Genome Alberta's Official Newsletter

GE3LS Digest - November 5, 2009

Canada Funds New Concordia Genomics Labs – October 16, 2009
http://www.genomeweb.com/canada-funds-new-concordia-genomics-labs
Quebec's Concordia University plans to use a C$29.3 million ($28.2 million) grant from Canada's federal and provincial governments to build a new genomics and systems biology facility at the Loyola campus. Funded through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, the Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics will house genomics and bioinformatics labs that will focus on interdisciplinary studies in the cellular and molecular sciences. Large-scale projects at the center may include biomass conversion studies, cellulosic biofuels research, and systems biology efforts. The plan for the new building includes expanding the current Richard J. Renaud Science Complex and then housing the Genomics Centre in a new 58,000 square foot wing.

Doctoral Thesis Fellowships and Postdoctoral Fellowships: Call For Applications
http://valgen.ca/
A group of Canadian scholars has created Value Addition Through Genomics and GE³LS (VALGEN), a Genome Canada project managed by Genome Prairie. This project responds to the deep governance challenges and opportunities of applied genomics for bioproducts and crops through research and knowledge mobilization on the core issues of intellectual property management, regulation and governance and democratic engagement.

Up to six doctoral thesis fellowships and three postdoctoral fellowships will be awarded in the three major research areas of VALGEN:
(1) intellectual property management,
(2) regulation and governance, and
(3) democratic engagement.
Fellowships will be located in one or more of the following institutions: University of Saskatchewan, University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, University of Regina, McGill University, University of Calgary, Laval University, the University of Western Ontario, or other universities in the VALGEN network.

For More Information and to Apply:

An application consisting of a detailed cover letter and C.V. must be submitted by December 1, 2009.

Submit applications to: Kari Doerksen, University of Saskatchewan, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, 101 Diefenbaker Place, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5B8 or to kdoerksen@genomeprairie.ca.

For more information please consult www.genomecanada.ca and www.valgen.ca

INTERNATIONAL

'Ethical' stem cell crop boosted – October 18, 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8311055.stm
US researchers have found a way to dramatically increase the harvest of stem cells from adult tissue.
It is a practical step forward in techniques to produce large numbers of stem cells without using embryos. Using three drug-like chemicals, the team made the procedure 200 times more efficient and twice as fast, the Nature Methods journal reported. It is hoped stem cells could one day be widely used to repair damaged tissue in diseases and after injuries.

New Recommendations for Gene Patents - Thank Goodness! – October 20, 2009
http://www.genengnews.com/blog/item.aspx?id=563
It sounds like the makings of a science fiction story – patients unable to access genetic tests, researchers restricted in their investigations…and why? Because the genes of interest to the patients and scientists – the naturally occurring genetic material found within you, me, and all of our human friends – have been patented. Alas, this is not a glimpse of a possible future society. In the case of approximately 20% of all human genes, this is the present reality. The general patentability of genes has its roots in the 1980 Supreme Court case of Diamond v. Chakrabarty. The court ruled in favor of Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty, a genetic engineer seeking a patent for a bacterium he developed to break down crude oil. Yet, I find this case to be a rather erroneous precedent for the matter of gene patenting. The dispute was not whether Chakrabarty had, in fact, invented something “useful”, “nonobvious”, and “novel”, as stipulated in U.S. patent law, but rather, whether an invention comprised of living matter could be patented. In Diamond v. Chakrabarty, it was decided that living matter can be patented, but there still needs to be an actual invention somewhere in there, right? This doesn’t appear to hold true for the patenting of genes, as one need only isolate and purify something that nature has already bestowed upon us in order to obtain a patent. I believe that should fall under the category of “identification,” not “invention.”

Editing Scientists: Science and Policy at the White House – October 22, 2009
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=white-house-editing-scientists
When Nancy Sutley moved in to her new office as chair of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)—a 40-year-old White House environmental policy advisory office created by Congress—she found a lot of red pens. Immediately, she removed the pens from her desk and asked her staff to remove any red pens from their desks, as well. "The White House should not be in the business of editing science," Sutley says. "Let the scientists do the science. It's a really easy bright line for me."
Her predecessor, Jim Connaughton, now executive vice president for corporate public affairs and environmental policy at Constellation Energy, disputes the anecdote: "If anything, I used a blue pen, because I wanted to make sure our documents were quite clear," he says. "Think of all the economists, scientists, lawyers involved [in policymaking]. I was constantly trying to make sure things came out in plain English."

Regulation: is there really a big difference between GM- and non-GM-crops on the molecular level? – October 24, 2009
http://www.efb-central.org/index.php/forums/viewthread/58/
The difference between GM- and non-GM-crops has been overestimated, as soon as genetic engineering has been applied to crop breeding. The uncontested understanding among scientists and in particular in risk assessment community was that GM crops pose some novel risks, unprecedented in conventionally bred crops. This has then condensed in the United Nations Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety http://www.cbd.int/biosafety/, which needs to be questioned in certain basic aspects.

Ethics and governance in cancer biobanking – October 26, 2009
http://www.phgfoundation.org/news/4894/
The National Cancer Research Institute’s Confederation of Cancer Biobanks (CCB) is a consortium of UK organisations involved biobank resources for cancer research. The Confederation seeks to ‘promote and disseminate a collective view on best practices for biobanks’ and promote knowledge transfer, with the vision of each facility working in a seamless manner, creating an effective single ‘virtual biobank’ for the collection and distribution of biosamples for cancer research.

Want A Job In Akron? Hand Over Your DNA –October 28, 2009
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/10/28/taking_liberties/entry5438012.shtml
It's not unusual for employers to conduct criminal background checks during the hiring process. But the University of Akron has taken this to a surprising new level. The Ohio school now reserves the right to require any prospective faculty, staff, or contractor to submit a DNA sample, which genetic-testing experts say makes it the first employer in the nation to take such an extreme and potentially intrusive step. The new policy, which says a "DNA sample for purpose of a federal criminal background check" may be collected, took the campus by surprise after it was announced last week.

'Culture of we' buffers genetic tendency to depression – October 28, 2009
http://www.sciencecodex.com/culture_of_we_buffers_genetic_tendency_to_depression
A genetic tendency to depression is much less likely to be realized in a culture centered on collectivistic rather than individualistic values, according to a new Northwestern University study. In other words, a genetic vulnerability to depression is much more likely to be realized in a Western culture than an East Asian culture that is more about we than me-me-me. The study coming out of the growing field of cultural neuroscience takes a global look at mental health across social groups and nations.
Depression, research overwhelmingly shows, results from genes, environment and the interplay between the two. One of the most profound ways that people across cultural groups differ markedly, cultural psychology demonstrates, is in how they think of themselves. "People from highly individualistic cultures like the United States and Western Europe are more likely to value uniqueness over harmony, expression over agreement, and to define themselves as unique or different from the group," said Joan Chiao, the lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychology in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern.

Regulators OK healthy GM soybean oil – October 28, 2009
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/77DF45109BDCBDB28625765D00048AC6?OpenDocument
A soybean oil developed by Monsanto and Solae moved one step closer to reaching consumers this week after earning federal approval. The companies' SDA Omega-3 soybean oil was "generally regarded as safe" and could be used in food products, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Monday. The designation is given to foods generally deemed safe by regulators, although FDA does not require a scientific safety review. The oil is the first Monsanto-developed product genetically modified for specific properties known to improve human health, though officials say there are others in the pipeline. Omega-3 fatty acids are linked to cardiovascular and brain health benefits, particularly the EPA or DHA Omega-3 oils derived from fish, rather than the ALA type derived from plants.

Your Bad Driving May Be Genetic – October 28, 2009
http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_articles/your_bad_driving_may_be_genetic
Are accident rates higher for people with a particular gene variant? Bad drivers may, in part, have their genes to blame, suggests a new study by UC Irvine neuroscientists. People with a particular gene variant performed more than 20 percent worse on a driving test than people without it – and a follow-up test a few days later yielded similar results. About 30 percent of Americans have the variant. This gene variant limits the availability of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) during activity. BDNF keeps memory strong by supporting communication among brain cells and keeping them functioning optimally. When a person is engaged in a particular task, BDNF is secreted in the brain area connected with that activity to help the body respond.

Chickens immunised by GM peas – October 28, 2009
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/chickens-immunised-by-gm-peas.html
Genetically modified peas that can protect chickens against a common infection have been successful in trials, say scientists. The plants, which protected the chickens from a parasite called Eimeria, which costs the poultry industry US$2.4 billion a year, were developed by Sergey Kipriyanov and colleagues at Novoplant GmbH, a German plant biotechnology company. Scientists inserted a gene that caused the plants to produce an antibody that stops the parasite invading the chicken's gut cells. The peas can be ground into flour and then added to cheap chicken fodder, making the approach suitable for rural poultry farming in developing countries, the researchers say.

Scientists 'five years away' from creating human sperm and eggs in a laboratory – October 29, 2009
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,26275545-30417,00.html
Primitive human sperm and eggs and the germ cells that make them have been created from embryonic stem cells in an experiment that promises new treatments for infertility. The achievement transforms scientists' ability to study the development of the human reproductive system and has already helped to confirm the importance of several genes to egg and sperm (gamete) formation. It could eventually open new approaches to restoring or preserving fertility, such as gene therapies that stimulate gamete production in the testes or ovaries to allow natural conception. The research, by a team at Stanford University in California, also advances the prospect of creating synthetic sperm and eggs in the laboratory to allow men and women who make none to have their own genetic children. This, however, remains at least five years away, and would have to clear significant ethical and safety hurdles. The use of artificial gametes in reproduction was banned in Britain last year. Another potential benefit could be insights into spontaneous genetic mutations that cause disease and disability.

Link between patent law and tech transfer 'not proven'—October 29, 2009
http://www.scidev.net/en/news/link-between-patent-law-and-tech-transfer-not-proven-.html
The notion that climate technology cannot be transferred to a developing country unless it has strong intellectual property laws — a cherished belief among developed countries — has been called into question by a new study. Five Asian research institutes collaborated to evaluate the domestic status and transfer of three key mitigation technologies — clean coal, solar power and biofuels — to China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Preliminary results presented in New Delhi last week (21 October) show that developed countries' argument that strong patent laws in developing countries ease technology transfer "does not hold water", said Amir Hisham Hashim, of the department of electrical power at Tenaga National University  in Malaysia, a partner in the study.

Do Gene Patents Hurt Research? The Data Say They Don’t – October 29, 2009
http://www.scienceprogress.org/2009/10/do-gene-patents-hurt-research/
Human gene patents have stirred social controversy for decades. People have marched in the streets decrying the evils of “patenting life.” National and international agencies have issued reports calling for a range of reforms. Patient groups have instigated legal action aimed at overturning key patents. And a variety of politicians have called for a ban on the practice. In the United States, for example, there was a 2007 bill, the Genomic Research and Accessibility Act, which sought to ban gene patents. In my home country of Canada, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health suggested a similar prohibition.
On October 9th, the most recent call for change came from the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society, known as SACGHS, at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Among other things, the Committee recommended the “creation of an exemption from patent infringement liability for those who use patent-protected genes in the pursuit of research.”

Decoding of pig’s DNA raises hopes – November 2, 2009
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2009/11/02/decoding_of_pigs_dna_raises_hopes/
An international group of scientists has decoded the DNA of the domestic pig, research that may prove useful in finding treatments for pigs and people, and perhaps aid in efforts for a new swine flu vaccine for pigs. Pigs and humans are similar in size and makeup, and swine are often used in human research.
Scientists say they rely on pigs to study everything from obesity and heart disease to skin disorders.
“The pig is the ideal animal to look at lifestyle and health issues in the United States,’’ said Larry Schook, a University of Illinois biomedical science professor who led the sequencing project.
Researchers were to announce the results of their work today at a meeting at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in England, one of the organizations involved in the research. They planned to spend the meeting discussing ways to use the new information, Schook said.