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Announcements
November 2002
Human Genome Program ELSI Applications
The Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research,
has announced its interest in receiving proposals in support of the
Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications subprogram of the Human Genome
Program. Applications, which are due February 13, 2003, should focus
on (1) genetics and the workplace and (2) complex or multigenic traits.
Preapplications, due November 25, 2002, are strongly encouraged. Complete
solicitation text is at www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/Fr03-06.html.
Student Opportunities to Attend Nobel Laureate Meeting
Each year since 1951, Nobel Prizewinners in Chemistry, Physics,
and Physiology or Medicine have met in Lindau, Germany, to discuss major
issues of importance to their fields with students from around the world.
The DOE Office of Science is sending a group of 25 second-year graduate
students to attend the 53rd meeting from June 30 to July 4, 2003. Selected
students will attend lectures and small-group meetings with the Nobel
laureates. Transportation, lodging, and registration expenses will be
arranged and paid for by the Office of Science.
Focus of the 2003 meeting will be on the life sciences, but discussions
are sufficiently general that students in related disciplines (e.g.,
biochemistry, biophysics, computational sciences, biomedical engineering,
applications of radiation to imaging, and medical therapy) can benefit
from participating. Each institution with Office of Science funding
may nominate one student, with nominations due January 23, 2003. Full
information and forms are at www.orau.gov/orise/edu/lindau2003/.
October 2002
New NIH Advisory Committee
The National Institutes of Health has established the Secretary's
Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society (SACGHS),
which replaces the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing.
SACGHS will explore, analyze, deliberate, and make recommendations to
the Secretary of Health and Human Services on the broad range of human
health and societal issues raised by the development and use or potential
misuse of genetic technologies.
JGI and VBI Collaborate on Phytophthora Genome
DOE's Joint Genome Institute
is collaborating with the Virginia Bioinformatics
Institute to decode and study the genomes of two species of Phytophthora,
a fungus-like microbe responsible for a wide variety of destructive
plant diseases, including the Irish potato famine in the 1840s. Phytophthora
ramorum, the recently identified microbe responsible for Sudden
Oak Death Syndrome, and P. sojae, which causes Soybean Root Rot,
resemble fungi but are actually Stramenopiles, or "water
molds."
Scientists hope to uncover clues leading to the control of virulent
diseases that are attacking 17 species of trees on the West Coast, including
redwoods, big leaf maples, bay trees, and Douglas firs, and causing
serious damage to soybean crops in the Midwest and South. The work is
supported by DOE, U. S. Department of Agriculture, and National Science
Foundation.
Anopheles gambiae and Plasmodium falciparum
Sequenced
A hundred years after the discovery that mosquitoes transmit the
malaria parasite, an international consortium of laboratories and funding
agencies has announced the sequencing of Anopheles gambiae, the most
common mosquito in Africa, and Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest
malaria parasite. A million people, most of them children, are killed
by malaria each year, and 90% of all cases occur in sub-Saharan Africa.
In addition to causing so many deaths, malaria is considered a huge
barrier to economic progress.
Scientists expect that the results of this 6-year project will help
to bring malaria under control. Because malarial parasites and mosquitoes
have developed resistance to drugs and insecticides, one approach would
be to design "malaria-proof" mosquitoes that are unable to
carry the parasites. Genetic data for the two organisms were published
simultaneously in the journals Nature and Science.
Articles are available from the BBC
News , CSMonitor.com,
and the Globe
and Mail web sites.
August 2002
Sloan Research Fellowships Add Computational and Evolutionary Molecular
Biology
(Nominations due Sept. 15, 2002)
Since 1955, Sloan Research Fellowships have provided support and recognition
to young scientists, often in their first appointments to university faculties,
who were setting up laboratories and establishing independent research
projects with little or no outside support. Fellowships have been awarded
in physics, chemistry, mathematics, neuroscience, economics, and computer
science. Beginning with the 2002 program, awards have been added in computational
and evolutionary molecular biology.
Selection procedures are designed to identify the most promising researchers,
who, once chosen, are free to pursue lines of inquiry most interesting
to them. Their Sloan funds can be applied to a wide variety of uses
for which other, more restricted funds such as research project grants
cannot usually be employed. This flexibility often gives the fellowships
a value well beyond their dollar amounts. Nomination forms are due by
September 15 for awards to begin the following September.
For eligibility requirements and nomination forms, see the Sloan
Web site or contact Gwen Knowles
(Tel: 212/649-1644).
"An Introduction to Issues Underlying Patent Policy for the Emerging
Genetic Information and Medical Treatment Industry," a new
paper by David J. Bjornstad (Oak Ridge National Laboratory) and Christine
Dümmer (Hull, Dümmer, and Garland) is on the Web (www.jiee.org/pdf/2002_05_patent.pdf).
The paper traces the development of patenting as applied to genomic
intellectual property and related public-policy issues since 1998, presents
one interpretation of the current state of affairs, and suggests topics
worthy of further study.
July 2002
Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE)
Presented for BER-Funded Research
Jizhong Zhou of the Environmental Sciences Division at Oak Ridge
National Laboratory has won the prestigious PECASE award for his leadership
in the fields of functional genomics and microbial ecology. In separate
ceremonies on June 11 and 12, Zhou received congratulations and citations
from Department of Energy Secretary Abraham and President Bush. Zhou,
who has made significant contributions to a wide range of Biological
and Environmental Research programs, was cited specifically for his
"pioneering application of genomic and molecular technologies to
environmental studies." Zhou and his research group have developed
nucleic acidbased microarrays that can be used to analyze microbial
community structure and function at levels of detail never before achieved.
In addition to advancing the overall field of biology, their research
findings will be critical to a wide range of DOE missions, including
bioremediation, carbon sequestration, and biofuel production.
Human cDNA Annotation Jamboree
DOE is contributing to the support of an August 2002 invitational jamboree
on cDNA annotation, to be hosted by the newly established Japan Biological
Information Research Center. Although interpretation has been ongoing
by teams working on particular genes, this will be the first public
jamboree for human-genome-scale cDNA annotation. See www.ornl.gov/meetings/wccs/index.html
for a concise history of cDNA sequencing and prior workshops.
Energy Department Awards $103 Million for Post-Genomic Research
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today announced five major research
awards for post-genomic research. The awards total $103 million over
the next five years. Research will be conducted at six national laboratories,
16 universities and research hospitals and four private research institutes.
The awards are part of the department's new "Genomes
to Life" program.
May 2002
JGI to Sequence Infectious Bacteria
The Department of Energy's Joint Genome
Institute in Walnut Creek, California, has been enlisted to determine
the whole genome sequences of a variety of infectious bacteriaa
first step toward developing tests for rapidly identifying their presence
in the environment. The first pathogens to be sequenced under this program
at JGI's Production Genomics Facility (PGF) are members of the Bacillus,
Brucella, Clostridium, Francisella, Shigella,
and Yersinia groups. Several strains or related species will be
sequenced in many groups, for example, two strains of Bacillus anthracis
(anthrax) and one of the similar species Bacillus thuringiensis.
Sequencing at JGI will not involve actual pathogens but will be done
after the DNA of each pathogen is reduced to disassembled fragments
at DOE national laboratories equipped with appropriate containment facilities.
The completed sequence exists only as a string of letters in a computer's
output. Draft sequences will be shared with Los Alamos and Lawrence
Livermore national laboratories for finishing and annotation.
One of the largest publicly funded genome-sequencing institutions in
the world, JGI has concentrated on organisms of crucial interest to
international researchers. For the Human Genome Project, JGI sequenced
human chromosomes 5, 16, and 19, which together constitute some 11%
of the human genome. JGI sequenced mouse DNA related to human chromosome
19 to illuminate the molecular evolutionary history of the two species
and has participated in sequencing more than 50 important microorganisms.
JGI funding is provided predominantly by DOE's
Office of Science.
- CASP5 Begins
The fifth community-wide experiment on the Critical Assessment of Techniques
for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP) will run from May through August
of this year. The goal of CASP is to obtain an in-depth and objective
assessment of current abilities and inabilities in the prediction of
protein structures. In the competition, each participating team can
select targets to predict from a few dozen protein sequences whose structures
have been solved experimentally but not published. A group of invited
assessors will evaluate how well each predicted structure matches the
experimental one. The performance of each team will be ranked at the
end of the prediction season, and the results will be announced at a
meeting in Asilomar Center, California, at the beginning of December.
More than 160 international teams participated in CASP4, which took
place in 2000. More information is available on the Web
site.
- Brookhaven National Laboratory Researcher Wins Award
Richard Setlow (Brookhaven National Laboratory) received the 2002 Environmental
Mutagen Society award for his contributions to the scientific understanding
of how environmental factors lead to DNA damage and how it is repaired.
Setlow, a biophysicist, was honored specifically for his discovery of
a DNA repair mechanism and the development of a method to measure this
event. He was also cited for his discovery of a crucial link between
unrepaired DNA damage and cancer. Among his many honors, Setlow also
won the 1988 Enrico Fermi Award, the most prestigious scientific award
given by DOE, for contributions to the fields of radiation physics and
molecular biology. For more details, see the news
release.
April 2002
- ELSI-Funded
"DNA Files" Radio Shows Win Peabody Award
The DNA Files, a series of PBS radio broadcasts about the science
and ethical challenges of the Human Genome Project, was chosen for a
coveted Peabody award by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications
of the University of Georgia. Produced by SoundVision Productions and
narrated by John Hockenberry, The DNA Files was heard on National
Public Radio stations in 1998, then augmented with five new programs
and presented again in November 2001. The Peabody Award citation stated
that the programs are "a vivid, accessible radio series explaining the
intricate building blocks of genetic science." Initial funding for this
series was provided by the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications program
of the DOE Human Genome Program in the Office of Biological and Environmental
Research. Previously, The DNA Files won a Dupont-Columbia University
Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. Segments of The DNA Files
can be heard on our Web
site.
March 2002
- Latest issue of Human Genome News Available
The February 2002 Human Genome News, Vol. 12(1-2) is on the HGN
Web site.
- Mouse Genome Monthly, which will be produced for the next several
months by the Mouse Genome Sequencing Consortium, is designed to keep
the community of mouse researchers abreast of sequencing progress. The
newsletter and related information are on the Web at www.nih.gov/science/models/mouse/genomics/index.html.
Click on Mouse Sequencing Liaison Group.
January 2002
December 2001
- NORD Ranked One of 100 Best
Worth Magazine has named the National Organization for Rare Disorders
(NORD) one of the 100 best charities in America. In the magazine's December
2001 issue, an article entitled "For Greater Good" lists 100
charities picked by the editors as most deserving of support. Of NORD's
annual budget of $2.2 million in FY 2000, $0.84 of every dollar went
directly to serving clients and only $0.16 to fund raising and administration.
Since 1983, NORD has been providing information on rare diseases
and sources of help for patients and their families (203/746-6518,
orphan@rarediseases.org,
www.rarediseases.org).
- Journal Devoted to Genomic Pathology
The Journal of Pathology s annual review issue [Vol.195(1)]
is devoted to "Genomic
PathologyA New Frontier". The issue identifies promising
techniques and explores how they may complement routine histopathology
to broaden understanding of the causes and mechanisms of disease.
- DOE MSD and NIH Joint Workshop
The DOE Medical Sciences Division and the National Institutes of Health
plan to convene a joint workshop early in 2002 to explore the use of
innovative sensor technology for biomedical applications. Workshop objectives
are to identify research efforts and problems associated with the application
of sensors to biological research and medicine, facilitate communication
among researchers and program staff, and communicate opportunities for
funding.
The workshop is tentatively scheduled for February 2122 in
the Washington, D.C., area, and attendance will be by invitation.
Researchers who are interested in presenting their research at the
meeting should submit a summary paragraph by December 21 to dean.cole@science.doe.gov.
[Contact: Dean Cole, Medical Sciences Division, 301/903-3268]
November 2001
- Mouse Genome Monthly
The Mouse Genome Monthly newsletter, which will be produced for the
next several months by the Mouse Genome Sequencing Consortium, is designed
to keep the community of mouse researchers abreast of sequencing progress.
The newsletter and related information are available on the Web (www.nih.gov/science/models/mouse/genomics/index.html).
- Genomes to Life program funded for FY 2002
As researchers press toward completion of the Human Genome Project
by 2003, the DOE Office of Science takes the next leap forward by launching
a program to explore how the static information in DNA "comes to
life" to create dynamic living systems. The goals of the new Genomes
to Life program, funded at $19.5 million in FY 2002, are to identify
and characterize the protein complexes that perform most of the work
of cells, characterize the gene regulatory networks that control those
processes, characterize the functional repertoire of natural microbial
communities at the molecular level, and develop the computational capabilities
to gain an integrated and predictive understanding of biological systems.
This knowledge will allow scientists to design ways to put the biological
capabilities of various organisms to work.
Potential payoffs from this new and comprehensive level of understanding
include enabling U.S. independence from foreign oil for a more secure
energy future, enhancing protection against biowarfare agents, stabilizing
atmospheric carbon dioxide to counter global warming, and saving billions
of dollars in toxic waste cleanup. For more details, see the Genomes
to Life website (DOEGenomesToLife.org)
or contact Marvin Frazier (marvin.frazier@science.doe.gov;
301/903-5468) of the Biological and Environmental Research program
and Gary Johnson (garyj@er.doe.gov;
970/225-3794) of the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research.
- DOE HGP Contractor-Grantee Meeting in January
The ninth DOE Genome Contractor-Grantee Meeting will be held at the
Oakland, California, Marriott City Center beginning Sunday evening,
January 27, and ending Thursday afternoon, January 31, 2002. At least
one person from each funded project is expected to attend the entire
meeting and present a technical report on the project's research status.
All projects will be represented by posters, and some will be selected
for platform presentations (speakers will be notified by January 7).
Abstracts were due November 9, and a completed registration form and
payment must be received no later than December 16. Updated information
is available at online. [Contact:
Donn Davy, 510/486-4162, dfdavy@lbl.gov]
- Interim Primer Released
The new interim DOE primer on molecular genetics with accompanying PowerPoint
slides is on the Web.
Written by Denise Casey of HGMIS, Genomics and Its Impact on Medicine
and Society: A 2001 Primer includes brief discussions about basic
genomic science, Human Genome Project history and goals, the significance
and meaning of the draft human genome sequence, next steps after HGP,
medical and other anticipated benefits and societal concerns arising
from the new genetics, and a dictionary of related terms. Individual
or multiple print copies are available from HGMIS (865/574-7582, yustln@ornl.gov).
A longer version of the primer is planned for next year.
- New DNA Files to Air This Month
Five new one-hour programs in The DNA Files series of documentaries
will be broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the country
beginning in November. These shows explore recent progress in genetic
research and related ethical, legal, and social issues, all in easy-to-understand
language. Produced by SoundVision and hosted by John Hockenberry, the
new programs are DNA: Code of the Wild; Planet of the Bugs:
The Neverending Tale; Search for the Fountain of Youth; Prescription
for Conflict; and Life: How to Make a Cosmic Omelet. Listeners
should contact their local NPR station for broadcast dates and times.
Printed transcripts of the first nine programs, featured on NPR stations
in 1998, can be downloaded from www.dnafiles.org/about/tapes.html,
and audio cassettes can be ordered from the same site. Five segments
from the earlier series can be heard at www.ornl.gov/hgmis/education/audio.html.
October 2001
- Fugu rubripes Draft Sequence Completed
An international consortium led by the DOE Joint Genome Institute blazed
a shortcut to the biologically important regions of the human genome
by completing a draft sequence of the genome of the Japanese pufferfish
Fugu rubripes. Fugu has about the same number of
genes and regulatory regions as the human genome, but these are embedded
in only 365 million bases as compared to the 3 billion bases that make
up human DNA. With far less so called "junk DNA" to sort through,
finding Fugu genes and their controlling sequences should be
a much easier task. The information can then be used to help identify
these same elements in the human genome. The Fugu draft sequence
is the first public assembly of an animal genome by the whole-genome
shotgun sequencing method. The consortium plans to publish an analysis
of the Fugu genome early next year and are making all sequence
information freely available.For more details, www.jgi.doe.gov.
- "Science, Knowledge, and Humanity" Debates Scheduled for October
26–28
"Science, Knowledge, and Humanity" is a series of public debates by
well-known speakers about the future of human innovation and progress.
Topics will include such subjects as food biotechnology, alternative
medicine, the ethics of knowledge, the Kennewick Man Dispute, genetically
engineering people, and what it means to be human. [Full
program]
The series was organized by the London-based Institute
of Ideas and the New School
University in New York City. Debates will begin on Friday evening
and run through Sunday in the Tishman Auditorium at New School University.
[Further information or ticket purchase: 212/229-5353 (U.S.), +44-20-7269-9229
(U.K.), tonygilland@instituteofideas.com]
- Patrinos Wins Distinguished Executive Award
Aristides Patrinos, DOE Associate Director for Biological and Environmental
Research, Office of Science, has been chosen to receive a 2001 Presidential
Rank Award in the Distinguished Executives category. He was cited
for exemplary leadership of the Human Genome and Global Climate Change
programs, which have resulted in extraordinary public benefits and international
recognition.
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