Public release date: 28-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Leslie Robinson lrobinson@asmusa.org 202-737-3600 American Society for Microbiology

The ASM-NSF Biology Scholars Program is pleased to announce that four Scholar alumni have been chosen for a group created to recommend institutional-level improvements for undergraduate biology education. Teresa C. Balser, Dean, Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Florida; Loretta Brancaccio-Taras, Chair, Biological Sciences Department, Kingsborough Community College, Nitya M. Jacob, Chair, Biology Department, Oxford College; and Todd P. Primm, Chair, Biological Sciences Department, Sam Houston State University, have been named Vision and Change Leadership Fellows of the Partnership for Undergraduate Life Sciences Education (PULSE) program.

A joint initiative of the National Science Foundation (NSF), Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and National Institutes of Health (NIH), the PULSE program is an effort to support a yearlong program in which fellows consider and then recommend models for improving undergraduate life sciences education. The effort is rooted in recommendations made in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action, a report published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2011.

Forty Vision and Change Leadership Fellows were selected from more than 250 applications.

"The fellows represent a diverse group of extremely capable faculty," says Judith Verbeke of NSF. "They bring a variety of experiences that will inform the development of an implementation framework that will transform undergraduate education in the life sciences."

The fellows will produce an implementation framework describing strategies for institutional change. Because a change in institutional culture is needed, PULSE activities are focused on academic departments rather than individual faculty members. The framework document will be available on the PULSE website, and other life scientists are encouraged to review it and provide comments from November 2012 until May 2013.

A full list of the Vision and Change Leadership Fellows is available at http://www.pulsecommunity.org/forum/topics/announcement-v-c-leadership-fellows.

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Sponsored by a grant [DUE-1022542] from the National Science Foundation, the ASM-NSF Biology Scholars Program is a national leadership initiative that seeks to improve undergraduate biology education based on evidence of student learning. The program has brought together more than 150 Scholars to create and disseminate examples of scholarship in teaching in biology. These examples have been made possible through the program's independent, but intertwined, virtual residency programs the Assessment, Research, and Transitions Residencies. For more information, please visit http://www.biologyscholars.org.

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4 ASM-NSF biology scholars named leadership fellows

OTTAWA The editor of the worlds best-known science journal has issued a call to avoid getting carried away with massive human biology projects that show clear signs of diminishing returns.

Bruce Alberts is editor-in-chief of Science magazine, and a biochemist by training.

What triggered his warning, published Wednesday in an editorial, is the latest biology megaproject: 10 years of work by 442 scientists to create an encyclopedia of DNA elements.

Biology has megaprojects of all sorts. There was the 15-year Human Genome Project, deciphering three billion pieces of our DNA code.

Equally massive studies keep spinning off: proteomics (identifying all the proteins in cells), transcriptomics, epigenomics and metabolomics see the creation of encyclopedia-sized works by hundreds of researchers at many universities and governments, and their staffs.

Whats wrong with that? Alberts warns that the governments funding these projects are producing mountains of data, but not enough understanding.

As a coauthor of a textbook in cell biology that is updated at 5-year intervals, I am painfully aware of the huge gap that remains in our understanding of even the simplest cells, he writes.

For instance, he argues, after 50 years of using the E. coli bacterium as a model, nearly a quarter of its more than 4,000 proteins have unknown functions. He calls this very sobering.

There are clear signs of diminishing returns from the megaprojects, he said. But the culture supporting them remains difficult to stop, and he says its grabbing all the available money.

Alberts is one of the worlds most influential figures in science policy, a past president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences with a global audience. Hes also a divergent thinker who has railed against the gobbledygook of science jargon and pleaded with researchers to speak (and write) plainer English.

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Biology megaprojects offer ‘diminishing returns,’ warns ex-National Academy of Sciences chief

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Ember Therapeutics, Inc., a company harnessing breakthroughs in brown fat biology and insulin sensitization to revolutionize the treatment of metabolic disease, today announced the publication of key preclinical data demonstrating that inhibition of the Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid (TRPV) family of ion channels - specifically TRPV4 - resulted in activation of brown/beige fat and protection from diet-induced obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance. Ember holds an exclusive option to license these TRPV4 findings and technology.

This breakthrough TRPV4 research was led by Ember co-founder Bruce Spiegelman, Ph.D., professor of cell biology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, in collaboration with fellow company co-founder Patrick Griffin, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of molecular therapeutics and director of the Translational Research Institute at The Scripps Research Institute. Additional co-authors on the paper included researchers from Boston Childrens Hospital, Duke University Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital. The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

This research is exciting in that it looks at the role of TRPV4 and, from high throughput screening to in vivo pharmacological inhibition, demonstrates the important impact it could have on obesity and metabolic disease, said Louis Tartaglia, Ph.D., president and interim chief executive officer of Ember. Not only do these findings identify TRPV4 as a compelling therapeutic target, but they continue to build out our understanding of the role of brown fat in humans and in developing novel brown fat treatments for metabolic disease.

The publication details how researchers first developed a high throughput screen to identify molecules that increase PGC1 gene expression in white fat cells. PGC1 is a key regulator of energy metabolism and drives the browning of white fat and increased thermogenesis. The researchers then demonstrated that small molecule inhibition of TRPV4 not only increased PGC1 levels, but also expression of UCP1 - a gene that is specifically expressed in brown/beige fat. In cultured fat cells, blocking TRPV4 resulted in reduced expression of multiple proinflammatory genes that are involved in the development of insulin resistance. Finally, preclinical mouse models using either mice with a null mutation for TRPV4 or wild-type mice treated with a TRPV4 antagonist demonstrated increased thermogenesis in brown/beige fat tissues and protection from diet-induced obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the compelling therapeutic potential of small molecule TRPV4 inhibition in obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

The paper, TRPV4 is a Regulator of Adipose Oxidative Metabolism, Inflammation and Energy Homeostasis, is now available online and will publish in the print edition of Cell on September 28.

About Ember Therapeutics, Inc.

Ember Therapeutics is a product-focused company harnessing breakthroughs in brown fat biology and insulin sensitization to revolutionize the treatment of metabolic disease. Todays rising epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes coupled with the lack of innovation in the industrys metabolic disorder treatment pipeline underscores the need for novel, peripherally-acting treatments with improved safety profiles. Embers unique approach leverages recent research breakthroughs in brown fat biology to develop a pipeline of proprietary large and small molecules designed to amplify the bodys innate ability to efficiently burn fuels like glucose. Embers expertise is also driving the development of the next generation of highly selective insulin sensitizers that have robust anti-diabetic effects, but lack the serious side effects of currently approved insulin sensitizers. Ember is a private company launched in 2011 by renowned scientific founders, an experienced leadership team and Third Rock Ventures. For more information, please visit http://www.embertx.com.

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Ember Therapeutics Announces Cell Publication of Key Data Showing TRPV4 Inhibition Activates Brown/Beige Fat and ...

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September 26, 2012 12:35 PM

Australian Biology Expert To Deliver Lecture At UniMAP Tomorrow

KANGAR, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- Australian biology expert Dr Catherine Ann Symington will deliver an international academic lecture at Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) tomorrow.

The lecture, titled "Bumblebees Shouldn't Be Able To Fly", will be held at UniMAP's Dewan Kapitol at 2.15pm and is open to government and private sector staff involved in environmental conservation.

UniMAP Sustainable Development Unit director Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam said Symington's presence was timely as Perlis was working towards improving the environment.

Speaking to Bernama here today, he said UniMAP Chancellor the Raja Muda of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail will be attending the event as well.

Symington, a University of Melbourne lecturer, is scheduled to visit the solid waste disposal centre in Padang Siding, the Al Husain floating mosque in Kuala Perlis and Istana Arau during her three-day visit. She will also tour the UniMAP campus and meet with Kangar Municipal Council employees, Dr Mohd Mizan added.

-- BERNAMA

We provide (subscription-based) news coverage in our Newswire service.

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Australian Biology Expert To Deliver Lecture At UniMAP Tomorrow

Public release date: 25-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: John Fleischman jfleischman@ascb.org 513-706-0212 American Society for Cell Biology

BETHESDA, MD, SEPTEMBER 25, 2012---The good news widely reported this morning of positive results from a clinical drug trial at Boston Children's Hospital for the previously "untreatable" rapid aging disorder in children known as progeria has its scientific roots in basic biology discoveries made in recent years.

A paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) reports that the use of farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTI) significantly slows the progress of progeria, a rare and until now "untreatable" lethal genetic disorder. Also known as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), progeria has been described as out-of-control rapid aging in children. A ""normal"" baby born with HGPS will stop growing by 16-18 months and quickly develop signs of old age including hair loss, thin skin, osteoporosis and, most dangerously, progressive arteriosclerosis. By 10 years of age progeria children appear to be 80. The PNAS paper apparently shows a significant slowing of bone loss and blood vessel blockage.

This clinical trial grew out of the identification of the defective progeria gene, LMNA, in 2003 through the Human Genome Project and the laboratory of current NIH Director Francis Collins. But the link to defective proteins called lamins that make up the envelope surrounding the cell nucleus came about through "untargeted" basic cell biology research. Veteran lamin researchers remember having their grant applications dismissed by review panels as "boring" and irrelevant. But basic work by Robert Goldman of the Northwestern University School of Medicine and other nuclear lamin researchers around the world revealed that a greasy tag molecule called farnesyl accumulates on defective Lamin A proteins, eventually warping the structure of the entire nuclear envelope and disrupting the orderly production of genetic messages in the nucleus that direct normal growth.

The identification of the defective LMNA gene transformed progeria into a "laminopathy," a now growing class of diseases caused by problems with the once-irrelevant nuclear lamins. "Normal" aging is thought to involve many of the same processes as laminopathies and gives this new clinical trial implications beyond progeria. With the discovery of the lamin link, clinical researchers were suddenly looking for farnesyl transferase inhibitors (FTI) for progeria treatment. They zeroed in on Lonafarnib, an FTI drug developed by Merck that had been extensively tested and found safe for use in adults and children but ineffective against its brain cancer targets. In the two and a half year clinical trial, physicians at Boston Children's gave Lonafarnib to 26 children with progeria.

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The American Society for Cell Biology has been reporting on progeria since 2006. In 2008, the ASCB Newsletter published a report on the proposed clinical drug trial. The ASCB has pulled together a file of these earlier reports for reporters and the general public interested in the deeper scientific background of progeria at: http://www.ascb.org/progeria-background.html

The PNAS paper was published online before print September 24, 2012, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1202529109 PNAS September 24, 2012 Gordon, Leslie B. et al, Clinical trial of a farnesyltransferase inhibitor in children with HutchinsonGilford progeria syndrome

Reporters: For further information, contact ASCB Science Writer John Fleischman, jfleischman@ascb.org or 513-706-0212.

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Treatment for 'untreatable' progeria has roots in untargeted basic cell research

Former Alabama biology professorAmy Bishop avoided a death sentence by pleaded guilty to killing three colleagues and wounding three others in a 2010 shooting rampage at the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

A former Alabama biology professor who pleaded guilty to killing three colleagues and wounding three others in a 2010 shooting rampage was sentenced to life in prison without parole on Monday after a jury convicted her in a shortened trial.

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Amy Bishop, avoided a death sentence by admitting earlier this month to gunning down her colleagues during a biology department staff meeting at the University of Alabama at Huntsville.

Alabama law requires a jury to decide the punishment and confirm a guilty plea for a capital murder charge.

Bishop's defense attorneys did not contest the facts of the case during the abbreviated proceedings on Monday.

"She has admitted she did these terrible things," defense attorney Robert Tuten said in his opening statement.

Bishop, a Harvard-trained biologist and mother of four, was accused of shooting her colleagues execution-style in February 2010. Colleagues believed Bishop was angry that the school had denied her tenure.

The trial on Monday took less than two hours and featured only two witnesses. One was Bishop's former colleague Debra Moriarity, who recalled how she tried to take Bishop down after the woman started firing during the meeting.

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Former Alabama professor gets life in prison

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

On September 23, researchers published online in the journal Nature a study of the molecular biology of breast cancer, using the intrinsic subtypes as defined by the PAM50 gene signature as an organizing framework for analyzing genomic and proteomic aberrations. This landmark study both underscores the emergence of the intrinsic subtypes as a powerful taxonomy of breast cancer in research, and PAM50s role as the gold standard for categorizing breast cancer by subtype.

This study, titled Comprehensive molecular portraits of human breast tumours, represents the most complete description of breast cancer biology to date. The study was an outcome of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Initiative, a comprehensive and coordinated effort to accelerate our understanding of the molecular basis of cancer through the application of genome analysis technologies. The study involved the analysis of tissue from 800 breast cancer tumors by a total of six technology platforms, covering genomics, epigenetics, and proteomics.

Intrinsic subtype by PAM50 was used as a primary organizing framework for the analysis and presentation of the data. The research concluded that diverse genetic and epigenetic alterations converge phenotypically into the four main breast cancer subtypes defined by PAM50 Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-enriched, and Basal-like.

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held provider of life science tools for translational research and developer of molecular diagnostics, is developing a PAM50-based in vitro diagnostic test for breast cancer. NanoString announced in December 2010 that it had secured an exclusive worldwide license for the PAM50 gene signature from Bioclassifier, LLC to develop in vitro diagnostic and research products for breast cancer on its nCounter Analysis System.

This research advances our understanding of the molecular architecture of breast cancer, and reinforces the emergence of intrinsic subtypes by PAM50 as a powerful description of breast cancer biology, said NanoString President & CEO Brad Gray. We congratulate the authors on this seminal contribution to our understanding of breast cancer, and look forward to the day when analysis of breast cancer tumors by PAM50 will be available to patients worldwide.

The nCounter Analysis System is a fully automated, multi-application digital detection and counting system with a very simple workflow currently intended for research use only. The nCounter system has been employed in basic and translational research since it was first introduced in 2008. NanoString provides assays for gene expression, miRNA analysis and copy number variation.

About NanoString Technologies, Inc.

NanoString Technologies is a privately held provider of life science tools for translational research and developer of molecular diagnostics. The companys nCounter Analysis System is the first and only technology platform to deliver highly multiplexed, direct profiling of individual molecules in a single reaction without amplification. The nCounter Analysis System offers a cost-effective way to easily profile hundreds of gene transcripts, copy number variations, or miRNAs simultaneously with high sensitivity and precision. The companys technology enables a wide variety of basic research and translational medicine applications, including biomarker discovery and validation. NanoString is also developing the technology for use in molecular diagnostics.

The NanoString Technologies design logo, NanoString, NanoString Technologies and nCounter are registered trademarks of NanoString Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Study Supports Power of Subtyping Breast Cancer by PAM50

The image shows a 3D ultrasound of a chimp in the womb. Credit: Current Biology, Sakai et al.: Fetal brain development in chimpanzees versus humans

Humans' superior brain size in comparison to their chimpanzee cousins traces all the way back to the womb. That's according to a study reported in the September 25 issue of Current Biology that is the first to track and compare brain growth in chimpanzee and human fetuses.

"Nobody knew how early these differences between human and chimp brains emerged," said Satoshi Hirata of Kyoto University.

Hirata and colleagues Tomoko Sakai and Hideko Takeshita now find that human and chimp brains begin to show remarkable differences very early in life. In both primate species, the brain grows increasingly fast in the womb initially. After 22 weeks of gestation, brain growth in chimpanzees starts to level off, while that of humans continues to accelerate for another two months or more. (Human gestation time is only slightly longer than that of chimpanzees, 38 weeks versus 33 or 34 weeks.)

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This movie shows a pregnant chimpanzee undergoing an ultrasound imaging procedure to explore brain growth in her fetus. Credit: Current Biology, Sakai et al.: Fetal brain development in chimpanzees versus humans

The findings are part of a larger effort by the research team to explore differences in primate brains. In another Current Biology report published last year, they compared brain development in chimps versus humans via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of three growing chimpanzees from the age of six months to six years (see this article).

"Elucidating these differences in the developmental patterns of brain structure between humans and great apes will provide important clues to understand the remarkable enlargement of the modern human brain and humans' sophisticated behavior," Sakai said.

The researchers say they now hope to explore fetal development in particular parts of the brain, including the forebrain, which is critical for decision making, self-awareness, and creativity.

More information: Sakai et al.: "Fetal brain development in chimpanzees versus humans" Current Biology, 2012.

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Human brains outpace chimp brains in the womb

By: From Local Reports | SCNow Published: September 24, 2012 Updated: September 24, 2012 - 11:43 AM

Middle and high school students who participated in the Clemson University Biology Merit Exam last spring were recognized by the Florence County School District Three Board of Trustees at its regular monthly meeting Thursday, September 20.

Students from Lake City High School, J. Paul Truluck Middle School and Ronald E. McNair Middle School joined nearly 200 other students from high schools and middle schools across the state to participate in the 33rd annual Biology Merit Exam at Clemson University on April 20.

Middle school students receiving first honorable mention for scoring in the top three percent were Haileigh Altman and Rustie Welch of J. Paul Truluck Middle School and Nicholas Boyington of Ronald E. McNair Middle School.

Middle school students receiving second honorable mention for scoring in the top 10 percent included Jacob Malasky of J. Paul Truluck Middle School and William Durnan and Shartari Dunmore Ronald E. McNair Middle School.

Rustie Welch of J. Paul Truluck Middle School also won third place for Division I Middle Schools in the Biology Bowl.

Alex Luna of Lake City High School was awarded Division III Honorable Mention and third place for Division III in the Biology Bowl.

This exam is designed for middle school and high school students to recognize and reward outstanding student achievement and promoting further interest in the life sciences.

The Merit Exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions of varying degrees of difficulty that are distributed among the major content areas of biology. Also offered is the Biology Bowl, patterned after the TV show "Jeopardy", where students compete against others in their own division to answer questions on the following topics: general biological principles, genetics, molecular biology, ecology, cell biology, taxonomy, plant structure and function, and animal structure and function. The top three individuals in each division receive awards.

While attending the Exam at Clemson, students also have an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the education and research facilities available on campus and are able to interact with scientists in the various biological and agricultural disciplines.

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District Three students excel in Clemson merit exam

Starting in the fall of 2013, Rice will offer a new doctoral program in systems, synthetic and physical biology that was officially approved by the Rice Senate on Sept. 12. The program was originally envisioned by assistant professor of bioengineering Oleg Igoshin, professor of statistics Marek Kimmel, professor of biochemistry and cell biology Yousif Shamoo, and other professors from the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and the George R. Brown School of Engineering.

With foundations in quantitative and life sciences, the program aims to make important advances in bioscience with work from students and 34 faculty members who specialize in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, mathematics, statistics or physics. An additional goal is to expand research, according to Igoshin.

Another goal of the program is to enable us to do research we couldnt do before, SSPB Director Michael Deem said. We will have more students to work with, and we hope to attract additional funding from the federal government or from private foundations.

This program is the first of its kind in the United States, Igoshin said.

This is the first program in the country that has synthetic biology in its name, and this name is very much related to its foundation, Igoshin said. We see this new biology as a system: a whole with interacting parts.

The program will feature one core course open for undergraduate enrollment but will otherwise be exclusively open to graduate students. It will be highly selective because the faculty are looking to recruit eight first-year graduate students per year, Deem said.

According to Igoshin, the program will be highly interdisciplinary and will include faculty members from eight departments in the schools of engineering and natural sciences.

We observed [that] the large expansion of Rice faculty [who were] doing biology-related research were not necessarily from the biology department, but from computer science, statistics, biological and chemical engineering, Igoshin said. There was a good resource of talented people to create such a program.

According to Igoshin, this program is designed to develop a new approach toward the study of biology.

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Rice to launch new doctoral program in systems, synthetic and physical biology

EVRY, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Global Bioenergies, the industrial biology company developing sustainable routes to light olefins, has been selected by EuropaBio, the organization representing more than 1800 European companies, to receive the most innovative European biotech SME award.

As announced previously, Global Bioenergies had been selected as one of the five nominees contending for the most innovative European biotech SME award bestowed by EuropaBio, the principal organization which represents more than 1800 European biotechnology companies. On September 19th 2012, the final awardees chosen by an expert panel were revealed at the award ceremony held in the European Parliament by Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry & Entrepreneurship.

Global Bioenergies is proud to announce that it has received this prestigious award which was initially opened to all European biotechnology companies active in fields as diverse as pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, plant science, environment and industrial biology. According to Nathalie Moll, EuropaBio General Secretary, this choice was motivated by the innovations developed by Global Bioenergies, but also by their economic potential and their ability to answer some of our societys most pressing needs. The corresponding EuropaBio announcement can be found under: http://www.EuropaBio.org

About GLOBAL BIOENERGIES

Global Bioenergies is one of the few companies worldwide, and the only one in Europe, that is developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation. The Company initially focused its efforts on the production of isobutene, one of the most important petrochemical building blocks that can be converted into fuels, plastics, organic glass and elastomers. Global Bioenergies continues to improve the yield of its process and prepares the phase dedicated to pilot testing. The company is also looking to replicate this success with other members of the gaseous olefins family (propylene, ethylene, linear butylenes, butadiene), key molecules at the heart of petrochemical industry. Global Bioenergies is listed on NYSE Alternext Paris (FR0011052257 ALGBE).

Should you like to be kept informed, subscribe to our news feed on http://www.global-bioenergies.com

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GLOBAL BIOENERGIES Receives the “Most Innovative European Biotech SME” EuropaBio Award

Public release date: 20-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Donna Krupa dkrupa@the-aps.org American Physiological Society

BETHESDA, Md. (Sept. 20, 2012) The latest conference to be sponsored by the American Physiological Society (APS) focuses on the molecular mechanisms involved in exercise-mediated physiological changes in the body, including metabolic, cardiovascular, neurological, and dynamic molecular and cellular pathways. Entitled Integrative Biology of Exercise VI, the meeting will be held October 10-13, 2012 in Westminster, Colorado. The full program is available online at http://bit.ly/OrMFtN. An overview of the program is below.

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Plenary Lecture: Toward Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Geoffrey Ginsburg, M.D., Ph.D., of the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy will deliver this talk on integrating personalized medicine and healthcare.

Symposia I: Integrating Human "Omics" to the Molecular Physiology of Exercise Speakers will discuss pathways and mechanisms involved in exercise-modulated improvements in health, focusing on small molecule metabolites, skeletal muscle gene expression, the proteome and integrative molecular physiology of exercise.

Symposia II: Personalized Exercise Prescription Based Upon Integrative Biology Experts will explore genetic, transcriptomic, phenotypic and pharmacologic considerations in identifying and predicting individual response to exercise regimens.

Symposia III: Mechanisms Behind Adaptations to Physical Activity/Inactivity The session will focus on signaling pathways, gene expression and posttranslational modifications in skeletal muscle remodeling and adaptation in activity and inactivity.

Symposia IV: Acetylation: Linking changes in NAD to Metabolism and Growth This session will provide insights into the role of NAD+ and its role in mitochondrial protein synthesis, metabolism, and metabolic diseases.

Friday, October 12, 2012

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American Physiological Society's latest conference focuses on integrative biology of exercise

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO), the world leader in serving science, today announced the official opening of its Molecular Biology Center of Excellence in Vilnius, Lithuania. The new facility will provide molecular, protein and cellular biology products to better serve growing demand from life sciences customers throughout Eastern Europe, and create new opportunities globally. Since acquiring Vilnius-based Fermentas International Inc. in 2010, Thermo Fisher has continued to invest in the region to capitalize on its base of world-class educational institutions and scientific research talent.

The Vilnius site will showcase world-class capabilities for developing and manufacturing products used in a range of life sciences applications. For example, it provides innovative technologies for PCR-based (polymerase chain reaction) testing, nucleic acid sample preparation protein purification and antibodies for ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) testing.

Our expanded R&D and manufacturing presence in Vilnius strengthens our ability to serve the growing biotechnology community in Eastern Europe, particularly our research customers who rely on innovations in molecular biology to accelerate developments in diagnosing and treating disease, said Marc N. Casper, president and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific. We now have a solid foundation from which we can continue to increase our depth of capabilities for high-growth life sciences markets in the region, from PCR-based products to our broader biosciences portfolio.

The 156,000-square-foot Molecular Biology Center of Excellence is currently home to more than 400 research, laboratory and manufacturing personnel, with room for expansion. In addition to its geographically central location, Lithuania is known for its well-established commitment to innovation, highly skilled life sciences workforce and favorable economic environment.

As part of Thermo Fishers investment in developing the scientific workforce in Lithuania, the company has collaborated with the University of Vilnius to construct a mobile biology laboratory for high school students that provides hands-on experience with molecular biology and DNA experimentation. Thermo Fisher also supports science education in Lithuania through a series of initiatives, including internships and scholarships that provide students with practical experience and financial support.

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO) is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With revenues of $12 billion, we have approximately 39,000 employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries. We create value for our key stakeholders through three premier brands, Thermo Scientific, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services, which offer a unique combination of innovative technologies, convenient purchasing options and a single solution for laboratory operations management. Our products and services help our customers solve complex analytical challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory productivity. Visit http://www.thermofisher.com.

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Thermo Fisher Scientific Opens Molecular Biology Center of Excellence in Lithuania

Public release date: 13-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Fran Yates fyates@faseb.org 301-634-7109 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Bethesda, MD FASEB MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) Program has announced the travel award recipients for The American Physiological Society (APS) Integrative Biology of Exercise Meeting in Westminster, CO from October 10-13, 2012. These awards are meant to promote the entry of underrepresented minority students, postdoctorates and scientists into the mainstream of the basic science community and to encourage the participation of young scientists at the 2012 APS Integrative Biology of Exercise Meeting.

Awards are given to poster/platform presenters and faculty mentors paired with the students/trainees they mentor. This year MARC conferred 4 awards totaling $7,400.

The FASEB MARC Program is funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. A primary goal of the MARC Program is to increase the number and competitiveness of underrepresented minorities engaged in biomedical and behavioral research.

FACULTY/MENTOR & STUDENTS/MENTEES (FASEB MARC PROGRAM)

Dr. Vernon Bond, Howard University [ACSM member] Nicole McLean, Howard University [ACSM member] Dr. Rajagopalan Sridhar, Howard University Donte Pennington, Howard University

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FASEB is composed of 26 societies with more than 100,000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the United States. Celebrating 100 Years of Advancing the Life Sciences in 2012, FASEB is rededicating its efforts to advance health and well-being by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to our member societies and collaborative advocacy.

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MARC travel awards announced for the 2012 APS Integrative Biology of Exercise meeting

News Release

Jay Keasling is a leading authority and pioneer in the field of synthetic biology. He holds joint appointments with Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley and is CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute and director of SynBERC. (Photo by Roy Kaltschmidt, Berkeley Lab)

Jay Keasling, a leading authority and pioneer on synthetic biology who has engineered microbial factories to manufacture an affordable version of a frontline antimalarial drug and biofuel substitutes for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, has won a 2012 Heinz Award, which is presented by the Heinz Family Foundation and carries with it a cash prize of $250,000.

Among his multiple titles, Keasling is the Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences at the U.S. Department of Energys Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), CEO for DOEs Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), the Hubbard Howe Jr. Distinguished Professor of Biochemical Engineering at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, and director of the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC).

Dr. Keasling is a pioneer in a field few people even know exists but that has profound implications for the future of medicine, chemistry and energy, and for the future of our planet, said Teresa Heinz, who chairs the Heinz Family Foundation, in announcing the award. Dr. Keaslings research is revealing how we can use natural systems to produce cheaper, more environmentally-friendly compounds for everything from anti-malarial drugs to biofuels. His work, and the deep human compassion that drives it, is proof that we really can invent our way to a more sustainable future.

This year marks the 18th annual presentation of the Heinz Awards which are intended to honor outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions in five areas: Arts and Humanities; Environment; Human Condition; Public Policy; and Technology, the Economy and Employment. The awards were established by Teresa Heinz in 1993 to honor the memory of her late husband, U.S. Senator John Heinz. In addition to the monetary award, recipients are presented with a medallion.

The 2012 Heinz Awards will be presented at a ceremony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 11. Keasling, 48, who was honored in the Technology, the Economy and Employment category, joins a distinguished classical/modern music composer, an advocate for smarter community design, a champion of diversity in science education, and an architect of responsible climate policies in this years class of Heinz Award winners.

I am deeply honored by the recognition of my work by the Heinz Foundation, Keasling said. The work they have recognized was done by so many motivated, dedicated people in my laboratory, people from Berkeley Lab, UC Berkeley, Amyris, OneWorld Health, Sanofi-Aventis and JBEI. These collaborative efforts are great examples of the importance of team science in biology.

The Heinz Award presented by the Heinz Family Foundation honor outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions in five areas: Arts and Humanities; Environment; Human Condition; Public Policy; and Technology, the Economy and Employment. Recipients receive a medallion and a cash prize of $250,000. (courtesy of Heinz Foundation)

Paul Alivisatos, director of Berkeley Lab and a long-time friend and colleague of Keasling said, Jay Keasling has used his groundbreaking work in synthetic biology to improve the lives of millions of people in some of the most impoverished places on earth, making him a true science hero and most deserving of the Heinz Award. He is an exemplar of Berkeley Lab, who is now using teamwork and synthetic biology to tackle another critical issue of our day: how to harness renewable energy in a clean, economical and scalable fashion.

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Synthetic biology pioneer Jay Keasling receives Heinz Award

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) The UK government plans to establish a center that will focus on synthetic biology science as part of a broad initiative to cultivate and promote new national industrial capabilities, a senior government official said yesterday.

In a speech outlining a range of government plans to foster new innovation-driving industries, UK Business Secretary Vince Cable said the government will establish the Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC) for Synthetic Biology in response to a recent independent report advising that the UK should seek to become a world leader in the synthetic biology field.

The recent Roadmap for Synthetic Biology report urged the UK to invest in a network of multidisciplinary synthetic biology centers, including an IKC. And synthetic biology has been identified by the government's Technology Strategy Board as one of a few innovation areas that can have an impact on future economic and business growth.

In his statements, Cable also said that the UK plans on Oct. 8 to launch a competition for synthetic biology research projects funded with 6.5 million ($10.5 million). As GenomeWeb Daily News reported in May, the Advancing the Industrial Application of Synthetic Biology initiative will fund competitive grants going to companies and research organizations of any size to conduct feasibility studies that show how synthetic biology can be used in commercial settings.

Unveiling of the Roadmap report in July, Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said that synthetic biology "has the ability to revolutionize major industries in bioenergy and biotechnology in the UK. If we develop this exciting area to its full potential there are fantastic opportunities in sectors such as biofuel and medical care that are largely untapped."

The Roadmap report cited an analysis by BCC Research that concluded that the global synthetic biology market will grow from $1.6 billion in 2011 to $10.8 billion by 2016.

Also in July, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council said that it would join the ERASunBio network, an EU program with 16 partner countries supported by 2 million from the EU's Seventh Framework program.

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UK Plans Synthetic Biology Knowledge and Innovation Center

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. A former biology professor accused of pulling a gun from her purse and opening fire at a faculty meeting pleaded guilty Tuesday to killing three colleagues and wounding three others at the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 2010.

Amy Bishop, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of capital murder involving two or more people and three counts of attempted murder during a hearing in Huntsville. She had earlier pleaded not guilty, and her lawyers said she planned to use an insanity defense.

Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of life without parole for the capital charge, and three life sentences for the attempted murder charges. Sentencing will follow a brief trial on Sept. 24 before Madison County Circuit Judge Alan Mann.

Prosecutors say Bishop opened fire at the meeting on Feb. 12, 2010. Her attorneys say Bishop had mental problems; she signed a plea agreement with a barely legible scrawl.

Bishop, who lived with her family in Huntsville before the shootings, also is charged with killing her brother in Massachusetts in 1986. The shooting of 18-year-old Seth Bishop had been ruled an accident after Amy Bishop told police she shot him in the family's Braintree home as she was trying to unload her father's gun.

But the Alabama slayings led to a new investigation and charges.

In the school shooting, police and people who knew Bishop have described the Harvard University-educated researcher as being angry over UAH's refusal to grant her tenure, a decision that effectively would have ended her employment in the biology department.

The gunfire killed Bishop's boss, biology department chairman Gopi Padila, plus professors Maria Ragland Davis and Adriel Johnson. Professors Joseph Leahy, staff aide Stephanie Monticciolo and assistant professor Luis Cruz-Vera were shot and wounded.

Debra Moriarity was in the faculty meeting at the time of the shooting and is now biology chairman at the school. Prosecutors who met with potential witnesses last Friday said there was a possibility of a plea agreement before the trial began on Sept. 24, she said.

"So I'm not totally surprised by it, but I am surprised it happened this soon," she said.

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Ex-professor pleads guilty to fatally shooting 3 colleagues at Ala. university faculty meeting

UT Austin 2004 Synthetic Biology competition photo.

Courtesy of Jeff Tabor and Randy Rettberg via Wikipedia

CONVENTIONAL WISDOMSynthetic biology could destabilize the environment and revive viral terrors like the killer flu of 1918.

THE CONTRARY VIEWSynthetic life is proven safe and should be unleashed.

Synthetic biology is based on identifying DNA sequences that code for specific traits and transferring them from one life-form to another, such as from fish to bacteria. The goal is to create new living things with specialties that help humans and the Earth. Sequences are catalogued, and innovators can then request one that confers special traits as simply as ordering a book online.

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Off-the-shelf molecular parts could allow synthetic biologists to create new medications and biofuels or to make microbes with the capacity to destroy pollutants and other nuisances. Researchers have built a potential malaria medication, and students have developed a prototype of a new vaccine to stop ulcers.

Shamefully, accolades that resounded a generation ago for biotechnology advancesfor instance, recombining DNA to develop human-derived insulin, which is much safer than the animal-derived products that came beforehave been drowned out by a misinformed coalition of 114 organizations, including ETC Group and Friends of the Earth. They argue the research must stop until enforceable regulations specific to synthetic biology are in place, and they insist that all alternatives to synthetic biology be considered before an experiment can advance. These demands could halt projects like those of J. Craig Venter, the biotechnologist who built the first self-replicating synthetic bacterium. He is now working on microbes that eat pollution, excrete biofuels, and more. If the coalition has its way, the world will never find out whether these organisms can help us generate energy or clean the air.

There is no documented danger from synthetic biology, yet merchants of doom emphasize fears of molecular Frankenbots instead of benefits like new drugs and energy sources. Worries about monster species are particularly absurd. It is extraordinarily difficult to construct novel organisms, and countless attempts to do so have failed.

Brent Erickson, executive vice president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization, believes at the core of the opposition is a phobia of technology and genetically modified crops. They see synthetic biology as a gateway to biofuels and consider that a Trojan horse for genetically modified crops. Thats a very tangled fearmany of its products are good for humanity, he says.

Read more here:
The Contrarian: Set Scientists Free to Create New Life-Forms | DISCOVER Magazine

Donald Brown (Courtesy of Johns Hopkins, Baltimore Sun / September 11, 2012)

5:03 p.m. EDT, September 11, 2012

Brown, who also is director emeritus of the Carnegie Institution for Science Department of Embryology, was recognized for work he and others did in gene amplification, one process that is responsible for runaway growth of chemotherapy-resistant cancer cells. He has made other discoveries about the nature of genes but today focuses on metamorphosis in frogs.

"We were one of the first groups to purify genes of any kind," Brown said in a statement. "We learned a lot about their structure, function, and evolution before the era of recombinant DNA."

Another Hopkins affiliated biologist, Joseph Gall, won the Lasker Award in 2006 for his role as a "founder of modern cell biology." Four other Hopkins faculty have won the award for work including on brain chemistry and the discovery that vitamin A prevents blindness and infections in children in poor countries.

meredith.cohn@baltsun.com

Excerpt from:
Johns Hopkins biology professor wins top research award

Public release date: 11-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Elaine Bible ebible@sfsu.edu 415-405-3606 San Francisco State University

When student Jeff Schinske took part in a graduate teaching fellowship through Associate Professor of Biology Kimberly Tanner's lab at San Francisco State University, the experience inspired him to teach biology. But when he graduated and became a community college instructor, Schinske found there was little professional support.

Schinske and Tanner are collaborating on a project that meets that need. With funding from the National Science Foundation, they are bringing together Bay Area community college biology instructors and helping them find innovative ways to refine their teaching.

"It can be isolating to be a community college instructor," said Schinske, who teaches biology at De Anza College in Cupertino, Calif. "Unlike K-12 teachers or university professors, you don't have a professional community centered on the grade level you teach or your field of research."

A lack of professional community isn't the only challenge.

"Much like university faculty, community college biology instructors are trained to conduct scientific research but they aren't trained how to teach," Tanner said.

She runs a range of programs for current and aspiring science educators through SF State's Science Education Partnership and Assessment Lab (SEPAL).

"I teach science instructors to be the best teachers that they can be," Tanner said. "This community partnership is an extension of that work." Community College Biology Faculty Enhancement through Scientific Teaching (CCB FEST) began in in 2010 and just received another NSF grant to support it for the next four years. The program includes monthly workshops, a summer intensive session, discussion groups and opportunities for community college faculty to partner with SF State graduate students.

The program encourages community college instructors to apply the rigor of scientific research to their teaching, collecting evidence from students about what they are learning and using that to refine how they teach. The approach is called scientific teaching.

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Partnership enhances biology teaching at California community colleges