GenOmics

Media Release, Durham, NC — Physically fit frogs have faster-changing genomes, says a new study of poison frogs from Central and South America.

Stretches of DNA accumulate changes over time, but the rate at which those changes build up varies considerably between species, said author Juan C. Santos of the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center in Durham, North Carolina.

In the past, biologists trying to explain why some species have faster-changing genomes than others have focused on features such as body size, generation time, fecundity and lifespan. According to one theory, first proposed in the 1990s, species with higher resting metabolic rates are likely to accumulate DNA changes at a faster rate, especially among cold-blooded animals such as frogs, snakes, lizards and fishes. But subsequent studies failed to find support for the idea.

is an interesting article about genomics and a follow up to the primer.

This is an interesting article about genomics.It explains what genomics is and why it is important to us.It also contains a summary of the latest developments in the field.It ends with a list of reasons why students should pursue careers in genomics

Media Release, March 25th, Boston, MA - No one really wants the short end of the stick, in this case the short end of a chromosome. Telomeres, which are DNA-protein complexes at the ends of chromosomes, can be thought of as protein "caps" that protect chromosomes from deteriorating and fusing with neighboring chromosomes.

It is typical for telomeres to shorten as cells divide and chromosomes replicate over time. Now a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) suggests a strong link between telomere shortening and poor cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Media Release, March 23, 2012, Washington -

Genomics, proteomics, and other branches of molecular bioscience offer the prospect of greater precision in medical care, but some clinical tests based on "omics" research have proved invalid and highlighted the challenges of dealing with complex data. To enhance the translation of omics-based discoveries to clinical use, a new report by the Institute of Medicine recommends a detailed process to evaluate whether the data and computational steps underlying such tests are sound and the tests a...

Media Release, March 22, 2012 Vancouver, BC

Just over a decade ago, a small Ontario town was the epicenter of Canada’s most significant drinking water related disaster. Close to half of Walkerton’s 5,000 residents fell ill and seven people lost their lives due to the highly dangerous strain of E. coli bacteria found in their drinking water. A research team in the British Columbia Public Health Laboratories, located at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), is currently using a novel approach called metagenomics to help prevent anot...

Media Release, Monday, March 12, 2012 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Beliefs about nature and nurture can affect how patients and their families respond to news about their diagnosis, according to Penn State health communication researchers.

Understanding how people might respond to a health problem, especially when the recommendations for adapting to the condition may seem contradictory to their beliefs, is crucial to planning communication strategies, said Roxanne Parrott, Distinguished Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences and Health Policy and Administration.

Orphan diseases are rare disorders that affect less than one in 2000 people in Canada or less than 200,000 individuals in the United States. But, collectively, the 7000 known orphan diseases impact 1 in 12 Canadians, causing physical and mental hardship, and draining money and resources from our health care system.

The $4.9-million, Genome Canada-funded IGNITE project (Orphan Diseases: Identifying Genes and Novel Therapeutics to Enhance Treatment) is designed to help alleviate the impacts of orphan diseases, and provide new solutions for the patients, families and caregivers of this diverse range of human diseases.

Media Release, Vancouver, BC – Ovarian cancer - the most severe of all gynecological cancers - claims the lives of over 1,750 Canadian women every year. And, just as each woman fighting the disease is unique, so are their cancers. Thanks to decades of research and recent technological advances, we now know that every tumour and tumour mutation is different in every patient. It is this distinction that has set the stage for a personalized cancer vaccine, using ovarian cancer as the testing gro...

Research Enables Improvements in Genetic Diversity in all Regions of a Chloroplast Genome with Potential Applications for other Photosynthetic Organisms Media Release, San Diego, CA (Dec. 5, 2011) – Sapphire Energy, Inc., one of the world leaders in algae-based crude oil, today announced that Nucleic Acids Research Journal has published its white paper, "An exogenous chloroplast genome for complex sequence manipulation in algae." As the site of photosynthesis in plants and algae, the chlor...

Media Release, Ottawa, Dec. 7, 2011

A new study prepared for Genome Canada on the economic value of biotechnology forecasts a 9.4% average annual growth rate in the industry in the next 18 years, which translates into a total value of $144 billion by 2030.

The study by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS), an Ottawa-based non-profit economic research organization, and authored by CSLS economist Ricardo de Avillez, says the significance of biotechnology extends beyond the value of economic goods and services to cover job creation, enhanced human health, reduced environmental damage, and greater production capacity.

Weill Cornell Researchers Report Development and Use of New Mouse Model That Could Show the Way to New Treatments and Prevention Strategies for Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate in Humans

Media Release, NEW YORK (Nov. 28, 2011) — Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College used genetic methods to successfully repair cleft lips in mice embryos specially engineered for the study of cleft lip and cleft palate. The research breakthrough may show the way to prevent or treat the conditions in humans.

Media Release, November 23,2011

The International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (ICSASG, the “Cooperation”) has awarded the Phase II contract for next-generation sequencing and analysis of the Atlantic salmon genome to the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) in Rockville, Maryland. The JCVI will be sequencing the salmon genome using next-generation technologies, including assembly to integrate Sanger and next-generation sequence, and comparative genomics. This effort is expected to generate a high-quality...

Blueprint of Spider Mite May Yield Better PesticidesMedia Release, Nov. 23, 2011 – A University of Utah biologist and an international research team decoded the genetic blueprint of the two-spotted spider mite, raising hope for new ways to attack the major pest, which resists pesticides and destroys crops and ornamental plants worldwide.

The voracious mites, which technically are not insects, can eat more than 1,100 plant species – a rare trait. The mites’ newly revealed and sequenced genome contains a variety of genes capable of detoxifying pesticides as well as toxins plants use to defend themselves, the scientists report in the Thursday, Nov. 24 issue of the journal Nature.

Media Release, Ottawa, November 17, 2011—A multi-year funding extension for the federal Genomics Research and Development Initiative (GRDI) will strengthen Canada's ability to perform groundbreaking scientific research. The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), announced the three-year, $59.7-million investment in GRDI during his keynote speech at the Canadian Science Policy Conference today.

"Our government is proud to make this investment in scientific research, which is helping to build bridges between academia, policy makers and the private sector in the emerging field of genomics," said Minister of State Goodyear. "Our exceptional support for innovation is making Canada a premier destination for the world's top researchers, keeping our economy strong and creating high-quality jobs."

Media Release, (Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Two psychologists at UC Santa Barbara have provided a new twist on the old adage that people are products of both nature and nurture, in introducing a framework for understanding how these influences interact. The researchers are studying how genotypes (nature) can express themselves differently as a function of culture (nurture). Their findings appear in the current issue of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Using the oxytocin receptor polymorphism (OXTR), which is linked to socioemotional sensitivity, Heejung Kim and David Sherman, associate professors in UCSB's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, have demonstrated in research funded by the National Science Foundation that individuals can have the same gene, but manifest it differently, depending on their respective cultural experiences. The study involved Korean and American participants, which allowed the researchers to compare the...

Work Holds Implications for Future Bioremediation EffortsMedia Release, Nov. 09, 2011 - Critical genetic secrets of a bacterium that holds potential for removing toxic and radioactive waste from the environment have been revealed in a study by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The researchers have provided the first ever map of the genes that determine how these bacteria interact with their surrounding environment.

Federal and provincial governments invest $65 million under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program to advance research at the universityMedia Release, Montreal, November 4, 2011 — Canadian and Quebec government representatives joined Concordia officials to inaugurate the university’s two new research facilities — the PERFORM Centre and the Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics.

The two new buildings are imposing additions to Concordia’s Loyola Campus in Montreal’s west end. Ottawa and Quebec jointly provided $65 million of funding under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program for the two projects, which will enable Concordia to propel discoveries in environmental conservation and personal health.

Media Release,Nov.7th, 2011

Scientists at The University of Nottingham are leading an ambitious research project to develop an in vivo biological cell-equivalent of a computer operating system.

The success of the project to create a ‘re-programmable cell’ could revolutionise synthetic biology and would pave the way for scientists to create completely new and useful forms of life using a relatively hassle-free approach.

Research could lead to new devices that could sense and neutralise toxic outbreaks and disarm deadly cancers in the body - News Release, October 18, 2011

Scientists have successfully demonstrated that they can build some of the basic components for digital devices out of bacteria and DNA, which could pave the way for a new generation of biological computing devices, in research published today in the journal Nature Communications.

The researchers, from Imperial College London, have demonstrated that they can build logic gates, which are used for processing information in devices such as computers and microprocessors, out of harmless gut bacteria and DNA. These are the most advanced biological logic gates ever created by scientists.