Tag: Misc.

“Regulatory genomics approaches to prognosis prediction and interpretation of genetic variation”

Professor Gerald Quon
UC Davis Genome Center

2:10 p.m., Friday 2/26/16, in LSA 1022

Omics technologies can play an important role in many aspects of the management of human health, ranging from the prediction of patient prognosis and response to treatments, to interpretation of genetic variation associated with complex diseases and identification of drug targets. However, the widespread adoption and success of omics technologies in the clinic is still relatively limited due to technical and biological challenges in data collection and interpretation. My research focuses on developing machine learning and statistical approaches to address these challenges, and in this talk, I will discuss two examples. First, I will demonstrate how we have improved transcriptome-based prediction of cancer patient prognosis by developing a computational model to perform in silico micro-dissection of heterogeneous tumor samples. Second, I will present a novel statistical model that predicts the functional impact of non-coding genetic variation associated with complex diseases, and show how we have used this model to gain insight into type 2 diabetes and cholesterol genetics.

Positing this email that I received:

Hi,

The California Raptor Center (located in UCD’s South Campus) lost its education Swainson’s hawk on Wednesday night or Thursday morning during the storm that came through recently. We need help looking for him. Please e-mail Bret at bcstedman if you have any leads.

He can’t survive for very long in the wild. He is virtually blind in one eye and can hardly see through the other, but he can fly. With the strong winds we’ve been having, we have no idea where he might be at this point.

He’s a light-morph Swainson’s hawk. Here’s what he looks like while out for an education/outreach program: https://thetideline.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/swainsons-hawk-2.jpg

One distinguishing characteristic from other Swainson’s hawks that may be visible are the leather anklets he has on both legs. If you get a good look at him, you may also see a bald spot above his right eye.

Thanks!

P.S. Please feel free to distribute this message to any other birding/wildlife/nature groups who could help with the search. The more eyes we have looking for him, the better.

Chancellor’s Colloquium Distinguished Speaker Series

Gene E. Robinson (2.22.16)

"Me to We: Using Honey Bees to Find the Genetic Roots of Social Life"

Gene E. Robinson obtained his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1986 and joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1989. He holds a University Swanlund Chair and is also the director of the Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB) and director of the Bee Research Facility. He is the author or co-author of over 275 publications and pioneered the application of genomics to the study of social behavior, led the effort to gain approval from the National Institutes of Health for sequencing the honey bee genome, and founded the Honey Bee Genome Sequencing Consortium. Monday, February 22, 2016 at 4 p.m. Mondavi Center Studio Theatre.

More information on the series and link to RSVP: http://chancellor.ucdavis.edu/colloquium/

Dean’s Monthly Global Health Night with Shirley Luckhart, PhD

Thursday, March 3rd at 6:30 p.m. Education Building 3202 4610 X Street, Sacramento

Global malaria elimination and eradication – a perspective on the science and challenges behind these efforts

This interactive and informal session with Dr. Luckhart will feature a discussion about the current global impact and status of control measures for malaria. More than 60% of the world’s population is at risk for this mosquito-borne disease and, despite aggressive measures for control, incidence is increasing in some hyperendemic foci. Further, the issue of drug resistance is compounded by multi-drug resistant parasites and mosquito control is limited by insecticide resistance, with few new affordable options. Importantly, however, major international efforts are underway to eliminate malaria region-by-region, with the ultimate goal of worldwide malaria eradication on the global agenda. With these issues, malaria eradication is truly a grand challenge of our time.

About the Speaker

My work for the past 20+ years has focused on malaria. In particular, we have studied malaria parasite development and transmission in laboratory models and transmission of human malaria parasites in the lab and under field conditions in endemic countries. Although the majority of my published work has focused on transmission biology in the mosquito host, we have significantly expanded our work to include pathogenesis of malaria in a variety of model systems. My lab is currently recognized internationally for expertise in the biology of the bloodfeeding interface – that is, how factors in mammalian host blood (drugs, cytokines, parasite factors) influence parasite development and transmission to the mosquito host. Current projects include the study and modeling of cross-species signaling dynamics between mosquitoes and mammals at the bloodfeeding interface, molecular biology of cell signaling pathways that regulate parasite development in the mosquito host, mitochondrial bioenergetics control of tissue homeostasis and immunity in the mosquito host, development of dual anti-malarial therapeutics with transmission blocking activity, pathogenesis of malaria-Salmonella co-infection using both mouse and non-human primate models, and the influence of human HIV co-infection on malaria parasite transmission in Kenya.

GHN 3.3.16 Luckhart.pdf

To be filled in for any NSF grant.

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In order to meet the requirements of the benevolent, wise, and all knowing HR 3293, it is hereby declared in this written declaration that this National Science Foundation grant has been determined to

1) Be eminently worthy of Federal Funding

AND

2) Is without a doubt in the national interest, as indicated by having the incredibly high probability of achieving: [Insert here one or more of the following]

(A) Increased economic competitiveness in the United States;
(B) Advancement of the health and welfare of the American public;
(C) Development of an American STEM workforce that is globally competitive;
(D) Increased public scientific literacy and public engagement with science and technology in the United States;
(E) Increased partnerships between academia and industry in the United States;
(F) Support for the national defense of the United States; or
(G) Promotion of the progress of science for the United States.

Sincerely,

Your humble National Science Foundation Program officer