Genome Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Government of Canada, and other public and private partners from across the country have invested $255 million in new health research. Covering cancer, cystic fibrosis, juvenile arthritis, childhood asthma, and many other diseases, the funding is going to the successful applicants in the 2017 Large-Scale Applied Research Project: Genomics and Precision Health, and the 2016 Genomics Technology Platforms – Operations Support and Technology Development Funds competitions.…

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                         Across Canada, the 2018 science fair season is well underway. Students are actively working on projects to be ready for presentation at their school and regional fairs. Organizers at the regional level are busy processing student registrations, seeking out sponsors, and contacting potential judges. Genome Alberta sponsors awards and financial support for regional science fairs in Alberta. We are pleased to recognize the achievements of young student scientists. The Genome Alberta awards are presented…

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                              Artist Sandra Sawatzky's The Black Gold Tapestry now on display at the Glenbow Museum might be one of the most significant modern STEAM projects exhibited in Calgary. It is an impressive work of art that has a major element of science, technology, engineering, art and math. In addition to geology and paleontology, the tapestry is a major study in history. Although I was in awe from a distance at the size and scale of…

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Mohammad Ali (seated), Michael Hendzel (left) and Leo Spyracopoulos discovered that a protein called RYBP prevents cancer cells from repairing themselves, which could make anti-cancer therapies more effective. (Photo: Melissa Fabrizio) University of Alberta researchers have discovered a mechanism that may make cancer cells more susceptible to treatment. Post-doctoral fellow Mohammad Ali and his research team found that the protein RYBP prevents DNA repair in cancer cells, including breast cancer, which in turn could make…

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The Government of Canada is committed to supporting diversity and sustainability in communities and local economies across Manitoba. The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD), announced combined investments of more than $7.6 million towards seven economic development projects in Manitoba. Five of these projects support the development of clean technologies and two support francophone economic development initiatives: Funding for five clean technology…

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Welcome to 2018 and another year where sorting out fact from fiction is time consuming and at times impossible. Sarah Boon, PhD, is a science writer and editor. Her articles about academic culture, women in science, and the environment have appeared in Nature, Outpost, iPolitics, Canadian Science Publishing, CBC’s The Nature of Things, and Science Contours. Sarah is a co-founder and serves on the board of Science Borealis. In this guest post she offers some…

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A good reputation won’t guarantee success in the pork business, but a bad one will break you faster than a ban on bacon. As they continue their work on a Genome Alberta-led project using genomics to boost disease resilience and sustainability in Canadian pork production, researchers understand that all too well. That’s why a big focus of this initiative is supporting Canada’s reputation for providing safe and healthy breeding stock, and why industry is focused…

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                                    Canadians were challenged by the Government of Canada to be the most we could be in 2017 for Canada150. Now that this celebratory year is coming to an end, I’m taking the time to look back over our blogs for the year. Rather than select a ‘top post’ for each month, I highlighted a variety of science topics that we at Genome Alberta explored in 2017. Chronic Wasting Disease was mentioned in the Alberta…

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I watched a recent episode of StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson broadcast on the National Geographic Channel. He was discussing the intersection of storytelling, exploration and science. The set-up of the show has deGrasse Tyson interview a featured guest, then he shares his interview with Chuck Nice, a comedian, Charles Liu, an astrophysicist and a live audience. On this night, the ‘star’ was James Cameron. “You know, I was a real science geek” Cameron I…

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BC Cancer’s Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre (GSC) worked with genetic material from the mother and daughter beluga whales who were cared for at Vancouver Aquarium for almost three decades. The Genome BC funded research was published in the scientific journal Genes. Dr. Steven Jones, head of Bioinformatics at the GSC, led the research with colleagues from the University of British Columbia and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). “Beluga whales Qila and Aurora have contributed…

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