Genome Alberta Newsletter GeneSnips - June 2, 2009
Genome Alberta News
BIO 2009
Every year the Biotechnology Industry Organization stages what is probably the world’s largest conference and tradeshow to show off the best and brightest of the biotechnology industry. This year nearly 16,000 attendees gathered in Atlanta from May 18th to the 21st at the Georgia World Conference Centre. Genome Alberta was part of the Alberta Pavilion along with the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, University Technologies International Inc., BioAlberta, the Government of Alberta, Picomole Instruments Inc., TheraCarb Inc., Exciton Technologies Inc., and BioMS Medical Corp.
Genome Alberta’s CEO David Bailey, Communications Director Mike Spear, and Matt Bryman Project Manager for the Mountain Pine Beetle project were on hand to do their share of meeting and greeting people who came through the tradeshow area to see what Alberta had to offer the biotech sector. We were able to showcase 2 of our new projects, Hydrocarbon Metagenomics and PhytoMetaSyn at our booth along with the Mountain Pine Beetle Project display. Mike Spear was also part of the social media presence for BIO as a guest blogger at http://biotech-now.org/ and sent out live Twitter postings during 2 of the breakout sessions.
Facebook Application
Facebook recently made some major changes to its look and how users interact with each other and with 3rd party applications. Our Genomics application which allows users to ‘share-a-gene’ was no longer 100% compatible with the changes and was causing problems for many users. Rather than simply update a year-old look, we decided we could upgrade the application to be more than a one-way stream of information and are creating an application unique in how it uses social media to communicate science. The new GenOmics (stay tuned to see what exactly that means ) will be ready for the 200 million Facebook users by the end of June and will feature newsfeeds from various organizations and news sources. The new look application will allow users to post their own stories, add comments to stories, or even create their own blog entries. Those who contribute to GenOmics will receive ‘points’ for participation and we’ll give out prizes for certain point levels. There will also be a section of ‘Genome Resources’ and links to our Twitter feed. And course there will still be a tab so users can continue to give-a-gene to their Facebook friends but with the upgrade we’ll be able to ensure it works properly for all users.
A few facts about Facebook worth noting:
- More than 200 million active users
- More than 100 million users log on to Facebook at least once each day
- More than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college
- The fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older
- There are more than 30 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices
Summer at 4D
The Sun Center of Excellence for Visual Genomics welcomes summer student Nabil Abou Reslan. A first year student at the University of Calgary, Nabil programs Java and makes 3-D models out of multiple 2-D images for research purposes. His competence, enthusiasm, and skills will be an asset to the Center of Excellence over the course of the summer.
Another big change happening at the start of the summer will be a move for Project Manager Michael O’Connell. Michael will be moving from his position as Project Manager with the4D project to be Project Manager for the new PhytoMetaSyn project recently announced as part of the ABC Competition results. The change will be effective July 1st which of course leaves big shoes to fill on the 4D project so read on .....
Help Wanted on the 4D Project
With Michael O’Connell’s move from the 4D project over to the PhytoMetaSyn (Synthetic Plant Biology) project we now need a Project Manager for the “Four-Dimensional Modeling of Disease Patterns (4D Bioinformatics) “ project funded through Genome Alberta. The project is based at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine and is a term position ending May 31st, 2010. The preferred candidate will have experience or training in project and financial management. Experience in Genome Research is an asset, but not a requirement.
For a more complete job description go to www.genomealberta.ca or forward your resume stating salary expectations via fax to (403) 503-5225, or online to jhendrickson@genomealberta.ca
Closing date for applications is June 15, 2009.
5th International Conference of the Metabolomics Society
This year’s Metabolomics Society Conference will take place in at the Crowne Plaza in Edmonton from Sunday, August 30 to Wednesday, September 2.
The conference will open with its ever-popular workshops which this year will includes a pre-meeting hands-on NMR workshop as well as the traditional tutorial style lecture workshops. The main program will begin on the Monday and offers sessions on highly centralized metabolomics
interests such as informatics, fluxomics and novel technologies. The program also offers a number of diverse application sessions on plant, microbe, environmental, and mammalian nutrition, biomarkers, and pharmacometabolomics. There is certain to be new learning opportunities in addition to highly specialized content that will cater to the diverse interests of our international metabolomics community. The deadline for Podium and Poster Abstract Submission Deadline is June 15.
For more information on the conference go to http://129.128.185.121/MetaboConference2009/
Canadian Science Policy Conference
Registration is now open for Canada’s first conference designed to bring together government, industry, and academia together to talk about Canada’s approach to science and research. The preliminary program is posted at http://sciencepolicy.ca/
program and we’re sure you’ll find something there for everyone.Conference organizers believe a robust science policy network in Canada is critical for producing the next generation of policy-makers who understand S&T issues, as well as scientists who understand how to integrate their research into a broader societal context. The conference will be held in Toronto from October 28-30, 2009 and even if you can’t attend there is an online discussion portal being set up as part of the conference web pages.
Go to www.sciencepolicy.ca for more information and to register.
Age of Personalized Genomics.
The final agenda and speakers are now available at the 5th International DNA Sampling Conference website. Head for www.genomealberta.ca/APG for all the details.
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GE3LS Digest
New Technique For Modifying Plant Genes Developed – May 4, 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429132233. htm
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and Massachusetts General Hospital have used a genome engineering tool they developed to make a model crop plant herbicide-resistant without significant changes to its DNA."It's still a GMO [Genetically Modified Organism] but the modification was subtle," said Daniel Voytas, lead author and director of the U of M Center for Genome Engineering. "We made a slight change in the sequence of the plant's own DNA rather than adding foreign DNA."
The new approach has the potential to help scientists modify plants to produce food, fuel and fiber sustainably while minimizing concerns about genetically modified organisms.Francis Collins' "Scientific and Scriptural Truth" – May 5, 2009
http://www.genomeweb.com/node/916147?emc=el&m=379901&l=1&v= 18a1fdcd03
With funding from the John Templeton Foundation, Francis Collins has launched a new foundation called BioLogos, which "promotes the search for truth in both the natural and spiritual realms, and seeks to harmonize these different perspectives." Collins hopes to show Christians, particularly evangelicals, that faith and science are compatible. For example, he tells Time magazine that Christians should consider the book of Genesis "not as a book about science but about the nature of God and the nature of humans. Evolution gives us the 'how,' but we need the Bible to understand the 'why' of our creation." The website answers questions ranging from "Can scientific and scriptural truth be reconciled?" to "Was there death before the Fall?"Do DNA patents spur science or stifle it? Both: Cancer suit unlikely to succeed, but has huge implications for our health – May 13, 2009
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30719222/
Lawyers who work on patents in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries are sweating bullets today. It is not a bad thing when patent lawyers are feeling queasy.The storm that has got them turning green has been building up for many years. It has arrived in the form of a lawsuit that has enormous importance for you, your family and for the future of biomedical research around the world. The ACLU and a group of prestigious genetic researchers and medical organizations have filed suit against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as Myriad Genetics company and the University of Utah Research Foundation, challenging the validity of the patents Myriad and the Foundation hold on two gene sequences associated with women being at high risk of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer.To subscribe to the GE3LS Digest, visit http://www.genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/subscribe.aspx
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Genome Alberta in Pictures
There was plenty to see and do in Atlanta and you can find several
albums of pictures on our Picasa photo sharing site at http://picasaweb.google.com/
In this picture taken at the Alberta Reception at BIO09 in Atlanta, the Minister of Alberta Advanced Education and Technology Doug Horner, makes the official announcement of the province’s contribution to the 2 new projects approved in the recent ABC competition. He also introduced Genome Alberta’s President and CEO David Bailey (standing on the left of the picture ) who thanked the Alberta government for their investment and thanked the crowd who were there and encouraged them to enjoy the rest of BIO.
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