November 1, 2009
Category: Science & Society
The value of having large public award ceremonies for scientists, is that it gives their work some exposure to the public.
Take for instance Shinya Yamanaka. His discovery of iPS cells in 2006 was one of the most important discoveries this past decade. It not only taught us how to generate stem cells from any normal adult cell, but it also gave us a window into celluar programming. It is now clear that going from stem cell to normal differentiated cell is not an irreversable process. According to Google Scholar this paper has been cited 1400 times!!!!
This past week Shinya was one of the recipients of the Gairdner Foundation Award. As part of the ceremonies, he gave a couple of lectures at the University of Toronto. The awards were covered by several local papers, and as a result some basic science can reach the public. Does the average Joe appreciated it? You betcha. Here'san example. Friday morning as I stood in line to get the H1N1 vaccine (for myself, my wife and my 8 month year old son) I spotted an article in the Toronto Star - an interview with Shinya Yamanaka - and pointed it out to all the folks nearby. Many of them read the article and were impressed by his remarkable finding. They asked me to tell them more. "Has anyone else been able to do this?", "Can this technology be used to make eggs and sperm from adult cells?", "are people working on therapies?", "are there any problems with these cells?". Write it, and they will read!
Here are some of the local articles on Yamanaka & the Gairdners:
Toronto Star: Superstars of science converge on Toronto
Toronto Star: Stem cell breakthrough 'too simple' - Interview with Shinya Yamanaka
Globe and Mail: Canadian Gairdner prize a marker for future Nobels (This article features Liz Blackburn who just won a Nobel for her work on Telomeres)
Toronto Star: The chance to pick some brains of note
Globe and Mail: 'When we began, we were almost pariahs' - Interview with Dave Sackett, who studies evidence-based medicine, a topic that is of extreme relevance for the healthcare debate in the US.
On Yamanaka's collaboration with several U of Toronto Scientists:
Toronto Star: Ontario takes big step in cutting-edge stem-cell research
Globe and Mail: Ontario targets $25-million for stem-cell research
Canadian Press: Toronto researchers to co-lead international cancer stem cell projects
Posted by Alex Palazzo at 10:35 AM • 0 Comments
October 30, 2009
Category: Map that Campus
It's that time again. Here's this week's mystery campus:
And the hint: Where cellular alchemy began.
If you know the answer, or just want to take a cheap shot at Willie the Wildcat and his posse, leave it in the comment section.
Posted by Alex Palazzo at 12:51 PM • 10 Comments
October 28, 2009
Category: Lab Life • Pure Biology • Science & Society
Well this week the University of Toronto hosts the 50th anniversary of the Gairdner Foundation.
If the Nobels are the Oscars of science, and the Lasker Awards the Golden Globes, this event is akin to the 50th anniversary of some big Hollywood studio. There are talks by many of today's hottest science rock stars and many smaller celebrations, which include lunches cocktail parties etc.
This morning we heard from Shinya Yamanaka, probably the hottest rock star scientist of our generation. If you've been asleep for the past few years, Yamanaka's lab discovered how to generate iPS cells from skin cells. This result launched a tsunami of research. And after listening to his talk and those of Gordon Keller and Andras Nagy, the revolution is well on its way. In fact we heard today that Kyoto University, where Yamanaka works will be launching a whole new institute for the study of iPS cell and iPS cell therapeutics in February.
For more on the impressive lineup of talks - see the Gairdner Foundation Schedule.
Update:
The afternoon session was entitled The Cell: An Endless Frontier Elizabeth Blackburn in her talk commented that she actually study the end of chromosomes. Bob Horvitz took that idea one step further and commented that he studied the end of cells. We got talking after the presentations and noticed that Vic Ambros talked about the end of mRNAs and Avarm Hersko talked about the end of proteins.
As all good biochemists would tell you, the end is just as important as the beginning.
Posted by Alex Palazzo at 11:17 AM • 2 Comments
October 27, 2009
Category: Lab Life
Today I used a pipette for the first time in three and a half months.
What a strange feeling it is to work in one's own lab.
While I've been submitting papers and grants, my technician has been busy preparing solutions, ordering equipment and even performing a few "experiments" (if you can call transforming bacteria tan experiment). It's almost as if we've been supplying the ship, one that's getting ready to sail off into the unknown. I was looking after the financing, while my technician stocked up the ship with supplies. We've even managed to recruit a couple of undergrads who are in the lab performing independent research projects. I even managed to bring in some Port - after all you can't run a ship without some fine spirits.
We may find new land, or we may fall off the edge of the earth.
Having no microscopes yet we are constructing new genes and purifying proteins expressed in bacteria. But that's good enough for me. So here I am finally working away in my own space, on work that is 100% mine, and I don't even know where we keep the ampicillin. With my those first few microlitres, the HMS Palazzo-Laboratory officially sets sail.
Now where's the champagne?
Posted by Alex Palazzo at 6:05 PM • 8 Comments
October 21, 2009
Category: Lab Life • Science & Society
Go and check 'em out.
4th place - James E. Hayden, Anglerfish ovary (4X)
For more visit http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/
This year's event even got covered in the New York Times.
And if you want to enter into next year's competition the deadline for entries: April 30, 2010. Get clicking.
Posted by Alex Palazzo at 3:30 PM • 0 Comments
October 19, 2009
Category: Lab Life • Pure Biology
This weekend, I had the opportunity to sit down with a friend, a cancer surgeon who works at a major teaching hospital in the US. He, his wife and two kids were up visiting us for the weekend.
Over coffee, I was asking him about the state of cancer therapeutics. Although he himself does not administer drugs or design treatments, he is part of a larger team which includes molecular oncologists that perform this task. What I heard was quite surprising.
Read on »
Posted by Alex Palazzo at 7:40 PM • 4 Comments
October 18, 2009
October 16, 2009
Category: Map that Campus
Last week was way too easy. Let's see how fast this one will go.
Here is this week's mystery campus:
Read on »
Posted by Alex Palazzo at 8:35 AM • 5 Comments
October 15, 2009
Category: Pure Biology • Science & Society
So more than a week has gone by and there has been little press about the science Nobels. And I must say that this year's Medicine and Chemistry prizes are some of the most important in quite a while. But even between the two, the Chemistry is especially important.
Why? I'm not sure. Maybe they were overshadowed by Obama's award??? Or maybe science journalists are sleeping on the job.
I can hear them now "Ribosomes ... boring."
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Ribosomes are arguably the most important biological molecule that we know of. I don't have much time to write long essays on the subject so I'll just throw some ideas at you.
Read on »
Posted by Alex Palazzo at 8:16 PM • 19 Comments
October 12, 2009
Category: Lab Life • Pure Biology • Science & Society
Unraveling the ribosome is one of science's Holy Grails. Were God a molecule, he or she would be a ribosome, a veritable galaxy of atoms whose job is to translate genetic code into the stuff of life--protein.
- Brian Maffly, reporter for the Slt Lake Tribune in a recent article, Ramakrishnan: Nobel-winning work started in Utah
(and yes the article features a good friend of mine who worked in Venki's lab)
Posted by Alex Palazzo at 9:45 AM • 0 Comments
Alex Palazzo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at The University of Toronto.
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