Feature Stories
Expanding opportunities for young prion researchers
from PrioNet's science writing program see page 8
see page 4
PrioNews
see page 3
Managing the overlap
Volume II, Issue 6 August - November 2011 www.prionetcanada.ca
PrioNet Canada’s Triannual Newsletter
Seeking and eliminating misfolded proteins Work begins on an immunotherapy for ALS by Alison Palmer
Every day two or three Canadians die of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Approximately 2,500 - 3,000 Canadians live with the disease, and it is the most common cause of neurological death in Canada. ALS results when the nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain that control muscles degenerate. In its early stages, muscles in the limbs weaken and the tell-tale twitching most often associated with the disease begins. In its later stage, mobility becomes impossible; and, as chest muscles cease to function, eventually breathing becomes laboured as well. Spurred by recent findings by PrioNet researchers that suggest damaged nerve proteins called SOD1 may be to blame for the onset of this devastating degenerative disease, researchers at Laval University are working to develop solutions. Investigating this link, and working toward an immunotherapy, PrioNet investigator Dr. Jean-Pierre Julien and his collaborator Dr. Jasna Kriz have developed antibodies that can seek out and eliminate “bad” SOD1 proteins-ones that have failed to fold into functional, well-defined, threedimensional structures, and have instead continued on next page ALS is the most common cause of neurological death in Canada.
Tell me about it Unravelling how user communities put PrioNet research into action by Sylviane Duval
Where do you go to find out how your user communities put your research into action? At PrioNet, a good place to start is the new focus on knowledge mobilization (KM). “PrioNet has always had the attention of Canada’s agriculture sector because it was created to deal with the BSE crisis,” says Dr. Nathan Young of the University of Ottawa. “With the expansion towards a broader spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases, the Network is further exploring the realm of human health—where it has to compete with knowledge from other fields to get the attention of potential users.” The expansion makes it important for PrioNet to examine more closely how people receive knowledge (through conversation, social capital, interpersonal relationships, etc.) and how they turn it into action. It is also why Dr. Young, who heads one of four new KM projects, is analyzing the social dimensions of how PrioNet knowledge moves through society. Young’s first activity has been to catalogue the presence, reach and role of knowledge from Dr. Xavier Roucou’s research at the University of Sherbrooke on the links between prion biology and neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Roucou’s lab provides the ideal petri dish in which to study KM in PrioNet’s context. The baseline data generated will inform the role of social capital and social networks in channelling information at the individual level, and of organizational culture and interests in doing the same at the institutional level. continued on next page
Tell me about it
continued from page 1
“The role of travel and career lines, for example, are not well explored,” says Dr. Young. “Some of Dr. Roucou’s students have travelled or worked in government or industry labs. These connections plant the seed of a trust-based relationship, which means that these labs are more likely to collaborate in the future.” Dr. Young’s team is gathering most of the information through interviews with members of Roucou’s lab and in the future, with outside organizations. These interviews allow the researchers to obtain in-depth information, such as whether connections are formed accidentally or on purpose, at a meeting or by phone.
We’re finding that the PrioNet network has had a real impact helping researchers connect and collaborate, especially within Canada. “We can convert this information into data to learn the structure of the connections, and that tells us how people learn in specialized disciplines,” explains Dr. Young. “We’re finding that the PrioNet network has had a real impact helping researchers connect and collaborate, especially within Canada.” When the team interviews groups like the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada and government policy makers, it will be looking at their use (or not) of PrioNet knowledge, their needs and expectations with regard to knowledge, their organizational culture and interests.
Work begins on an immunotherapy for ALS misfolded to cause disease. Drs. Julien and Kriz have reported increased lifespans in ALS-afflicted mice injected into the nervous system with the antibodies they have developed. In their current investigation, these misfolded-protein-seeking antibodies will again be tested in mice, but this time, Dr. Julien and his team are investigating a mediated approach using gene therapy to insert the gene corresponding to the desired antibodies into the genome.
A deeper look reveals the rationale for PrioNet to study the culture and interests of other organizations. Some organizations are open or entrepreneurial: others are closed or bureaucratic. Their culture affects whether they have the mechanisms and attitudes in place to receive new knowledge and act on it. “One of the exciting things about PrioNet work,” says Dr. Young, “is its relevance to society groups, the private sector and government. Those groups have their own interests, which means their reaction to knowledge depends on their goals. Industry tends to want patents. Government tends to be interested in regulation and policy. Society groups tend to pursue services and advocacy.” Data gleaned from the interviews—and an upcoming webbased survey to the greater neuroscience and prion research community—will help Dr. Young understand how PrioNet knowledge fits with organizational activities and priorities and whether it is taken up. The objective is to give PrioNet’s existing KM strategies a critical look and convert the new data into concrete recommendations for further improving KM activities. “PrioNet wants to be engaged in commercialization, policy and the broader health of Canadians,” says Dr. Young. “What we are doing is a way of furthering that agenda and helping the Network do it even better in the future.” ■ Dr. Nathan Young is a new PrioNet scientific member based at the University of Ottawa.
continued from page 1
them to visualize the disease progression in living cells. If successful, the technique could be used to treat people with ALS. “This approach promises to deliver the antibody that we want in a highly specific way. If it works for ALS, it could have great application in other prion-like diseases,” says Dr. Julien. These diseases include other neurodegenerative disorders caused by misfolded proteins, like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
“Ideally, you’d want to inject the antibodies directly into the blood, but this approach sees only a small fraction of antibodies go to the brain and spinal cord where needed,” explains Dr. Julien. “So we thought, why not use gene PrioNet Scientific Member Dr. Jean-Pierre Julien and his therapy to mediate the delivery? collaborator Dr. Jasna Kriz are based at the University of By coding for an antibody that Laval in Quebec City. will go to the central nervous system on its own, we can let the cells in the nervous system make the antibodies.” This gene therapy step reprograms cells to make the antibodies that specifically seek out and eliminate the misfolded protein. Such a mediated approach should provide sustained, high-level antibody concentrations and penetrate the body’s tissues thoroughly—both significant advantages. The team will monitor the effect of treatment in new mouse models of ALS developed by Dr. Kriz that allow 2
PrioNews August - November 2011
Dr. Julien’s research—together with recent findings from another PrioNet team of researchers from the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, who discovered a link between the process involved in neurodegenerative prion diseases and ALS— suggests that, for the first time, we may be closer to an effective treatment for these debilitating and fatal diseases. ■
PrioNet research finds prion-like properties in ALS Grad, L., Cashman, N.R, et al., 2011, Intermolecular transmission of superoxide dismutase 1 misfolding in living cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108(39): p. 16398-16403 To view this article, visit the PrioNet website at: http://www.prionetcanada.ca/impactstories
Managing the overlap
Preventing the spread of CWD between deer and elk by Torah Kachur
“Collecting the wildlife observations and traditional knowledge from people living and working in these landscapes is a key part of what we do,” says Dr. Brook. He explains that this information includes the wisdom of Aboriginal communities that share land with wild populations, as well as observations of hunters, farmers and others that interact with white-tailed deer and elk. This participatory modeling is a critical piece of his research and something that most graduate students integrate into their projects. The reasoning is simple: any intervention or prevention strategies that can result from his research should emerge from and be accepted by the public and the stakeholders in this problem, so early engagement is critical.
Dr. Ryan Brook from the University of Saskatchewan is an expert in overlap. Fundamentally, Dr. Brook is an ecologist who knows that understanding wildlife movement routes and diet will allow us to determine where deer and elk geologically overlap and what the potential is for CWD to spread between them. But he also understands how humans interact with wild cervid The spread of CWD is not just a scientific issue neighbours and the wealth of knowledge that different community members can share. Looking beyond the science that needs to be studied and modeled in the of prion transmission, he sees that the spread of CWD is not lab, but a threat that affects farmers, hunters, just a scientific issue that needs to be studied and modeled in the lab, but a threat that affects farmers, hunters, policy policy makers and Aboriginal communities. makers and Aboriginal communities. “An important part of our program is our school-based educational program currently being offered in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Dr. Brook is leading a newly funded PrioNet project with which engages rural and Aboriginal youth in hands-on learning collaborations involving research groups from across the prairies, about CWD and wildlife health ecology,” says Dr. Brook. including everyone from ecologists and veterinarians to social scientists and legal experts. This collection of researchers believes This PrioNet funded project is unique in its approach to promoting that the primary way of controlling the spread of CWD is with collaborative science and was a particularly good match to Dr. a comprehensive understanding of a wealth of different factors. Brook’s research, with its high priority on engaging and integrating First and foremost is knowing why and how white-tailed deer stakeholder input into understanding CWD. This approach is a key and elk interact in the wild. Some of these data are generated by part of PrioNet’s mission to develop effective solutions and inform observations and tracking of wild populations using collars fitted appropriate legal and policy responses to devastating diseases such as with GPD tracking devices, but Dr. Brook and his collaborators CWD. ■ are using other new and creative approaches to data collection. The Crop Insurance programs of each province, for example, have 15 years of data for insurance claims from crop damage due to whitetailed deer and elk populations. “These data have a tremendous capacity to allow our research group to understand the ecology of elk and deer,” Dr. Brook explains. “It helps us to uncover their frequency, location and dietary patterns down to amount and even quarter section, information that will help us identify potential routes of transmission.” Dr. Brook and his team bring a wealth of experience to the table; years of observing elk in the wild have shown him how deer and elk interact in farmer’s fields, such as around the cervid version of the water cooler, the hay bale. A simple first step to preventing whitetailed deer and elk transmission is simply discussing this risk factor with the farmers, and exploring its implications for the spread of CWD. He understands that a major part of effective management strategies involves working with the populations of humans that intersect with white-tailed deer and elk territory.
Dr. Ryan Brook conducts his CWD research at the University of Saskatchewan.
August - November 2011
PrioNews
3
PrioNet programs enhance training, spark connections Expanding opportunities for young prion researchers by Alison Palmer
This 2011-2012 fiscal year has seen the greatest
ever uptake of training opportunities by PrioNet’s highly qualified personnel (HQP) across the spectrum of training programs—in the first half of the year alone, PrioNet’s Education and Research Management Committees have approved close to $55,000 in training applications, a total of 59 awards. This news comes in a pivotal renewal year for PrioNet, a period characterized by reflection, evaluation and strategic planning. During this time, PrioNet’s training initiatives have experienced an evolution, characterized by a focusing of opportunities into seven distinct programs broken down into two focus areas: “Go Far”, which enhances the training experience through conference, workshop and exchange support, and “Speak Up”, which fosters effective science communication. A newly rebranded Training and Travel Exchange program, which supports HQP on training visits to other research groups anywhere in the world, joins Workshop Support, Conference Support, and Knowledge Exchange and Network Building (hosting events such as journal clubs and visiting speakers) under the umbrella of programs that help HQP to “Go Far”. The remaining programs in the suite of seven focus PrioNet’s efforts to give HQP the tools to “Speak Up” and communicate their science in a clear and understandable way. These programs include Banff Science Communications Support, which annually sends HQP to the renowned Science Communications Program at the Banff Centre, Write Now!, an opportunity for HQP to hone their writing skills, and Young Researchers Training in Science Communication, an intimate workshop provided annually in concert with the international PRION conference.
A separate initiative that PrioNet has provided in response to feedback and surveys from the Student and Young Professional Association pertains to career support, an important facet of the value added to the HQP experience. PrioNet recently organized its first Career Workshop and Fair, which welcomed over 30 HQP and 9 employers from industry, government and academia to interact and connect at the University of Alberta School of Business on November 18th, 2011. Planning is underway for another Career Workshop and Fair set to take place in Ottawa on March 2nd, 2012. Further evolution of PrioNet’s training programs will include the addition of studentships, stronger focus on the well-established Mitacs partner internships (see advertisement, right), and more support for identifying exchange opportunities. A key element of this growth is input from PrioNet HQP and scientific members; in order to enhance opportunities for exchange, for example, PrioNet is investigating the skills HQP wish to enhance or specific
4
PrioNews August - November 2011
research groups they wish to visit. With this knowledge, PrioNet can use its connections to make the matches required to spark opportunity. To share your thoughts, please attend the “Office Hour” sessions for training programs, web conferences taking place every six weeks according to training application deadlines, or contact PrioNet’s Communications and Training Manager Alison Palmer at apalmer@prionetcanada.ca. Help PrioNet continue to add value to the training experience of its HQP, and to develop the next generation of research leaders in this important field. ■
Health Internships Graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from eligible universities can apply as an intern to this pilot program.
Armed with the very latest tools, techniques, and innovations, the intern brings a new perspective and their specialized expertise to health-related research challenges.
• Interns spend approximately half of the time onsite with the partner organization; the remainder is spent at the university advancing the research under the guidance of a faculty supervisor. • Projects can range from a single four-month internship unit to an eight month double unit combined together to accommodate larger projects. • Each four-month internship unit can be stretched to six months to allow for part-time participation. For more information, please contact Alison Palmer at apalmer@prionetcanada.ca
Testimonials “Would you like to come home from a work-related trip and feel totally energized to get back to work?! This is exactly what happened to me this summer when I attended the Banff Center Science Communications program with support from PrioNet. At the course I created my first audio podcast, learned how to story board a video and how to handle myself in an interview situation, wrote an article on deadline, and got feedback from professional science communicators. More than that, I left the course with a hunger to learn more and to get back to the exciting work that I am fortunate to make my living doing.” Anna Weier, second from right, with fellow science communicators.
Banff Centre Science Communications Program: Anna Weier, University of Manitoba (September, 2011)
Recent training awardees Training and Travel Exchange
Workshop Support
Jason Yau from the University of Toronto, to learn tissue culture techniques in Dr. Valerie Sim’s lab at the University of Alberta Maxime Beland from the University of Sherbrooke, to perform dissection and culturing experiments in Dr. Marco Prado’s lab at the University of Western Ontario
(Career Workshop and Fair in Edmonton on November 18th) Kyle Caligiuri, Shantel Gushue, Durdana Islam, and Babawale Odunuga from the University of Manitoba Kristen Marciniuk from the University of Saskatchewan Valeriy Ostapchenko from the University of Western Ontario Masoud Yousefi from the University of British Columbia
“I recently had the exciting opportunity to travel to one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world—New York City— to present at the Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCS), held at the American Museum of Natural History. The interest and feedback that I received at this conference has inspired me to delve deeper into the technical aspects of my research and further my work on CWD modeling. It has been the most inspiring and memorable conference experience in my graduate program and provided me with further insight into conservation plans worldwide, particularly those that involve disease control programs.” Conference Support Program: Cherie Dugal, University of Saskatchewan (October, 2011)
August - November 2011
PrioNews
5
Through partnership to therapy Cangene catalyzes Canadian-made solutions for Alzheimer’s disease by Sandra Haney and Alison Palmer
PrioNet’s initial investment to support this research was integral to generate the scientific results needed to attract industry partners. “We’re enthusiastic about this partnership with PrioNet and Dr. Cashman,” says John Sedor, President and CEO of Cangene. “The initial research results from Dr. Cashman’s lab, while still at an early stage of development, show promise for development of a novel immunotherapy.”
Dr. Neil Cashman, Scientific Director of PrioNet
An effective therapy is on the horizon for Alzheimer’s—and thanks to PrioNet-led research, both the science and development are happening right here in Canada. Winnipeg-based Cangene Corporation, one of Canada’s largest and earliest biopharmaceutical companies, has signed a collaborative research agreement with the University of British Columbia (UBC) to develop the work of PrioNet’s Scientific Director Dr. Neil Cashman. The corporation has initiated work with UBC on the target identified by Dr. Cashman’s PrioNet-funded work, with the goal of an immune-based treatment to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. “PrioNet’s initial investment to support this research was integral to generate the scientific results needed to attract industry partners,” says Dr. Cashman. “Our partnership with Cangene will now help move this technology forward.” Cangene became interested in the program following a recent discovery in which Dr. Cashman, along with other PrioNet researchers, was able to specifically target a unique shape of amyloid beta “oligomers”—small aggregates that Dr. Cashman calls the “bad guys” due to their key role in the progression of Alzheimer’s—while sparing normal amyloid beta molecules, which is the basis for a safe immunotherapy. This approach has already been tested in the laboratory on cultured nerve cells with successful results.
6
PrioNews August - November 2011
Statistics show that the time is right for such a partnership. One in 11 Canadians over the age of 65 currently has Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. The number of people living with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia is expected to more than double, reaching 1.1 million Canadians within 25 years. Currently approved treatments do not modify the course of the disease and offer only temporary mitigation of some symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. If this approach is successful, a therapy for Alzheimer’s could be a reality within the decade. Cangene is known for its successes in developing and manufacturing immune therapeutics, primarily targeting infectious disease and biodefense applications. Most of its products are hyperimmunes—antibody products specific for targets such as hepatitis B, botulism, and anthrax. The corporation has approximately 700 employees in six locations across North America. One of these employees, Dr. Laura Saward, Senior Director of R&D / Bioanalytical Research, recently took part in PrioNet’s Career Workshop and Fair in Edmonton. This participation illustrates the extent of Cangene’s support for PrioNet’s work, including training the next generation of research leaders and helping them to make the connections they need to launch their careers, right here in Canada. ■
PrioNet presents new platform service Bringing custom monoclonal antibodies to members by Leslie Grad and Alison Palmer
PrioNet Canada is pleased to announce an upcoming partnership with the National Research Council of Canada Biotechnology Research Institute (NRC-BRI) to provide a one-stop shop for its custom monoclonal antibody needs, in the form of a new platform for scientific members. This Custom Monoclonal Antibody Platform answers the great demand for antibodies, which have become a key tool in basic life science research and are used in an array of molecular biology techniques that help visualize and quantify proteins. Of even greater interest to scientific members is the growing trend of using highly selective antibodies to detect the misfolded proteins implicated in prion and neurodegenerative disease, potentially serving as a basis for therapeutics that target these proteins.
This platform answers the great demand for antibodies, which have become a key tool in basic life science research. The platform will be served by the Montréal-based NRC-BRI Custom Antibody Facility, which has more than 20 years of experience offering everything from custom antibody production to one-step screening and cloning of cells that produce antibodies. The facility integrates extensive knowledge in producing monoclonal antibodies against a variety of antigens such as peptides, purified proteins, whole cells, membranes, carbohydrates and small molecules. Photos: National Research Council of Canada
Other PrioNet platforms for scientific members • Animal Models and Transgenesis :
for targeted transgenic and knockout mice for biological studies relevant to prion diseases
• Chronic Wasting Disease Tissue Bank :
for access to retained and catalogued materials from the Saskatchewan CWD surveillance program
“This new collaboration with the NRC-BRI will add value to the PrioNet research community, providing our researchers with the high-quality antibodies and technical services they need to advance their work,” says PrioNet Executive Director Dr. Michelle Wong. This addition marks the fifth in PrioNet’s suite of platforms. Unlike other platforms, this service will be based on use, with the costs covered by PrioNet as a basic package. As of December 1st, platform usage requests will be received by the PrioNet Administrative Office on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to approval by the Research Management Committee. A complete description of the new Custom Monoclonal Antibody Platform and offered services, with all necessary contact information, is currently posted on the PrioNet website at www.prionetcanada.ca/platforms. ■
• Pathogenesis and Bioassay :
for experimentally inoculated rodents
• Prion Protein and Plasmid Production, PrP5 :
for recombinant prion proteins, amyloidogenic proteins, plasmids, transformed cells, as well as advice and protocols for recombinant protein production
August - November 2011
PrioNews
7
Inspiration and connection from a scientific pilgrimage PrioNet post-doctoral fellow presents at inaugural scientific conference
is PrioNet’s scientific communications program for students and other young professionals. Visit PrioNet’s website for submission details and upcoming deadlines!
by Judith Maxwell Silverman
This January 2011,
with support from PrioNet, I attended the inaugural International Workshop on Exosomes at the Institut Curie in Paris, France. Exosomes, a sub-focus of my post-doctoral research, are small membraneenclosed sacks (50 nanometres in diameter) that form within eukaryotic cells and can transport substances from one cell to another, facilitating delivery of cargo as well as cell-to-cell communication. A wide variety of mammalian cells release these exosomes, including neurons, astrocytes, and glial cells, the building blocks of our nervous system.
Two of these leaders, Dr. Graça Raposo and her colleague Dr. Clotilde Thery, organized and hosted the conference. Meeting and engaging with these two spirited women—pioneers and pacesetters of the exosome field—was a highlight of my trip. Reflecting on it now, I realize that this trip was a scientific pilgrimage; my journey to France allowed me to honor those whose work I had discovered, admired and followed closely throughout my nascent career as a scientist. The conference was small, allowing for much mingling and wild speculation between colleagues and new friends. Ideas flowed freely and the unguarded exchanges led to collaborations and job offers. The basic scientists in the group, myself included, learned how the entrepreneurs among us saw our exosomes as ripe commercial products. The entrepreneurs introduced an array of potential therapeutic uses ranging from drug delivery to vaccines to early disease biomarker detection. To my delight, all the speakers were interesting and excellent. As my talk approached I practiced and practiced, hoping to engage my mentors as much as they were engaging me. The magic combination of luck and hard work that is so much of research paid off; my talk was well-received and I was asked some very thoughtful questions. The night of my talk I was invited to join the organizers and other principal investigators for dinner. They shared stories of their early careers, the hard work combined with luck and brilliance that started them down their paths. They also shared their excitement and anticipation of the discoveries I was “sure” to make. This dinner and conversation was inspiring, encouraging, and absolutely why conference attendance by students and postdoctoral fellows is an important, worthwhile investment. Returning to the bench, I have a deeper understanding of the field and personal connections with the scientists who matter. ■
8
PrioNews August - November 2011
Returning to the bench, I have a deeper understanding of the field and personal connections with the scientists who matter.
Photo: Martin Dee
PrioNet members may find it interesting that exosomes are associated with some of the proteins implicated in diverse neurodegenerative diseases—amyloid-β of Alzheimer’s, α-synuclein of Parkinson’s, superoxide dismutase of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and PrPSc of prion disease. Research into the biology and potential role of exosomes in the nervous system is still in its infancy. I attended this conference to share my research, but my larger goal was to inform my future investigations— to determine what my colleagues had learned but not yet published, to learn the opinions and insights of the leaders of the field, and to identify the gaps that a young scientist could fill.
Dr. Judith Maxwell Silverman is a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Neil Cashman’s laboratory at the University of British Columbia. Her work focuses on understanding the cellular mechanisms responsible for the cell-to-cell transfer of disease-causing compounds in Alzheimer’s disease and ALS, as well as developing potential immunotherapies to combat these diseases.
Paparazzi-ing mule deer... Looking behind the camera to untangle CWD transmission by María Fernanda Mejía Salazar
Nine-month old juvenile mule deer at a salt lick in Antelope Creek, Saskatchewan. Picture taken by a triggeredby-movement camera, April 2010.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has intrigued the scientific community ever since its detection in a Colorado facility 44 years ago. At the beginning, researchers attributed the clinical signs to stress, malnutrition or poisoning. Twelve years later, it became part of the class of prion diseases, and the only one known to infect both free-ranging and captive deer—to make matters worse, with a 100% fatality! As infective prions accumulate in the brain, they cause clear neurological signs, such as low head position, wide leg stance, decreased reactiveness and gradual weight loss. These deer usually die from starvation and aspiration pneumonia. When I first arrived in Saskatoon, I had little idea of the severity of the situation. In the last three years, I have seen the CWD prevalence of studied deer grow from 6% to 33% in our CWD-endemic study area along South Saskatchewan river valley. Researchers here make enormous efforts to understand this spread and to promote responsible management practices and policies. It honestly took me no more than five minutes to fully appreciate this working group. Together, we seek to understand how movement patterns, use of congregation areas, and social structure of the mule deer herds affect the spread of the disease.
More specifically, at the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Trent Bollinger and In the last three years, I have seen I investigate how different sex and age classes of mule deer use environmental the CWD prevalence of studied sites. We know that prions deposited into the environment are persistent and continue to infect susceptible cervids for years. However, to date no one has deer grow from 6% to 33% in our managed to quantify the amount of prions in the environment and to determine CWD-endemic study area along the infectious dose that makes deer sick in the wild. So, first, we need to untangle how and when deer use environmental sites in a CWD-endemic area. For that, South Saskatchewan river valley. we have been placing triggered-by-movement cameras in different locations since July 2009, including locations next to CWD-infected mule deer carcasses. We performed a preliminary analysis to explore the potential and limitations of the data and the results are exciting. We found that carcasses are visited the least often and significantly less frequently than natural trails and rub sites. Also, adult and juvenile males use anthropogenic sources of food (salt licks for cattle and sites where grain has spilled) most frequently. We think that if these sites are important sources of prions, our findings might partially explain the higher prevalence of CWD in males in our study area and reported elsewhere. I’m both satisfied and optimistic about this first step into a behind the scenes look into the lives of mule deer. What’s more, by incorporating all the available data we will be able to make better conclusions about how different age and sex classes of mule deer use different environmental sites. These conclusions will enhance our understanding of the transmission dynamics and prevalence trends, which will help us to build better management strategies for controlling CWD in populations of wild deer. ■
María Fernanda Mejía Salazar is a PhD student at the University of Saskatchewan investigating the movement patterns, social behaviour and use of environmental sites of free-ranging mule deer infected with CWD.
August - November 2011
PrioNews
9
Network Notes • PrioNet’s renewal process culminated with a proposal submitted on August 11th and a site visit with an Expert Panel in Ottawa on September 15th. The outcome of the application will be available in the new year. •
PrioNet is pleased to welcome one new member of its Board of Directors, Dr. Anthony Phillips, Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, and three new members to its Research Management Committee, Dr. Matt Farrer, Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Bob Hills, Manager of the TSE Secretariat of Health Canada’s Health Products and Food Branch, and Dr. Stéphane McLachlan, Professor in the Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources at the University of Manitoba.
• The PrioNet website has a fresh new look. Check it out at www.prionetcanada.ca •
PrioNet Canada released its 2010/2011 annual report themed New World, reflecting the evolution of prion research and PrioNet's application of new knowledge to the broader class of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and ALS.
•
PrioNet and the Alberta Prion Research Institute (APRI), along with the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC), have released a Proposal for Canada’s Chronic Wasting Disease Control Strategy (2011), the result of a series of workshops held with stakeholders in the spring of 2011. The proposal is now available on the PrioNet website under "News".
• A PrioNet/APRI Networking and Collaboration Meeting is scheduled to take place January 17-18, 2012 in Vancouver. This meeting is a unique opportunity for network members to meet face-to-face to advance their research. • Based on the success of its first Career Workshop and Fair in Edmonton, PrioNet is offering a second in Ottawa on March 2nd, 2012. (See page 4 for more information.)
Visit prionetcanada.ca for more details
Calendar of Events Protein Folding and Misfolding: Mechanisms and Consequences December 1-2, 2011 Maynooth, Ireland www.biochemistry.org/Conferences Networks of Centres of Excellence Annual Meeting December 5-7, 2011 Ottawa, Ontario www.nce-rce.gc.ca Protein Folding Dynamics Gordon Research Conference January 8-13, 2012 Ventura, California, USA www.grc.org/ PrioNet/APRI Networking and Collaboration Meeting January 17-18, 2012 Vancouver, BC www.prionetcanada.ca/events 37th Lorne Conference on Protein Structure and Function Conference February 5-9, 2012 Lorne, Australia www.lorneproteins.org/ American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) – Annual Meeting February 16-20, 2012 Vancouver, BC www.aaas.org PrioNet Career Workshop and Fair – Ottawa March 2, 2012 Ottawa, Ontario www.prionetcanada.ca/training PRION 2012 May 9-12, 2012 Amsterdam, the Netherlands www.prion2012.com/ Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) July 14-19, 2012 Vancouver, BC www.alz.org/aaic
PrioNews is published by PrioNet Canada Suite 200, 2386 East Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z3 tel: 604-222-3600 fax: 604-222-3606 web: www.prionetcanada.ca To subscribe, e-mail: admin@prionetcanada.ca
10
PrioNews August - November 2011
PrioNet Canada is made possible by the federal government’s Networks of Centres of Excellence program.