Genome Alberta's Official Newsletter
GE3LS Digest - May 16, 2008
The GE3LS Digest
A compendium of news and research from around the country and around the world
Date: May 16, 2008
This news digest is published by GE3LS at Genome Alberta. Feel free to forward to your colleagues. If you would like to be added/ removed from the distribution list, please email rhyde-lay@genomealberta.ca
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NEWS
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CANADA
Genome BC Announces $63 Million in Applied Genomics Research Projects – April 30, 2008
From bees to bioenergy, from forestry to fisheries and into human health, British Columbia top scientists are poised to embark on projects designed to meet technological challenges in key sectors of BC's economy. 13 new projects will use genomics knowledge (all information encoded in the organism's DNA) and translate it into tools for everyday life. “The funding of these applied projects, which will have short time frames to deliver specific results, marks an important new addition to Genome BC's suite of genomics research programs,” said Dr. Alan Winter, President and CEO. Since 2000 Genome BC has built a portfolio of discovery research projects and technology platforms with a total investment of more than $375 million.
Government of Canada announces $9.37 million investment in 13 technology development projects – May 5, 2008
The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, and Dr. Martin Godbout, President and CEO of Genome Canada, today announced $9.37 million in funding for the winners of the Genome Canada Technology Development Competition.
The competition attracted 51 proposals for technology development projects from scientists across Canada. The 13 winning projects are led by 19 scientists and researchers from British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Québec who will use the funding they receive to continue developing new technologies applicable to genomics and proteomics. The winners also secured an additional $9.63 million in co-funding from Canadian and international partners.
INTERNATIONAL
Caution urged in choosing gene tests and an anti-discrimination law – May 05, 2008
http://healthandfitness.sympatico.msn.ca/Caution+urged+in+choosing+gene+tests+and+an+antidiscrimination+law/News/ContentPosting.aspx?isfa=1&newsitemid=28769020&feedname=CP-HEALTH&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True
Everyone's genes spell out a risk for some disease, and a coming anti-discrimination law is about to give genetic testing a boost. But discrimination is just one hurdle. The bigger quandary: Doctors don't yet know how many of the genetic tests being pushed for dozens of conditions are truly useful and how many are misleading at best. "Some of these tests are complete rubbish," warns Dr. Howard McLeod, a personalized medicine specialist at the University of North Carolina. "The big challenge for a consumer is figuring out which data is real or not without having to go to medical school." President Bush is expected soon to sign into law federal protection against genetic discrimination, a bill barring employers and insurers from using test results against patients. First to benefit will be people who put off learning if they inherited genes responsible for diseases that run in their families - breast cancer, colon cancer, Huntington's, early-age Alzheimer's - for fear of losing insurance coverage or a job. No-one knows how many people that encompasses. The National Institutes of Health estimates 30 per cent of potential volunteers for gene studies cite discrimination fears in backing out.
http://healthandfitness.sympatico.msn.ca/Caution+urged+in+choosing+gene+tests+and+an+antidiscrimination+law/News/ContentPosting.aspx?isfa=1&newsitemid=28769020&feedname=CP-HEALTH&show=False&number=0&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True
Everyone's genes spell out a risk for some disease, and a coming anti-discrimination law is about to give genetic testing a boost. But discrimination is just one hurdle. The bigger quandary: Doctors don't yet know how many of the genetic tests being pushed for dozens of conditions are truly useful and how many are misleading at best. "Some of these tests are complete rubbish," warns Dr. Howard McLeod, a personalized medicine specialist at the University of North Carolina. "The big challenge for a consumer is figuring out which data is real or not without having to go to medical school." President Bush is expected soon to sign into law federal protection against genetic discrimination, a bill barring employers and insurers from using test results against patients. First to benefit will be people who put off learning if they inherited genes responsible for diseases that run in their families - breast cancer, colon cancer, Huntington's, early-age Alzheimer's - for fear of losing insurance coverage or a job. No-one knows how many people that encompasses. The National Institutes of Health estimates 30 per cent of potential volunteers for gene studies cite discrimination fears in backing out.
Peanut allergy gone within five years? – May 05, 2008
Genetically modified plants or immunotherapy may eliminate allergies to peanut within five years, suggests a prominent scientist from Duke University. The comments were made in the current issue of The Lancet. Peanuts can cause the most severe food allergies, affecting about three million US residents a year, and causing up to 150 deaths. The news however may put the dampeners on the free-from food market that has been enjoying sales growth of over 300 per cent in the UK since 2000, according to market analyst Mintel. In industrialized countries allergies have been rapidly increasing in children, for causes that are not entirely understood. One study showed that between 1997 and 2002, peanut allergies in children doubled in the United States.
Gene sequence puts half of UK population at greater risk of obesity, researchers say – May 05, 2008
A section of genetic code that puts half the population at greater risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease has been discovered by scientists who say those carrying the sequence are on average 2kg (4.4lb) heavier than others, with 2cm larger waistlines and a tendency to become resistant to insulin and vulnerable to late-onset diabetes. While 50% of the UK population carries the obesity-related sequence, it is a third more common among people of Indian Asian ancestry than among Europeans, the scientists said. The finding raises hopes of new measures to curb the soaring obesity rates, including genetic screening programmes to identify children most at risk of what has become one of the leading causes of poor health and mortality in the developed world.
The bioethics debate – May 07, 2008
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=a1aa7ef2-ea6a-421f-a31f-531a1736437c
Bioethics gets a lot of attention. Whenever there is a big new medical breakthrough, health care controversy or cutting-edge research development, news reports will usually include the voice of someone described as an "ethicist." Many movies, such as The Island, Gattaca and Million Dollar Baby, have bioethics themes. Michael Crichton's latest book, Next, is built around bioethics, particularly the concerns associated with gene patents. Political leaders increasingly refer to bioethics issues as important national concerns.But measured against most academic areas, bioethics is just a baby. Despite its ubiquitous nature, it hasn't been around all that long. Most would agree that bioethics -- if you define it as the study of the social, ethical and legal issues associated with the life sciences and health care practices -- took off in the '60s and '70s, largely as a result of specific research ethics controversies and biomedical development (such as new transplantation techniques.) In the '80s and '90s, the social concerns associated with large scientific initiatives such as the Human Genome Project, and with the morally complex areas of stem cell and cloning research, gave the field more profile and momentum.
Brussels hosts long anticipated GM debate – May 07, 2008
The approval process of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the future of three GM products are up for discussion today by the European Commission. The current situation facing GMOs in Europe is inconsistent, with bans on the cultivation of GM crops implemented in France, Austria, Poland, Hungary and Greece. Today's debate has been much anticipated by both supporters of biotechnology and critics, as all hope for some reforms to GM policy to bring it in line with recent developments across the industry and in public perceptions. Additionally, organizations are eager to finally see a decision on the fate of three cultivation dossiers, which have been in the pipeline for many years. The last time a GM product was approved was in 1998. Commissioners could today decide the future of two GM maize varieties containing insecticides, developed by Syngenta and Pioneer/Dow. Also on the table is BASF's Amflora potato - a GM potato containing genes that provide resistance to certain antibiotics.
Nationwide biotech crop maps needed – May 08, 2008
A team of biologists, including a UC Davis plant scientist, is proposing that maps be created showing where all of the billion-plus acres of genetically engineered crops have been grown in the United States. The comprehensive biotech mapping system, modeled after one now in use in Arizona, would permit much-needed studies of the positive or negative environmental impacts of genetically engineered crops, the researchers suggest in a Policy Forum piece published in the journal Science. "Such maps would enable scientists to better analyze the effects of genetically modified crops on wildlife, water quality, insect pests and beneficial insects," says UC Davis Professor Paul Gepts, an expert on the evolutionary processes that have shaped the evolution of crop plants. In Arizona farmers routinely share maps of biotech cotton fields with scientists at the University of Arizona, enabling detailed analyses of the effects of this technology. That information is collected and stored in such a way that the privacy of the farmers is protected.
Overview of regulatory and voluntary measures for the handling of engineered nanomaterials in Europe – May 08, 2008
Regulations and legal provisions can serve several purposes. From a regulator’s perspective priority is given to aspects of human safety and environment protection. For commercial firms, regulations on the one hand imply restrictions (compliance) and on the other hand offer a frame of reference and predictability of legal decisions. From a civil society’s point of view regulations can be trust-building in the sense that it indicates a certain level of safety. A lack of regulations calls for voluntary measures in order to make sure that this kind of basic trust can be established. The following article aims at shedding light on this field of tension and gives an overview of the current state of European nanotechnology regulation.
Should storing cord blood be standard? –May 08, 2008
Public or private? That's the controversial question being asked about a potentially life-saving practice in which cord blood -- the blood collected from a newborn's placenta and umbilical cord -- is stored for future use. Because cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells, it is one of three possible sources of blood-forming cells used in transplants, along with bone marrow and circulating blood. One of the advantages of cord blood, which is frozen and stored in either a public or private bank, is that there is evidence that the donor/recipient match doesn't have to be as exact, as it does for bone marrow and circulating blood. But the collection of cord blood after birth hasn't been standardized, and some physicians oppose its storage for private use. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently discouraged the use of private cord blood banks, except when a relative has a current need for a transplant, because it is unclear that banked cord blood benefits the individual it was collected from.
$271 Million for Research on Stem Cells in California –May 08, 2008
California has awarded $271 million in grants to build 12 stem cell research centers in the state, even as one of the political rationales for the building program might soon disappear. The awards, announced here Wednesday, represent the largest chunk of money awarded at one time by California’s taxpayer-backed stem cell program, which is slated to spend about $3 billion over about a decade. The universities and research institutes that are receiving the money have said they would spend an additional $560 million on the laboratory construction, money they are trying to raise from donations. The resulting total of $831 million would add nearly 800,000 square feet of research space to house 2,200 scientists. One reason the buildings are needed is that the Bush administration now prohibits federal financing of research using any human embryonic stem cells derived after August 2001, because creating such cells entails the destruction of human embryos. That has meant that work involving newer stem cell lines cannot share even a microscope with a project that is federally financed.
UK MPs debate new fertilisation and embryology laws – May 11, 2008
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill returned to the House of Commons for its second reading today. MPs will debate proposed legislation on controversial issues such as the use of animal eggs in human embryonic stem (ES) cell research and other types of 'hybrid' embryos; 'saviour siblings' - babies conceived following embryo testing to ensure their cord blood will provide tissue-matched stem cells for an existing sick child; and 'the need for a father' to be considered by IVF providers when assessing the welfare of children to be conceived using assisted reproduction techniques. Following pressure from the UK's Catholic community, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has granted Labour MPs a 'free vote' on these three sections of the proposed legislation, although he expects them to vote in favour of the whole Bill if they are passed. A survey of 109 MPs polled by the Guardian newspaper found that 32 have not yet decided which way to vote on the saviour sibling issue, with 56 in favour and 21 against. It also found that 63 to 26 are in favour of human hybrid embryo research, while 56 to 26 are in favour of removing the 'need for a father' clause.
Steno 'Superbug' Genome Shows Extreme Drug Resistance – May 12, 2008
British research into Steno, one the most recent "superbugs" to claim lives, reveals that the bacterium has an incredible ability to resist antibiotics and other drugs, according to soon-to-be-published findings. Steno, short for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, thrives in moist environments, such as around taps and shower heads, and can be transmitted to people. It is responsible for roughly 1,000 cases of Steno blood poisoning in the U.K. annually. About 30 percent of these infections prove fatal. "This is the latest in an ever-increasing list of antibiotic-resistant hospital superbugs. The degree of resistance it shows is very worrying," study senior author Dr. Matthew Avison, of the University of Bristol, said in a prepared statement. "Strains are now emerging that are resistant to all available antibiotics, and no new drugs capable of combating these pan-resistant strains are currently in development." …The paper, to be published in Genome Biology, discusses the findings when researchers recently sequenced the Steno genome. This process, they hope, will help them learn how this bacterium works, so they can discover how to best combat it.
Nanohealing Material Heads to Market: A startup is planning human trials for a nanostructured material that quickly stops bleeding -- May 12, 2008
A startup based in Cambridge, MA, says that it plans to soon begin clinical trials of a nanostructured material that stops bleeding almost instantly. A startup called Arch Therapeutics has licensed the technology from MIT and is developing manufacturing processes for making it in large amounts. The new material can be poured over a site and will stop the bleeding almost at once. The first application, pending Food and Drug Administration approval, will be for use during surgery to quickly stop bleeding and even prevent it in the first place. Floyd Loop, currently an advisor to Arch Therapeutics, and formerly a cardiovascular surgeon and the head of Cleveland Clinic, says that it could be useful in a wide variety of surgeries, including brain, heart, and prostate. For example, he says that when large tumors are removed, "there's a lot of diffuse bleeding around the site, and you have to spend a lot of time with sponges and cautery stopping it."
Genetically modified human embryo stirs criticism – May 12, 2008
News that scientists have for the first time genetically altered a human embryo is drawing fire from some watchdog groups that say it's a step toward creating "designer babies." But an author of the study says the work was focused on stem cells. He notes that the researchers used an abnormal embryo that could never have developed into a baby anyway. "None of us wants to make designer babies," said Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The idea of designer babies is that someday, scientists may insert particular genes into embryos to produce babies with desired traits like intelligence or athletic ability. Some people find that notion repugnant, saying it turns children into designed objects, and would create an unequal society where some people are genetically enriched while others would be considered inferior.
GM crops 'would net $8.5b for farmers' –May 12, 2008
Open-slather planting of genetically modified (GM) crops would net Australia $8.5 billion during the next decade, government researchers estimate. According to a report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), GM crops would boost yields, cut costs, help the environment and boost biodiversity. But the Australian Greens have rejected the $8.5 billion figure and warned that introducing the controversial crops would do more harm than good. Most GM crops are banned in Australia but farmers can plant GM cotton and NSW and Victoria have allowed GM canola from this year. State governments decide what can be sown. According to the Economic Impacts of GM Crops in Australia report, if all GM crops were allowed now, the Australian economy would benefit by $8.5 billion by 2018.
CropLife International offers online Biotech Benefits Database – May 13, 2008
CropLife International announced today that its Biotech Benefits Database now contains over 80 published papers and reviews that demonstrate the benefits associated with the use of agricultural biotechnology products. The Biotech Benefits Database is an online, searchable collection of papers that CropLife International has also shared through the Biosafety Information Resource Center of the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH), an information exchange mechanism established by the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to assist Parties with the implementation of the treaty’s provisions to facilitate sharing of information on, and experiences with biotechnology. “CropLife International is committed to supporting the Biosafety Clearing-House and identifying scientifically sound and reputable studies on plant biotechnology,” said Denise Dewar, Executive Director, Plant Biotechnology at CropLife International. “By sharing these resources with the Parties to the Biosafety Protocol, governments will have access to accurate and comprehensive information needed to develop science-based procedures for the procedures for the international trade of living modified organisms.”
Lab-on-a-Chip Samples Saliva, Might Diagnose a Heart Attack – May 13, 2008
Dr. John T. McDevitt and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin are developing a nano-bio-chip designed to analyze the composition of a patient's saliva to diagnose a range of acute and chronic conditions, including possibly an ongoing myocardial infarction: “Many heart attack victims, especially women, experience nonspecific symptoms and secure medical help too late after permanent damage to the cardiac tissue has occurred,” says John T. McDevitt, principal investigator and designer of the nano-bio-chip. “Our tests promise to dramatically improve the accuracy and speed of cardiac diagnosis.” McDevitt, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at The University of Texas at Austin, collaborated with scientists and clinicians at the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. McDevitt and his co-workers and collaborators took advantage of the recent identification of a number of blood serum proteins that are significant contributors to, and thus indicators of, cardiac disease.
Genetic testing: DNA really is not who you are – May 14, 2008
The company 23andMe promises to "unlock the secrets of your own DNA." Navigenics wants you to be tested to "do everything you can to stay healthy." And deCODEme hopes that genetic testing will "prompt people to do the right thing." It all sounds so good. If you have a few thousand dollars to part with (along with some saliva), why not have one of these companies scan your genome? The primary caution about genetic testing has usually been that you will learn that you are destined to develop some dreadful disease (such as Huntington's disease, a degenerative neurological disorder) for which there is no known therapy. A positive test only allows you to start worrying about your demise earlier. Do you really want to know?Then again, your genome includes lots of other information, which the scans are beginning to tap. So the more relevant question is: What is the point of knowing?
Plant Biotechnology is Key to Maintaining Biological Diversity While Helping to Achieve Global Food Security – May 14, 2008
Biotech adoption rates continue to rise worldwide as governments increasingly recognize the potential benefits that plant biotechnology can play in increasing productivity while reducing agriculture’s impact on the environment. This week, as the fourth meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (MOP-4) takes place in Bonn, Germany, CropLife International encourages governments to advance science-based rules on the transboundary movement of living modified organisms (LMOs) that will enable farmers worldwide to benefit from plant biotechnology. “CropLife International strongly believes that plant science technologies can help farmers address challenges such as global food shortages and rising food prices by increasing crop productivity while preserving biological diversity,” said Denise Dewar, Executive Director, Plant Biotechnology at CropLife International. “The MOP-4 meeting provides governments with an opportunity to discuss the continued adoption of plant biotechnology, while protecting biodiversity. This will be an important part of the solution to rapid food price inflation.”
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CONFERENCES/CALL FOR PAPERS
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Emerging Regulatory Issues in Genomic Medicine
May 21-23, 2008
Mexico City, MX
http://www.diahome.org/DIAHOME/Education/FindEducationalOffering.aspx?productID=16991&eventType=Meeting
6th Canadian Plant Genomics Workshop
June 23-26, 2008
Toronto, Ontario
http://cpgw2008.cagef.utoronto.ca/
2020 Vision: The Impact of Science on Society
October 22-24, 2008
Vancouver, BC
http://www.genomecanada.ca/conference2008/?l=e
Imaging Science: An Artistic Exploration of Science, Society and Social Change Public Exhibition at the Art Gallery of Alberta
November 14, 2008-February 1, 2009
For more information contact: robyn.hyde-lay@genomealberta.ca
5th International DNA Sampling Conference: The Age of Personalized Genomics
September 16-19, 2008
Banff, Alberta
For more information contact: robyn.hyde-lay@genomealberta.ca
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PAPERS/REPORTS/BOOKS/BLOGS
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Discussion Paper of German Ag-Industry about EU Biotech Policy Implications – May 2008
Report Highlights:
A group of German food and feed industry associations released a discussion paper expressing the industries' concerns about the negative implications of the EU biotech policy. The industry is highly concerned that the EU policy on biotechnology will cause significant supply problems for Germany. The concern is heightened by the prospect of new biotech events, such as the second generation RR soybeans, being introduced in the U.S. and other major soybean producing countries. The EU biotech policy prohibits the importation of food/feed products containing traces of not yet EU-approved biotech events.
Owning Potential Potential – May 6, 2008
There is some uncertainty over the relative potency of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and human embryonic stem cells (hES cells). Can they become all the cells in the human body as well as organize the embryonic environment including the placenta (in which case they would be “totipotent”), many or all of the body’s cells but not the embryonic environment (in which case they would be “pluripotent”), or only some of the human body’s cells (“multipotent”)? The answer could prove highly relevant to the debate about patenting these cells. If iPS cells or hES cells prove to be totipotent, then one of patent law’s most basic principles – that the legal monopoly conferred by a patent extends only as far as its claims – could work to open up research in the field. But even if the potency of hES cells or iPS cells remains unclear, it still brings us closer than ever to an issue much more familiar to bioethics than the distributional consequences of patent rights, namely, ownership of human life.
BLOGS
23andMe, deCODEme and Navigenics at Cold Spring Harbor – May 9, 2008
Just in case anyone has been wondering why I've been so quiet, I'm in beautiful Cold Spring Harbor this week for the Biology of Genomes meeting. Be warned that I'll have a lot more to say about this meeting once I've recovered from the combined effects of jet-lag and the punishing schedule (last night's evening session finished at 11:30pm!), most of which will include the words "next", "generation", "sequencing" and "wow". For now, I want to download some thoughts on this afternoon's panel discussion on direct-to-consumer genetic testing between three giants of the personal genomics industry: 23andMe's Linda Avey, deCODEme's Kari Stephansson and Navigenics' Dietrich Stephan. The session was ably chaired by the former head of the public Human Genome Project, Francis Collins.
Mikenomics Goes on the Road – May 14, 2008
The rest of the results are in. The DNA Ancestry Project simply slipped the results into my online account without letting me know. Either a cheap way to have me checking their site regularly or poor marketing. Either way it doesn't work. 23andME on the other hand, let me know right away that the test was complete and have been up front about why it took so long. I referred to the problem when they switched lab and you can read the 23andME blog about it at Spittoon. It may be worth the wait though if you're curious about what your DNA may be trying to tell you. deCODE's summary report focuses on areas they feel offer the highest reliability. As a result it gives you 29 traits in the summary. 23andME casts a much wider net. They lay out your Gene Journal so you know which are the least or the most reliable results, but you end up with much more to play with - 60 traits in all. I found myself so immersed in it all that a couple of hours disappeared before I knew it but I can't exactly tell you why. I know there are more to diseases and physical traits than what it is in my genes. Just because I'm at very low risk for prostate cancer doesn't mean other factors are at work and I can skip my physical. And I am an asthmatic even though I am at very low risk.
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