Welcome to GenOmics!
The Genome Alberta Newsletter for the Omics Generation
We cover the latest Genomics news that matters most to Alberta, Canada and the World.
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 We feature stories that we think will be relevant to Canadian genomics community. If you have anything you’d like to see highlighted here, drop a note to info@genomealberta.ca. |
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BioNet Alberta kick-off
After consultations with stakeholders across Alberta, recommendations from post-secondary institutions, and support from the broader research and end-user community, Genome Alberta developed BioNet Alberta under Genome Canada’s Regional Priorities Partnership Program.
BioNet Alberta was officially launched on September 20th at the University of Lethbridge during the Bioinformatics and Omics Conference. The new network is a partnership with Alberta Economic Development Trade and Tourism, Alberta Innovates, the Universities of Calgary, Alberta, and Lethbridge, the Canadian Bioinformatics Workshop, Compute Canada, and sector-specific end-users in Alberta including Alberta Public Laboratories, and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The network is funded through to March of 2021 and represents about a $3 million boost for bioinformatics research in the province.
Project launches to create health diagnosis for bees
 Twenty-two researchers funded through the last LSARP competition are developing a new heath assessment and diagnostic platform for bees. While not exactly a walk-in clinic for the buzzy-bees, the goal is to find ways to assess health in living colonies and not have to wait to test for known pathogens and toxins in dead colonies.
The project is co-lead by Amro Zayed of York University, along with Professor Leonard Foster of the University of British Columbia.
The baby’s got her eyes, her nose and her stress
Research led by Nadine Provençal at Simon Fraser University has identified epigenetic factors in a developing fetus that could leave some individuals with a higher risk for behavioural and psychiatric disorders later in life. Pregnancy can be stressful in itself and, in light of the new findings, emphasize the importance of stress management for parents-to-be.
Read more in Research2Reality or of course the original paper in PNAS.
New Genome Alberta staff member
Adam Kirkby is Genome Alberta’s new Program Officer effective October 1st. He comes to us with more than eight years of experience working in research laboratories in the UK, the USA and Canada.
Here is what he has to say about himself:
"My passion for life sciences have taken me from the United Kingdom to Calgary, where I’ve recently accepted a position with Genome Alberta. I completed my MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Calgary in late 2016. Shortly after I accepted a staff position within a research lab where our primary research focus was on atrial fibrillation. During this time, I was responsible for the day to day functions of the lab and the completion of key projects which allowed me to develop strong project management skills and engaged in extensive scientific communication. I hope to bring these attributes to the role of Program Officer with Genome Alberta and I'm looking forward to joining the team in October."
You can contact drop a welcome note to Adam at AKirkby@genomealberta.ca
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Here is what trended online and in print with our science community over the last 2 weeks. These are not ‘official’ trends but are based on the stories we see most often in our media monitoring reports and our social media reports.
Enjoy the material, and feel free to offer some feedback on the story selection.
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Survey suggests Canadian trust in science may be eroding
Yes, that’s what survey said- but there is more to it than what made the headlines. Headlines that came down in one big avalanche based on a Canadian Press story, then stopped. Depending on where you poked about on the internet, there were actually two reports to sort through.
First, we have the Ipsos Global Trustworthiness Index which showed that globally at least, scientists were well rated as trustworthy, followed by doctors and then teachers. Ipsos Reid conducted the global survey across 23 countries and the results ranked 18 professions including scientists, doctors, business leaders, police, and even pollsters (who did not fare well here in Canada). Scientists may have rated well globally but in Canada they came in at 58% of those surveyed giving them a high trustworthiness rating right behind doctors, but ahead of everyone else. The media release for that one came out on September 18th.
Then on September 19th, 3M launched its State of Science Index which at times seemed to have been confused with the Ipsos trustworthiness findings. For instance, looking at the 3M methodology page for its survey, Ipsos does not appear to be involved but some stories referred to “The survey, by the polling firm Ipsos for the multinational 3M company…” and then went on to use numbers from the State of Science Index.
Setting aside the crossed wires, both results are interesting. As the Trustworthiness numbers showed scientist are relatively well respected, but the State of Science results said that “Only 4 out of 10 Canadians see science as crucial”. However science is a process – not a person, place, or thing – so if scientists rank high-up in professional rankings, but science is seen as not crucial or well understood, where is the disconnect? Well the 3M Index said that of those surveyed, “44% thought that scientists come across as being elitists”. Aha. Maybe.
Doctors make people feel better while scientists publish academic papers most people cannot access or understand. Teachers were only a point behind scientists in the Ipsos poll and parents trust their children in the care of those teachers all day. Armed Forces personnel were another point behind, and we can read about their work anytime, and when they are in uniform, we can spot them in a crowd. Some people may never meet a scientist or if they do, not even realise it.
76% of Canadian say they are curious about science and 88% wish they knew more about science so maybe the answer to moving beyond that elitist perception and making science appear more crucial is simple. Get more scientists out the door and into the public eye. Well maybe not that simple. We all know our doctor, we know exactly where teachers hang out all day, and you can’t miss military references in the media. Scientists – not quite so obvious.
The 3M site has a lot of ideas to help get you started.
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To get your latest full version of Genomics in Society news, visit genomealberta.ca/newsletters
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Altered inheritance—CRISPR and the ethics of human genome editing
 Françoise Baylis’ new book has been published by Harvard University Press. She is a University Research Professor at Dalhousie University and the author of Altered Inheritance: CRISPR and the Ethics of Human Genome Editing. In the book Ms. Baylis takes a deep dive into the complex ethical, legal, political, and societal concerns that go along with the scientific complexity of CRISPR technology.
We caught up with Françoise Baylis to talk about her book and the ethics of editing our genomes in this 18 minute podcast.
World not prepared for some things
First off we are probably not prepared for a pandemic as you’ll hear in this 33-minute episode of the ‘Super Awesome Science Show’ podcast. Host Jason Tetro talks with several guests including Dr. Dave Evans, a professor at the University of Alberta who made headlines when he developed a synthetic horsepox virus using mail-order biological components.
The other thing we are probably not prepared for? Victoria Beckham appears to be set to move into the wellness business and compete with Poosh and Goop. As Tim Caulfield stated on Twitter, “I'll tell ya what i want what i really really want.... SCIENCE!”
Would you eat genetically modified food if you understood the science behind it?
Not a new paper but one we have overlooked in previous newsletters. Shame on us because it contains some encouraging findings. Psychologists and biologists launched a study to find out if consumer’s views on GMO’s could be swayed by facts. If the public understood the science better, then yes, they are more accepting.
Source: Science Daily
Discovery is always political
 This is the first in a series of Nature essays on how the past 150 have shaped the research system. It is part of Nature’s 150th anniversary year looking back at the role of science in society and how it might look in the future. "We ignore the past at our peril" will set up the series for you, and then you can dive right into the first article by David Kaiser, a professor of the history of science and professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Genome Alberta has an extensive Events Calendar on our website. Visit GenomeAlberta.ca to see all the events, and sign up for our newsletters while you're there!
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Break the Fake: Truth in the world of fake news
Join Timothy Caulfield, GE3LS researcher and author of Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything?, Ramona Pringle, Associate Professor in the RTA School of Media at Ryerson University, Matthew Johnson, Director of Education at MediaSmarts, and host Jayme Poisson from the CBC podcast Front Burner, for a discussion about the spread of online misinformation.
At this livestreamed Media Literacy Week event, learn how MediaSmarts is encouraging Canadians to Break the Fake by checking whether information is true before sharing it and learn ways of coping in an increasingly complex media environment.
When: October 8, 2019, 6:00 – 8:30pm
Where: Artscape Daniels Launchpad, 130 Queens Quay East, East Wing – 4th Floor, Toronto.
Also available via livestream at 6:30PM EST.
Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
For more information, visit www.mediasmarts.ca/event or contact info@mediasmarts.ca
Free registration available online.
Canadian Grown
On October 17, 2018, Canada became the first G7 country to legalize cannabis on a national level. Since that time, unprecedented levels of capital, investment, research and innovation have shaped Canada's cannabis market into a global leader. In order to maintain that advantage, smart, strategic public policy will continue to play a pivotal role in the years to come.
The 2020 Cannabis Public Policy Conference take an in-depth look at the policy, scientific and business forces shaping Canada's new cannabis industry.
Core themes:
- Election 43 & Cannabis Policy
- Industrial Policy & Market Structure
- Science, Research & Genomics
- Global Pressures & Opportunities
When: October 16 - 17, 2019
Where: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Visit the conference website for more details.
Registration available at Eventbrite.
5th Canadian Cancer Research Conference
The Canadian Cancer Research Conference (CCRC) brings together the Canadian cancer research community for an agenda spanning the research spectrum. This is an opportunity for researchers, clinicians, decision-makers, and trainees at all stages of their career to hear the latest developments in Canadian cancer research and network across research disciplines.
Conference objectives:
- Showcase the breadth and excellence of Canadian cancer research
- Allow leading experts from across all areas of cancer research to exchange knowledge and share ideas to strengthen Canada’s cancer research community
- Support new investigators to establish themselves in the cancer research community
- Enhance patient involvement in cancer research in Canada
When: November 3-5, 2019
Where: Shaw Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
Registration and information available online
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