UNews - Sydnee Calhoun

U of L iGEM teams tackling relevant issues, awarded gold and silver at Giant Jamboree

trevor.kenney — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 21:13:23 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s iGEM students have proven once again they are among the best and brightest scientists in the synthetic biology field.

The U of L's collegiate iGEM representatives who presented in Boston.

From over 300 teams, representing countries from all over the world, the U of L’s collegiate team secured a gold medal and the high school entry a silver at the 2018 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition in Boston, MA.

The collegiate team’s project VINCEnT focused on developing tools for other synthetic biology researchers. Targeting specific tissues, cell types, or cellular organelles is important for the correct treatment of many diseases. The U of L team created software that would help others overcome these problems. The team members also demonstrated how they can successfully encapsulate cargo within P22 “nanocompartments” that can target Zebra and Quagga mussels with species-specific toxins. One of the largest problems facing Alberta waterways, Zebra and Quagga mussels are considered aquatic invasive species and a threat to the Alberta economy, specifically agriculture, tourism and recreation as they destroy natural lake ecosystems and fisheries. Work on this application will continue in the future.

The U of L's high school team impressed with a silver medal standing.

The U of L team of Sydnee Calhoun, Kristi Turton, Catrione Lee and Luke Saville presented at the jamboree and were supported by team members Keith Aiken, Maya Degrood, Simmone D’Souza, Travis Haight, DJ Kim, Jessica Semmelrock, Reanna Takeyasu and David Tobin. Aubrey Demchuk, Graeme Glaister, Zak Stinson and secondary investigator Dr. Trushar Patel served as advisors.

The Lethbridge high school team is comprised of students from Winston Churchill High School, Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, Chinook High School and Catholic Central High School. Members Mark Lea, Michelle Wu and Andy Sun travelled to Boston to represent the team. Their project, Cu Later, described a method for the capture and removal of metals from tailings ponds and effluent water using an engineered bacteriophage system and received a silver medal and nomination for best model.

Dewuni De Silva, Aidan Sander, Nicolas Parra, Aroma Pageni, Rebecca Avileli, Tyler Black, Logan Black, Alice Zhang, Karen He, Mina Akbary-Zheng, Emily Huynh and Nimaya De Silva supported their teammates’ efforts from Lethbridge. Recruitment for the 2019 Lethbridge high school iGEM team will begin in January.

Representatives from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge were also involved in core activities for the iGEM Giant Jamboree. Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, also a primary investigator for the U of L collegiate team, was one of the competition judges, and Chris Isaac, U of L biochemistry graduate student, participated in the iGEM Safety Committee.

The projects and accomplishments of the university and high school teams are available on their wiki websites. Also, follow the high school team’s progress on social media: @LethHS_iGEM and @lethbridgehsiGEM. The U of L team can be followed here: @LethbridgeiGEM.

Chinook Symposium winners awarded

trevor.kenney — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 21:32:32 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s 12th annual Chinook Symposium took place recently, showcasing research work from high school, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as special presentations from postdoctoral fellows and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Collegiate iGEM (international Genetic Engineering Machines) team.

The first Chinook Symposium was organized by Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, Dr. Marc Roussel and Susan Hill in 2007 and the event has grown dramatically over the years. This year, 46 posters were presented, compared to 22 posters at the inaugural event in 2007. The event has also grown to involve the community at large, inviting guest judges such as high school teachers, politicians and business leaders. This year, 2018 Alumnus of the Year, Bill Spenceley (BASc ‘’81) served in the role.

The event began in 2007 by awarding eight cash prizes to the top two graduate and undergraduate students each in biochemistry and chemistry. In 2012, a rookie award was added to recognize students presenting at a conference for the first time, and in 2013 a PhD division was added. Cash prizes are now awarded to the top two PhD presenters in biochemistry and in chemistry.

In 2017 and 2018, the Canadian Journal of Chemistry generously sponsored two Canadian Journal of Chemistry Awards for Best Student Presentation, one at the undergraduate level and one at the graduate level. This brings the current count to 14 cash prizes as well as a certificate for top rookie presenter.

Winners of the 12th Chinook Symposium are:

Undergraduate

Chemistry
1. Jaira Ranger (Rookie of the Year)
2. Janelle Bykowski

Biochemistry
1. Hope Vienneau
2. Sydnee Calhoun

Graduate

Chemistry
1. Priya Bhutani
2. Desmond Chisholm

Biochemistry
1. Elijah Dueck
2. Colyn Cleland

PhD

Chemistry
1. Dylan Webb
2. Ryan Kung

Biochemistry
1. Taylor Sheahan
2. Dustin Smith

Canadian Journal of Chemistry Award for Best Student Presentation
Undergraduate - Jaira Ranger
Graduate - Elijah Dueck

Celebrating the versatility of ribonucleic acid (RNA)

caroline.zentner — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 16:51:26 +0000

Wednesday, Aug. 1 marks the first ever annual RNA Day, a celebration of the vital biological molecule, ribonucleic acid. RNA is a close relative of the commonly known molecule, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), and they, along with protein, are the three major biological molecules required for life.

Students at the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge heard the call for an RNA Day celebration and they stepped up to host several activities in the community. They will be at the Downtown Lethbridge Farmers Market on Wednesday, Aug. 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with fun kids’ activities, such as colouring and word searches, and the chance to talk to an RNA scientist.

Dr. H-J Wieden, bottom centre, works with students in the lab.

"I hope RNA Day shows the public more about research and how members of the scientific community are using RNA to try and better the lives of people, in a wide range of applications from medicine to agriculture," says Sydnee Calhoun, a fourth-year undergraduate studying biochemistry. "Since this is the first RNA Day, I hope we continue to build on this event for many years to come."

"I feel as though RNA Day is a great stepping stone towards making RNA knowledge mainstream,” says Jessica Semmelrock, another fourth-year biochemistry student. “I'm looking forward to the circulation of this knowledge, which I hope will bring the general public closer to the exciting research that is going on around them."

In addition to this free public outreach activity, ARRTI will also be hosting a livestream of a scientific lecture. The RNA Society and the organizers of the Ribosome Synthesis Conference have arranged for the keynote lecture by Dr. Ed Hurt (��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Heidelberg) to be shared live with the international RNA community. The talk is titled “Insights into the mechanism of eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis” and will be viewable at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 1, in room C640 of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall.

“RNA will play a critical role in the new age of biotechnology — the rational design and engineering of biomolecular-based systems and molecular machines,” says Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, the founding director of ARRTI. “The role of RNA in new and upcoming disruptive technology has been foreshadowed by the recent commercial successes of the CRISPR gene-editing platform and the emergence of RNA-based therapeutics and pesticides.”

An artist's rendition of an RNA strand

The field of RNA research has been expanding ever since it was identified as a molecule unique from DNA in the 1930s. Since 1957, there have been 31 Nobel Prizes for RNA Biology, with nine Nobel Prizes in Chemistry and 22 in Physiology or Medicine. In 1993, the RNA Society was formed to facilitate sharing and dissemination of experimental results and emerging concepts in RNA research. The RNA Society is a non-profit, international scientific society with more than 1,800 members. It hosts a peer-reviewed scientific journal (RNA), an annual scientific conference and is responsible for the declaration of Aug. 1 as RNA Day.

At the U of L, RNA research is flourishing within the ARRTI, with eight research groups and more than 100 trainees working on problems related to cancer, antibiotics, viral infections and agriculture.

“Many of the most-deadly viruses in the world have an RNA genome,” explains Tyler Mrozowich, a master’s student in the lab of Dr. Trushar Patel. “The study of this exceptional molecule will help us understand these viruses, and ultimately, help us combat the diseases they cause.”

“For me, the greatest outcome of RNA research is the development of RNA therapeutics,” says Chris Lindgren, another master’s student in the Patel lab. “To see someone’s face when they learn that they have been cured of a disease would make all the long days in the lab and the sleepless nights worthwhile.”

The significance of RNA research for the future of Canadians was recently endorsed by a $1.65-million training grant, jointly held by the U of L and the Université de Sherbrooke. The grant will allow these leading RNA-research institutions to develop the RNA Bioengineering and Innovation Network Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) to train job-ready leaders and innovators in the field of biotechnology.

High School Synthetic Biology Team Wins Six Medals for BioTreks Paper

caroline.zentner — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 17:27:38 +0000

The 2018 iGEM season continues to be a great success for members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge-mentored Lethbridge high school team. The team submitted a scientific paper outlining their synthetic biology project, as well as participated in an online conference.

Members of the Lethbridge high school synthetic biology team pose for a photo in the lab.

“This was a great experience for the students,” says team mentor Sydnee Calhoun, a U of L biochemistry student. “We are so proud of their progress and how much they have learned this year.”

For their efforts, the team received medals for problem solving, conference participation, scientific rigor, innovation, collaboration, and visual communications. Michelle Wu also received special recognition for her excellent participation in the BioTreks Conference on April 28. The paper can be found here.

Taking a break from studying for exams, team members participated in a wet lab skills workshop June 16 and 17.

“I loved it! It was so much fun to get in the lab and learn all these new things,” says Mark Lea, a grade 11 student from Chinook High School.

The team was introduced to pipetting, transformations, PCR (polymerase chain reaction), restriction digestion and making competent cells – all techniques they will need for their project. They hope to create a more cost effective and energy efficient method of removing metal contaminants from effluent water and tailings ponds.

In order to complete their project, a significant amount of external funding is required. As this is an extracurricular activity, it is the team’s responsibility to cover all the operation costs – chemicals, equipment, competition and travel fees. To help offset some of these costs, the team has set up a gofundme campaign. All donations are welcome and will be acknowledged during the presentation at the iGEM Giant Jamboree in Boston. The team is made up of students from Winston Churchill High School, Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, Chinook High School and Catholic Central High School.

Follow the team’s progress on social media: @LethHS_iGEM and @lethbridgehsiGEM.

An iGEM team member works in the lab.

iGEM, the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition, is the largest synthetic biology community and the premiere synthetic biology competition for both university and high school level students. iGEM inspires learning and innovation in synthetic biology through education, competition and by maintaining an open library of standard biological parts, the Registry of Standard Biological Parts.

Combining molecular biology techniques with engineering concepts, students work in interdisciplinary team to create novel biological systems. At the beginning of the competition season, each registered team is given a kit of 1000+ standard interchangeable parts called BioBricks from the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. Working at their own schools, teams use these parts and new parts of their own design to build, test, and characterize genetically engineered systems and operate them in living cells in an effort to address real-world issues. Along with submitting their newly created BioBricks to the Registry of Standard Biological Parts, teams are required to actively consider the safety implications of their work and document their projects on team wiki pages. At the end of the competition season, teams converge at the Jamboree event to showcase their research. Teams present their work through posters and oral presentations, and compete for prizes and awards, such as the coveted BioBrick trophy.

For more information about iGEM, visit http://igem.org/Main_Page.

High-school iGEM team earning awards ahead of competition

caroline.zentner — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 16:50:49 +0000

Given the cost of printer ink and the environmental consequences of its manufacture, this year the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge high school iGEM team has chosen a project that might solve both problems.

“Our project is the development of biological pigment for use in the manufacturing of ink,” says Erin Kelly (BSc ’17), a U of L master’s student and graduate student coordinator of the High School iGEM team. “We found that the manufacturing of the pigment in the ink can actually be a harmful process to the environment, as well as being quite costly.”

The project will use synthetic biology to create pigment substitutes — like the black, cyan, magenta and yellow found in printer ink — that can be found in nature. Synthetic biology is the design and construction of new biological entities, which can be enzymes, genetic circuits or cells, by redesigning existing biological systems. Currently, the pigment in black ink is obtained by burning petroleum while other pigments are chemically synthesized or come from minerals that are mined.

Members of this year's U of L high school iGEM team include (back row, L-R) Kyle Bodell, Erin Kelly, Sydnee Calhoun, Autumn Schmidt; (middle row L-R) Haroon Ahmed, Denysse Garcia, Nimaya DeSilva, Stephanie Dang, Kelly Situ; (front row L-R) Allison Leam, Chaeli Cowan and Halla Wagner. Missing are Candace Chan and Ross Oliver.

“Other pigments we’re using are found in different types of flowers,” says Sydnee Calhoun, a biochemistry student, team advisor and member of the Collegiate iGEM team. “For example, the magenta pigment we’re using is found in apple trees.”

“You can also extract pigments from plants, but that’s not necessarily a sustainable practice in all cases,” says Kelly. “The advantage of synthetic biology is we control our own system so we’re using bacteria, which are easily reproduced and more sustainable than plant extraction, for example, to make these pigments. They’re very easy to grow and easy to control, as are their genes. We’re doing a bit of genetic engineering to transfer the genes from plants that make these colours to the bacteria, so we can make more pigment in a smaller volume of space.”

Since January, the team, comprised of a dozen high school students from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, Chinook High School and Winston Churchill High School, has been designing the project and working on the human practices component with the guidance of student advisors and faculty members, Drs. Brian Dempsey and HJ Wieden, through the U of L’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI). The human practices portion helps team members imagine their project in the real world and identify any potential problems in the design stage.

“For this project, we were initially seeing how this could work as an alternative business venture, compared to normal ink manufacturing processes,” says Calhoun. “They’re also conducting more research into the current environmental practices in ink production and comparing that with a synthetic biology approach.”

Kyle Bodell and Haroon Ahmed practise their pipetting skills.

Team members wrote a paper about the design of their project and submitted it to Biotreks, an online journal for high school students. After being judged by members of the synthetic biology community, the Lethbridge team was given an Education Award to acknowledge their outstanding job in communicating their knowledge and techniques to their peers, and an award for visual communication for their use of tables and figures to augment their work.

“The students were thrilled to receive these awards,” says Kelly. “They’ve approached their project with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, so winning these awards has confirmed that their efforts have been worthwhile.”

Allison Leam, a Grade 12 student from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, says she’s gained lab skills, learned to work as part of a team and how to commit to a project.

“If a student likes science and can commit the time, then I’d advise them to join iGEM. They’ll learn a lot and it’s a lot of fun,” says Leam. “They’ll get experiences they won’t get anywhere else and meet a great team of people who all want to be there.”

The next step for the team is to see if their project will work as they plan. They’ll be testing the DNA sequences of the pigment sources and determining whether engineered E. coli bacteria can produce the various pigments. If they do, the students will extract the pigment and use it to make an ink, something they hope to demonstrate to judges when they take their project to the iGEM Jamboree in Boston, Massachusetts in November. At a high school competition in June, the team received positive feedback about its project from judges and peers. The team was awarded Best Communication at the competition.

Tentatively, the team will present their project at a city council meeting on Aug. 28, followed by a public display in the foyer of City Hall from 5 to 7 p.m. Please check the U of L iGEM Team Facebook page for future updates.

The team also has a GoFundMe account to help fundraise to send team members to Boston. All contributions are appreciated.

U of L iGEM team golden, now focussed on furthering project with Lethbridge Fire and EMS

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Nov 2016 18:10:55 +0000

Their project is once again golden and now the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge iGEM team is excited to embark on the next phase – determining if and how their plan to improve the cleanliness of emergency medical vehicles is feasible.

“Our presentation went really well, we had a lot of positive feedback and a lot of interest around how feasible it would be for EMS to actually implement the system,” says first-year PhD student Taylor Sheahan after her team returned from the International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) World Jamboree in Boston, Mass. with a gold medal in tow.

The team was tasked with characterizing the microbial community within ambulances and then developing an intuitive antibody-based strip test for real-time monitoring of the vehicles’ cleanliness. Pictured here are (L to R) Keith Aiken, Rhys Hakstol, Suneet Khary, Taylor Sheahan and Graeme Glaister.

The team was tasked with characterizing the microbial community within ambulances and then developing an intuitive antibody-based strip test for real-time monitoring of the vehicles’ cleanliness.

“We are not only thinking of providing clean orderly EMS units for best practice clinical care for people we meet and transport; we are also thinking of our staff, their families and the potential transport of infection to other patients and health-care facilities we serve,” says Ward Eggli, EMS Resource Officer with Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services.

While the system the iGEM team created has proven to be effective, Sheahan says that more work needs to be done before it can actually be used in the field.

“We’re still in such an early stage of our work that there is a lot to be done to get to that point where we can actually see if they are cleaning effectively or whether we could compare two different cleaning products,” she says.

Sheahan is a Catholic Central High School product who earned bachelor and master degrees at Queen’s and Western ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ respectively before joining Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden’s lab.

“What we know today that we did not know before is that we have many types of pathogens in the back of our units,” adds Eggli. “We can now focus on best practice cleaning techniques, frequency and using products that affect these pathogens.”

The fact the project was community-driven and seeks to solve a real problem garnered praise from the judges in Boston. This aspect has been a focus of iGEM in recent years and something the U of L has excelled at, winning gold at each of the last four competitions. In particular, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Public Health Agency of Canada expressed interest in following the project as it continues.

“It’s key at the beginning of projects like this to actually identify a real problem that needs to be solved to benefit the community,” says Sheahan, whose group was approached by Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Medical Services in May to look at the cleanliness of their vehicles and to assist with their methods of cleaning. “I think it’s important for an iGEM project to be focused on a real problem, so you’re not just using cool science, but producing a tangible benefit.”

The two groups will continue to work together in the coming months.

“We plan on testing products and practices to see how we can best affect the pathogens we now know are in the back of our units,” says Eggli. “We have identified a few products that can kill pathogens long after they first have been applied and we want to know how long they’re effective after application and what might affect that product if left without reapplication. We can only complete this through a continued relationship with the U of L and their researchers.”

Wieden, the iGEM supervisor and director of the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, says the U of L continues to impress on the world stage, despite competing against teams from established engineering schools.

“In the 10 years we have been competing at iGEM, we have managed to win nine gold medals, which really is remarkable and speaks to the quality of our students, how they work with one another and how they pass that along from year to year,” says Wieden. “It also says that we are solving some real challenges and making a difference in society.”

The full U of L iGEM team consists of Sheahan, Graeme Glaister, Rhys Hakstol, Sydnee Calhoun, Keith Aiken, Suneet Kharey, Courtney McDermott and Karin Otero. Wieden is the supervisor and principal investigator, while Drs. Andy Hudson, Cesar Rodriguez (Florida State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ) and Glaister are team advisors.

In addition to the U of L iGEM team, the Lethbridge High School iGEM team was awarded a bronze medal for their work on a rapid wound treatment system.

UNews - Sydnee Calhoun

U of L iGEM teams tackling relevant issues, awarded gold and silver at Giant Jamboree

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