Genomics Blog

As part of our co-sponsorship of the National Geographic Live presentation of Deep Ancestry with National Geographic's Explorer-in-Residence Spencer Wells, we have some free tickets available.

• First place to check is the Facebook contest page for the Epcor Centre. Post a comment to the page answering, “Where is your family from?” and you’ll be entered to win a family four-pack. Deadline is 11:59pm, Wednesday, February 1^st.
• On Monday, February 6^th, sometime around 4:40p, CBC Radio's Homestretch Program will have tickets to giveaway. They'll also be interviewing Spencer Wells so be sure to tune in this coming Monday.
• Swerve Magazine has tickets and you'll have to visit their website now to get in on those ones.
• Shaw TV will have tickets.
• If you are in the genetics department at the U of C,  they have tickets and as soon as I can get more details I"ll let you know.
• The Epcor Centre has an email contest that closes later this week. To enter send an e-mail to  contests@epcorcentre.org  with "DNA" in the subject line, and include your name, address and postal code and you're automatically eligible to win.

The presentation is on February 7^th at 7:00p in the Epcor Centre's Jack Singer Concert Hall. We're pretty pleased to be part of this event as Toronto is the only other Canadian city hosting one of the presentations so it was a good catch for the Epcor Centre and for Genome Alberta.  Check the Epcor website for more details. 
                                                                                     
 
               

Twitter is going to hit user number 500 million this month. That is an impressive feat and means it is becomng impossible to dismiss Twitter as a useful communication tool with an equally useful role in science communication. It also means it is no longer an easy job to find the best accounts to follow and sort out the good from the bad and the useful from the useless.
Here is a VERY small sample of people and posts from the last 2 weeks meant to give you a taste of what is out there and how it is used.
If you're not already a Twitter user, sign up fast and try to be that 500 millionth account. And of course be sure to follow @mikesgene or @GenomeAlberta .

@ayrrisbio    Great blog by @digitalbio - Next-generation sequencing adds thousands of new genes http://bit.ly/wd7aSm

@bakercom1 How to Judge if Research is Trustworthy http://mindshift.kqed.org/2012/01/how-to-judge-if-research-is-trustworthy/

@briankotts   13 Everyday Technologies That Were First Imagined In Science Fiction http://read.bi/w7nXyv SAI #scichat

@cdnstemcell   Canada is known as a hotbed for stem cell research. Join the excitement; be at the forefront of great innovation! #RenewTheWorldGala

@crscience  Science Fairs Are Ground Zero For U.S. Innovation http://t.co/1T1lgZpR  #edchat #scichat #STEM

@edyong209   Help me support good sci writing. Every month, I donate £ to 10 ppl whose work I'd pay to read. January's picks: http://bit.ly/AhMATy

@ElizabethMay  In Question Period, Joe Oliver claims there has been a "30% reduction in emissions (of GHG) in the oil sands." Not true. #cdnpoli #tarsands

@EmileABegin  The pros and cons of working from home. http://buswk.co/AazoYV   

@enniscath  Excellent post and discussion about medical ghostwriting at @rpg7twit's place http://j.mp/xHi9dk  #OccamT

@EpiExperts  Looking for another study linking #epigenetics with socio-economics? New one from Glasgow http://bit.ly/yrsQ02

@Genomengin  Yale gets new DNA sequencer | Yale Daily News http://bit.ly/wlGMX3 via @addthis

@idtdna  Genes linked to cancer could be easier to detect with liquid lasers http://ow.ly/8N4V1  #DNA

@kejames  Health coverage in @washingtonpost & @bangordailynews so sensationalized & misleading I had to read it between fingers: http://bit.ly/whEQo9

@msoskil  Science Fair Project Ideas http://education.com/science-fair/  #education #scichat #sciencefair

@ShipLives  My post for Nature on PIOs, Scientists and getting it right: http://t.co/HnHxmIx5  #scio12 #SITT

@StemCellNetwork   New blog post: Trading on hope: A look at what motivates #stemcell tourists and what happens when it goes wrong http://bit.ly/xuy76X

These bits and bytes are brought to you 140 characters at a time by the following:

Question: What do you get when you have @priongirl, @jayingram and @CTVKarenOwen on @IronwoodStage hosted by @Telus_Spark?

Answer: Well, it is not a tweet-up even though it I noted that the hashtag #sciencecafe was being used. This is a panel including Dr. Valerie Sim, a scientist; Jay Ingram, a science correspondent; and moderator Karen Owen, a TV broadcaster. Tonight’s topic is “Science vs. the Media — Can we trust science news in the media?”, part of the Telus Spark Science Café series held at The Ironwood Stage and Grill.

It was hard finding a place to park in Inglewood, but I was confident there would be plenty of spaces to sit. Was I wrong! I should have known better. The Science Café has been going on for six years now and has grown in popularity with each event. Add the star power of a Jay Ingram and you have the Ironwood so full that people are even sitting on chairs ringing the sides of stage.

Dr. Sim asked us to think back to high school and compare the science nerds with the drama geeks. She pointed out that while there were exceptions, the two groups did not often overlap. Fast forward to adult careers, and you have the white-coated scientist, perhaps using a lot of jargon, having their story greatly shortened and retold with a potentially misinterpreted message which does not relay the passion for which the original science was done.

When it was Jay Ingram’s time to talk, he pointed out that shows like Discovery.Ca are for profit and they must understand and cater to the viewers to keep getting the numbers required by the sponsors. Furthermore, with the show’s success and the need to continue growing audiences, there is less appetite for risk taking. This actually shrinks the types of stories that will be told.
Ingram and Sim next conducted hilarious mock interviews illustrating three types of dysfunctional communication between a scientist and a media person. This demonstration had the audience in stitches of laughter, as we all recognized that we have witnessed each of these interview styles over the years.

Improving the quality of life of Canadians by developing more effective treatments

Media Release, Ottawa, Ontario(January 31, 2012) – The Harper Government today announced an important investment that will help Canadians in getting more effective treatments and make the healthcare system more sustainable through personalized medicine. The announcement was made by the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology.

"Our Government is committed to improving the quality of life of Canadians,” Minister Aglukkaq said. “The potential to understand a person’s genetic makeup and the specific character of their illness in order to best determine their treatment will significantly improve the quality of life for patients and their families and may show us the way to an improved health care system and even save costs in certain circumstances."

Personalized medicine offers the potential to transform the delivery of healthcare to patients. Healthcare will evolve from a reactive “one-size-fits-all” system towards a system of predictive, preventive, and precision care. Areas in which personalized approaches are particularly promising include oncology, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, psychiatric disorders, diabetes and obesity, arthritis, pain, and Alzheimer’s disease. In all of these fields, and others, a personalized molecular medicine approach is expected to lead to better health outcomes, improved treatments, and reduction in toxicity due to variable or adverse drug responses. For example, cancer patients would be screened to identify those for whom chemotherapy would be ineffective. In addition to saving on the costs of expensive drug treatments, this personalized treatment would prevent a great deal of suffering, while identifying and initiating earlier treatments that would be more effective.

“I applaud Genome Canada and the CIHR for their leadership in supporting research in personalized medicine,” said Minister Goodyear. “Innovative approaches like these lead to significant health benefits, enhance our knowledge within the medical arena and can be commercialized to help so many others worldwide."

Genome Canada is leading the landmark research competition, with significant collaboration from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium (CSCC). To qualify for funding, researchers must obtain matching funding that at is least equal to that provided through the competition. Matching funding is typically derived from provincial, academic, private sector or international sources.


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Genome Alberta has already set up a new web page for the Genomics and Personalized Health Competition with links to all the necessary forms and information needed for researchers and media.
We also have a media fact sheet  available.


Further information:

Cailin Rodgers
Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq
Federal Minister of Health
613-957-0200

Stephanie Thomas
Special Assistant (Communications)
Office of the Honourable Gary Goodyear
Minister of State (Science and Technology)
613-960-7728

David Coulombe
Media Relations
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
613-941-4563

Marlene Orton
Director, Media Relations
Genome Canada
613-751-4460 x119
BlackBerry: 613-295-1476

Mike Spear
Director of Corporate Communications,
Genome Alberta
403-813-5843 or mspear@genomealberta.ca

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s health research investment agency. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada. www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca    

Genome Canada is a non-profit corporation employing an innovative business model based on funding and managing large-scale, multidisciplinary, internationally peer-reviewed genomics research projects in areas such as agriculture, forestry, fisheries, the environment and human health. For more information, visit  www.genomecanada.ca  

The Cancer Stem Cell Consortium is a not-for-profit corporation that was incorporated in 2007 to coordinate an international strategy for cancer stem cell research and related translational activities. For more information, visit www.cancerstemcellconsortium.ca  

On February 17^th Genome Alberta and the Public Policy Forum are co-hosting a workshop on how genomics tools and technology can be applied to the development of hydrocarbon resources in Canada and around the world.  Genomics or genetics are not the first thing that come to mind when you think of Alberta's oil and gas industry but there is a strong and useful relationship. Until recently, the limited ability to grow bacteria and other life forms found in hydrocarbon environments in the laboratory made it difficult to understand the genetic make-up of these organisms.  Our new and  emerging understanding of microbial action in hydrocarbons can now help in many ways:

• Mitigate tailing ponds
• Decrease water use in the extraction process
• Reduce souring in oil reserves
• Reduce corrosion in pipelines and oilfield equipment 
• Provide a technology platform to manage environmental impact

The list of how genomics is used now, and how it can be used in future oil and gas development, will be the focus of a prestigious group of workshop panelists and speakers:

• Terry Hazen - A recognized authority on bioremediation of the Gulf after the BP oil spill and a professor at the University of Tennessee
• David Mitchell - CEO of the Public Policy Forum
• Gerry Protti - Vice-Chair of Alberta Innovates Technology Futures and founding President of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
• Jason Switzer - Director of Corporate Consulting at the Pembina Institute
• Eddy Isaacs - CEO of Alberta Innovates Energy and Environmental Solutions
• Pierre Meulien - CEO and President of Genome Canada
• Steven Larter - Professor at the University of Calgary specializing in metagenomics and hydrocarbon energy production
• Subodh Gupta - Chief of Technology Development for Cenovus Energy
• Vincent Saubestre -  Executive Director of the Oil Sands Leadership Initiative (OSLI)
• Mehrdad Hajibabaei -  Assistant Professor Biodiversity Institute of Ontario Department of Integrative Biology
• Paul Willems -  BP, Technology Vice President, Energy Biosciences

Genome Alberta is a non-for-profit funder of genomics research and is holding the workshop to:

• Discuss the role genomics can play in developing a more productive and responsible Alberta energy sector
• Assess the research and infrastructure capacity in environmental and energy genomics in Alberta, across Canada, and internationally
• Explore funding models to advance this area of research.

While this workshop is by invitation only, if you think you could contribute to the discussion or that you or that your organization would like to take part, please contact Heather Smith at hsmith@genomealberta.ca or 403-503-5220 ext. 24 to discuss an invitation.