Genome Alberta's Official Newsletter
Genome Alberta Newsletter GeneSnips - September 16, 2008
Genome Alberta News
Mountain Pine Beetle Experts Meet
-------------------------------------------------------------------------THE TRIA PROJECT held its first inaugural International Scientific Workshop on mountain pine beetle and associated research in Vancouver on September 10 followed by a Scientific Advisory Board meeting on September 11 2008.
The Tria Project is using the genomics of the mountain pine beetle epidemics key players (bark beetles, fungal pathogens and host pine trees) to improve forest ecological risk models. The purpose of the workshop was to present and discuss research on the mountain pine beetle as it is ongoing in the project, and in related work by international speakers. The majority of the day was devoted to project presentations with a genomics focus and there were opportunities for the participants to talk about international collaborations.
The TRIA Project Investigators were joined by internationally recognized researchers in the field, including keynote speakers Drs. Allan Carroll (Canadian Forest Service), Gary Blomquist (University of Nevada) and Kenneth Raffa (University of Wisconsin), for a stimulating day of research presentations and lively discussion.
Imagining Science
While we are surrounded by real science and hard facts every day, Einstein said that imagination points to all we might yet discover and create. With that in mind, Genome Alberta, the University of Alberta, the Alberta Gallery of Art and the GE3LS team have come together to present a unique look at science and art called “Imagining Science: An Artistic Exploration of Science, Society and Social Change”. Work on the project got underway in August of 2007 when a multi-disciplinary group of artists, scientists, philosophers, and ethicists got together in Banff, and their ideas will come to fruition in November when the art exhibit opens at the Alberta Gallery of Art. There will also be a collection of essays published at the same time that includes notable contributors such as Francis Collins, Jay Ingram, Hank Greeley, Michael Hayden and many more notable scientists and commentators. Sean Caulfield, Adam Zaretsky, Eduardo Kac and Bernd Hildebrandt are just a few of the internationally known artists contributing to the exhibit.
Keep an eye on the Genome Alberta web pages for more information and links to some of the contributors and co-sponsors.
The exhibit will run at the Alberta Gallery of Art in Edmonton from November 14th, 2008 to January 11th, 2009, and the collection of essays will be available from the University of Alberta Press in November as part of its Centenary celebrations.
Project Manager Needed for Bioinformatics Platform
If you're interested in the business aspects of science and want to be part of the 'biology of the 21st Century' perhaps you should sharpen up the resume and get in touch with us.
The Bioinformatics Platform (knows as BIP III ) is looking for a Project Manager to work with the BIP team located in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary. You'll be part of the unique Sun Centre for Visual Genomics which provides services to Genome Canada funded initiatives and other projects around the world. You should have a strong background in financial management and you'll also need some good experience in time management to juggle the challenges of the position.
For more information you can click here or send your resume to jhendrickson@genomealberta.caWe are also looking for an Administration Coordinator for the project. Check our website for more details or contact jhendrickson@genomealberta.ca
National Biotechnology Week
September 19th to the 26th is National Biotechnology week in Canada and there is ample opportunity to find an event in your area that is worth taking in. Biotech activities in Canada involve 2,500 life sciences organizations and contribute 200,000 jobs to the Canadian economy which makes it an industry well worth celebrating. Biotechnology Week is a chance to show off the industry, learn more about new developments, and use some of the networking events to catch up with colleagues and friends.
You can go to www.imagenenation.ca to find specific information related to your location. In Alberta there are networking events in Calgary and Edmonton, a Biotech Made Simple discussion, and an opportunity to find out more about career opportunities. Go to the Biotechnology week page for Alberta to learn more.
Or you can take part in a more virtual way. Starting the week of the 19th and for 12 consecutive weeks we will be adding a new gene to our Genomics Application on Facebook. It is a chance to have some fun (feel free to pass on the stubborn gene or perhaps share the gene that helped you stay away from becoming a smoker) and maybe share some information about genetics with people young and old on Facebook. The application has been receiving a lot of attention and was featured in the June issue of the Canadian Chemical News. The artwork is fun and the information just may lead people to look for more. The application includes a ‘latest news’ tab and we are always looking for news and information related to genomics in Canada that we can share with users, so drop a note to mspear@gemomealberta.ca and we’ll be sure to include it.
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
Canada leads the world – September 1, 2008
http://www.gmobelus.com/news.php?viewStory=168 "Canada’s regulatory system is science-based", according to a new report by the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture. The FAS adds: "Canada is the only country in world whose regulatory process is based upon the traits expressed and not on the basis of the method used to introduce the traits."The FAS seems to express sincere admiration for Canada's system: "Canada's biotech industry continues to grow as more and more producers are relying on biotech crops to meet their needs. With institutions like Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Genome Canada, Plant Biotechnology Institute, the University of Guelph, the University of Saskatchewan, Laval University and all private companies investing time and money into the development of new crops in Canada, the biotech industry in the country will continue to flourish and grow."
Canada has a different approach to things, requiring regulation of "plants that are produced using recombinant DNA (rDNA) techniques, chemical mutagenesis, cell fusion and conventional cross breeding." That is to say, all new crops.
Follow-Up to 23andMe’s Price Drop – September 10, 2008
http://www.thegeneticgenealogist.com/ 2008/09/10/follow-up-to- 23andmes-price-drop/ Yesterday I wrote about 23andMe’s decision to lower their price to $399 (down from $999) while adding more genealogically-relevant SNPs and partnering with Ancestry.com. Although I don’t have any further information about the new SNPs, I’ve seen a couple of interesting articles about the price drop around the blogosphere. Aaron Rowe at Wired science writes “Human Genetics is Now a Viable Hobby.” He notes that the new price is “well within the reach of cash-strapped grad students, frugal genealogy buffs and other not-so-early adopters.” The comment thread is an interesting read as well. Daniel MacArthur of Genetic Future writes “Cheap as chips: 23andMe slashes the price of personal genomics” at his new science blogs location. Daniel also notes that the updated product “will certainly be popular with genetic genealogists” because of the addition of Y-DNA and mtDNA SNPs, and agrees with my hypothesis that other companies will follow suit and lower their prices. Daniel also mentions the Personalized Medicine Collaborative (PMC) at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research, which is offering free personal genome scans to 10,000 individuals this year.
DNA databases blocked from the public – August 29, 2008
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me- dna29-2008aug29,0,4364552. story
The National Institutes of Health quietly blocked public access to databases of patient DNA profiles after learning of a study that found the genetic information may not be as anonymous as previously believed, The Times has learned. Institute officials took the unusual step Monday and removed two databases on its public website. The databases contained the genetic information of more than 60,000 cooperating patients. Scientists began posting the information publicly eight months ago to help further medical research. Creators of the databases had taken steps to mask the identities of the patients, summarizing and aggregating the genetic information. However, the independent study released today reported that a new type of DNA analysis could confirm the identity of an individual in a pool of similarly masked data if that person's genetic profile was already known. Such a confirmation could reveal patients' participation in a study about a specific medical condition, denying them their presumed confidentiality, experts said.
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Genome Alberta in Pictures
From left to right, David Bailey, President and CEO of Genome Alberta, Carol Reynolds, Communications Director for Genome Prairie and Dale Botting, Saskatchewan’s Deputy Minister of Enterprise and Innovation. Genome Alberta, Genome BC, and Genome Prairies got together to send a contingent to the annual ABIC Conference to showcase and build our Western Economic Diversification Networks.
You can see more pictures from the
ABIC event at http://picasaweb.google.com/
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