Personal Genome Project recruiting

I found the web site of the Personal Genome Project (PGP) while I was looking for genome research that could be applied to cancer prevention and treatment someday. I tried to look deeper into who sponsors the site and why, and discovered that the Harvard Molecular Technology Group & Lipper Center for Computational Genetics is promoting this effort.

The Harvard site says when contacting this group: It would be helpful if you mention your fields of interest or expertise and whether you are interested in being a donor of advice, funds, genome, and/or phenome. Quoting from the overview – some interesting items to ponder: "While the PGP costs are dropping very rapidly, the research and development are high and deserve our support. Current R&D efforts include: (1) higher accuracy, (2) lower costs, (3) user-friendly software, (4) security for private genomes, (5) enhanced access for public genomes, (6) statistical association of genotype, environment, and phenotypes, (7) Ethical, legal and social impacts (ELSI). Part of the personal environmental data will entail "pathogen/allergen weather maps" tracking the spread of recurring and emergent infectious agents in analogy to how we currently track weather for broad audiences. Eventually to get excellent statistics, PGP may require millions of volunteers. Possibly after an initial trial with dozens of volunteers, some fraction of this PGP will transition to a more private model, but only if this is the desire of the volunteers and/or scientific communities. If you would like to help raise funds for general R&D or for specific purposes please contact us."

Oops! How To Correct A Mistake On Your Corporate Blog

Shel Holtz writes in his blog, A shel of my former self, about how two companies used corporate blogs to react to mistakes they made. The example of how Barbara Krause responded should be required reading for anyone interested in corporate blogging.

Nanotechnology and cancer

Wired Magazine covers nanotechnology and cancer. It states that "the National Cancer Institute, which recently announced two waves of funding for nanotech training and research, sees nanotechnology as vital to its stated goal of ‘eliminating suffering and death from cancer by 2015.’"

Wired continues with, "The first cancer nanotech applications will likely involve detection. Nanoparticles could recognize cancer’s molecular signatures, gathering the proteins produced by cancerous cells or signaling the presence of telltale genetic changes. Researchers have already used a protein called albumin — considered a naturally occurring nanoparticle — to detect proteins found in ovarian cancer tissue. Other nanoparticles could adhere to cancerous cells and, when viewed under a magnetic resonance imager or fluorescent light, reveal cancers now hidden to our eyes. How soon these cancer nanotechnologies will be commercially available is hard to guess. Though the NCI’s Cancer Nanotechnology Plan calls for clinical trials on out-of-body applications within three years, and trials on in-body therapies and diagnostics within five years, researchers are cautious about promising too much."

Biologically inspired design

Take a look at this group that is linked to Georgia Tech – and the Bioneers Southeast Forum coming to Atlanta this week:

An interdisciplinary group of scientists and engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology recently formed the Center for Biologically Inspired Design with "the goal of capitalizing on the rich source of design solutions present in biological processes. The researchers believe nature can inspire design and engineering solutions that are efficient, practical, and sustainable and thus have the potential to greatly enhance new technologies, materials, and processes."

The recent press release says, "Bioneers is a network of citizens, scientists, and entrepreneurs that explores practical solutions adapted from natural systems and native cultures and then applies these solutions to fundamental environmental, economic, and social challenges. Its long-term goal is to engage leaders in various fields in a conversation and learning process to help them understand the root causes of the region’s economic, social, and environmental problems. Then leaders can make decisions based on the long-term impacts on the broader community and the natural environment."

The group encourages interaction among its initial 17 members, and it expects an increase in biomimetic research – research in biologically inspired design. Already, however, biomimetic research projects are under way in biosensing, materials design, locomotory devices, systems organization, and "green" technology.