Genome Alberta's Official Newsletter
Genome Alberta Newsletter GeneSnips - July 17, 2008
Genome Alberta News
-------------------------------------------------------------------------Genomics Networks Receive Funding
On July 7th Genome Alberta hosted the formal announcement of $800,000 in new funding from Western Economic Diversification. The money will be used for the establishment of a series of Western networks and collaboration tools centred around genomics. The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism made the announcement at the Alastair Ross Technology Centre and said to the media and guests "These pan-western networks will support the development and commercialization of genomic innovations, which will have a substantial and positive impact in Alberta and across the West."
Genome B.C. and Genome Prairie received similar WED funding and together we will be creating 12 networks across Western Canada. Genome Alberta will focus on food, health, renewable resources and the environment.
IUFRO-CTIA Joint Conference
Genome Alberta is pleased to be one of the sponsors supporting this event being held in Quebec City, August 25th – 28th.
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations and the Canadian Tree Improvement Association have brought together keynote speakers from all over the world. The conference will look at the challenges presented by environmental change and will also feature several workshop opportunities. You can find more information at www.iufro-ctia2008.ca
Jobs in the Genome Community
If you’re interested in becoming part of the growing field of genomics there are a few opportunities available at this time.
The joint Genome Alberta – Genome B.C. Mountain Pine Beetle Project has a post doctoral opportunity in 'Mathematical Modeling of Insect Invasion Dynamics’. You can find more information through our home page at www.genomealberta.ca or contact Project Manager Matt Bryman directly at mbryman@ualberta.ca
Meanwhile on the other side of the country there are some excellent opportunities at Genome Atlantic. They have opening for a Program Manager, Chief Financial Officer, and a Director of Communications and Government Affairs. For more information go to their web site at http://genomeatlantic.ca/
careers.php And the Ontario Genomics Institute is looking for a Manager of Corporate Communications. Visit them at www.ontariogenomics.ca
Genome Canada Database
Genome Canada has revamped its website and one of the new features is an extensive and searchable database of funding commitments. All of Genome Canada’s large-scale projects and science and technology platforms are included in this database. You may query the database through www.genomecanada.ca/en/
portfolio/ and receive detailed reports using one or several of the selection criteria offered.Genome Alberta Gets Outta Town
It wasn’t exactly the Calgary Stampede but Genome Alberta staff and project managers and their families got together at a ranch in the Foothills this past weekend for a taste of the Canadian West. Next to the great food (including a cheesecake which drew rave reviews) the highlight was surely the magnificent collection of heavy horses. A pair of the gentle giants took everyone for a hay ride around the area. Many thanks to the Coleman family for hosting everyone and putting on a fine display.
GE3LS Digest
This is a sample from the GE3LS Digest put out on a regular basis by Genome Alberta’s GE3LS team. If you’d like to receive the full digest, email rhyde-lay@genomealberta.ca
Science is being held back by outdated
laws: The question "who owns science?" is now crucial –
July 5, 2008 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/
Sir, It is now widely recognised that the system of law and practice that has regulated science and protected the rights of those who make scientific discoveries and turn them into products and therapies in a process known as “innovation” is unfit to serve the needs of the contemporary world. …An important component of the innovation process is the idea of ownership of science and technology and its products, enabling profits to be made from research and development. The question of “Who owns science?” is therefore a crucial one, the answer to which will have broad-reaching implications for scientific progress and for the way in which the benefits of science are distributed, fairly or otherwise. Two of the most pressing issues concern equity of access to scientific knowledge and the useful products that arise from that knowledge.
Nanomaterials could pose health risks,
need more oversight, council says – July 10, 2008
http://technology.sympatico.
The report, released by the Council of Canadian Academies - a not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to provide independent, expert assessment of the science underlying matters of public interest - identified major gaps in knowledge about the safety of nanomaterials. The council's reports are commissioned by the Canadian government. Nanoparticles are microscopic, often engineered particles that are measured by the nanometre, or a billionth of a metre. They have a variety of commercial applications: they're used in stain-resistant fabrics, in skincare products like anti-aging creams and sunscreens, as delivery mechanisms for drugs and to improve such things as the functioning of car exhaust systems. As of April 2008, more than 600 nanotechnology-based consumer products were known to exist, according to the council. Because nanoparticles are so small, they have the potential to migrate beyond the products in which they are used, such as into the human body or the environment - and that is where their effects are unknown, says the report.
Nanotech to Regrow Cartilage and Soothe
Aching Knees – June 16, 2008
http://www.sciam.com/article.
Researchers say they may soon be able to repair injured and worn-out cartilage with the help of nanotubes. Currently, patients must either go under the knife to mend faulty cartilage (connective tissue that normally pads the ends of bones at joints to keep them from grinding against one another). But scientists say they may one day be able to insert microscopic carbon nanotubes into injured joints—such as knees—encouraging new, stronger cartilage cells to grow in place damaged or thinning ones. Researchers report in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A that they successfully grew cartilage around carbon nanotubes in their lab—and are optimistic that one day they will be able to duplicate the feat inside the human body. They may get a step closer in September, when they plan to implant carbon nanotubes in sheep joints to test—for the first time—their technique outside the lab.
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Genome Alberta in Pictures
Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism the Honourable Diane Ablonczy announces $800,000 in Western Economic Diversification funding for Genome Alberta. For more pictures from the event go to http://picasaweb.google.com/
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