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Backed By cihr, ontario team to study metaBolic syndromes
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TORONTO, ON – Dr. Philip Awadalla, a senior investigator at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and principal investigator for the Ontario Health Study has been awarded $2 million by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
The award will fund the study of the role of both genes and the environment on the development of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of medical conditions that are common in aging adults, including obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and insulin resistance. These conditions are considered to be both risk factors and causal factors in the development of cancer and chronic diseases like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. A better understanding of how to prevent and treat the conditions of metabolic syndrome could also help in the design of new strategies to prevent these diseases before they develop.
Awadalla and his team will use data and samples from the Ontario Health Study, which is part of the larger Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow Project, to conduct their research.
“There are currently no research projects at this scale looking at the genetic and environmental risk factors of metabolic syndrome or related aging-associated traits, which affects close to one quarter of Canada’s adult population,” said Dr. Awadalla. “This funding will allow us to tap into the vast data holdings of the Ontario Health Study to investigate the interplay among varying environmental exposures, aging, and epigenetic factors across Ontario and Canada. Ultimately we hope to find new ways to better manage these conditions and other linked diseases such as cancer.”
The team has partnered with Illumina to assist with genome sequencing, as well as Environment Canada and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.
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chaNce fiNdiNg from uNiversity of guelph study could traNsform plaNt productioN
The wild plant is on the left and the transgenic plant on the right. Photo credit: University of Guelph
(L to R) Dr. Jonathan Bagger, Director of TRIUMF, Canada’s Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan and Dr. Masanori Yamauchi, Director General of KEK Photo Credit: TRIUMF
GUELPH, ON – An almost entirely accidental discovery by University of Guelph researchers could transform food and biofuel production and increase carbon capture on farmland.
By tweaking a plant’s genetic profile, the researchers found a way to double the plant’s growth and increased seed production by more than 400 per cent. The findings were published in the March 2016 issue of Plant Biotechnology Journal.
The team studied Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant often used in lab studies because of its ease of use and its similarity to some common farm crops. They found that inserting a particular corn enzyme caused the plant’s growth rate to skyrocket.
“Even if the effects in a field-grown crop were less, such as only a tenth of what we’ve seen in the lab, that would still represent an increase in yield of 40 to 50 per cent, compared with the average one to two per cent a year that most breeding programs deliver,” said Prof. Michael Emes, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB).
He said the team’s finding could boost yields of important oilseed crops such as canola and soybean, as well as crops such as camelina, increasingly grown for biofuels. Larger plants would capture more atmospheric carbon dioxide without increasing the amount of farmland, said Emes. “Farmers and consumers would benefit significantly in terms of food production, green
canada and JaPan usher in a new era of PartnershiP in Physics research
(TSUKUBA, JAPAN/VANCOUVER,
BC) – On May 15, Canada’s Minister of Science Kirsty Duncan welcomed a new era of world-class scientific partnership between Canada and Japan as she unveiled the new TRIUMF branch office located at Japan’s KEK.
Minister Duncan was joined by dignitaries from both laboratories to perform the ribbon cutting, celebrating the research collaboration between these two hubs for subatomic physics research.
The new branch office, which is also shared with CERN, follows the recent signing of a new partnership agreement this past December by Dr. Jonathan Bagger, director of TRIUMF – Canada’s national laboratory for particle and nuclear physics and acceleratorbased science – and Dr. Masanori Yamauchi, director general of KEK – a high energy accelerator research organization in Japan. The agreement enhances research collaborations between the two labs to answer questions on areas ranging from the breadth and composition of the universe to topics closer to home, such as the properties of advanced materials.
The finding came almost by chance.
Studying the enzyme’s effect on starch, the researchers noticed that their genetically engineered plants looked different and much larger in photos taken by lead author Fushan Liu, a former post-doctoral MCB researcher.
“That’s when we realized that we were looking at something potentially much more important,” said Ian Tetlow, an MCB professor and study co-author.
Although genetic engineering led to more flowers and pods containing seeds, it left the seed composition unchanged.
“The seeds are where we would get the oil from, and consistent composition is important so that the function and use of the oil isn’t changed,” said Tetlow.
The researchers plan to test canola and other crops. Field tests and analysis with industry and government will likely take several years.
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an extraordinary collaboration that continues to unlock new opportunities to advance this important field,” said Duncan.
“For decades, TRIUMF and KEK have been recognized internationally in the areas of subatomic physics, accelerator science and materials science,” said Yamauchi. “Through our growing partnership, we will continue to be global leaders in advancing these areas of research, as well acting as pillars of scientific co-operation.”
“The opening of this new branch office represents not just a strengthening of the partnership between TRIUMF and KEK, but also the importance of collaboration on the global scale,” adds Dr. Jonathan Bagger, TRIUMF director.
TRIUMF and KEK have numerous shared projects in the areas of subatomic physics, accelerator science, and materials science. Current efforts include the T2K and Belle II experiments in Japan, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, and the proposed International Linear Collider The hope of this new office and indeed the new partnership agreement is to advance scientific discovery through enhanced bilateral collaboration.
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http://www.laboratoryfocus.ca/canada-and-japan-usher-in-a-new-era-ofpartnership-in-physics-research/
aPPointments
Rna Diagnostics Inc. has named Dr. Jeremy Bridge-Cook as its new president and CEO. Dr. Bridge-
Dr. Jeremy Bridge-Cook
Cook is a highly accomplished In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) executive with experience in developing and launching innovative IVD products onto global markets. He has held progressive senior business development, research and development and general management roles at Tm Bioscience (TMB) and Luminex Corporation, which acquired TMB in 2007. He was also a corporate officer and senior vice president of R&D at Luminex. Dr. Bridge-Cook obtained his B.Sc., Biology from McMaster University and his Ph.D., Immunology from University of Toronto.
Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc.
has appointed Charles Rowland as its new Chief Executive Officer replacing Stephen Zaruby who has announced his resignation from the position and and from the company’s board of directors. Rowland’s last role was vice president and chief financial officer of ViroPharma Incorporated prior to its acquisition by Shire in January 2014. Prior to joining ViroPharma in 2008, he held a number of leadership positions at several biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, most recently as interim co-CEO, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. He also held positions of increasing responsibility at Biovail Corporation, Breakaway Technologies Inc., Pharmacia Corporation, Novartis AG and Bristol-Myers Squibb. He has board experience with companies such as BluePrint Medicines, Vitae Pharmaceuticals and Idenix Pharmaceuticals.
John Sebben has joined Purdue as vice president, manufacturing operations. Previously he worked at a number of pharmaceutical companies including: GlaxoSmithKline, Apotex, Teva Canada, Pharmascience, Biovail and most recently, Patheon, where he held the role of vice president, North American supply chain. Sebben holds an MBA from York University and BSc from University of Toronto.
Pascal Spothelfer has been named by Genome British Columbia (Genome BC) as its new president & CEO beginning Monday, June 6. He joins Genome BC with a wealth of international experience including time as a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group and as an executive of Jenoptik AG in Germany. After four years as president and CEO of NovAtel Inc. in Calgary, Spothelfer moved to Vancouver where his local background includes time as president and CEO of Spectrum Signal Processing, over three years at the helm of the BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) and vice president communications and community partnerships at the University of British Columbia. Spothelfer holds a law degree and a PhD in Law from the University of Basel in Switzerland and a MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France. The appointment follows the retirement announcement of Dr. Alan Winter late last year. Winter will continue in his role of president & CEO until June 6th and help with the transition until mid-July 2016.
Lutz Goedde, a leading expert in strategies to improve agricultural productivity around the world, will join the board of directors of the
Global Institute for Food Secu-
rity (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S). Goedde is a partner in the Denver office of McKinsey & Company, where he is a leader in the firm’s agriculture/ food and social sector practices. He has worked with agriculture and food companies, governments, and NGOs in North America, India, Europe, and Africa to improve agricultural productivity and efficiency, increase food availability and supply chains, and reduce poverty and hunger. He was part of the leadership team that built the global and agricultural development program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. During his tenure, the Gates Foundation committed over $2 billion to development efforts in Africa and Asia to improve smallholder agriculture.
Life Sciences Ontario (LSO) has welcomed Rebecca Yu, head of JLABS @ Toronto at Johnson &
Rebecca Yu
Johnson Innovation, to its board of directors. A leading life sciences and health technology innovator, Ms. Yu was a key player behind bringing the successful JLABS incubator to Toronto – the first outside the U.S.. Ms. Yu will head the 40,000-square foot Toronto facility, a collaboration between Johnson & Johnson Innovation, The University of Toronto, MaRS Discovery District, Janssen Inc., and MaRS Innovation, with support from the Government of Ontario. Prior to her role with JLABS, she was director, Strategic Health Technology Assessment (HTA), Government Affairs and Market Access, Janssen Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, where she led HTA policy strategy on behalf of Janssen, including work with HTA agencies/ bodies on incorporating global best practices. Prior to joining Janssen in 2012, Yu enjoyed a 15-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, taking on progressively senior roles in the areas of health policy, medical affairs, and government affairs with Solvay Pharma, Procter & Gamble, and Pfizer. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Pharmacy, and a licensed and practicing pharmacist in Ontario.
Zymeworks has named Dr. Diana Hausman as its new chief medical officer. In this role, Dr. Hausman is responsible for overseeing clinical development and clinical strategy for the company. A board certified medical oncologist, Dr. Hausman brings more than 15 years of clinical drug development experience to the role. Most recently, she was chief medical officer at Oncothyreon where she oversaw the clinical program for their lead Phase 2 targeted anti-HER2 cancer therapy. She has also held positions at Zymogenetics, Berlex, and Immunex working across multiple indications, including oncology, hematology, hepatitis C, and autoimmune disease. Dr. Hausman received her internal medicine training and specialty training in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Washington. She holds an M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an A.B. in biology from Princeton University.
Oncolytics Biotech® Inc. has announced the formation of a Science and Technology Committee made up of directors Drs. William Rice and Bernd Seizinger. Dr. William Rice has held the position of chairman, president and CEO of Aptose Biosciences Inc. since 2013. Preceding that, he served as chairman, president and CEO of Cylene Pharmaceutics Inc. He has also served as senior scientist and head of the Drug Mechanism Laboratory at the National Cancer InstituteFrederick Cancer Research and Development Center, and as a faculty member in the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Emory School of Medicine. Dr. Seizinger has held the position of chairman/ executive chairman of Opsona Therapeutics Ltd. since 2009. From 1998 to 2009, he served as president and CEO of GPC Biotech. He also served as vice president of Oncology Drug Discovery and, in parallel, vice president of Corporate and Academic Alliances at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He has also held professorships and senior staff appointments at Harvard Medical School, Princeton University and Massachusetts General Hospital.
