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CREATE grant funding to support development of RNA Bioengineering and Innovation Network

trevor.kenney — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 17:25:35 +0000

The Government of Canada announced Monday that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, in partnership with the Université de Sherbrooke, has been awarded $1.65 million over the span of six years to develop the RNA Bioengineering and Innovation Network Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE).

The U of L’s principal investigator on the project is Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden.

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, announced $29.7 million in CREATE grants to 18 Canadian research teams across the country that are working to further discovery and innovation in areas such as environmental protection, green energy and advanced manufacturing. The teams include a wide range of collaborators from several countries, including Germany, France, Australia, the United States, Switzerland and Brazil.

“When young Canadians choose science, programs like CREATE empower them to pursue their ambitions and gain the hands-on experiences they need to launch their careers,” says Duncan. “Thanks to the worldwide interdisciplinary connections they will build through this program, these talented young researchers will further Canada’s reputation as a leader in research and innovation.”

The CREATE Program improves the mentoring of, and training environment for, the Canadian researchers of tomorrow by improving areas such as communication, collaboration and professional skills, and providing experience relevant to both academic and non-academic research environments.

The U of L’s principal investigator on the project is Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, a Alberta Innovates Strategic Chair in RNA Bioengineering, Tier I Board of Governors Research Chair in Biomolecular Design and Function and the founding director of the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI). He maintains, due to the fundamental role that RNA-mediated processes play for all living systems, that the next revolution in biotechnology will be the age of rationally designed Ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based systems, molecular machines and devices. Wieden points to the emergence of commercially-successful RNA-based therapeutics and pesticides as examples.

“As manufacturing and production floors become higher tech through advances in biology, materials science and computer applications, it is critical that trainees receive the most advanced and broad education possible in order to be leaders in their careers,” says Wieden. “Compounded by the labour shortage projected by the Government of Canada in this key economic sector, we propose to establish an industry-driven Bioengineering and Innovation Training Network with emphasis on innovative RNA-based technologies.”

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the Université de Sherbrooke are recognized as the country’s leading RNA-research institutions and through this grant, look to jointly train job-ready leaders and innovators in the emerging biotechnology field.

“The innovation potential of RNA Bioengineering has implications in an incredibly diverse range of applications including bioconversion for renewable energy sources, detoxification, recovery from mining tailings, green chemistry and environmental monitoring,” says Wieden.

The institutions propose to establish entrepreneurial research and development challenges, coupled with an extensive internship program that strongly integrates private sector participation.

“The focus here will be on knowledge transfer and migrating students/trainees into the workforce who are job ready,” he says. “This is a critical aspect for accessing the many applications of RNA-based technologies that are developed in our research institutions.”

The timing for the grant support is ideal. With the completion of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s new Science and Academic Building on the horizon, the new RNA Bioengineering and Innovation Network CREATE will greatly benefit the new facility, the Synbridge Maker Space and the transdisciplinary integration of research activities.

RiboWest Conference 2018 brings together top RNA researchers from Western Canada and beyond

trevor.kenney — Sun, 10 Jun 2018 16:55:17 +0000

Leading investigators in the field of ribonucleic acid (RNA) research and genomics are gathering at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge (U of L), June 10-13, 2018, to attend the 14th Annual RiboWest Conference, organized by the members of the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI).

Many of us have heard of DNA, the biomolecule that constitutes the letters of the book of life. However, few of us may have heard of DNA ‘s cousin, RNA, a similar biomolecule that during the last decades has emerged as a molecule of equal importance to DNA.

“We now know that RNA is implicated in many diseases ranging from infections, to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease,” says Dr. Nehal Thakor, one of the organizers and a member of the Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. “But RNA can also serve in the diagnosis and as a therapeutic agent of many diseases as well as a tool in bioengineering of cells to generate novel compounds.”

The RiboWest Conference brings together an interdisciplinary group of scientists, all of whom share the passion of deciphering and decoding the secrets of RNA and its role in numerous human diseases.

“This meeting is an excellent opportunity for networking, establishing new collaborations and having fun in sharing our enthusiasm for RNA,” says Dr. Athan Zovoilis, another member of ARRTI and an an assistant professor at the U of L. “This year’s conference is focussed on modern RNA genomics and epigenomics technologies that can provide detailed insights into the role of RNA in health and diseases. We’re expecting nearly 100 attendees and 5 invited speakers from 10 universities as well as representatives from multiple business enterprises.”

This year’s conference hosts five keynote and invited speakers, delivering talks that will be free and open to the public, in the Markin Hall Atrium.

RiboWest Conference 2018 will open with Dr. Sonenberg’s Gairdner lecture. Sonenberg is a James McGill Professor and Gilman Cheney Chair in the Department of Biochemistry and the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Centre at McGill ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Sonenberg won the Gairdner International Award in 2008. His talk (Sunday, June 10, 6 p.m.) discusses how preparation of proteins, key molecules for cell survival, in normal condition and diseases such as cancer, obesity, diabetes and neurological diseases is controlled.

Dr. Steven Jones, the head of the Bioinformatics Department and Associate Director of the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre in Vancouver will follow with his talk about the recent advances in his laboratory at 7 p.m. on Sunday. His laboratory is at the forefront of new genomics technologies that help us to understand the causes of cancer and in applying revolutionary diagnostic tools for detecting and treating cancer.

The conference will continue on Monday, June 11 at 8 a.m., as Dr. Martin Hirst will present this year’s breakthrough talk in epigenetics, sponsored by the Alberta Epigenetics Network. Hirst, the head of epigenomics at the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre and an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia, has had a profound impact on Canadian and international epigenomics research.

Dr. Michelle Scott will present on Tuesday, June 12 at 8 a.m. and discuss her work on the effect of mid-sized RNAs in health. She is an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Sherbrooke. Scott is recognized internationally for her work in bioinformatics of small non-coding RNAs and her research involves the development of computational tools for the analysis of the transcriptome.

World-renowned RNA researcher, Dr. Jennifer Kugel, will close the event with a talk on Tuesday at 4:45 p.m., discussing regulation of RNA polymerase II by SINE encoded ncRNAs. She is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Colorado at Boulder, and has been a leading force in current RNA research and understanding of the role of mobile repetitive elements in the genome.

Stephen Rader of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Northern British Columbia organized the first RiboWest Conference in 2005. Since 2008, ARRTI hosts the event every second year.

For a complete look at RiboWest 2018, visit https://www.ribowest.org/

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary researchers collaborate to tackle hepatitis B virus

trevor.kenney — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 21:38:24 +0000

For Lethbridge residents suffering from the effects of chronic HBV and its resulting health problems, treatment options in Lethbridge are limited, sending most patients to the Calgary Liver Unit. On Thursday, Mar. 8, Calgary Liver Unit Medical Director Dr. Carla Coffin will present her work at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as part of the U of L’s Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute (ARRTI) Speaker Series.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a human pathogen that causes both acute and chronic infection, affecting millions of people worldwide. Hundreds of people in Lethbridge are likely suffering from chronic HBV. Coffin, in collaboration with the U of L’s Dr. Trushar Patel is working to combat the disease.

“Our work integrates Dr. Coffin’s expertise in molecular virology with my expertise in structural biophysics tools,” says Patel, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and member of ARRTI. “When viruses infect cells, they use the cell’s own machinery to produce more copies of themselves. Our research is focused on investigating the mechanisms by which host proteins aid HBV replication, for example the transcription of the HBV DNA genome into RNA. Understanding such mechanisms could result in identification of target proteins, against which novel therapeutic molecules can be developed to treat HBV infection.”

The likelihood of developing chronic hepatitis after an acute infection depends on the age of the patient; 1-5 per cent in adults, 5-10 per cent in adolescents, 25-50 per cent in children aged one to five years, and 90 per cent for infants. After several decades, which are usually asymptomatic, 20-25 per cent of HBV carriers will develop cirrhosis of the liver, and 5-6 per cent will develop liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC). Although there are good treatments to control the infection, there is no cure and many patients often require lifelong, expensive therapy.

Coffin has been an associate professor in the Cumming School of Medicine at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary since 2009. She was co-chair of the 2018 Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver Management of HBV Guidelines Committee and served on the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Committee for Essential Medicines (HBV and HCV). Her clinical and bench laboratory research aims to help better identify hepatitis B patients who would benefit from therapy, as well as developing better HBV therapeutics. Through her collaboration with Patel, the Canadian Institute for Health Research funded a fellowship through the Canadian Hepatitis C Network for Dr. Vanessa Meier-Stephenson to also participate in the work.

Her talk, Hepatitis B Virus Persistence, takes place Thursday, Mar. 8 at 3 p.m. in room C756 at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and is open to the public. ARRTI has been holding the ARRTI Speaker Series since 2014, in which researchers, both local and external, are invited to speak about their current research in RNA and related topics. This year, in recognition of its influence, the ARRTI Speaker Series is sponsored by the International RNA Society as part of its RNA Salon initiative to promote RNA-related research.

For more information about Coffin, Patel or ARRTI, visit these websites:

https://www.ucalgary.ca/girg/membership/coffinc

http://trpatel.com/

UNews - AARTI

CREATE grant funding to support development of RNA Bioengineering and Innovation Network

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RiboWest Conference 2018 brings together top RNA researchers from Western Canada and beyond

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��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Calgary researchers collaborate to tackle hepatitis B virus

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��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary researchers collaborate to tackle hepatitis B virus