Stem Cell Research, led by John Dick and Jean Wang (both from the U of T) . The project seeks to identify, characterize and develop methods of destroying leukemia stem cells. The research project involves the use of a large tissue bank, engages industry partners and will, it is hoped, lead to valuable therapeutics for patients with intractable leukemia. Caulfield, the GE³LS leader for this project, and his team will undertake research that is relevant to each of these realms and phases. Specifically, the Caulfield’s team will explore GE³LS issues related to the three primary research areas: tissue banking (research ethics); commercialization and medial tourism (translation).

Genome Canada is one of the members of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium.

OGI Launches Fund to Support Open Access to Genomics Publications

The Ontario Genomics Institute has announced the launch of a new fund to support free and unrestricted access to scholarly research papers on genomics published in high impact journals. The OGI Genomics Publication Fund will contribute up to $3,000 per publication to genomics researchers in Ontario wishing to make their papers available as Open Access from the earliest date of publication. Open Access publication means providing access to material via the Internet in such a way that the material is free for all users to read and use.

Applications for the fund can be submitted any time and support will be given on a first come, first served basis.

For more information please visit the OGI website at http://www.ontariogenomics.ca/

Genome B.C. Research Program Manager

A Research Program Manager is required for a 1 year, non renewable, maternity replacement contract.

Education and experience requirements include:

M.Sc. or Ph.D. in life sciences (or equivalent education & work experience);

Understanding of genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and associated technologies; and,

Demonstrated skills in financial analysis and budgeting.

For more information please see the full job posting on the Genome B.C. website.

Latest Edition of Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter

http://gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/14may10/cbhd_news_14may10.htm

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GenOmics Top Stories

GenOmics has a whole new platform code underneath it now and we think you’ll love what you see. At the recent BIO International Convention in Chicago the new look was described as a “work of art” and we modestly agree. Navigation is easier, users can more easily post or mash up stories from around the web and now have the option of creating new content of their own or writing a blog. There is a calendar feature we are slowly building up and encourage you to add your own events. We’ve increased the number of wire stories that are automatically posted to the site and you can find those stories under the newswire tab.

The front page has better looking images and we hope the new story selection will be able to replace most of the biotechnology news digests you receive in your e-mail Inbox on a regular basis. There is a web based version available at http://facebook.genomealberta.ca or the full Facebook application at http://apps.facebook.com/genomics

Whichever version you check out you can read as many stories as you want without ever having to register but we hope you’ll sign up and post your own news, stories, pictures, and comments.

Here are a few highlights from GenOmics this week where not surprisingly, most of the news focused on the announcement from Craig Venter.

Craig Venter has neither created--nor demystified--life

Synthetic biology research gets a hearing

Retina created from human embryonic stem cells

The Aftermath of 'Myriad Genetics'

Are we doomed if cells go bad?

Safety Rules Can’t Keep Up With Biotech Industry

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Found on Twitter

Twitter is just for the young or those with nothing to say. Here are just a few interesting people and tweets we’ve seen online lately.

For a more complete listing and maybe a little digital food for thought, please see our latest blog post “ As the Old Sing, So the Young Twitter”

@andrewhessel Only two weeks until the H+ Summit at Harvard -- Rise of the Citizen Scientist. http://bit.ly/96VcBl

@astrolisa Gorgeous #Radiolab segment on Henrietta Lacks, with audio of her daughter and @RebeccaSkloot. Fascinating, moving. http://bit.ly/d8wx0N

@edyong209 In which I get irritated at a new Nat Neuro paper, which claims to find a biological basis for acupuncture. http://bit.ly/9Z7B82

@idtdna New insights into molecular evolution: prospects from the Barcode of Life Initiative (BOLI) http://ow.ly/1QRxj

@Jabaldaia What does open innovation implies for the management of R&D? The cases of two multinational firms (PDF) http://bit.ly/cWtl8F #openinnovation

@nutrigenomics Ageing deeply affects the structure of the human gut microbiota, as well as its homeostasis w/ the host's immune system http://bit.ly/b2xPu9

@stevesilberman Who profits from online "e-patient" groups? http://nyti.ms/d24Mo8 #health

Here’s a rundown of this week’s featured Tweets:

@andrewhessel describes himself as Building DIYbiotech Founding Director, CEO at Pink Army Cooperative. Co-Chair, Bioinformatics and Biotechnology at Singularity University

@astrolisa is the handle for New York based science writer Lisa Grossman also online at http://likearadiotelescope.wordpress.com/

@edyong209 Ed Yong is science writer & blogger @ Not Exactly Rocket Science and freelance journalist living in London, England

@idtdna is the company account for Integrated DNA Technologies in Iowa

@Jabaldaia is Jose Baldaia, a scientist based in Portugal

@lindaavey is a co-founder of 23andMe and says her work now is all about instigating a healthquake

@nutrigenomics is a Professor of Molecular Nutrition, Nutrigenomics, and Gut Health at Wageningen University NL, and says he is a nutritional science 2.0 advocate

@stevesilberman lives in San Francisco and is a longtime writer for Wired and other national magazines. He says he us curious about nearly everything, particularly science and media

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GE³LS Digest

For more information about GE3LS Digest, please visit http://www.genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/newsletters.aspx

Is chemotherapy about to become a thing of the past? – May 14, 2010

When Harvey learned that his melanoma had spread to his lungs in the winter of 2008, he started planning for his death. Despite a down market, he liquidated his stock-market assets to ensure his wife wasn’t doubly burdened. He moved the investment firm in which he is a partner to a smaller space. He didn’t take an office – he figured that with his fatal skin cancer he wouldn’t live long enough to use it. He hated waste. “Everybody goes,” Harvey (who asked that his surname not be used) said matter-of-factly in the boardroom of his downtown Toronto office. More than two years later, Harvey, wearing a navy blue suit and tie, is at work on a sunny spring day. Aged 77, he self-consciously pats his thinning scalp. “I used to have a full head of hair,” he explains.

Should We Tinker With Plant Genes? –May 21, 2010

Re “Genetically Engineered Distortions,” by Pamela C. Ronald and James E. McWilliams (Op-Ed, May 15), which says critics have “demonized” this technology needed to help people in the poorest countries:

I think that there are many in the organic food movement who recognize that genetic engineering has a role to play in the future of food. But concerns about what it should be, and who should be making that decision, are valid. I am all for nonprofit groups and university researchers working to alleviate starvation in the third world. I trust their motivations and scientific integrity. I have no such faith in agribusiness.Traditional small family farming, with natural fertilizers and crop rotation, should be the starting point for discussion, not viewed as some fringe agenda. Organic farmers are not wrong to want to hang on to the gains of thousands of years of agricultural learning, the benefits of biodiversity and foods’ naturally adaptive systems.

(Genomics note: In this link the editors of GenOmics have added a video about the recent U.S. National Research Council Report on Ag Biotech )

Synthetic life? Synthetic hysteria more like: New cell advances are a long way from being genuinely artificial life forms — and nothing to be afraid of – May 22, 2010

Craig Venter, the flamboyant US molecular biologist and entrepreneur, has been at it again. Not content with first-equal position in the race to give a complete description of the human genome, he has now announced that his team have created the world’s first synthetic life form. The editor of the journal Artificial Life has described this as “a defining moment in biology”. Dr Venter himself has claimed that his success has changed his “view of the definition of life and of how life works”. Well, he would do, wouldn’t he? Before we get too excited, we should note that he has not actually “created artificial life”, as the headlines proclaim. He has synthesised DNA from basic chemicals; but lone DNA is not life. More, much more is needed. In this case, it was provided by an existing bacterium whose usual humble duty is to cause mastitis in goats. Into this the DNA was inserted. Yes, the resulting minute organism was new life but nearly all of that new life was taken off the shelf from nature.

(Genomics note: In this link GenOmics editors have added a Science Channel video on the science behind the achievement )

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Events

International Association for Plant Biotechnology Congress
June 6-11, 2010
St. Louis, Missouri

Speakers and sessions will cover a range of topics including:

climate change and its effects on agriculture

advances in plant science: tolerance to heat, drought, insects and diseases

advances in biofuels and other biorenewables from plants

state-of-the-art sessions on epigenetics, 3D models, stem cell in in vitro toxicology, and innate immunity

biosensors, animal-plant interactions, and impact of bioactive molecules on animals

metabolic engineering of plants/cells for pharmaceuticals and nutriceuticals

agriculture and biotechnology in developing countries

biosafety, regulatory structures, ethics and social benefits, and commercialization

germplasm preservation

For more information please go to http://www.iapb2010.org/default.asp

World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing
June 27^th to 30^th, 2010
Gaylord National Resort and Convention Centre, Washington, D.C.

This is the 7^th World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing and it has become the world's largest industrial biotechnology event for business leaders, investors and policy makers in biofuels, biobased products, and renewable chemicals.
There will be plenary session, a full breakout program, investor session, and a poster session. For the full agenda you can go to http://bio.org/worldcongress/program/

10^th World Congress of Bioethics
July 28-31, 2010
Singapore
http://www.bioethics-singapore.org/wcb2010/

The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

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GE3LS Digest - May 31, 2010

May 31, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: May 31, 2010

========================================================================

NEWS

========================================================================

CANADA

Fertility law leaves us in limbo, doctors say – April 30, 2010
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2968192#ixzz0ojP34Z00
Fertility doctors say they are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of guidance from Canada's $10-million-a-year assisted-reproduction agency, with one physician calling its oversight of the controversial field a "farce." Some clinics try to abide strictly by a 2004 law banning the trade in sperm, eggs and surrogate-mother services, but the three-year-old agency meant to oversee the area offers no advice on where to draw the line, and ignores those who flout the rules, doctors charge. As a result, practices vary from facility to facility, and desperate, childless couples sometimes feel driven to buy eggs or sperm over the Internet, taking "horrible" risks, physicians say.

INTERNATIONAL

Chinese Green Light for GM Rice and Maize Prompts Outcry -- May 12, 2010
http://www.agbio.net/index.aspx?ID=110229
'China's homegrown GM rice could soon reach local markets, but critics are voicing strong concerns over the nation's staple crop.' Biosafety certificates for genetically modified (GM) rice and maize issued by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture late last year have prompted a protest from over a hundred intellectuals and prominent public officials. This represents one of the most high-profile challenges to China's aggressive policy for the adoption of transgenic crops. Even so, proponents of the technology say that opposition is likely neither to block the path to commercialization of GM rice nor to stall development of an approach that Chinese government officials have long recognized as a key to addressing the country's growing demand for food.

Fertility Treatment Gets More Complicated: Some rabbis now say the religion of the egg donor matters most – May 14, 2010
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304798204575183784267219258.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTThirdBucket
What does a Jewish child need most from a mother? Forget about the chicken soup—it's all about the eggs, say a growing number of prominent rabbis. Several recent rabbinic rulings on fertility treatment dictate that a child conceived in vitro is Jewish only if the egg came from a Jewish woman.
The issue is most pressing in Israel, in part because tight restrictions on egg donation have long compelled infertile women to procure eggs abroad, where most donors are not Jewish. But decisions in Israel favoring the genetic mother over the gestational one are also likely to increase the already high demand for Jewish eggs in the U.S., and could call into question the religious status of thousands of children born to Jewish women around the world.

Is chemotherapy about to become a thing of the past? – May 14, 2010
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/science/is-chemotherapy-about-to-become-a-thing-of-the-past/article1569763/
When Harvey learned that his melanoma had spread to his lungs in the winter of 2008, he started planning for his death. Despite a down market, he liquidated his stock-market assets to ensure his wife wasn’t doubly burdened. He moved the investment firm in which he is a partner to a smaller space. He didn’t take an office – he figured that with his fatal skin cancer he wouldn’t live long enough to use it. He hated waste. “Everybody goes,” Harvey (who asked that his surname not be used) said matter-of-factly in the boardroom of his downtown Toronto office. More than two years later, Harvey, wearing a navy blue suit and tie, is at work on a sunny spring day. Aged 77, he self-consciously pats his thinning scalp. “I used to have a full head of hair,” he explains.

College Bound, DNA Swab in Hand – May 18, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/education/19dna.html?ref=health
Instead of the usual required summer-reading book, this year’s incoming freshmen at the University of California, Berkeley, will get something quite different: a cotton swab on which they can, if they choose, send in a DNA sample. The university said it would analyze the samples, from inside students’ cheeks, for three genes that help regulate the ability to metabolize alcohol, lactose and folates. Those genes were chosen not because they indicate serious health risks but because students with certain genetic markers may be able to lead healthier lives by drinking less, avoiding dairy products or eating more leafy green vegetables. Berkeley’s program for the class of 2014 is the first mass genetic testing by a university. Jasper Rine, the professor of genetics who is leading the project, said it was designed to help students learn about personalized medicine and identify their own vulnerabilities.

House launches investigation into genetic tests -- May 19, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/19/AR2010051903079.html?nav=emailpage
A congressional committee Wednesday launched an investigation into genetic tests being sold directly to consumers. The House Energy and Commerce Committee and its subcommittee on oversight and investigations sent letters to Pathway Genomics Corp. of San Diego, 23&Me Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., and Navigenics Inc. of Foster City, Calif., requesting information about their tests. The move was prompted after Pathway announced plans last week to sell its genetic test through drug stores nationwide for the first time "despite concern from the scientific community regarding the accuracy of test results," the letters stated. Walgreens, the nation's largest drug store chain, announced it was postponing plans to sell the test, however, after the Food and Drug Administration questioned whether it was being sold legally because it had not been reviewed by the agency.

Synthetic Biology Grows Up: Announcement of New Organism Paves Way to for Smart Governance – May 20, 2010
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2010/05/synthetic-biology-grows-up/
Today’s announcement from the J. Craig Venter Institute that the group has engineered a synthetic cell is cause for celebration. Made-to-order life forms may someday be used for a variety of tasks that could significantly improve the quality of human life. The tools of synthetic biology, among many other benefits, will allow scientists to:
* advance our understanding of basic biology
* create new vaccines, drugs and diagnostic tools
* repair diseased tissue
* engineer new carbon-neutral energy sources
* provide countermeasures for polluting environmental toxins
Synthetic biology, or “synbio,” is a relatively new laboratory discipline that involves creating or altering new life forms. The basic tools of synbio are standard biological parts—sets of genes and chromosomes with known and specific functions created in modern biology labs—that can be assembled to program cells and control an organism’s functions. The process resembles computer programming in that scientists assemble blocks of genetic “code” into instructions for tiny cellular machines.

Should We Tinker With Plant Genes? –May 21, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/24/opinion/l24genetic.html
Re “Genetically Engineered Distortions,” by Pamela C. Ronald and James E. McWilliams (Op-Ed, May 15), which says critics have “demonized” this technology needed to help people in the poorest countries:
I think that there are many in the organic food movement who recognize that genetic engineering has a role to play in the future of food. But concerns about what it should be, and who should be making that decision, are valid. I am all for nonprofit groups and university researchers working to alleviate starvation in the third world. I trust their motivations and scientific integrity. I have no such faith in agribusiness.Traditional small family farming, with natural fertilizers and crop rotation, should be the starting point for discussion, not viewed as some fringe agenda. Organic farmers are not wrong to want to hang on to the gains of thousands of years of agricultural learning, the benefits of biodiversity and foods’ naturally adaptive systems.

GE crops get clean bill of health – May 21, 2010
http://westernfarmpress.com/news/ge-crops-clean-bill-health-0521/
It’s official — the sky-is-falling predictions of critics who feared consumers who eat genetically engineered foods would eventually grow warts on their big toes and extra thumbs as a result of ingesting these “Frankenfoods” have been banished to history’s trash bin of irrelevancy. That’s because an independent panel of scientists has determined that GE crops undeniably benefit farmers and the environment. According to a report released in April by the National Research Council, GE crops lower production costs, reduce pesticide use and improve yields. And GE crops enhance the environment because they reduce soil erosion and improve water quality, the report says. Of course, GE opponents would like to scream bloody murder that somehow the panel that performed this study is biased, self-serving and conflicted by special interests. But none of that will stick to the wall.

Ethicists, Researchers Weigh In on Returning Results to Study Participants at CSHL Meeting – May 21, 2010
http://www.genomeweb.com/ethicists-researchers-weigh-returning-results-study-participants-cshl-meeting
The complex and contentious issue of returning individual research results and incidental findings to genomics study participants was front and center during an Ethical, Legal, Social, and Issues session at the Biology of Genomes meeting at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory last week. "There is a wide spectrum of positions out there," said University of Minnesota law, medicine, and public policy professor Susan Wolf, who moderated the panel, which included ethicists and researchers from the US, Canada, the UK, and Japan. While introducing the session, Wolf outlined what she called a "growing and global debate" over whether — and how — results should be returned to individual study participants. The topic has spurred a wide range of opinions, she noted, with some saying data should be used for research alone, some favoring the return of certain validated, clinically actionable findings, and others arguing that all information should be returned to participants.

Synthetic life? Synthetic hysteria more like: New cell advances are a long way from being genuinely artificial life forms — and nothing to be afraid of – May 22, 2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article7133384.ece
Craig Venter, the flamboyant US molecular biologist and entrepreneur, has been at it again. Not content with first-equal position in the race to give a complete description of the human genome, he has now announced that his team have created the world’s first synthetic life form. The editor of the journal Artificial Life has described this as “a defining moment in biology”. Dr Venter himself has claimed that his success has changed his “view of the definition of life and of how life works”. Well, he would do, wouldn’t he? Before we get too excited, we should note that he has not actually “created artificial life”, as the headlines proclaim. He has synthesised DNA from basic chemicals; but lone DNA is not life. More, much more is needed. In this case, it was provided by an existing bacterium whose usual humble duty is to cause mastitis in goats. Into this the DNA was inserted. Yes, the resulting minute organism was new life but nearly all of that new life was taken off the shelf from nature.

Stem Cell Therapeutics shares plummet – May 25, 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2010/05/25/stem-cell-therapeutics.html
Shares in Calgary-based Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. tumbled 75 per cent Tuesday after the Canadian biotech announced the failure of mid-stage tests of a treatment for strokes. Its stock closed at 10 cents a share, down 29.5 cents, on the TSX Venture Exchange. The company said its Phase 2B trial for a treatment of stroke showed no statistically significant differences between those being treated with the drug or the placebo. The stock has had a 52-week high of 85 cents and low of 55 cents. "The profile and magnitude of the placebo response is extremely surprising and merits further examination," CEO Alan Moore said in a release. "We are currently conducting a validation review process of the full trial. We expect to report on the outcome of this within the next two to three weeks." Stem Cell Therapeutics is focused on the development and commercialization of drug-based therapies to treat central nervous system diseases with therapies that try to stimulate production of a patient's own stem cells.

Genetic research on food crops – May 26, 2010
http://southwestfarmpress.com/news/genetic-research-food-crops-0526/
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) just released the May/June issue of their magazine, Agricultural Research. The focus of this issue was announced on the cover, “Fighting World Hunger with Genetics,” and includes articles on rice, beans, wheat, corn, and potatoes. Rice “is the main staple for more than half the world’s population,” the first article noted, and is subject to a number of diseases that ARS researchers are tackling. The article specifically identified two of the diseases—sheath blight, a fungal disease that kills plant cells, reducing grain yield and quality, and rice blast, another fungal disease. In both cases, researchers are looking to identify genetic materials that confer resistance to these diseases. In conducting this research they look at a wide selection of varieties worldwide to find those that show resistance to the diseases and then work to identify the genetic material responsible for the resistance, with the goal of breeding that genetic material into common rice varieties. In each case, researchers use sophisticated genetic testing procedures to enhance what are essentially traditional breeding programs. Identification of specific chromosomes makes the breeding programs faster and more efficient.

Looking at nanotech through the lens of religion – May 26, 2010
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=165230
Scientific advances and religious beliefs have clashed repeatedly in recent years over issues such as stem cell research and evolution. As nanotechnology becomes a greater part of Americans’ daily lives, researchers have asked whether it will face similar opposition. Experts say that the answer lies in finding solutions to the larger challenges of communicating between science and religion. In 2008, University of Wisconsin researchers found a link between a higher incidence of religious belief and distrust of nanotechnology. They found greater acceptance of the science in Europe countries where religiosity ranked lower compared with a greater distrust among American citizens who reported that religion played a significant role in their lives. Dietram Scheufele, a Wisconsin professor of life sciences communication and a lead author on the study, originally published in Nature Nanotechnology, said that this research and his continuing work in the field of society and nanotechnology revealed “perceptional filters” that shape how people use scientific information. He said religion can act as one such filter, serving as a lens that shapes how we see information.

DIYgenomics on Smartphones – May 27, 2010
http://scienceroll.com/2010/05/27/diygenomics-on-smartphones/
In personal or direct-to-consumer genomics, what we need is reliable, scientifically correct smartphone applications. Here is DIY Genomics, and Android app, which performs a side-by-side comparison of consumer genomic services such as deCODEme, Navigenics and 23andme by loci and variants for 20 conditions. It also does the same for drug responses and health risks.

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PAPERS

==============================================================

Concerns over unregulated medicinal products containing stem cells: The Agency highlights that access to stem-cell medicinal products should only be under certain controlled conditions – April 2010
http://www.ema.europa.eu/pdfs/human/cat/76346309en.pdf
The European Medicines Agency is concerned that unregulated stem-cell medicinal products are being offered to patients, for the treatment of a wide range of serious and life-threatening diseases. Stem cells are cells that have the ability to multiply and differentiate themselves into a variety of different types of cells, for example brain cells or cells that make insulin in the pancreas. There are no concerns with haematopoietic (blood) stem cells that are used for transplantation to restore bone marrow function. These are not considered to be medicinal products. To date, no stem-cell medicinal products have received marketing authorisation within the European Union (EU). However, it is still possible to gain access to stem-cell medicinal products under certain controlled conditions. These include taking part in clinical trials or compassionate-use programmes, or receiving a custom-made medicine as part of ‘hospital exemption’.

Peer-reviewed surveys indicate positive impact of commercialized GM crops
http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v28/n4/abs/nbt0410-319.html#/
The benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops continue to be disputed, despite rapid and widespread adoption since their commercial introduction in the United States and Canada in 1995. Last year, 14 million farmers in 25 countries grew GM crops commercially, over 90% of them small farmers in developing countries1. Farmer surveys are a valuable measure of the impact of GM crops. These surveys estimate the technology's performance as it is incorporated into farmer practices, given constraints on time, access to information, differing levels of risk aversion and other factors. This analysis summarizes results from 49 peer-reviewed publications reporting on farmer surveys that compare yields and other indicators of economic performance for adopters and non-adopters of currently commercialized GM crops. The surveys cover GM insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant crops, which account for >99% of global GM crop area1. Results from 12 countries indicate, with few exceptions, that GM crops have benefitted farmers. The benefits, especially in terms of increased yields, are greatest for the mostly small farmers in developing countries, who have benefitted from the spillover of technologies originally targeted at farmers in industrialized countries.

Framing Genomics, Public Health Research and Policy: Points to Consider—April 2010
http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowPDF&ArtikelNr=279624&Ausgabe=253861&ProduktNr=224224&filename=279624.pdf
Genetic information can be used to target interventions that improve health and prevent disease. Indeed, the results of population genomics research could be useful for public health and national pandemic plans. Yet, firm scientific evidence originating from such research and the indicators of the role of health determinants, gene-gene and gene-environment interaction remain to be assessed and validated before being integrated into pandemic plans or public health programmes. It is not clear what is the role of the State in research on the elucidation of the determinants of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions and how, when, and if such data can be accessed and used for such planning. Over a period of 3 years, we sought to address these questions by gathering data and literature relevant to research in public health genomics, preparing issues papers and, finally, consulting with stakeholders on a provisional ‘points to consider’ document at various times. Examining in turn the issues of privacy, State powers, stakeholder perceptions, and public participation, we propose in this article, for each of these themes, a series of recommendations aiming to provide guidance on the role of the State in the use of genomic information for public health research, prevention and planning.

==============================================================

CONFERENCES/EVENTS

==============================================================

The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

10th World Congress of Bioethics
July 28-31, 2010
Singapore
http://www.bioethics-singapore.org/wcb2010/

British Human Genetics Conference 2010
September 6-8, 2010
Birmingham, UK
http://www.bshg.org.uk/BSHG.htm

American Society for Human Genetics
November 2-6, 2010
Washington DC
http://www.ashg.org/2010meeting/

International Data Sharing Conference 2010
September 20-22, 2010
St Hugh's College, Oxford

For further details please do not hesitate to contact helexconference@dphpc.ox.ac.uk.

GE3LS Digest - May 17, 2010

May 17, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: May 17, 2010

========================================================================

NEWS

========================================================================

CANADA

Montreal researchers use man's own stem cells in bid to fix his failing heart – April 13, 2010
http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/news/canadianpress-article.aspx?cp-documentid=23863357
When doctors performed a coronary artery bypass on a Montreal man with a failing heart, they added a little something else before closing up his chest - stem cells purified from his bone marrow that they had removed earlier that day. Jean-Paul Tremblay, a 59-year-old construction worker, is believed to be the first patient in Canada to have his heart injected with his own stem cells while having open-heart bypass surgery for chronic heart failure, said Dr. Nicolas Noiseux, a cardiac surgeon at Universite de Montreal.
"No research team in the country had implemented such a complete treatment process, going from harvesting stem cells in the patient, treating them and injecting them directly into the myocardium (heart muscle)," said Noiseux, co-principal investigator of a study on the experimental treatment.

The biotech cradle is ready to rock – April 26, 2010
http://news.guelphmercury.com/article/623685
Canadians spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to crack the lucrative European market for agriculture and food products. After all, there’s about 825 million Europeans, a huge consuming public. Canada is committed to expanding its trading parameters, so it doesn’t have to rely so much on the U.S. That makes Europe, where many of our roots lay, a big drawing card. Europeans, though, aren’t big fans of biotechnology. They never embraced it the way North America did. And despite about 20 years of apparently safe production and consumption here, some people still aren’t convinced. But don’t tell that to the good people of Ghent. Ghent is popularly called Europe’s Cradle of Biotechnology. Tucked away in north Belgium, it’s distinguished by numerous biotechnology initiatives including the Institute Agriculture and Fisheries Research, a Flemish scientific institute.

INTERNATIONAL

Where’d You Go With My DNA? – April 23, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/25/weekinreview/25harmon.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
The cultural gap between the impoverished Havasupai Indians who view their blood as sacred and the Arizona State University researchers who helicoptered in to their Grand Canyon home to collect it was at the heart of a lawsuit over the scope of a genetic study that ended last week with a settlement for the tribe. But the case, scientists and bioethicists said, serves as a cautionary tale about the equally significant gap between scientists and all research subjects, who often seem to hail from different cultures even when the surface differences are less apparent. As troubling questions, some involving other lawsuits, have surfaced recently among a range of research subjects who have learned that their genetic material is being used in ways they weren’t consulted about, scientists are debating how to better apply the principle of “informed consent” to large-scale genetic research. At stake, they say, is the success of such research, which relies on voluntary participation by increasingly large numbers of human subjects.

Conn. woman alleges genetic discrimination at work – April 28, 2010
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5idLXFbznBv57CnEMaLryCjkfjAgQD9FCA2T80
A Connecticut woman who had a voluntary double mastectomy after genetic testing is alleging her employer eliminated her job after learning she carried a gene implicated in breast cancer.
Pamela Fink, 39, of Fairfield said in discrimination complaints that her bosses at natural gas and electric supplier MXenergy gave her glowing evaluations for years, but targeted, demoted and eventually dismissed her when she told them of the genetic test results. Her complaints, filed Tuesday with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission and Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, are among the first known to be filed nationwide based on the federal Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. The law, which went into effect in November, prohibits discrimination by employers and health insurers based on a person's genetic information.

The Science of GM Crops: A New, Fair Report – April 29, 2010
http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/04/the-science-of-gm-crops-a-new-fair-report/39649/
Few topics in the food world are debated as contentiously as genetically engineered (GE) crops. Advocates hyperbolically charge that GE seeds will feed the world through increased crop yields, save the environment by eliminating pesticides, and make poor farmers rich. Detractors, deeming these seeds the diabolical feedstock for "frankenfoods," argue that they'll destroy biodiversity, afflict us with allergies, drive poor farmers to suicide, and foster "superweeds" that'll choke out native flora and fauna. What's often missing in all the drama is neutral scientific support. That's starting to change. Last week the National Research Council (NRC) released the most extensive (and unbiased) report to date on the performance of GE crops since their commercial introduction in 1996. The report was quite explicit about the threat of herbicide resistance caused by over-spraying GE crops with broad-spectrum herbicides (more on this soon). At the same time, it provided several reasons to be optimistic about the responsible use of GE crops, both now and in the future.

American Scientist’s Entire DNA Screened to Diagnose Diseases – April 30, 2010
http://topnews.net.nz/content/23610-american-scientist-s-entire-dna-screened-diagnose-diseases
A human guinea pig scientist is the first person in the world to have undergone a full screening of his DNA, for non-familiar disease risk factors. The screening test demonstrated heightened risks of heart ailment, cardiac arrest, diabetes and prostate cancer, plus information regarding possible responses to definite medicines. Researchers have stated that comparable evaluations may possibly be presented to the common public, within the time frame of ten years, as the expenditure of genetic mapping plunges.
Professor Stephen Quake, the American scientist, who subjected himself to the examination, after going through the counseling process regarding the probable consequences, said that, the sun of this era's genomics have risen. Information such as this will assist docs in delivering personalized health care to people, which has never ever been imagined.

New stem cells will reduce the need for animal testing – May 4, 2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/medicine/article7115171.ece
Powerful stem cells made by reprogramming adult tissue could reduce the need for animal testing of new drugs, according to a scientific pioneer of the technology. Jamie Thomson, of the University of Wisconsin, told The Times that “in-vitro trials” based on so-called induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells would refine pharmaceutical development so that fewer animal experiments would be required. The cells were already being used as a source of human tissue for testing candidate drugs for safety and effectiveness, he said. As a result, fewer unworkable drugs would advance to animal studies, and some animal tests may become unnecessary. “If what we are doing is successful it will dramatically reduce animal testing, and maybe towards the end of our lifespan actually eliminate it for some things,” Professor Thomson said. “I think we will have much better models for these things.”

Frenchay Hospital trials offer MS stem cell hopes – May 5, 2010
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol/somerset/8663628.stm
Clinical trials on six multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who have had stem cell injections have produced "encouraging" results, scientists say. The trials, which are thought to be a world first, are taking place at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol. The six were injected with stem cells harvested from their own bone marrow. Research found this increased nerve function by up to 20%. The team is planning a much larger trial of the technique. MS is a nervous system disorder that affects around 40 in every 100,000 people in the UK. It can lead to a variety of symptoms, including muscle weakness, fatigue, loss of co-ordination, visual and speech difficulties.

Organic farming shows limited benefit to wildlife – May 5, 2010
http://www.eurekalert.org/bysubject/agriculture.php
Organic farms may be seen as wildlife friendly, but the benefits to birds, bees and butterflies don't compensate for the lower yields produced, according to new research from the University of Leeds.
In the most detailed, like-for-like comparisons of organic and conventional farming to date, researchers from Leeds' Faculty of Biological Science found that the benefits to wildlife and increases in biodiversity from organic farming are much lower than previously thought – averaging just over 12 percent more than conventional farming. The organic farms in the study produced less than half of the yield of their conventional counterparts, so the research – published online today in Ecology Letters – raises serious questions about how we can use agricultural land to maximise food production and still protect our wildlife."Over the next forty years, we're going to have to double food production worldwide to keep pace with population increases," says Professor Tim Benton, who led the project. "Our results show that to produce the same amount of food in the UK using organic rather than conventional means, we'd need to use twice the amount of land for agriculture.

Neanderthal: New look at genome suggests some ancient interbreeding with modern humans – May 6, 2010
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/science/w17783.html
The most detailed look yet at the Neanderthal genome helps answer one of the most debated questions in anthropology: Did Neanderthals and modern humans mate? The answer is yes, there is at least some cave man biology in most of us. Between 1 per cent and 4 per cent of genes in people from Europe and Asia trace back to Neanderthals. "They live on, a little bit," says Svante Paabo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. Researchers led by Paabo, Richard E. Green of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and David Reich of Harvard Medical School compared the genetic material collected from the bones of three Neanderthals with that from five modern humans. Their findings, reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science, show a relationship between Neanderthals and modern people outside Africa, Paabo said. That suggests that interbreeding occurred in the Middle East, where both modern humans and Neanderthals lived thousands of years ago, he said.

Problem Solvers: What to Expect from Our New Bioethics Commission – May 7, 2010
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2010/05/problem-solvers/
The new members of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues have the opportunity to shape national policy in the life sciences. Little is known about the formal agenda of PCBSI since it has yet to meet nor has a full time staff been named, so any assessment of priorities or approaches would be premature. But there are signs of the possible work ahead. As the Executive Order establishing the commission and announcements from the Office of Science and Technology Policy make clear, the president expects that this commission will be focused on progressive policy initiatives, on problems that matter, and on potential solutions. This emphasis, if undertaken in a serious way by the PCSBI, would be a marked departure from the most recent commission, President Bush’s President’s Council on Bioethics, which explicitly eschewed the pragmatic for a theoretical emphasis in its work

Academics say 'smart' drugs could be prescribed – May 11, 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/may/11/ritalin-drugs-young-people
Use of drugs such as Ritalin among young people is becoming so common that family doctors should be able to prescribe them as study aids to school pupils aged under 18. That is the provocative but cogently argued view of Dr Ilina Singh, an academic at the London School of Economics. "Psychotropic neuroenhancement by young people under 18 is growing, and is certain to increase further with the availability of effective drugs and increasing tolerance for neuroenhancement practices," she writes in the American Journal of Bioethics-Neuroscience. This, and the difficult ethical issues raised by teenagers being given drugs to boost their learning, has prompted her and co-author Kelly J Kelleher to suggest what they call "a rationale for clinical management of psychotropic drug neuroenhancers for young people".

Company plans to sell genetic testing kit at drugstores – May 11, 2010
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/10/AR2010051004904.html
Beginning Friday, shoppers in search of toothpaste, deodorant and laxatives at more than 6,000 drugstores across the nation will be able to pick up something new: a test to scan their genes for a propensity for Alzheimer's disease, breast cancer, diabetes and other ailments. The test also claims to offer a window into the chances of becoming obese, developing psoriasis and going blind. For those thinking of starting a family, it could alert them to their risk of having a baby with cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs and other genetic disorders. The test also promises users insights into how caffeine, cholesterol-lowering drugs and blood thinners might affect them.

Walgreens Delays Selling Personal Genetic Test Kit – May 12, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/health/13gene.html?ref=health
Walgreens said late Wednesday that it would postpone selling a personal genetic test through its drugstores after the Food and Drug Administration challenged the legality of the test. The developer of the test, Pathway Genomics, said Tuesday it would sell its product through Walgreens starting Friday. While similar tests have been sold over the Internet for more than two years, this would be the first such test sold through drugstores, making such testing more accessible. That appeared to catch the attention of the F.D.A. In a letter to Pathway that was written Monday but made public late Wednesday, the agency suggested that Pathway’s test needed regulatory approval before it could be sold. Walgreens then said in a statement that it would hold off selling the test “until we have further clarity on this matter.”

Sports Genes – May 2010
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1169440/1/index.htm
Remember the guy or girl in high school who just had it? He was all-everything at quarterback and high jump; she led the pitching rotation and was also the starting point guard. Naturals. Or were they? Did Ken Griffey Jr. inherit good genes, or did he become a superstar because he grew up in a clubhouse? Or both? For the price of a family outing at the ballpark, some companies will tell you if you have a certain sports gene. I have the sprinter gene, for instance, and you probably have it too. So are there really such things as sports genes? If there are, do only elite athletes have them, or do the pros separate themselves from the rest of us more by their work ethic? And the work ethic—is there a gene for that? There's only one place to look.

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PAPERS

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Stem Cell Tourism and Doctors' Duties to Minors—A View From Canada – May 5, 2010
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a922106891~db=all
While the clinical promise of much stem cell research remains largely theoretical, patients are nonetheless pursuing unproven stem cell therapies in jurisdictions around the world—a phenomenon referred to as “stem cell tourism.” These treatments are generally advertised on a direct-to-consumer basis via the Internet. Research shows portrayals of stem cell medicine on such websites are overly optimistic and the claims made are unsubstantiated by published evidence. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that parents are pursing these “treatments” for their children, despite potential physical and financial risk. Physicians are in a unique position as they can be expected to be involved in, or privy to, such decisions. In this paper, we consider what duties physicians may have toward minor patients whose parents/guardians wish to engage in stem cell tourism on their behalf. We use the Canadian perspective to address the broadly relevant issues raised by this trend.

Stem Cell Tourism and the Power of Hope – May 5, 2010
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a922107262~db=all
This paper explores the notions of hope and how individual patient autonomy can trump carefully reasoned ethical concerns and policies intended to regulate stem cell transplants. We argue that the same limits of knowledge that inform arguments to restrain and regulate unproven treatments might also undermine our ability to comprehensively dismiss or condemn them. Incautiously or indiscriminately reasoned policies and attitudes may drive critical information and data underground, impel patients away from working with clinical researchers, and tread needlessly on hope, the essential motivator of patients, advocates and researchers alike. We offer recommendations to clinicians and health care providers to help balance the discourse with individuals seeking treatment while guarding against fraud, misconception, and patient harm.

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CONFERENCES/EVENTS

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The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

14th Human Genome Meeting 2010
May 18-21, 2010
Le Corum, Montpellier, France
http://www.hgm2010.org/index.php

Ten Years After: Mapping the Societal Genomics Landscape
May 27-28, 2010
Amsterdam, Holland
http://www.society-genomics.nl/conference

10th World Congress of Bioethics
July 28-31, 2010
Singapore
http://www.bioethics-singapore.org/wcb2010/

British Human Genetics Conference 2010
September 6-8, 2010
Birmingham, UK
http://www.bshg.org.uk/BSHG.htm

International Data Sharing Conference 2010
September 20-22, 2010
St Hugh's College, Oxford

For further details please do not hesitate to contact helexconference@dphpc.ox.ac.uk.

Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - May 4, 2010

May 4, 2010

Volume 2 Issue 3

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- May 4, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

Events

GE³LS Digest

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Genomics News

Two New Science Competitions for 2010

Genome Canada has released initial details about the $75 million it received for genomics funding in the 2010 Federal Budget.
There will be two new competitions for funding:

$24 million in funding will support Science &Technology Innovation Centres or platforms

Allocation of up to $60 million for a combined open/targeted competition for large scale genomics projects

In the open and targeted competitions, $30 million will be directed to research in the areas of forestry and the environment and up to $30 million in support of strategically important research in agriculture, fisheries and human health. Competition guidelines including eligibility and selection criteria will be available in May.

Interested researchers or research institutions can contact Genome Alberta's Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Gijs van Rooijen at vanrooijen@genomealberta.ca or call 403-503-5220.

Livestock Research Funding Reminder

Genome Alberta has received 4.8 million dollars in funding from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) to invest in livestock genetics research to help improve the health, reputation, and quality of Alberta's livestock.

This Competition is open to researchers based at provincial, national or international research institutions and private industry, but must be led or co-led by an Alberta or Canadian Investigator. Genome Alberta will fund a maximum of $500K (Cdn) per Research Project. All proposed research projects must be collaborative and must clearly demonstrate support from, and benefit to, end users. Genome Alberta is accepting Letters of Intent until May 17, 2010. The Guidelines and the Letter of Intent template can be downloaded by clicking on the links.

For more on the research competition you can contact Gijs van Rooijen, Chief Scientific Officer directly at Genome Alberta at vanrooijen@genomealberta.ca.

Alberta Livestock Genomics Program Manager

Julie Stitt will join Genome Alberta on a contract basis to manage the new research initiative launched by Genome Alberta and the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency. Julie is a well known name in the livestock sector and we are pleased to have her join us. You can contact Julie at jstitt@genomealberta.ca

Alberta Innovates Makes New Appointment

Gary Albach is the new President and CEO for Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures. Gary has more than 30 years of forming and managing high technology companies, developing global partnerships and platform technologies, and was founding Executive Director of nanoAlberta. He was the interim CEO for Alberta Innovates – Technology Futures and in announcing his permanent appointment Ron Triffo Chair of the AITF Board said, “ he will help AITF achieve its goals, ranging from growing small and medium sized enterprises to helping to provide an Alberta-wide innovation network”.

Genome Alberta is looking forward to working with Gary Albach in his new role.

Science, Social Controversy, and Art

Tim Caulfield has launched another initiative to bring together science and society via the art world. To set the stage for the project, interested artists, researchers and writers got together in Banff last week. The agenda covered a wide range of topics including:

Bioethics, Biotechnology and Books: What Michael Crichton and Rebecca Skloot can Teach us all

Who owns your Whole Genome Sequence?

Film, Television and Biomedical Science: Rethinking the Nature of Portrayals and their Effects on Audiences

Many of the participants in the Imagining Science Project will be part of this latest endeavour along with many new faces.

Like Imagining Science, the translational activities will also be significant, with preliminary work being first featured at the Stem Cell Network 2010 Annual General Meeting in Calgary next November. This will then be followed by two large group exhibitions, the first of which will take place at the Glenbow Museum, Western Canada's largest museum, next spring. The second will take place in Toronto in association with the International Society for Stem Cell Research's (ISSCR) Annual General Meeting in June 2011, and both exhibitions will be opened by public panel presentations featuring a mix of project participants. The project will also be producing a project catalogue featuring the work of all participants, and its launch will be coordinated with the opening of the Glenbow exhibition.

Latest Edition of Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter

http://gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/29apr10/cbhd_news_29apr10.htm

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GenOmics Top Stories

GenOmics can be found at http://facebook.genomealberta.ca and is definitely the place to go for the latest in stories from around the world related to GenOmics and some of the other ‘omic’ sciences. And starting sometime in the next week or two, you will be able to get the news site directly on the Genome Alberta web site as well. If you subscribe to several life science news site or service such as Genome Web, BioSmartbrief, Science Daily, then you may want to either switch to GenOmics or add it to your regular ‘net routine. We compile stories from all over, add related images and video, to create a good value-added package. We also push the information back our through many other online resources so you may want to add your own stories as well. For more information visit the site at http://facebook.genomealberta.ca or contact Genome Alberta’s Communications Director at mspear@genomealberta.ca.

And coming next week will be the new look version of the site with a cleaner look, more flexibility, a calendar function and many other new features.

Vatican to finance adult stem cell research

Court settlement highlights DNA dilemma

Would Watson and Crick have been competitive at the Science Fair?

Complete Genome from a Single Cell - Yes, Technically

A New Model for Research Funding Microfunding

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Found on Twitter

Here are a few found objects from the 140 character Twitter world and if you check our blog pages you’ll find even more links of interest.

@PR4Science    http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/video/2009/sep/21/richard-dawkins-greatest-show-earth

BIOConvention   BIO 1x1 Partnering is setting RECORDS 14,000+ Meetings, 95k+ requests, 2000+ companies! You need to be in Chicago! #BusinessForum #Bio2010

@digitalbio Developing a "Biotechnology Friendly" Workforce http://bit.ly/abELIN

@calliopeblogger Just had a fantastic meetup with newly found family thanks to @23andMe relative finder program. Spent afternoon sharing family trees.

@EnvBCBC premier offers oil spill help - Environment Ministry workers can help - BC has expertise in this area - http://bit.ly/d4p6p1

@nytimesscience In Darwin Family, Evidence of Inbreeding’s Ill Effects http://nyti.ms/cs73tT

@ScienceCalendar May 4, 1825-Birthday of biologist Thomas Huxley, 1st to suggest that birds are descended from dinosaurs.

Here’s a rundown of this week’s featured Tweets:

@PR4Science works in science communication and lives in Victoria B.C.

@BIOConvention is one of the many online tools used the annual BIO Convention which is being held this year in Chicago

@digitalbio is Sandra Porter who teaches how to use bioinformatics to study biology

@calliopeblogger calls herself an "Amazon woman (who) blogs about her adventures in infertility, single motherhood and all things plaid."

@EnvBC belongs to Environment Business Insider

@nytimesscsience is Science, Enviornment, Space and Cosmos News From NYTimes.com/Science

@ScienceCalendar The daily Calendar of Science is a service of Pacific Science Center

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GE³LS Digest

For more information about GE3LS Digest, please visit http://www.genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/newsletters.aspx

DNA Is a Pre-existing Condition – March 31, 2010

The din and furor of the last few days of the health care bill debate obscured a headline of potentially more importance to human health. Manufacturers of DNA sequencers announced that the cost of a complete human genome sequence had fallen to $50,000, and is on a path to $5,000 in less than two years. Considering that the first human genome sequence cost around a hundred million dollars just a few years ago -- this is startling progress. Sequencing the genome of a single human has gone from the cost of a small space mission to the cost of a nice automobile, and will soon rival the cost a home entertainment system. Even computer technology did not advance this fast! The first benefits show up in the pace of biology research. Labs can undertake projects that were simply too daunting in cost and time just a year ago.

Practical Science: President Announces Appointees for Bioethics Commission – April 8, 2010

Yesterday President Obama announced his appointees to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. The 10-member list encompasses individuals with a wide breadth of knowledge, as well as deep experience in the clinical, legal, and advocacy worlds. The range of skills in this group will allow them to tackle the expansive set of issues laid out in the Executive Order creating the commission, which included stem cells, neuroscience, and the intersection of science and human rights.
Most importantly, the commitment to including leading minds from “bioethics, science, medicine, technology, engineering, law, philosophy, theology,” and the social sciences underscores President Obama’s desire to craft ethical scientific policies that are pragmatic and solve real problems facing U.S. citizens. They will address questions that knit together policies for expanding scientific innovation, expanding access to quality health care, and protecting citizens from harm.

Montreal researchers use man's own stem cells in bid to fix his failing heart – April 13, 2010

When doctors performed a coronary artery bypass on a Montreal man with a failing heart, they added a little something else before closing up his chest - stem cells purified from his bone marrow that they had removed earlier that day. Jean-Paul Tremblay, a 59-year-old construction worker, is believed to be the first patient in Canada to have his heart injected with his own stem cells while having open-heart bypass surgery for chronic heart failure, said Dr. Nicolas Noiseux, a cardiac surgeon at Universite de Montreal.
"No research team in the country had implemented such a complete treatment process, going from harvesting stem cells in the patient, treating them and injecting them directly into the myocardium (heart muscle)," said Noiseux, co-principal investigator of a study on the experimental treatment

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Events

The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

Alberta Bovine Genomics AGM
May 11-13
Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire , Calgary, Alberta
http://www.albertabovinegenomicsagm.com/

14th Human Genome Meeting 2010
May 18-21, 2010
Le Corum, Montpellier, France
http://www.hgm2010.org/index.php

Ten Years After: Mapping the Societal Genomics Landscape
May 27-28, 2010
Amsterdam, Holland
http://www.society-genomics.nl/conference

Beyond the Genome: The true gene count, human evolution and disease genomics
October 11-13, 2010
Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
http://tinyurl.com/27lzkry

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Unsubscribe to GenOmics

To unsubscribe to GenOmics, please follow this link:

http://www.genomealberta.ca/genesnips/newsletter_unsubscribe.aspx

GE3LS Digest - April 19, 2010

April 19, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: April 19, 2010

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NEWS

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INTERNATIONAL

What is an appropriate technology? – March 29, 2010
http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/blog/index.php/2010/03/appropriate-technology/
At the launch of the book Science and Innovation for Development on 19 January, co-author Sir Gordon Conway said: “It doesn’t matter where the technology comes from, it matters that it is appropriate.”
Too often international development researchers, policy makers and practitioners get caught up in the source of a technology, and use this as the metric for whether it will be successful. The way a technology is designed, the country it comes from, the type of institution that produced it – while all important considerations – are not as important as whether the product is appropriate. An appropriate technology is accessible, affordable, easy-to-use and maintain, effective – and most importantly it serves a real need. For example, a rice seed that has been bred or engineered to mature faster can be appropriate anywhere the variety thrives. Local farmers have a need for such characteristics, regardless of whether the seed comes from local efforts or from global centres like the International Rice Research Institute.

The Egg Market; What determines the price of a woman's eggs? SAT scores – March 29, 2010
http://www.slate.com/id/2249098/
"Obama Attacks Wealth Inequality," says the headline in the New York Times. Health care reform, college aid, and stimulus-funded jobs are evening out the distribution of resources. An age of equality is dawning. But beneath the celebration, inequality is sinking in more deeply. A market in lucrative traits is developing. Wealthy people are buying smarter babies. Even if your kids get the same private schooling, their kids will do better. Money is buying more than tutors and test prep. It's buying merit.
I'm not talking about all-out consumer eugenics. We're far from clarifying the genes involved in complex traits, and even further from verifying a safe way to mess with those genes. But where genetic correlates are known, market forces have already moved in. Last year, a U.S. fertility company advertised eye-, hair-, and skin-color selection in human embryos. Facing a backlash, the company suspended its plan, but not for lack of technical ability, and not before half a dozen potential clients requested the tests.

DNA Is a Preexisting Condition – March 31, 2010
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-philip-neches/dna-is-a-preexisting-cond_b_520252.html?view=print
The din and furor of the last few days of the health care bill debate obscured a headline of potentially more importance to human health. Manufacturers of DNA sequencers announced that the cost of a complete human genome sequence had fallen to $50,000, and is on a path to $5,000 in less than two years. Considering that the first human genome sequence cost around a hundred million dollars just a few years ago -- this is startling progress. Sequencing the genome of a single human has gone from the cost of a small space mission to the cost of a nice automobile, and will soon rival the cost a home entertainment system. Even computer technology did not advance this fast! The first benefits show up in the pace of biology research. Labs can undertake projects that were simply too daunting in cost and time just a year ago.

Turkish law blocks use of genetic manipulation – April 4, 2010
http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/5336/
According to a Nature News report, a new law in Turkey will prevent the creation of any form of genetically modified organism, and will necessitate approval from a new Biosafety Council for any application involving the use of any form of transgenic organism or genetic manipulation – including basic and applied biomedical research. The move was intended to restrict the use of genetically modified plants, with the new approval body existing within the ministry of agriculture – but could cause massive disruption for medical research, with lengthy bureaucratic delays between application and approval.

Combing Medical Records for Research: The vast data housed in electronic records and genomics databases could reveal new insights – April 6, 2010
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24985/page1/
When the stimulus bill passed last year--allocating $20 billion to help doctors and hospitals adopt electronic medical records (EMRs)--many scientists were excited about the possibilities for medical research. EMRs provide vast amounts of medical information that can be combed automatically and used to ask questions that are too expensive or perhaps unethical to study in traditional clinical trials, such as whether newer, more expensive treatments are more effective than older ones. "There is a lot of federal funding right now supporting the development of the infrastructure to do that kind of work, as well as to look at comparative effectiveness research using databases," says Richard Tannen, a physician at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. "But it's a complex and difficult problem, in some ways more difficult than people appreciate."

Practical Science: President Announces Appointees for Bioethics Commission – April 8, 2010
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2010/04/practical-science/
Yesterday President Obama announced his appointees to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. The 10-member list encompasses individuals with a wide breadth of knowledge, as well as deep experience in the clinical, legal, and advocacy worlds. The range of skills in this group will allow them to tackle the expansive set of issues laid out in the Executive Order creating the commission, which included stem cells, neuroscience, and the intersection of science and human rights.
Most importantly, the commitment to including leading minds from “bioethics, science, medicine, technology, engineering, law, philosophy, theology,” and the social sciences underscores President Obama’s desire to craft ethical scientific policies that are pragmatic and solve real problems facing U.S. citizens. They will address questions that knit together policies for expanding scientific innovation, expanding access to quality health care, and protecting citizens from harm.

Is it fair to patent genes? ACLU takes on biotech over issue -- April 2010
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-04-13-Genepatent13_ST_N.htm
For Lisbeth Ceriani, news that a judge had invalidated the patent on the gene that almost killed her was a victory. Gene patents, she says, are "turning our bodies into commerce." Ceriani, of Newton, Mass., developed an aggressive form of cancer in both breasts at age 42. She wanted to be tested for mutations in the BRCA gene, which would tell her whether she was also at high risk for ovarian cancer. But it took an agonizing year and a half, because the company that makes the tests and owns the patent on the gene had chosen not to contract with her insurance provider, MassHealth, a form of Medicaid, because the rate of reimbursement wasn't high enough. Only when the company, Myriad Genetics of Salt Lake City, donated 200 tests to the state was she able to be tested, she says.

How Gene Patents Harm Innovation – April 10, 2010
http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/31/gene-patent-myriad-business-healthcare-dna-biotech_print.html
A New York judge's opinion to toss out the patents on two breast cancer genes paves the way for high tech gene sequencing to begin having a real impact on medicine. The ruling by federal judge Robert Sweet earlier this week invalidated long-standing patents on two breast cancer genes held by Myriad Genetics. His basic argument is one that many researchers have been making for years: You can’t patent genes because genes are natural. But thousands of patents on human genes have been granted anyway.
"This is the moment when a lot of issues are crystallizing in the public's mind in a way they have not before," says Daniel Vorhaus, a patent lawyer at Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson who also blogs at The Genomics Law Report. He says he has been fielding phone calls from people who would normally not be interested in genomics at all, many reflecting a general sentiment that companies that would restrict people's access to their own genes "needs to be put in their place."

Donated frozen embryos spawn dueling lawsuits – April 10, 2010
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/09/MNC91CSFC6.DTL
Two frozen embryos and two gut-wrenching lawsuits have added up to a national controversy pitting a Pleasanton family against a suburban St. Louis family over control of what both call their "pre-born children." Edward and Kerry Lambert of Pleasanton filed suit this week in Alameda County Superior Court seeking to regain power over two frozen embryos they donated - or, as both religious families put it, gave up for adoption - to Patrick and Jennifer McLaughlin. Jennifer McLaughlin also filed suit in Missouri to maintain legal custody of the embryos. "It's going against everything they told me they wanted," the 39-year-old stay-at-home mom said of the Lamberts' lawsuit. "It's just so perplexing, and it's heart-breaking at the core." Kerry Lambert, 46, and her lawyers declined to comment for this story, saying their lawsuit speaks for itself.

Green thumbs: Genetically engineered crops are more environmentally friendly than organic ones – April 11, 2010
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/04/11/green_thumbs/
There is a green revolution going on, “doubly green’’ according to ecologist Gordon Conway, but it’s one the organic movement does not want to join. This revolution relies on modern biotechnology to create crop hybrids that can better utilize our scarce resources, and there’s the rub: the science is not trusted by organic farmers, and it plays against their economic interests. The mantra against genetically engineered crops is that there are hidden dangers lurking within this powerful technology and we don’t know how it may harm us. We may not know what we don’t know, but we do know this: since genetically engineered crops have been planted, there have been no incidents of harm to man, beast, or the environment. We also know that organic farming is not any healthier for people than other methods, a unanimous conclusion among peer-reviewed studies as well as the US Department of Agriculture. We also know that organic farming is not environmentally friendly. Yes, organic farming avoids some harmful chemicals and pesticides, but not as effectively as farms that plant genetically engineered crops.

Fear of science will kill us – April 13, 2010
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/04/13/specter.denying.science/
American denialism threatens many areas of scientific progress, including the widespread fear of vaccines and the useless trust placed in the vast majority of dietary supplements quickly come to mind.
It doesn't seem to matter how often vaccines are proved safe or supplements are shown to offer nothing of value. When people don't like facts, they ignore them. Nowhere is that unwillingness to accept the truth more evident than in the mindlessly destructive war that has been raging between the proponents of organic food and those who believe that genetically engineered products must play a role in feeding the growing population of the Earth. This is a divide that shouldn't exist.

Montreal researchers use man's own stem cells in bid to fix his failing heart – April 13, 2010
http://lifestyle.ca.msn.com/health-fitness/news/canadianpress-article.aspx?cp-documentid=23863357
When doctors performed a coronary artery bypass on a Montreal man with a failing heart, they added a little something else before closing up his chest - stem cells purified from his bone marrow that they had removed earlier that day. Jean-Paul Tremblay, a 59-year-old construction worker, is believed to be the first patient in Canada to have his heart injected with his own stem cells while having open-heart bypass surgery for chronic heart failure, said Dr. Nicolas Noiseux, a cardiac surgeon at Universite de Montreal.
"No research team in the country had implemented such a complete treatment process, going from harvesting stem cells in the patient, treating them and injecting them directly into the myocardium (heart muscle)," said Noiseux, co-principal investigator of a study on the experimental treatment.

Modified plant clears up deadly water toxin – April 15, 2010
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/modified-plant-clears-up-deadly-water-toxin.html
Plants may be a useful tool in clearing water of harmful toxins produced by blue-green algae, new research indicates. Some blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) — which grow in warm, nutrient-rich waters — produce toxins that can severely damage the liver or nervous system. The effects of the toxins range from a mild illness to rapid death. They can remain in water supplies after the algae have been killed.
A team at St George's Medical School, part of the UK-based University of London, has modified tobacco plants to secrete antibodies from the roots that then bind to microcystin-LR — the most common cyanobacteria toxin in water — rendering it harmless. "A toxin that is bound to antibodies should be easier to remove from the environment and also is likely to be less harmful," said Pascal Drake, a biotechnology researcher at St George's Centre for Infection. The antibodies could also be used in simple and cheap tests to see if toxins are present in water supplies, he said.

Babies with three parents may be key to preventing genetic disorders – April 15, 2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/genetics/article7097547.ece
Babies with three biological parents could be conceived within three years after research that could stop children from inheriting severe diseases. Scientists at Newcastle University have grown human embryos after merging DNA from two fertilised eggs, with a technique that could soon be used to prevent serious genetic disorders that affect 100 children in Britain a year. The aim is to correct faulty “cellular batteries” — mitochondria — which can cause fatal heart, liver, neurological and muscle conditions, by replacing them with healthy ones from a donated embryo. A child would inherit genetic material from three parents. The mother and father would supply 99.8 per cent of its DNA, with a small amount from another woman, the mitochondrial donor. Doug Turnbull, who led the research, said that it could potentially help families at risk from mitochondrial diseases to have healthy children in as little as three years, although follow-up studies are still needed.

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PAPERS

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The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States (2010)
http://dels.nas.edu/banr/farmbiotech.shtml
The National Research Council announces the public release of a new report on genetically engineered crops. The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States is the first comprehensive assessment of the environmental, economic, and social impacts of the GE-crop revolution on U.S. farms. It addresses how GE crops have affected U.S. farmers, both adopters and nonadopters of the technology, their incomes, agronomic practices, production decisions, environmental resources, and personal well-being. The report offers several new findings and recommendations that will be of interest to farmers, industry representatives, science organizations, policymakers, government representatives, and the public.

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CONFERENCES/EVENTS

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3rd Annual Canadian Human Genetics Conference
April 18-21
Saint Sauveur, Québec
http://www.genecure.ca/en/programs/canadian-human-genetics-conference/about-the-event/

The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

BIO 2010
May 3-6, 2010
Chicago, IL
http://convention.bio.org/

14th Human Genome Meeting 2010
May 18-21, 2010
Le Corum, Montpellier, France
http://www.hgm2010.org/index.php

Ten Years After: Mapping the Societal Genomics Landscape
May 27-28, 2010
Amsterdam, Holland
http://www.society-genomics.nl/conference

International Data Sharing Conference 2010
September 20-22, 2010
St Hugh's College, Oxford

Registration is now open for the International Data Sharing Conference 2010, which will bring together key figures from academia, research ethics committees and clinical practice to discuss how the increase in data storage and access are changing scientific practice, as well as raising a number of technological, legal, ethical and social challenges for people working in the field of genomics.

The conference will seek to address some of the challenges of data sharing - such as: How should data-generators be rewarded for their efforts to the scientific community? Can we promise anonymity of research participants when whole sequences and phenotypic data are being used for research purposes? What is the best way to harmonise different datasets collected for different purposes? Should participants be fed back individual findings? Are our national research governance systems adequate to cope with global data sharing?

The conference will use a conversation format, using panels focussed on specific questions to generate insights into these issues. Our plenary sessions will focus on feedback, new technologies for data sharing, governance structures for research and safeguarding identifiability. Speakers confirmed for our plenaries so far are: Ellen Wright Clayton, Jane Gitschier, Bartha Knoppers, Timothy Caulfield, and Brad Malin. In addition to the plenary panel sessions, there will be break out sessions.

We have a number of bursaries for people from developing countries and students that are funded by the Wellcome Trust. These can be applied for through our Conference Website.

Conference Website: http://helex.medsci.ox.ac.uk/data-sharing-international-conference-1
Registration: https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/catalogue/products.asp?deptid=142

For further details please do not hesitate to contact helexconference@dphpc.ox.ac.uk.

Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - April 16, 2010

April 16, 2010

Volume 2 Issue 2

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- April 16, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

Events

GE³LS Digest

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Genomics News

Genome Alberta Launches Livestock Genomics Research Competition

Genome Alberta has launched a competition for bovine and porcine genomics research projects that will contribute to Alberta’s livestock and meat industry. This Competition is open to researchers based at provincial, national or international research institutions and private industry, but must be led or co-led by an Alberta or Canadian Investigator. Genome Alberta will fund a maximum of $500K (Cdn) per Research Project. All proposed research projects must be collaborative and must clearly demonstrate support from, and benefit to, end users. Genome Alberta is accepting Letters of Intent until May 17, 2010. The Guidelines and the Letter of Intent template can be downloaded at http://www.genomealberta.ca/livestockgenomics/

This research competition is made possible through 4.8 million dollars in funding from the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency (ALMA) to invest in livestock genetics research to help improve the health, reputation, and quality of Alberta livestock.

For more on the research competition you can contact Gijs van Rooijen, Chief Scientific Officer directly at Genome Alberta at vanrooijen@genomealberta.ca

Interim CEO for Genome Canada

Dale Patterson has been appointed Interim CEO of Genome Canada, effective immediately.

He will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of Genome Canada, the management of the Genome Canada President and CEO executive search process, and the relationships with the Board of Directors, the Genome Centres, as well as Industry Canada and other key government departments and agencies. He will retain his responsibilities as Vice President - External Affairs. With Cindy Bell, Executive Vice President - Corporate Development, they will both manage and oversee the roll-out of the new programs, competitions and international activities as outlined in the 2010 Funding Agreement with Industry Canada, with Genome Canada partners and the Innovation Centres.

Genome Canada expects to have permanent President and CEO identified by the end of June, with the successful candidate in place by no later than the fall of this year.

Executive Director of Alberta Research and Innovation Authority Appointed

Lee Kruszewski has been named Executive Director of the new Alberta Research and Innovation Authority. Most recently Lee was Branch Head of Strategic Initiatives in the Advanced Technology Industries Division. Lee has extensive experience in government and the industry technology sector and brings 15 years experience in corporate and start up environments and 7 years in government. During his time in government he has championed numerous public/private business partnership initiatives. Lee will start his new role on Monday, April 26, 2010 and will be located on the 5^th Floor of the Phipps McKinnon Building in Edmonton. In his new role he will be responsible for building relationships between the ARIA board, the ministry and the four Alberta Innovates Corporations, as well as, ensuring Alberta’s research continues on the leading edge of innovation as we bring technology to market.

Dr. William Cochrane Inducted in the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

On April 13, six medical pioneers were inducted into The Canadian Medical Hall of Fame marking the 12^th induction ceremony in Canadian medical history and the first time the event has been held in Calgary. The inductees joined the ranks of the 76 Hall of Fame laureates who have previously been awarded this honourable distinction.

The six inductees are:

Dr. Alan C. Burton, MBE

Dr. William A. Cochrane, OC AOE

Dr. Phil Gold, CC OQ

Dr. James C. Hogg, OC

Dr. Vera Peters, OC

Dr. Calvin R. Stiller, CM OOnt

Bill Cochrane is one of the founders of Genome Alberta and one of our past Board members. Along with his many accomplishments he was Alberta’s Deputy Minister of Health in 1973/74 and found the University of Calgary Medical School in 1967.

For more information on the Hall of Fame inductees please visit the website at http://www.cdnmedhall.org/induction/

Spring 2010 GE3LS Newsletter Available

Click to see the latest edition

Latest Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter

Online version of the newsletter:
http://gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/31mar10/cbhd_news_31mar10.htm

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GenOmics Top Stories

GenOmics is Genome Alberta’s ‘omics’ news site where we bring you the latest news from around the world. We add news, features, images, and videos several times a day as they become available. You don’t have to be a GenOmics member to use the site but registered users can add their own stories or videos, comment on existing stories, ask questions, or submit ideas for for stories or for the biotech industry.

Visit us at http://facebook.genomealberta.ca and in the meantime here are some of the top stories from GenOmics:

Fate Therapeutics Expands its Stem Cell Empire Into Canada

What does it mean to have a private company own exclusive patents on human genes?

Anonymizing patient records for genomics

Functional genomics of mountain pine beetle midguts and fat bodies

Stem cell injection to heart shows promise

Powerful new method allows scientists to probe gene activation

Supplement your stem cells

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Found on Twitter

Twitter.com is one of the hottest social media sites on the ‘net and Genome Alberta is not only active, but our Director of Communications Mike Spear, is often invited to speak at conference about social media and uses Twitter extensively in getting the word out about Genome Alberta activities. Twitter may only be 140 characters but it is packed with information. The @name indicates who is posting the note (Mike Spear is @mikesgene ) followed by the posting. Each of the url in the posting we have shown here will take you to a site with more information that you will find interesting and informative. We have checked the site and they are legitimate and virus-free places to visit. We have a more complete list on our blog so you can really take a social media tour courtesy of our Genome Alberta twits …

@NatureNews Ever have trouble sorting out TCGA, ICGC, TCGP? Fret no more. Cancer Genome projects explained: http://bit.ly/apqxYo
@ColinS_ Systemic issues in science journalism - the reinforcing cycle of niche reporting: http://wp.me/pQf2A-33
@wyattsgirl    Obama names Raju Kucherlapati to bioethics panel... http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a127395.html
@kejames    'Science is part of our culture. Indeed it is the one truly global culture, common to all faiths & nations.' ~Lord Rees http://bit.ly/ae8nND
@EnvBC    The Great Forest Die-Off - Pine beetle’s bite still stings - greatest environmental disaster in North America -http://bit.ly/bWAaUW
@PR4Science    The Guardian - How science is becoming cool. Good read http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/apr/13/science-cool
@TimesScience Babies with three parents may be key to preventing genetic disorders http://bit.ly/aWK7zW
@matthewherper Your genes are like nanocomputers that you can program any way you want.” Were that only true. --MARK KLEIN, M.D. http://nyti.ms/d8SMv7

And just who are these ‘Twits’ ? Well they are an international and pretty eclectic bunch:

@NatureNews belongs to Nature Magazine in London, England at http://www.nature.com/news/

@ColinS_ is Colin Schultz at “wannabe science writer” living in London, Ontario and you can read his blog at http://colinschultz.wordpress.com

@wyattsgirl is Kenna Shaw who still wants to be a scientist but toils for the NIH in the U.S.

@kejames hails from the U.S. but now lives in the U.K. where she is a scientist with the Natural History Museum and Directrix of the Beagle Project

@EnvBC is the Twitter account for Environment B.C.

@PR4Science works in science communication and lives in Victoria B.C.

@TimesScience belongs to the Science section of the Times in London, England

@matthewherper Matthew Herper who writes for Forbe Magazine in New York

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GE³LS Digest

For more information about GE3LS Digest, please visit http://www.genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/newsletters.aspx

Filmmakers and Scientists pair up as part of Gene Screen BC competition – March 19, 2010
Local filmmakers interested in portraying science and technology, will soon have a new avenue to help them accurately portray science in their films. Gene Screen BC (www.genescreenbc.com) is a film competition with the theme of Genomics and Health that offers a special twist: filmmakers will have access to scientists with a passion for film who will help them vet their scenes for scientific accuracy.

Genetically modified foods get U.S. traction, global debate – March 17, 2010
For more than a decade, two opposing views of the technology used for genetically engineering crops have fought for the hearts and minds of the world's farmers. At best, they've come to a standoff. The technology allows scientists to genetically manipulate common crops such as corn, cotton and soybeans, inserting traits that, in one case, lets farmers spray weed killer without hurting the crop and, in other instances, fight off insects. The effort has been embraced by some as a way to better feed a world population that's soaring, but others raise the specter of "Frankenfood," whose long-term effect on human and environmental health has never been adequately studied.

The tarnished gold standard for GM risk assessment – March/April 2010
The American public’s assessment of the accuracy of news stories is now at its lowest level in more than two decades, and their views of media bias and independence now match previous lows, according to a September 2009 Pew Research Center survey. Only 29% of Americans say that news organizations usually get the facts right, while 63% say that news stories often are inaccurate. Although there are no similar survey data for "peer-reviewed journals" -- which submit articles to review by independent experts before they are accepted for publication and which have long been considered science’s “gold standard” – it is not uncommon for articles that are egregiously, obviously flawed to find their way into prominent international scientific publications. If the articles have policy implications, misinformation is quickly and widely propagated; feeds the propagandizing of opportunistic, anti-technology activists, and can have dire consequences.

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Events

Social Media For Life Science and Biotech Workshop 1: Interactive Webinar

Social media is becoming an essential means of communication and proving to be an effective tool for businesses but you need to have a plan before you leap in. Comprendia Bioscience Consulting Group is holding a 4-hour, virtual workshop on April 21^st that will help you sort out which applications will work for science or biotech, how to integrate it into your current activities, and how to get people inside your organization to buy-in to the idea.
This webinar is based on a successful Comprendia on-site seminar in the San Diego area recently.

When: April 21, 2010
For More Information: http://comprendia.com/2010/04/02/social-media-for-life-science-and-biotech-interactive-webinar/

Public Population Project in Genomics

The theme for this year's P3G Annual Meeting is "Harmonization in Practice: A Platform Based on 50 Studies from 18 Countries".
The meeting will include a report on the first P3G harmonization process drawn on 50 studies from 18 countries. Agenda topics include the challenges facing harmonization strategies, data sharing tools, and updates on projects already underway.

Please note the change in venue.

When: April 26 -27, 2010
Where: Montreal, Quebec at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
Conference Website: http://www.p3g.org/secretariat/ueventsMontreal10.shtml
Registration: http://secretariat.p3gobservatory.org/montreal.1

BIO 2010 International Convention

BIO is the world’s largest biotechnology gathering and features tracks of programming, including sessions on policy, finance, business development, science and regulatory affairs. Apart from the conference session, BIO also includes about 400,000 square feet of exhibit space. It is expected to attract 20,000 industry professionals: executives, investors, scientists, researchers, policy makers and journalists, approximately 2,200 exhibitors and at least 60 international pavilions.

Genome Alberta will not be exhibiting this year but the BIO folks have kindly given Communications Director Mike Spear full media access to the event so we’ll be able to keep you up to date with blogs, pictures, and videos. News and information from BIO Chicago will be available on our site as well as on the BIO site.

When: May 3-6, 2010
Where: Chicago, Il
For more information: http://convention.bio.org/

International Biomass Conference & Expo

Now in its third year, BIOMASS brings together current and future producers of biomass-derived power, fuels and chemicals with waste generators, energy crop growers, municipal leaders, utility executives, technology providers, equipment manufacturers, project developers, investors and policy makers.

At BIOMASS, future and existing biofuels and biomass power producers will have an opportunity to network with waste generators and other industry suppliers and technology providers.

The 2010 BIOMASS program will include more than 90 speakers, including 72 technical presentations on topics ranging from anaerobic digestion and gasification to pyrolysis and combined heat and power.

When: May 4 - 6, 2010
Where: Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Conference website: http://www.biomassconference.com/ema/DisplayPage.aspx?pageId=The_Conference___Expo

Alberta Bovine Genomics AGM

This is the 3rd annual meeting of the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Livestock Genomics Technology (formerly the Alberta Bovine Genomics Program), and it is being organized together with the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The meeting will look at how genomics touches many of the quality issues impacting the sector and seek linkages and synergies to keep Canada at the forefront of the field and the industry competitive.

When: May 11 – 13, 2010
Where: Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire, Calgary, Alberta
Conference website:http://www.albertabovinegenomicsagm.com/

The GEEE! in Genome

When: May 1 – September 5, 2010
Where: Prince George, British Columbia
Website: http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

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GE3LS Newsletter - Spring 2010

April 9, 2010

GE³LS Newsletter

Updates on the Work of the Genome Alberta's GE³LS Team

Date: April 9, 2010

Genome Alberta GE3LS Newsletter - Spring 2010

Click to read our Spring 2010 newsletter
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This newsletter is published by GE³LS at Genome Alberta. Feel free to forward to your colleagues.

To view past issues of the GE³LS Newsletter or to subscribe to our mailings please go to:

http://genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/newsletters.aspx

Genome Alberta

Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - April 1, 2010

April 1, 2010

Volume 2 Issue 1

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- April 1, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

Events

GE³LS Digest

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Genomics News

Congratulations to Tim Caulfield from everyone in the Genome Alberta Community

One of Genome Alberta’s Principal Investigators Professor Timothy Caulfield has climbed another wrung on the research ladder. Tim has been Research Director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, since 1993 and in 2001 he received a Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Health Law and Policy.

That made him a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair and acknowledged as an emerging researcher. This week it was announced that Tim is now a Tier 1 CRC which means he is seen by his peers as a world leader in health law and policy.

Visit the U of A Faculty of Law website at http://tinyurl.com/yf2czov for the full release and for more links.

Congratulations to Tim for all the work he has put in over the years !

What is Genomics? Video Series from Genome B.C.

Genome British Columbia's ‘exploring the gene scene’ pages have some good resources for teachers and students and have recently added a series of videos called “What is Genomics?”, developed in collaboration with the Ontario Genomics Institute.

We have posted a blog entry where you can watch the whole series with a click of your mouse.

Manning Awards

On Tuesday, March 15^th , the lobby of the Alastair Ross Technology Centre in Calgary hosted a good crowd to salute the 2010 Manning Innovation Award nominees for Southern Alberta.

The 3 nominees this year are:

Dr. Wael Badawy IntelliView Technologies Inc. for the SmrtBed - A Bed Exit Alarm System

Mr. Geoff Gosling, DIRTT Environmental Solutions for the DIRTT Modular Wall System

Dr. Ross Mitchell, University of Calgary for Virtual Biopsies - Non-Invasive Molecular Diagnosis of Cancer

The Awards will be presented to the winners at the Annual National Presentation Ceremonies held in the fall. Visit http://www.manningawards.ca/ for more information.

Genome Alberta Supports Alberta Science Fairs

Since Genome Alberta was formed 5 years ago we have been a supporter of Science Fairs in Alberta. We provide cash support to the various regional fairs, and plaques for winners. We also provide meeting room space for the Calgary Youth Science Fair organizers and we would like to thank them for making us a Silver Level sponsor.

To find out the dates for a science fair near you please visit Genome Alberta’s Calendar of Events for April

Nature Awards for Mentoring in Science – Canada (2010)

For its annual awards for science mentorship in 2010, Nature invites nominations of outstanding scientific mentors in Canada. Two prizes of C$10,000 will be awarded, one for a mid-career mentor and one for life-time achievement in mentoring. Nominations are now open, with a closing date of 30 June 2010. The prizes will be awarded at the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies annual meeting in Toronto on Friday 5 November 2010.

Visit Nature Journal’s website for more information http://www.nature.com/nature/mentoringawards/canada/

Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter

http://www.gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/17mar10/cbhd_news_17mar10.htm

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GenOmics Top Stories

Like the talk on Twitter, the Myriad Patent ruling came to dominate the stories on our GenOmics application and we saw a jump in readers as the number of posted stories increased over several days. We encourage you to visit http://facebook.genomealberta.ca and follow the news tab and featured links to see the most complete story roundup you will find about the ruling.

If you have several Google Alerts coming in for ‘Omics’ subject areas and subscribe to several digests such as GenomeWeb or BIOSmartBrief, then you might want to consider our GenOmics site instead because you’ll find many of the stories all collected in one spot. Headlines and summaries may be all you need but there are links to the full stories. We also add relevant videos and images that you won’t find anywhere else in your usual omics digest, alert, or feed. We update the ‘News’ section several times a day and if you look at the ‘raw feeds’ under the news tab, the information there is generated automatically as soon as the items are posted on the web.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization in Washington D.C. called it their favourite site of the year and BIOTec Canada has given it good reviews. The National Institutes of Health in the U.S. has even used the send-a-gene tab in the application. Try it anytime, no need to register, and we check all the links to make sure they work and don’t send you into a black internet void.

Judge in New York Dismisses Human Gene Patent

Pigs Fly: Federal Court Invalidates Myriad’s Patent Claims

Scientists take animal breeding to the next level

Canada's New Budget Holds Small Gains for Research

'Junk' DNA gets credit for making us who we are

Nature's new online commenting facility opens up the entire magazine for discussion

Big Shots Slam Nature

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Found on Twitter

In the Twittering world surrounding Genome Alberta’s followers and many of those we follow, the Myriad Gene Patent ruling became the #1 hot topic.

Check this week’s Twitter Snips on our blog pages for a more complete roundup of postings along with links and information about the people and organizations behind the tweets. All links guaranteed germ free !

@genomicslawyer Conversation re: Myriad decision continuing in the comments over at Genetic Future: http://bit.ly/c1GAa7 @dgmacarthur @lindaavey @eurogene

@dgmacarthur Genetic Future post: "Jaw-dropping" verdict against Myriad in BRCA patent case: One of the major potential stumbli... http://bit.ly/bf1JUK

@genomicslawyer    Hank Greely on the coming "Explosion of Prenatal Genetic Testing": http://bit.ly/afzAVF (HT @GenCounsNews) Also: http://bit.ly/1nfDwM

@bmahersciwriter    Reuters special report on the first post-genome decade: http://is.gd/b8c4f Stay tuned for Nature to chime in later today.

@NatureNews    Our human genome extravaganza now live http://bit.ly/ckMVI7 Pieces from Collins and Venter, and 3 great features.

@UofC_Science    Chemist David Cramb looks at the impact nanoparticles have on human health and the environment. http://preview.tinyurl.com/yjgbd4b

@DrBondar Introducing the Beetle Queen herself…Jessica Oreck!: Amazing film, amazing gal! CB: I am so excited to see your film.. http://bit.ly/awWTS8

Check out the full website belonging to this week’s top Twitter types:

Daniel Macarthur: http://scienceblogs.com/geneticfuture/

University of Calgary Faculty of Science http://www.science.ucalgary.ca/

Brendan Maher http://nature.com

Nature News http://nature.com

Carin Anne Bondar http://carinbondar.com/

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GE³LS Digest

For more information about GE3LS Digest, please visit http://www.genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/newsletters.aspx

Breast Cancer Patients Often Confused by Genomic Testing – March 8, 2010
Doctors need to do a better job of explaining genomic test results to breast cancer patients, say U.S. researchers. Genomic testing -- which analyzes 21 genes in breast tumors removed during surgery in order to predict the risk of cancer recurrence -- can help guide decisions about the use of chemotherapy in patients with early-stage breast cancer. Patients at high risk may decide on more aggressive treatment, while those at low risk may opt to forego chemotherapy and its potential side effects.For this study, researchers surveyed 77 patients with early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer who underwent genomic testing between 2004 and 2009. About one-third of the women said they felt they did not fully understand their discussions with doctors about their genomic test results and their risk of cancer recurrence, and about one-quarter suffered distress.

DNA Deception – February 22, 2010
When state health officials were sued last year for storing infant blood samples without parental consent, they said it was for medical research into birth defects, childhood cancer and environmental toxins. They never said they were turning over hundreds of dried blood samples to the federal government to help build a vast DNA database — a forensics tool designed to identify missing persons and crack cold cases.

Scientific breakthrough in genetic studies of animal domestication – March 10, 2010
In 1957, an animal science researcher at Virginia Tech named Paul Siegel began a decades-long study of White Plymouth Rock chickens, a breed favored by backyard farmers. From his original flock, he created two new flocks: one with the heaviest birds, and one with the lightest. Once a year, he bred the heaviest birds in the heavy flock with each other, and the lightest birds in the light flock with each other. Though they began as a single flock of similar-weight chickens, birds in Siegel’s heavy flock now grow to an average of 9 times the size of birds in the light flock.

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Events

Canadian Human Genetics Conference

This conference builds on a tradition of 17 previous annual scientific meetings of the Canadian Genetic Diseases Network, and the success of two Annual Canadian Human Genetics Conferences. The 3rd Annual Canadian Human Genetics Conference is an open meeting that will showcase some of the very best genetics in the country and abroad.
Hosted by Canadian Gene Cure Foundation (CGCF) with the Institute of Genetics (IG), Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Where: Saint Sauveur, Québec
When: April 18-21, 2010
Conference Website: http://www.genecure.ca/en/programs/canadian-human-genetics-conference/about-the-event/

Public Population Project in Genomics

The theme for this year's P3G Annual Meeting is "Harmonization in Practice: A Platform Based on 50 Studies from 18 Countries".
The meeting will include a report on the first P3G harmonization process drawn on 50 studies from 18 countries. Agenda topics include the challenges facing harmonization strategies, data sharing tools, and updates on projects already underway.

Please note the change in venue.

When: April 26 -27, 2010
Where: Montreal, Quebec at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
Conference Website: http://www.p3g.org/secretariat/ueventsMontreal10.shtml
Registration: http://secretariat.p3gobservatory.org/montreal.1

The GEEE! in Genome

Where: Prince George, British Columbia
When: May 1 – September 5, 2010
Website: http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

"Meet Alberta Opportunities" Reception

Every year during the Annual BIO Convention, Alberta showcases the advantages to doing business in Alberta and this year in Chicago will be no exception. It's a great event to meet new contacts, get to know potential partners, and catch up with colleagues. Don't miss it! To see a slide show of images from last year’s Alberta reception and the Alberta Pavilion please go to our Calendar of Events.
When: Tuesday, May 4^th at 7:30p
Where: They are keeping the actual location under wraps for the moment.
For more information: View our Calendar of Events
Website: http://www.bioalberta.com

BIO 2010 International Convention

BIO is the world’s largest biotechnology gathering and features tracks of programming, including sessions on policy, finance, business development, science and regulatory affairs. Apart from the conference session, BIO also includes about 400,000 square feet of exhibit space. It is expected to attract 20,000 industry professionals: executives, investors, scientists, researchers, policy makers and journalists, approximately 2,200 exhibitors and at least 60 international pavilions.
Genome Alberta will not be exhibiting this year but the BIO folks have kindly given Communications Director Mike Spear full media access to the event so we’ll be able to keep you up to date with blogs, pictures, and videos. News and information from BIO Chicago will be available on our site as well as on the BIO site.
When: May 3-6, 2010
Where: Chicago, Il
For more information: http://convention.bio.org/

Canadian Human Proteome Project Workshop

The Human Proteome Organization (HUPO) and CNPN invite you to attend a workshop hosted by Genome Quebec and CNPN to define the next steps in moving Canadian proteomics research forward.
When: Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Where: Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel, Montreal, Quebec
There is no cost to participate at this workshop, however, you must be preregistered to attend. We recommend you attend also the CNPN 2010 Symposium that takes place on May 9-10 in the same venue, just preceding the workshop, in order that you may fully appreciate the context and the goals of the workshop.
Workshop website: http://www.cnpn.ca/page41/page41.html
Canadian National Proteomics Network website: http://www.cnpn.ca/index.html

Alberta Bovine Genomics AGM

This is the 3rd annual meeting of the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Livestock Genomics Technology (formerly the Alberta Bovine Genomics Program), and it is being organized together with the University of Calgary's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The theme will consider how genomics touches many of the quality issues impacting the sector and seek linkages and synergies to keep Canada at the forefront of the field and the industry competitive. Genome Alberta is a Silver sponsor this year and you’ll find more information on our website as we get closer to the event date.
When: May 11-13
Where: Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire, Calgary, Alberta
For more information: Alberta Bovine Genomics AGM website
Visit Genome Alberta’s Calendar of Events for more on this event and view a video on the important role of beef cattle genetics.

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GE3LS Digest - April 1, 2010

April 1, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: April 1, 2010

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NEWS

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CANADA

Filmmakers and Scientists pair up as part of Gene Screen BC competition – March 19, 2010
http://www.genomebc.ca/whatnew_press/press_releases/2010_press/031910_genescreen.htm
Local filmmakers interested in portraying science and technology, will soon have a new avenue to help them accurately portray science in their films. Gene Screen BC (www.genescreenbc.com) is a film competition with the theme of Genomics and Health that offers a special twist: filmmakers will have access to scientists with a passion for film who will help them vet their scenes for scientific accuracy.

The competition will begin with a kick-off event to allow filmmakers and scientists to mix and mingle – and most importantly, match scientific expertise with film interests. The launch event will be held on Monday March 22 nd from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Museum of Vancouver, 1100 Chestnut St., Vancouver, BC.

World Leader in Health Law and Policy: Professor Timothy Caulfield Advances to Tier I Canada Research Chair – March 30, 2010
http://www.law.ualberta.ca/news_events/caulfield_tier1_crc.php
GE3LS researcher Professor Timothy Caulfield recently had his Canada Research Chair (CRC) in health law and policy advanced from Tier 2 to Tier 1. This advancement means that Caulfield is no longer considered an emerging researcher in health law and policy, but rather an outstanding researcher who is acknowledged by his peers as world leader in his field.

INTERNATIONAL

A new dawn for transgenic crops in Europe? – March 9, 2010
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100309/full/news.2010.112.html
The European Commission last week approved Amflora — a genetically modified (GM) potato developed by German chemical company BASF. The potato — engineered to produce a form of starch that is better for some industrial purposes in, for example, paper manufacturing, adhesives and textiles — is the first GM crop to be approved for cultivation in the European Union (EU) for 12 years. Monsanto's MON 810 maize (corn), which is engineered to be resistant to the European corn-borer caterpillar, was licensed in 1998. The sluggish pace of approval for GM crops means that whereas 134 million hectares of GM crops were planted worldwide last year, less than 100,000 hectares of those were in the agricultural powerhouse that is the EU. Nature looks at the reasons why so few GM crops have been approved in Europe, and if that is now set to change.

To Stop Crime, Share Your Genes – March 14, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/opinion/15seringhaus.html
PERHAPS the only thing more surprising than President Obama’s decision to give an interview for “America’s Most Wanted” last weekend was his apparent agreement with the program’s host, John Walsh, that there should be a national DNA database with profiles of every person arrested, whether convicted or not. Many Americans feel that this proposal flies in the face of our “innocent until proven guilty” ethos, and given that African-Americans are far more likely to be arrested than whites, critics refer to such genetic collection as creating “Jim Crow’s database.” In truth, however, this is an issue where both sides are partly right. The president was correct in saying that we need a more robust DNA database, available to law enforcement in every state, to “continue to tighten the grip around folks who have perpetrated these crimes.” But critics have a point that genetic police work, like the sampling of arrestees, is fraught with bias. A better solution: to keep every American’s DNA profile on file.

The Human Egg Trade: How Canada’s fertility laws are failing donors, doctors, and parents – March 2010
http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2010.04-health-the-human-egg-trade/
In the spring of 2006, Heather Cox got an unexpected phone call from a Toronto fertility clinic. Three years earlier, she had donated eggs anonymously to a gay couple through the clinic. Now the same couple wanted a full sibling for their child. Would she consider providing eggs again? She hesitated. Her first experience had been extremely unpleasant. A few days after the eggs were retrieved, her abdomen had filled with fluid. “I looked nine months pregnant,” she says. After fainting in the shower, she called the clinic, and they advised her to come back in to have the fluid drained. She did, but it took a full week before she felt better. The clinic, CReATe Fertility Centre, called her during her recovery. They wanted to know if she had a telephone number for her cousin, who had also been a donor, and whom they wanted to ask to donate again. Cox couldn’t help them. “Well, would you be interested in donating again?” she recalls them asking. She said no.

A miracle salve or another stem cell fraud? – March 17, 2010
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2917887
In Korea, the term “stem cell” conjures up unhappy memories of Dr. Hwang Woo-suk, the cloning scientist who was crowned as a national hero back in 2004 only to be disgraced when it was revealed that much of his work had been fraudulent. Yet even that national trauma didn’t damage the reputation of those two magic words, which now are being used to sell cosmetics. Makeup and skin products using stem cell-derived ingredients are already on the market, in fact. Korean authorities have long harbored doubts about the safety of these products - but they haven’t decided just what to do about it yet.

Genetically modified foods get U.S. traction, global debate – March 17, 2010
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2010-03-17-Biotech17_cv_N.htm
For more than a decade, two opposing views of the technology used for genetically engineering crops have fought for the hearts and minds of the world's farmers. At best, they've come to a standoff. The technology allows scientists to genetically manipulate common crops such as corn, cotton and soybeans, inserting traits that, in one case, lets farmers spray weed killer without hurting the crop and, in other instances, fight off insects. The effort has been embraced by some as a way to better feed a world population that's soaring, but others raise the specter of "Frankenfood," whose long-term effect on human and environmental health has never been adequately studied.

Gene splice helps fight crop disease, say researchers – March 17, 2010
http://www.truthabouttrade.org/news/latest-news/15734-gene-splice-helps-fight-crop-disease-say-researchers
Biologists on Sunday said they had found a potential superweapon in a long-running arms race with bacteria that threaten essential crops. Tested in a lab, their technique entails inserting a gene kit into a plant so that its immune system recognises and fights germ invaders, they reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology. Bacteria cause huge losses to crops each year. Farmers usually tackle the foe by dousing their fields with chemicals, but these are expensive and can damage soil biodiversity. Another way is to shore up the plant's defences by a gene introduced through cross-breeding with a hardier strain. Yet this technique is rarely able to give a plant resistance against a wide range of germs -- and in any case a bacterium may swiftly evolve to sneak around the new defence.

Consumers Slow to Embrace the Age of Genomics - March 19, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/business/20consumergene.html
Connected to Google by both love and money, 23andMe seems the epitome of a 21st-century company — a cutting-edge merging of biotechnology and the Internet, with a dash of celebrity thrown in.
The scarce ingredient so far is customers. 23andMe is the most prominent of a trio of companies that in 2007 began using the Web to market personal genomics services. The companies scan people’s DNA, promising to tell them their risks of getting dozens of diseases. Propelled by its co-founder Anne Wojcicki, the wife of Google’s billionaire co-founder Sergey Brin, 23andMe attracted attention by holding swanky “spit parties” where people gave saliva samples for DNA analysis. Rich and famous people like Rupert Murdoch, Harvey Weinstein and Ivanka Trump became customers and in some cases investors.

Evidence that pharmacogenetic testing reduces hospitalisations from warfarin – March 20, 2010
http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/5306/
The use of genetic testing to predict how different individuals will respond to particular drugs is one of the major areas where genomics is expected to yield enormous clinical benefits across a range of diseases (see previous news). Understanding how an individual’s response to medication may be affected by their genetic sequence (pharmacogenetics) could improve dosing, reduce adverse drug reactions and allow targeting of drugs. One of the first drugs where pharmacogenetic information could be useful for judging the best dosage to prescribe to patients is warfarin, the world’s most popular anti-coagulant, which in addition to preventing blood clots may also cause serious bleeding events in a large number of patients. Common variants in just two genes (CYP2C9 and VKORC1) explain most of the variation in drug response, so it has been suggested that genetic testing could be used to determine whether an individual is a slow or fast metaboliser and hence help physicians decide what dosage to prescribe . However, to date, although there is good evidence for the clinical validity for this test, evidence of improved clinical outcomes as a result of testing has been lacking (see previous news).

Unintended Consequences: What Ten Years of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Can Teach Us About Federal R&D – March 22, 2010
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2010/03/unintended-consequences/
On January 21, 2000, President Bill Clinton addressed a standing-room only crowd at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium. He articulated the pressing need for the United States to strengthen its investment in science and technology. A “top priority” was a major increase in the federal funding for nanotechnology, which involves studying materials at the level of molecules and atoms. …As the NNI enters its second decade, a broad appraisal of the federal investment in nanotechnology is called for. Rather than frame this is as a matter of success and failure, let’s consider the new issues and concerns that have arisen since 2000. The effects of large-scale R&D investment can unfold in surprising ways and the NNI is no different.

Egg donors offered up to $50,000: Fees far exceed ethics guidelines, study finds – March 26, 2010
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36057566/ns/health-womens_health
Fertility companies are paying egg donors high fees that often exceed guidelines, especially for donors from top colleges and with certain appearances and ethnicities, a new study finds. The upshot: Parents with infertility problems are willing to pay up to $50,000 for a human egg they hope will produce a smart, attractive child. …While there are few government regulations controlling the use of this technology, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), a professional organization, has issued guidelines. The ASRM ethics committee recommends limits on the amount of money egg donors should be paid, saying "sums of $5,000 or more require justification and sums above $10,000 are not appropriate." Yet the recent study found that out of more than 100 egg-donor ads from 300 college newspapers, about half offered fees above $5,000, with a quarter of the ads touting payments exceeding the $10,000 limit.

Scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep sees revolution in disease treatment in 20 years – March 26, 2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article7076659.ece
The scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep believes that a new approach to the production of stem cells could revolutionise the treatment of inherited diseases such as Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease “within ten to twenty years”. In an interview with The Times, Professor Sir Ian Wilmut said that the “ethical” production of induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells, developed from human skin cells rather than taken from human embryos, represented an opportunity to tackle some of the hundreds of inherited diseases that could prove as important as the way that medical science had conquered many infectious diseases over the past 200 years.

Genetic test could match mentally ill patients with the best drug – March 27, 2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/mental_health/article7078157.ece
A genetic test that predicts how patients with mental illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia will respond to drugs is to be offered to British doctors, in a step towards a new era of personalised medicine.
The £1,000 procedure, which is already used in several US hospitals, uses individuals’ DNA to assess whether 26 psychiatric drugs — including Prozac and Seroxat — are likely to work or cause side-effects. It promises to bring significant improvements to the care of patients with psychiatric conditions, at least a third of whom do not currently benefit from the first drug they are prescribed because they cannot tolerate it or it has no effect.

Top UK scientist urges NZ to keep open mind on GM – March 27, 2010
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10634553
Food-growing countries such as New Zealand should carefully consider genetic modification technology and not reject it outright, says Britain's top scientist.
Speaking as New Zealand authorities decide whether to allow GM goats, sheep and cows at a Hamilton research facility, Professor John Beddington, who is science adviser to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, said that classifying GM as either 'good' or 'bad' was "profoundly silly".
The New Zealand Court of Appeal this week overturned a High Court decision to block four other applications by AgResearch to the Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) to use animals to make a range of medical and health products.

Court Rules that DNA Is Information, Not Intellectual Property: Decision Invalidates Patents for Breast Cancer Genes – March 30, 2010
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2010/03/gene-patents-ruling/
A federal judge in New York ruled yesterday that patents on a set of human genes are invalid. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Sweet handed down his decision in favor of the case brought buy a coalition of groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Public Patent Foundation. The lawsuit argued that patents owned by Myriad Genetics on two genes connected to breast and ovarian cancer both stunt genetic research and limit access to health care for women. The full implications of the surprise decision are not yet clear, but gene patents are a contentious intellectual property issue both because they underpin significant investments in the biotechnology industry and because they might pose barriers to increasingly complex genomic research. The ruling is also noteworthy because it invalidates both the patents on the genes themselves and patents for the methods of analyzing and comparing genes to identify mutations in the genetic material.

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PAPERS

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The tarnished gold standard for GM risk assessment – March/April 2010
http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/gmcrops/article/10861/
The American public’s assessment of the accuracy of news stories is now at its lowest level in more than two decades, and their views of media bias and independence now match previous lows, according to a September 2009 Pew Research Center survey. Only 29% of Americans say that news organizations usually get the facts right, while 63% say that news stories often are inaccurate. Although there are no similar survey data for "peer-reviewed journals" -- which submit articles to review by independent experts before they are accepted for publication and which have long been considered science’s “gold standard” – it is not uncommon for articles that are egregiously, obviously flawed to find their way into prominent international scientific publications. If the articles have policy implications, misinformation is quickly and widely propagated; feeds the propagandizing of opportunistic, anti-technology activists, and can have dire consequences.

Has the revolution arrived? –March 31, 2010
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v464/n7289/full/464674a.html
Looking back over the past decade of human genomics, Francis Collins finds five key lessons for the future of personalized medicine — for technology, policy, partnerships and pharmacogenomics.

Multiple personal genomes await
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v464/n7289/full/464676a.html
Genomic data will soon become a commodity; the next challenge — linking human genetic variation with physiology and disease — will be as great as the one genomicists faced a decade ago, says J. Craig Venter.

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CONFERENCES/EVENTS

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3rd Annual Canadian Human Genetics Conference
April 18-21
Saint Sauveur, Québec
http://www.genecure.ca/en/programs/canadian-human-genetics-conference/about-the-event/

The GEEE! in Genome
May 1, 2010 –September 5, 2010
Prince George, British Columbia
http://nature.ca/genome/index_e.cfm

BIO 2010
May 3-6, 2010
Chicago, IL
http://convention.bio.org/

14th Human Genome Meeting 2010
May 18-21, 2010
Le Corum, Montpellier, France
http://www.hgm2010.org/index.php

Ten Years After: Mapping the Societal Genomics Landscape
May 27-28, 2010
Amsterdam, Holland
http://www.society-genomics.nl/conference

International Data Sharing Conference 2010
September 20-22, 2010
St Hugh's College, Oxford

Registration is now open for the International Data Sharing Conference 2010, which will bring together key figures from academia, research ethics committees and clinical practice to discuss how the increase in data storage and access are changing scientific practice, as well as raising a number of technological, legal, ethical and social challenges for people working in the field of genomics.

The conference will seek to address some of the challenges of data sharing - such as: How should data-generators be rewarded for their efforts to the scientific community? Can we promise anonymity of research participants when whole sequences and phenotypic data are being used for research purposes? What is the best way to harmonise different datasets collected for different purposes? Should participants be fed back individual findings? Are our national research governance systems adequate to cope with global data sharing?

The conference will use a conversation format, using panels focussed on specific questions to generate insights into these issues. Our plenary sessions will focus on feedback, new technologies for data sharing, governance structures for research and safeguarding identifiability. Speakers confirmed for our plenaries so far are: Ellen Wright Clayton, Jane Gitschier, Bartha Knoppers, Timothy Caulfield, and Brad Malin. In addition to the plenary panel sessions, there will be break out sessions. Applications for panels and individual applications to be part of a panel are currently open and will close on the 1st of April http://helex.medsci.ox.ac.uk/data-sharing-international-conference-1/call-for-applications

We have a number of bursaries for people from developing countries and students that are funded by the Wellcome Trust. These can be applied for through our Conference Website.

Conference Website: http://helex.medsci.ox.ac.uk/data-sharing-international-conference-1
Registration: https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/catalogue/products.asp?deptid=142

For further details please do not hesitate to contact helexconference@dphpc.ox.ac.uk.

GE3LS Digest - March 16, 2010

March 16, 2010

The GE³LS Digest

A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world

Date: March 16, 2010

========================================================================

NEWS

========================================================================

CANADA

Genome Canada Marked for $73M in New Budget – March 8, 2010
http://www.genomeweb.com//node/935529?hq_e=el&hq_m=644282&hq_l=2&hq_v=5f90f5d9b1
Genome Canada has been tabbed to receive C$75 million ($73 million) under the national 2010 budget proposal from Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's administration. This year's budget proposal, which was announced last week by Minister of Finance James Flaherty, is aimed at shifting Canada from a stimulus-oriented approach focused on fending off recession toward a new effort to begin to reduce its deficit. Canada's lead genomics research program received no funding from the 2009 budget, in a year when it had expected to receive around C$120 million to fund new programs. The 2009 budget was drafted in response to the global financial crisis. In 2007 the non-profit organization received around C$100 million, and in 2008 it landed $140 million.

INTERNATIONAL

DNA Deception – February 22, 2010
http://www.texastribune.org/stories/2010/feb/22/dna-deception/
When state health officials were sued last year for storing infant blood samples without parental consent, they said it was for medical research into birth defects, childhood cancer and environmental toxins. They never said they were turning over hundreds of dried blood samples to the federal government to help build a vast DNA database — a forensics tool designed to identify missing persons and crack cold cases. A Texas Tribune review of nine years' worth of e-mails and internal documents on the Department of State Health Services’ newborn blood screening program reveals the transfer of hundreds of infant blood spots to an Armed Forces lab to build a national and, someday, international mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) registry. The records, released after the state agreed in December to destroy more than 5 million infant blood spots, also show an effort to limit the public’s knowledge of aspects of the newborn blood program, and to manage the debate around it.

New centre for genomics knowledge to be created – February 28th, 2010
http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/5260/
The CDC National Office for Public Health Genomics (NOPHG) in the US has announced plans to create a new Knowledge Synthesis Center using the methods of the Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention (EGAPP) initiative. EGAPP produces periodic reviews which summarise the available evidence for validity and clinical utility of selected genomic tests and other applications (see previous news for examples). This sort of information is potentially very helpful for policy-makers and health professionals trying to determine whether or not a given test is useful or not.
The new project, a collaboration between the CDC and National Institutes for Health (NIH), will provide funding for a dedicated centre to ‘conduct, update, and publish systematic evidence reviews to address selected questions for the evaluation of a set of health-related genomic tests’ (see announcement). This will include production of topic briefs on the use of selected genomic applications for improving health and preventing disease, and related issues, to form part of an online knowledge silo for EGAPP, and research into improved methodology for performing systematic reviews of published evidence.

E.U. Clears Biotech Potato for Cultivation – March 2, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/03/business/global/03potato.html?ref=health
The European Commission began a new push Tuesday to allow farmers in Europe to grow more biotech crops, clearing a genetically modified potato for cultivation despite persistent public opposition to the technology. In the first such step in more than a decade, the commission approved the Amflora potato produced by the German company BASF for cultivation inside the 27-country European Union. John Dalli, the bloc’s health commissioner, said the potatoes could be planted in Europe, with some conditions, as soon as next month. The potato is engineered to be unusually rich in a starch suitable for making glossy paper and other products, as well as for feeding animals.

China's agricultural patents on the rise – March 2, 2010
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/china-s-agricultural-patents-on-the-rise.html
Patent applications for agricultural innovations, particularly for genetically modified (GM) crops, have surged in China in the past decade, according to intellectual property experts. Statistics from the China Center for Intellectual Property in Agriculture (CCIPA) show that applications doubled between 2002 and 2008, from 4,500 to 9,300. The rise is against a backdrop of even greater increases in patent applications in general. China's State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) released a report in early February saying almost one million patent applications across all sectors were filed in 2009, an 18 per cent increase from 2008.

Embryonic Stem Cells: Hopes for Turning Darkness into Light: FDA Grants Orphan Drug Status to New Therapy – March 3, 2010
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2010/03/embryonic-stem-cell-trial/
Imagine that you are 13 years old and discover you are losing eyesight in the central portion of the visual field. There is hardly a part of the great adventure ahead, from learning to sports to dating, that is not changed forever by Stargardt’s Disease, an inherited disorder that resembles adult macular degeneration. A familiar trope of conservative critics of embryonic stem cell research was that regarding health problems as a crisis could provide ethical justification for just about anything. But how exactly is a young teenager’s degenerative eye disease not a crisis, not only for that child but for that family?
Medical intervention should not be the only response; parental support, counseling, classroom arrangements, and low vision devices are all important. Patients can and do live active and happy lives with a wide range of opportunities. There is no denying that we all live with disabilities or acquire them, nor that we cannot profit from life’s challenges. And if regenerative medicine can offer a promising new therapy with reasonable risks to subjects, well, that’s not bad either. On Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration granted orphan drug status to cells derived from human embryonic stem cells by Advanced Cell Technology that will treat Stargardt’s. This bodes well for approval for a clinical trial.

EFSA launches public consultation on guidance for environmental risk assessment of GM plants March 5, 2010
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/gmo100305.htm
EFSA has launched a public consultation on the revised guidance of its GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) Panel for the environmental risk assessment of GM plants. EFSA provided updated guidance for assessing the impact of GM plants on the environment and held discussions with stakeholders and Member States as part of this work. Together with new, strengthened requirements in terms of data generation, collection and analysis, this guidance also contains a revised section on the evaluation of possible effects on non-target organisms. The document is the result of two years’ work and demonstrates EFSA’s commitment to staying at the forefront of recent developments in the field of GM plant environmental risk assessment. The public consultation will last until 30 April for a total of eight weeks. EFSA reviewed and updated the specific areas that need to be addressed when assessing the environmental impact of a GM plant. These cover in particular the persistence and invasiveness of the GM plant, taking into account plant-to-plant gene transfer; the likelihood and consequences of gene transfer from the plant to micro-organisms; the potential evolution of resistance in target pests; the impact of the GM plant on non-target organisms; and the impact that the cultivation, management and harvesting techniques associated with the GM plant may have. Specific attention was also given to other environmental processes that may be affected by the GM plant, as well as to the impact that these may have on human and animal health.

We need GM plants that benefit consumers and not just farmers – March 2010
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2010/mar/08/gm-plants-consumers-farmers
Last week's decision by the European Commission to allow genetically modified potato varieties to be grown in some European Union countries concludes a 13-year campaign by the German chemical company BASF. Ordinary potatoes produce two kinds of starch, but the GM potato Amflora only produces the economically useful form, amylopectin, which is used in the paper, textiles and adhesives industries. Production of the uneconomic form, amylase, has been turned off by genetic modification, so the useful starch doesn't need to be separated from the useless form during processing. BASF says that while starch from its GM potato will not be used in human food, it may use the product in animal feed. What particularly worries opponents of GM technology, however, is that Amflora carries an extra gene that makes the potato resistant to the antibiotics neomycin and kanamycin.

Breast Cancer Patients Often Confused by Genomic Testing – March 8, 2010
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/breast-cancer/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100255205
Doctors need to do a better job of explaining genomic test results to breast cancer patients, say U.S. researchers. Genomic testing -- which analyzes 21 genes in breast tumors removed during surgery in order to predict the risk of cancer recurrence -- can help guide decisions about the use of chemotherapy in patients with early-stage breast cancer. Patients at high risk may decide on more aggressive treatment, while those at low risk may opt to forego chemotherapy and its potential side effects.For this study, researchers surveyed 77 patients with early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer who underwent genomic testing between 2004 and 2009. About one-third of the women said they felt they did not fully understand their discussions with doctors about their genomic test results and their risk of cancer recurrence, and about one-quarter suffered distress.

GM crops flourishing in developing world, says report – March 8, 2010
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/gm-crops-flourishing-in-developing-world-says-report.html
The planting of genetically modified crops has surged, particularly in developing countries, because of the global food crisis, according to a report. The number of countries growing GM crops has increased from six in 1996, the first year of commercialisation, to 25 in 2009, says the latest annual report of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Application (ISAAA), released in Beijing last month (23 February). Around 134 million hectares worldwide are now planted with GM crops.
The United States tops the list of countries growing GM crops, followed by Brazil, Argentina, India, Canada, China, Paraguay and South Africa. Almost half of global GM crops are now planted in 16 developing countries, involving 13 million small farmers. ISAAA predicts that the number of biotech farmers will reach 20 million or more by 2015.

FAO calls on politicians not to confuse bio-technology with “transgenic”- March 9, 2010
http://en.mercopress.com/2010/03/09/fao-calls-on-politicians-not-to-confuse-bio-technology-with-transgenic
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization called for greater global support and funds to be invested in biotechnology research and regretted that so many politicians “do not understand that biotechnology is far more that Genetically Modified Organisms, OGM”. FAO Director of Plant Production and Protection Shivaji Pandey said that the problem with politicians and even leaders “is not only limited to developing countries” but is also extensive to developed countries. The Indian born scientist emphasized that the controversy over “transgenic” should not stop “the use and research of bio-technology”. However Pandey did admit there are problems to solve given the loss of talents from the less developed countries whose scientists are educated overseas but do not return because they don’t know whether “they will have the political, financial and administrative support to practice what they have learnt”.

Warnings over unlawful and risky cord blood collections – March 9, 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7397506/Warnings-over-unlawful-and-risky-cord-blood-collections.html
Parents are putting staff under pressure to collect the blood, for donation or storage, or are using kits to take it themselves. The blood is rich in stem cells and can be donated to treat life threatening diseases such as leukaemia, or it can be stored in case the child needs it for treating a condition of their own at a later date. Cord blood is also used in so-called saviour sibling cases, where couples have fertility treatment in order to have a child that is a match for an existing sick brother or sister. The collection can only be carried out by trained staff under a licence but parents are arriving at hospital for the birth of their child with kits, the Human Tissue Authority said. In one case the parents collected cord blood themselves in the hospital car park. The HTA is urging parents considering cord blood banking to discuss the practicalities of collection at an early stage of pregnancy. Where the hospital does not hold a licence it may be possible to get a trained specialist to carry out the collection, they said.

Medicine's Future Could Lie in Each Patient's Genome – March 11, 2010
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100255638
Two separate scientific teams announced this week that they had successfully sequenced individual genomes to pinpoint precise genetic causes of illness -- breakthroughs that open the door to a future of individualized, genomics-based medicine. "This is another milestone in the inevitable march towards personalized genetic health," said Dr. Robert Marion, chief of genetics and development medicine and director of the Center for Congenital Disorders at Children's Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. "Medicine is going to change from waiting for symptoms to develop to knowing what this person is at risk for and being able to stop that from happening. Eventually, we're talking about prevention." One day in the future, Marion predicted, doctors will be able to look at all 20,000 or 25,000 genes in a newborn baby and be able to say whether the child has specific genetic disorders, or a twofold increased risk of developing colon cancer or a higher chance of developing childhood asthma.

HGP is 10: Where are we now? – March 2010
http://www.articleant.com/gen/13589-hgp-is-10--where-are-we-now.html
‘It’s hard to think back and remember how we worked then. We were scrabbling around in the dark,’ says Professor Mark McCarthy of the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism [OCDEM], recalling how research on the genetic causes of disease had to be carried out before the human genome was sequenced. The first draft sequence of the human genome was announced at the White House 10 years ago this June by Bill Clinton, with the promise that it would lead to new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. Mark McCarthy, who is also at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics [WTCHG], is the ideal person to explain what has happened since researchers got their hands on the DNA code and where we are now, 10 years on. Mark’s research aims to identify genes involved in diabetes and obesity, and he has been a leader in international collaborations to use the latest genotyping technology to advance our knowledge in this area.

Scientific breakthrough in genetic studies of animal domestication – March 10, 2010
http://www.physorg.com/news187447596.html
In 1957, an animal science researcher at Virginia Tech named Paul Siegel began a decades-long study of White Plymouth Rock chickens, a breed favored by backyard farmers. From his original flock, he created two new flocks: one with the heaviest birds, and one with the lightest. Once a year, he bred the heaviest birds in the heavy flock with each other, and the lightest birds in the light flock with each other. Though they began as a single flock of similar-weight chickens, birds in Siegel’s heavy flock now grow to an average of 9 times the size of birds in the light flock.

Rapid Rise in Seed Prices Draws U.S. Scrutiny – March 11, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/business/12seed.html
During the depths of the economic crisis last year, the prices for many goods held steady or even dropped. But on American farms, the picture was far different, as farmers watched the price they paid for seeds skyrocket. Corn seed prices rose 32 percent; soybean seeds were up 24 percent. Such price increases for seeds — the most important purchase a farmer makes each year — are part of an unprecedented climb that began more than a decade ago, stemming from the advent of genetically engineered crops and the rapid concentration in the seed industry that accompanied it. The price increases have not only irritated many farmers, they have caught the attention of the Obama administration. The Justice Department began an antitrust investigation of the seed industry last year, with an apparent focus on Monsanto, which controls much of the market for the expensive bioengineered traits that make crops resistant to insect pests and herbicides.

Human Cloning Ban Extended – March 11, 2010
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/human-cloning-ban-extended/401358.html
The State Duma has renewed a temporary ban on human cloning in Russia, Interfax reported Wednesday. The bill, approved in a third and final reading Wednesday, sets a ban on cloning until a federal law can be enacted to regulate the cloning of humans, the report said. The bill allows the cloning of nonhuman cells, like flowers, for scientific purposes. The previous ban was implemented in 2002 but expired in June 2007. Deputy Health and Social Development Minister Yury Voronin has warned that the absence of a ban might make Russia a destination for foreign scientists eager to conduct human cloning experiments.

When DNA means do not ask – March 14, 2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/genetics/article7060870.ece
Last Thursday the Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close became the first publicly named female — and first celebrity — to have her DNA fully sequenced. No doubt Close, 62, now has an idea of whether or not she might be at risk of diabetes or breast cancer or have a weakness for itchy feet or know why she likes brussels sprouts (there’s a gene that indicates a lack of sensitivity to bitter tastes).
She principally did it, she said, because of concerns about “bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in my family, illnesses that, like other medical conditions, are thought to have genetic underpinnings”. By having her DNA mapped, she hoped to “bring awareness to the diseases and destigmatise them”. Oh, and to get her name in the history books. Still, Jay Flatley, chief executive of Illumina, the company that provided the service, seemed thrilled about his new pet celebrity. “We are very excited to work with Glenn Close,” he gushed. And he was thrilled last summer, too, when he launched the service, which for $48,000 (£31,600) offers the rather vague opportunity “to mine your personal genome sequence data to understand your identity in ways that have never been possible”.

Fertility clinic to raffle human egg in London to promote IVF service – March 14, 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/7441677/Fertility-clinic-to-raffle-human-egg-in-London-to-promote-IVF-service.html
The Genetics & IVF Institute (GIVF) provides women with eggs from donors who are profiled by racial background, health, upbringing and education. While selling eggs for profit is illegal in the UK, British recipients can pay £13,000 for an egg and subsequent IVF treatment in America. The raffle to receive the treatment for free is designed to attract potential egg recipients to a seminar at a London hotel on Wednesday. The service is being promoted by the Bridge Centre, an established fertility clinic in London which linked up with GIVF in the autumn. A handful of British women have already undergone the process, and 10 more are scheduled to do so over the next three months. The clinic expects the figure to rise to 25 or more a month with the pledge that it can provide "take-home babies" for 60 per cent of its clients.

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CONFERENCES/EVENTS

Genome Alberta Newsletter GenOmics - March 16, 2010

March 16, 2010

Volume 1 Issue 5

The Genome Alberta newsletter for the Omics Generation
- March 16, 2010 -

In this Update:

Genomics News

GenOmics Top Stories

Found on Twitter

Events

GE³LS Digest

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Genomics News

Epigenetics Workshop

Genome Alberta held a successful workshop on epigenetics and personalized medicine last Friday, March 12th. There were 40 people on hand for a packed morning of presentations and to talk about an Alberta research strategy in the field.

Just before the workshop we uploaded a short video of CEO Dr. David Bailey defining epigenetics that was picked up within a few minutes on Twitter and re-posted. You can see the video clip on YouTube and if you go to our blog pages at http://genomealberta.ca/blogs you’ll find 2 blog entries offering more detailed information on the workshop along with links to speakers, videos, and pictures.

Researcher Coax Secrets from the Opium Poppy

Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered the unique genes that allow the opium poppy to make codeine and morphine thus opening doors to alternate methods of producing these effective painkillers either by manufacturing them in a lab or controlling the production of these compounds in the plant.

“The enzymes encoded by these two genes have eluded plant biochemists for a half-century,” says Peter Facchini, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, who has dedicated his career to studying the unique properties of the opium poppy. “In finding not only the enzymes but also the genes, we’ve made a major step forward. It’s equivalent in finding a gene involved in cancer or other genetic disorders.”

Peter Facchini is also leading a Genome Alberta Project and along with Concordia researcher Vince Martin will be able to take this new knowledge and put it to practical use. Genome Alberta’s Chief Scientific Officer Gijs van Rooijen, says that the Facchini-Martin PhytoMetasyn Project “can use this information to develop microbial production systems that can produce codeine, morphine and other medically relevant products”.

For more on the new discovery visit our GenOmics application and please visit the Genome Alberta website for more on the PhytoMetaSyn Project.

Iron Science Winner Crowned in Calgary

Every year teachers across Canada have regional competitions to see who are the top science teachers then the best teams have a National competition. Patterned after the TV show, the Iron Chef, the competition brings out the best and the most creative teachers and pits them against each other to see who can bring science to life in the classroom. Whether it is Gummy Bears and Maltesers battling it out at the Candyland Olympics or explosions and a Bill Nye-type guy on backup drums, there is no lack of excitement.

The finals were held last week at the University of Calgary in front of a live audience, hosted by Jay Ingram of the Discovery Channel, and streamed live around the world on the Internet.

This year’s winners were the Clone Rangers from H.J. Cambie Secondary School in Richmond, British Columbia. Read more on the story on GenOmics and see a video of the Clone Rangers in action.

Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter

http://gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/02mar10/cbhd_news_02mar10.htm

Alberta Science Fairs

Genome Alberta is a strong supporter of Alberta’s Youth Science Fairs. For more information on the fairs and links to their web sites please visit our Calendar of Events or the blog pages for Gerry Ward.

Region Fair Date
Fair Location
City

Alberta Central East April 1, 2010
J.C. Charyk Hanna School
Hanna, AB

Calgary Youth Science Fair March 17 - 20, 2010 Big Four Building, Stampede Park Calgary, AB

Canadian Rockies March 24, 2010 Lawrence Grassi Middle School Canmore, AB

Central Alberta Science Fair March 26/27, 2010 Bower Place Shopping Centre Red Deer, AB

Chinook Country Science Fair March 24, 2010 Red Deer Lake School Calgary, AB

Edmonton Science Fair April 10/11, 2010 Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Edmonton, AB

Kiwanis Southeast Alberta Science Fair March 27, 2010 Medicine Hat College Medicine Hat, AB

Lethbridge Science Fair March 26/27, 2010 University of Lethbridge Lethbridge, AB

Peace Country Science Fair March 18, 2010 Grande Prairie Regional College - Fairview Campus Fairview, AB

Wood Buffalo April 16/17, 2010 Keyano College Fort McMurray, AB

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GenOmics Top Stories

GenOmics is Genome Alberta’s international news site dedicated to sharing news, information, images and videos related to genomics and many other sciences for the Omics Generation.

Genome Alberta posts stories we feel will be of interest, users can post their own stories, everything is open for comments, and the user community can even vote up their favourite stories. Working with our developer Newscloud.com, the platform has been developed as an Open Source technology and is getting attention from around North America and from as far away as Portugal and Africa.

We post information from all sources including science journals, general media, press releases and online sources. If you would like your information or stories to appear on GenOmics you can either log on and join the community at http://facebook.genomealberta.ca ,or drop Genome Alberta’s Communication Manager Mike Spear a note and he’ll post the information or maybe write a story on your behalf.

Personal study shows gene maps can spot disease

One more genome decoded, this one for Oscar week: Glenn Close's

How to Build a Plate Centrifuge for $25

Potential for using algae to produce human therapeutic proteins shown

The sequencing market is beginning to shape out

Scientists identify driving forces in human cell division

Willful ignorance is not an effective argument against personal genomics

British Science in the 21st century: The Royal Society on securing Britain’s future prosperity

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Found on Twitter

You can actually say something on Twitter, even if you are squeezed into 140 character. It means you have to be concise, have 1 thought in mind and know how to shorten some of those long winded url’s floating around out there.

Here is a quick look at what was out there over the last couple of weeks. We have posted many more examples along with a closer look at who is actually lurking behind some of those odd Twitter names on our blog at http://www.genomealberta.ca/blogs/twitter-snips-march-15-2019.aspx

@dgmacarthur Genetic Future post: Celebrity genomics without the Y chromosome: Glenn Close has her genome sequenced: Zoe McDou... http://bit.ly/bF3DrJ

@ryanfrei Why do scientists (and other technical writers) feel compelled to have 6-line sentences and 40-line paragraphs? #fb

@guardianscience MPs raise concern over science committee's homeopathy report http://bit.ly/ak1wld

@EurekaGenomics What are your thoughts on next generation sequencing? Lets get a conversation started about this profession. http://bit.ly/3HGP0l

@edyong209Bacteria on your keyboard might point to your identity but forensic value is unlikely http://bit.ly/bFMUAi
@BoaraZMore on the Science Journalism Ecosystem

Region	Fair Date	Fair Location	City
Alberta Central East	April 1, 2010	J.C. Charyk Hanna School	Hanna, AB
Calgary Youth Science Fair	March 17 - 20, 2010	Big Four Building, Stampede Park	Calgary, AB
Canadian Rockies	March 24, 2010	Lawrence Grassi Middle School	Canmore, AB
Central Alberta Science Fair	March 26/27, 2010	Bower Place Shopping Centre	Red Deer, AB
Chinook Country Science Fair	March 24, 2010	Red Deer Lake School	Calgary, AB
Edmonton Science Fair	April 10/11, 2010	Northern Alberta Institute of Technology	Edmonton, AB
Kiwanis Southeast Alberta Science Fair	March 27, 2010	Medicine Hat College	Medicine Hat, AB
Lethbridge Science Fair	March 26/27, 2010	University of Lethbridge	Lethbridge, AB
Peace Country Science Fair	March 18, 2010	Grande Prairie Regional College - Fairview Campus	Fairview, AB
Wood Buffalo	April 16/17, 2010	Keyano College	Fort McMurray, AB