Human Genetics ~ Weekly

2013 Champions of Genetics

David S. Rosenblatt is a world leader in multiple facets of human genetics, including research, clinical practice, and education. As a professor of Human Genetics, Medicine, Pediatrics, and Biology at McGill University in Montreal, Dr. Rosenblatt has made major contributions to genetics research, adding to our knowledge of inherited metabolic diseases. As chair of the university’s Department of Human Genetics for the past 11 years, Dr. Rosenblatt has built an outstanding department that has achieved international prominence for research as well as the education of basic and clinical scientists, clinical and laboratory geneticists, and genetic counselors.

Since 2000, he and his collaborators have identified the genes for five disorders, leading to a more complete understanding of vitamin metabolism and better approaches to detect carriers and diagnose these disorders. Dr. Rosenblatt directs one of only two referral laboratories in the world for patients born with metabolic diseases related to folic acid and VitaminB12.

Dr. Rosenblatt has served as President of the Society for Inherited Metabolic Disorders, the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of Medical Geneticists of Quebec. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a Correspondant etranger of the Academie Nationale de Medecine of France.

Bartha Maria Knoppers is a lawyer, Canada’s leading bioethicist, and a world authority on the ethical aspects of genetics, genomics and biotechnology. Dr. Knoppers founded the international Population Project in Genomics and Society (P3G) with the goal of coordinating international efforts and expertise in the policy area of genomics and the impact on human health. She also launched the CARTaGENE bio-bank project in Quebec. Through CARTaGENE, scientists collect soda-demographic and medical data from across the province and bank it for future research.

Dr. Knoppers’s career in genetics and ethics reaches back to the 1990s when she served on the International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO, the United Nations organization that drafted the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights. Since then she has played key roles in Genome Canada, Genome Quebec and the Canadian Stem Cell Network.

Currently Dr. Knoppers holds the Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine at McGill University and she is the director of the Centre of Genomics and Policy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics. Along with a host of other honours, Dr. Knoppers is also chair of the Ethics Working Party of the International Stem Cell Forum, the co-chair of the Sampling/ELSI Committee of the 1 000 Genomes Project, and a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the International Cancer Genome Consortium.

Funding, Jobs, and Other Announcements:

• MITACS – National funding and training opportunities for students and postdoctoral fellows.
  
• McGill – Paul Marks Prize and Killam Prizes – Nomination Information
  
• McGill – Jonathan Campbell Meakins & Family Memorial Fellowship – Applications
  
• McGill – Internal Studentships and Postdoctoral Fellowship Competition - Applications
• McGill – 2013 CIHR Systems Biology Competition - Applications
• McGill – Post Graduate Students Society Winter 2013 schedule “PGSS Winter 2013″
• 46th Annual Meeting – Society for the Study of Reproduction July 22-26 2013 – Abstract Submission Deadline – February 15, 2013 “SSR 2013″

Stem Cell Renewal Theory

Over 60 years ago, Yves Clermont and Charles Leblond characterized the steps of sperm differentiation in the testis. This enabled them to identify for the first time the population of spermatogonia responsible for the production of spermatozoa. We celebrate 60 years later the publication of their landmark paper and their discovery which is described by them as “the reappearance at each cycle of a new dormant cell which acts as the stem cell of a subsequent generation of spermatocytes…is described as the ‘Stem Cell Renewal Theory’. This paper reveals the first identified population of stem cells and the first use in the literature of the term stem cells in this biological context. This ground breaking discovery resonates today with the therapeutic application of stem cells in order to alleviate human disease from cancer to devastating degenerative diseases (Y. Clermont and C.P. Leblond. Renewal of spermatogonia in the rat. Am. J. Anat. 1953. 93:475-501).

http://www.mcgill.ca/anatomy/stem-cell-renewal-theory

_________________________________________________________

MESSAGE SENT TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS
ON BEHALF OF DR. MICHAEL SHEVELL

Read Message From Dr. Michael Shevell

_________________________________________________________

Genomics in Metabolism – Copenhagen Bioscience Conference, November 2013

Type 2 Diabetes is a world pandemic with complex aetiology but clearly, genetic and environmental factors are important contributors. New challenges are now in an integrated understanding of these factors and their possible interaction. The Genomics in Metabolism conference is aiming at providing an original perspective of the upcoming Genomics Era which will embrace Genetics, Epigenetics and Metagenomics.

https://www.cph-bioscience.com/GenomicsInMetabolism/Pages/default.aspx

_________________________________________________________

Academic Positions in Calgary

The Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI) invite applications for full-time academic positions in Child Health Genomics. These positions represent a major investment in genomic research and the successful applicants will join a program with a vision to develop an internationally recognized program in Child Health Genomics. Dynamic scientists at all career stages keen to join a growing and vibrant research team are encouraged to apply.

For more information, please click here.

_________________________________________________________

GAPPS Repository Pregnancy Specimens and Data Available to Researchers

The GAPPS Repository comprises pregnancy specimens and linked phenotypic data that are widely-accessible to researchers. Using GAPPS Repository samples, you can pursue research studies without the burden of creating a unique cohort of pregnant women.  These samples are a valuable resource for researchers in many fields, including genetics, epidemiology, pathophysiology, translational science, fetal origins of adult diseases, and healthcare delivery.

Read More About It!

_________________________________________________________

Postdoc and PhD Position

Dr. Brent Richards and his research team at McGill are in the process of recruiting PhD candidates and Postdoctoral Fellows in Genetics or Clinical Epidemiology. The applicant will work with a highly qualified and international team of researchers to identify the genetic determinants of common diseases and undertake pharmacogenetic clinical trials.

As a member of the research team, you will be able to access genome-wide genotyping of 5,800 individuals phenotyped for several hundred traits and 1,900 individuals that have been genome-wide sequenced.  Moreover, we recently completed whole exome sequencing on several hundred individuals and exome chip data on 1,000. In addition, we are undertaking pharmacogenetic clinical trials to understand if drug targets, identified through genetics, are helpful in treating common disease.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree (M.Sc) in Epidemiology, Genetics or Biostatistics
• Candidates with a clinical degree (M.D.) are especially encouraged to apply (including those receiving MDs in other       countries)
• Having a strong statistical background, or experience handling large datasets and publications in genetics, or genetic epidemiology, will be an advantage
• Knowledge of Bioinformatics and programming skills are an asset
• Proficiency in English is essential
• International applicants are welcome.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.mcgill.ca/genepi/student-recruitment

___________________________________________________________