IG Newsletter – Spring 2011

Table of Contents

1. Message from the Scientific Director
2. Feature Stories
3. Funding Opportunities
4. Funding Decisions
5. IG Meetings and Conferences
6. Events of Interest

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1. Message from the Scientific Director

Welcome to the spring 2011 edition of the IG newsletter. As you will see from the following articles, IG has been busy over the past few months with several program launches. A great deal has happened on the rare disease front, with the funding of the FORGE consortium to find rare disease genes in Canadian families, and with the outstanding response from the research community to the Emerging Team Grant competition in rare diseases. We have also attracted additional funds into the Inventions, Tools, and Devices program by merging it with the Collaborative Health Research Program (CHRP), enabling a higher proportion of applications to be funded.

IG is committed to fostering partnerships with other public and private funders, health-related partnerships, and international entities to advance research relevant to its mandate and intended to improve the health of Canadians. Such partnerships are the most effective means of expanding the resources available to our research community. Be sure to watch this space for future announcements about upcoming initiatives in personalized medicine and epigenetics, as well as new international collaborative agreements.

None of this could have been achieved without the commitment and diligence of our Institute Advisory Board members, our Priority and Planning Committees, and our Ottawa- and Montreal-based staff. I am deeply grateful for the impressive efforts and dedication of the individuals who serve IG in these capacities.

In particular, I am very thankful to Dr. Michel Bouvier who is ending his term as Chair of the Institute Advisory Board. Michel joined the IAB in September 2003, and became chair in 2008. He has contributed a great deal to the advancement of our strategic plan, knowledge translation activities and evaluation efforts, including the International Review. He has been a huge help to me during the initial period of my directorship, and a true pleasure to work with at all times.

Michel will be succeeded as Chair by Dr. Brenda Andrews of the University of Toronto, who was first appointed to the board in September 2005. I am looking forward to working with Brenda in this new capacity in the months and years to come.

2. Feature Stories

Government of Canada is committed to finding treatments for pediatric cancers and rare genetic diseases: The Honourable Gary Goodyear (Minister of State, Science and Technology) recently announced $5 million for two new projects that will look at using new genomics technologies to battle rare genetic diseases and pediatric cancers. Researchers will investigate new ways of treating these destructive diseases thanks to a new joint collaborative program between CIHR, Genome Canada, Genome British Columbia and Génome Québec.

• Finding of Rare Disease Genes in Canada (FORGE Canada): Dr. Kym Boycott (Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario) and her team of researchers across Canada plan to study more than 70 childhood genetic disorders. Using new sequencing technology established in Canada they will study a number of children and families across the country in order to help discover disease-causing genes.

• The Canadian Pediatric Cancer Genome Consortium: Dr. Poul Sorensen (University of British Columbia) and his team will use some of the most powerful gene sequencing technologies ever developed to probe the genomes of up to six of the most challenging childhood cancers known. The researchers will use leading edge sequencing technology to rapidly scan the DNA of the entire human genome that is contained in tumour cells.

IG Lap-Chee Tsui 2010 Publication Award Recipients: The Lap-Chee Tsui Publication Award recognizes outstanding published health research carried out by trainees working within the IG's mandate. We are pleased to announce the 2010 Lap-Chee Tsui Publication Award recipients:

Biomedical research category:

• Drs. Yoseph Barash and John Calarco (Deciphering the Splicing Code, Nature 2010; 465:53–59)

Clinical/health services/population health/genetic ethical, legal and social issues category:

• Kimberly Wiegand, PhD candidate (ARID1A Mutations in Endometriosis-Associated Ovarian Carcinomas, N Engl J Med 2010; 363:1532–1543)

IG Inventions program merges with the Collaborative Health Research Projects (CHRP): The IG Inventions: Tools, Techniques and Devices program is an annual funding opportunity designed to encourage Canadian investigators to develop novel tools and techniques, or novel applications of existing tools and techniques. We recognized that the invention and development of new research tools or techniques, or the improvement and application of existing ones, is often crucial and tightly linked to and enabling of scientific discovery.

We have been working closely with NSERC to merge our Inventions program as a Priority Announcement on the CIHR/NSERC CHRP program as a pilot on the March 2011 competition. Merging our Inventions program with CHRP brings in new resources, and responds to the need to reduce the number of programs that the IG launches independently on an annual basis.

Rare Diseases Emerging Teams - Translating Basic Biology to Enhanced Patient Care: This funding opportunity resonated with our community as we have received an impressive response with the submission of 89 Letters of Intent. Along with the CIHR Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes, we are actively working to secure additional partnerships to increase the funds available for this program.

3. Funding Opportunities

Clinical Investigatorship Award
Objective: This award is designed to provide protected time for early-career clinical investigators to undertake clinical or translational genetics research.
Value and Term: Up to $140,000 per annum (including fringe benefits) for up to two years, renewable once
Application Deadline: May 2 2011

4. Funding Decisions

Bridging Operating Grants (Fall 2010 Priority Announcement)
Objective: To provide one year operating grants, affording Principal Investigators an opportunity to resubmit their research proposal without the loss of momentum, staff, or trainees
Competition Results: A total of 3 applications were approved for funding

Clinical Investigatorship Award
Objective: To provide protected time for early-career clinical investigators to undertake clinical or translational genetics research
Competition Results: A total of 4 applications were approved for funding

Genetics - Ethics, Law and Society Operating Grant
Objective: To fund applications that address ethical, legal and social issues relevant to the design, conduct, and application of research involving genetics and genomics
Competition Results: A total of 1 application was approved for funding

Maud Menten New Principal Investigator 2010 Prizes (Biomedical) and (Clinical)
Objective: To recognize and support the research excellence of Canadian New Investigators working within the mandate of the CIHR-IG. The research grant is intended to offset the direct costs of the recipient's research program
Competition Results: Two prize recipients and three finalists

Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Genetics (Fall 2010 Competition)
Objective: To provide partial support for workshops and scientific symposia held in Canada, which fall under the IG's mandate
Competition Results: A total of 5 applications were approved for funding

Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine Emerging Teams
Objective: To fund the creation or development of research teams of investigators undertaking collaborative research in the following areas: nanotechnology applied to health – nanomedicine, stem cells, tissue engineering and rehabilitation sciences
Competition Results: A total of 7 applications were approved for funding

5. IG Meetings and Conferences

Annual Canadian Human Genetics Conference
Objective: To showcase some of the very best genetics in the country and abroad. Plenary Sessions will include: Population Genetics, Non Coding RNA in Human Disease, Molecular Pathogenesis of Disease, Stem Cells and Gene Therapy, Genetic Studies in Animal Models, Systems Biology, Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics.
Next Meeting: April 26-29, 2011, Banff, Alberta
Contact: Patricia Posius (patricia.posius@mcgill.ca)

Annual Canadian Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics Meeting
Objective: To provide an annual forum for the Canadian genetic epidemiology, statistical genetics and population genetics communities. Sessions include new study designs for genetic epidemiology research, results from ground-breaking Canadian studies of complex traits and disorders and analytic issues in genetic epidemiologic studies.
Next Meeting: May 11-13, 2011, King City, Ontario
Contact: Patricia Posius (patricia.posius@mcgill.ca)

10^th Annual New Principal Investigators' Meeting
In partnership with the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
Objective: To facilitate the career development of "newly hatched" health researchers. The meeting fosters the formation of peer networks between the New PIs working in related or overlapping areas of research. In addition, a significant portion of the meeting is devoted to mentoring, both through formal presentations by "star" senior scientists followed by discussion, as well as many informal interactions. New PIs are counseled on grant & paper writing, on running a lab, managing budgets, and interacting with lab personnel.
Next Meeting: November 4-6, 2011, Mont Gabriel, Sainte-Adèle, Quebec
Contact: Patricia Posius (patricia.posius@mcgill.ca)

6. Events of Interest

The 6th International Tunicate Meeting
This biennial meeting is the principal scientific gathering of the international tunicate research community. Topics covered include genetics/genomics, development, regeneration, allorecognition, physiology and biochemistry, chordate evolution, and ecology including invasive species. So that tunicates, a simple model system for chordate developmental genetics, can become better known to the Canadian research community, audience attendance at plenary and poster sessions will be free. As a further outreach measure, an Introduction to Tunicate Research Workshop will be organized at the meeting upon expression of interest by Canadian researchers and trainees (please contact ken.hastings@mcgill.ca).
Next Meeting: July 3-7, 2011 at McGill University

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