Genome Alberta's Official Newsletter
Genome Alberta Newsletter GeneSnips - June 16, 2009
Genome Alberta News
Research and Innovation Framework Update
On June 4th the Alberta Legislature passed the Alberta the Alberta Research and Innovation Act, which is a key step in the re-structuring of Alberta’s research and innovation system. By July the province expects to finalize regulations establishing four new provincial corporations and set out their general objectives, powers and responsibilities.
During this move to the new structure, the existing research and innovation organizations will be have transition leaders in place to ensure that important initiatives and programs continue:
- Alberta Research and Innovation Authority (ARIA) – Marvin Fritzler
- Bioindustries corporation – Art Froehlich
- Health corporation – Rob Seidel
- Energy and environment corporation – Eric Newell
- Technology commercialization corporation – Ron Triffo
After the regulations are drafted and come into force, the new organizations will need new boards in place and the transition plans (including staffing, legal, financial matters) complete before they can be officially up and running. Those final steps are expected to be completed later this year.
Alberta Advanced Education has set up a special website (http://www.aet.alberta.ca/research/system/mandates/framework.aspx)that you can check regularly to stay up-to-date on the latest developments.
Genome Canada GE3LS Site
Genome Canada has launched a new series of GE3LS pages on their website available in English and French (http://www.genomecanada.ca/en/ge3ls/). GE3LS stands for ethical, environmental, economic, legal and social research related to genomics and it is a key component of projects funded by the Genome Canada and the Genome Centres across the country. In the most recent ABC Competition, the GE3LS component was a mandatory part of the application process and this increased emphasis on the bioethics aspect is reflected in the searchable database and information on the new GE3LS pages. Genome Canada hopes the new site will provide visitors with a window onto GE3LS-related research and initiatives happening across the country.
University of Lethbridge Announces New VP of Research
Dan Weeks has been named the new Vice President of Research at the University of Lethbridge. He takes up this position on July 1 2009. Weeks joins the University from Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, where he was a Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology, as well as operator of the PsychoMotor Behaviour Laboratory.
He replace Dennis Fitzpatrick who is also a member of Genome Alberta’s Board of Directors and who will be moving back into the research environment at the University of Lethbridge.
Professor Steve Larter Named Royal Society Fellow
On May 15th, the Royal Society added 44 new fellows to its roster and among them was Professor Steve Larter, Canada Research Chair in Petroleum Geology, Department of Geosciences, University of Calgary and J.B. Simpson Chair of Geology, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne. The first fellow elected to the society was in 1660 and over the years names such as Charles Darwin, Sir David Attenborough and Stephen Hawking have been added to the list.
Larter is a leading petroleum geochemist, distinguished in both academic and industrial arenas. National and international recognition includes the 1998 William Smith Medal of The Geological Society and the prestigious 2000 Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China. Using molecular and kinetic insights, he played a pivotal role in developing quantitative chemical typing of sedimentary organic matter, thereby improving understanding and modelling of petroleum generation. He has pioneered the use of molecular tracers in following secondary migration and the charging of reservoirs, the origin of gas condensates and tar mats, and the microbial degradation of oil.
Age of Personalized Genomics
Go to http://genomealberta.ca/APG/agenda.aspx to see the agenda for September’s Age of Personalized Genomics Conference. This is the 5th International DNA Sampling Conference and features international experts in the field of bioethics and genetic testing discussing the ethical, legal and social controversies that characterize the rapidly developing field of personalized genomics.
You can register now on our website at http://genomealberta.ca/APG/Registration.aspx to take advantage of the early bird discount.
Integrated and Distributed Bioinformatics Platform Annual Meeting
On May 28th and 29th the Bioinformatics Platform team gathered in Banff for their annual meeting.
There were a number of items discussed including moving the platform development forward and its role in providing services to 5 of the new ABC projects. These services will include genome assembly, genome annotation, and a wider variety of bioinformatics specialties.
A number of presentations were made to the group including an update on BioMoby from Mark Wilkinson:
The Genome Canada Bioinformatics Platform continues to lead the world in the creation of tools and standards that simplify integration of Web resources. The core interoperability technology is known as BioMoby. BioMoby consists of two primary innovations:
- It invented a new way of representing biological data that allows machines to understand what kind of data they have "in-hand", second.
- It created a machine-readable "yellow pages" of global biological resources based on what kinds of biological data those resources use, and what kinds of analysis they perform.
BioMoby makes it possible to partially or even fully automate the creation and execution of extremely complex analytical pipelines, many of which require data and tools from dozens of disparate resources on the Web. The more often you need to use a resource, especially in the context of high-throughput biology, the more valuable BioMoby-based automation becomes. Since its inception, the number of worldwide resources that are available through BioMoby has risen to over 1600, with 13 nations and more than 60 independent research groups participating.
One of the significant innovations presented at the meeting was the new suite of software tools, called SeaHawk and Daggoo. These programs make it possible for anyone to create a BioMoby resource from an existing online bioinformatics tool simply by using that resource. Following a "watch and learn" paradigm, SeaHawk and Daggoo "watch" you as you use the resource - for example, when you paste some sequence data into a BLAST search form on the Web - and in doing so, the software learns what kinds of data fit into which "slots" on the Web page. The software then knows enough to automatically construct a BioMoby resource that automates this process, and which is ready for inclusion in a high-throughput pipeline. With Seahawk and Daggoo, you will only need to copy/paste once.Canadian Bioinformatics Help Desk Newsletter
http://www.gchelpdesk.ualberta.ca/news/03jun09/cbhd_news_03jun09.htm
Metabolomics Conference
The 5th International Conference of the Metabolomics Society which will be held from Sunday, August 30, 2009 to Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Edmonton, Alberta. Conference registration is now open now and is available on-line at http://129.128.185.121/MetaboConference2009/index.php?home.
Registration fees have been reduced from last year to offer greater value for our members in these difficult financial times. Registration fees includes membership to the International Metabolomics Society, a personal subscription to The Metabolomics Journal, access to pre-conference workshops held on August 29 and August 30, and all conference sessions including conference dinner, August 31 to September 2, 2009.
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GE3LS Digest
Scientists in BC set to receive $2.7 million in funding – June 3, 2009
http://www.genomebc.ca/whatnew_press/press_releases/2009_press/052909_sof2.htm
At a time when the Canadian economy is under significant pressure, Genome BC is making investments in genomics research groups in British Columbia, which will help position the Province to capture specific and significant future scientific opportunities in the global knowledge-based economy.
Today Genome BC is announcing the second round of funding through the Science Opportunities Fund. Through this initiative, 10 BC-based research teams will be approved to launch genomics research projects valued at just over $2.7 million. The research teams are launching peer-reviewed, short-term research projects to help find answers to significant issues in British Columbia. The results of the research will have impacts on important sectors of BC's economy and environment. Complete descriptions of the projects and principal investigators are available here.
Dark Side of GM Plants – May 19, 2009
http://www.russia-ic.com/education_science/science/science_overview/911/
Over 125 million hectares in the world are currently under transgenic or genetically modified plants, and about one-fifth (21-23%) of these plants are resistant to pests. In most plants such resistance is a result of genetic engineering via introduction of a gene of soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis into plant genome – plants produce bacterial protein (Bt-toxin), which is toxic for insects. Biologists consider mentioned toxins to be among most environmentally friendly means for plant protection, since plants produce them in concentrations, which are harmless for homoiothermal animals. Moreover, these toxins are selective – they kill not all insects, but only certain species: biologists have Bt-toxins, killing flying insects, moth slugs or beetles… Well, the medal has two sides. Recent research showed that plants with Bt-toxins might have negative effect on our environment.
Ethicists Call For Research on DTC Genomics Social Networking – June 5, 2009
http://www.genomeweb.com/node/918059?emc=el&m=409067&l=2&v=42c8152690
Ethicists are debating the research, social, and ethical implications of mixing social networking with direct-to-consumer genomics. In a paper appearing online today, Stanford University Center for Biomedical Ethics researchers Sandra Lee and LaVera Crawley discussed a range of issues related to the convergence of direct-to-consumer genomics and social networking. The duo also proposed using social network analysis to better understand the social and ethical consequences of DTC genomics.
"We want to understand how consumers interpret and act upon personal genetic information, and we want to know who they share it with," Lee said in a statement. "Social network analysis is a system of mapping how individuals are related to each other and how they form connections around certain institutions or ideas."To subscribe to the GE3LS Digest, visit http://www.genomealberta.ca/ge3ls/subscribe.aspx
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Found on Twitter
If you don’t use Twitter yet then you may be scratching your head wondering what the heck is “Found on Twitter”. Simply put it will be quick list of some of the 140 character posts on what is arguable the hottest thing on the internet right now.
With Twitter you can keep track (or ‘follow') people you know and find out what they’re up to, and you can post your own notes so that your ‘followers’ can see what you’re up to. We post on Twitter as ‘mikesgene’ and use the service to let our followers (all 235 of them ) know what is going on at Genome Alberta and what might be on interest in the even greater world of genomics, biotechnology and social media. Notable among the people and organizations who follow our ‘tweets’ are 23andME, Navigenics, the Genetic Alliance, science and research industry communication experts, several politicians, and numerous researchers involved in the ‘omics’ sciences.
Starting with this issue of Gene Snips we’ll include some Twitter posts that you may find interesting. Some of the posts will include a live link to longer articles and in other cases the 140 characters speak for themselves. And you would be surprised at the story they tell in those 140 characters.
If you are already a Twitter user you will know how to find the usernames listed and if you have not tried Twitter, check it out at http://twitter.com/ and be sure to follow @mikesgene
dgmacarthur Great tweet coverage of Boston Consumer Genetics Show (#CGS, http://tr.im/nU0v) by @genomicslawyer
dgmacarthur GenomeWeb has the scoop on the Illumina sequencing launch: http://tr.im/o50p
helixhealth @genomicslawyer amazing. We have all our patient records on our iPhones. Plus patients are given email accounts to access their records #CGS
PR4Science RT @TomokoHosaka via @MuckRack The 10 Commandments of Social Networking. Interesting: http://tinyurl.com/cmeko3
tgoetz Wanna peek at the crazy vision of geneticist George Church? Check out his Ppoint from #CGS (pdf file): http://arep.med.harvard.edu/gmc/ppt/09Jun9_CGC_Hynes.pdf
jensmccabe the White House and Congress are in “marathon talks” with a deadline of August 3 to write legislation to overhaul the health care system.
doe_jgi Wheat-based bioethanol news from two continents: http://tinyurl.com/nd8bbw and http://tinyurl.com/mc3vbj
ufo2k Linda Avey wants 23andMe to be the facebook of genetics, might be hard with a lab #CGS
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Genome Alberta in Pictures
The Annual Meeting of the Integrated Bioinformatics team was held on May 28 & 29 at the Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff, Alberta. For more pictures from the Bioinformatics team go to http://picasaweb.google.com/MikesGene/IntegratedBioinformaticsPlatform#
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