Glenn Hicks of the Institute for Integrative Genome Biology teaches a workshop at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.

PHOTO CREDIT: G. HICKS, UC RIVERSIDE.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. Before he left for Bangladesh to conduct a workshop this summer, Glenn Hicks of the University of California, Riverside did not quite know what to expect. What he knew was that he would be leading a workshop, called Workshop on Genomics and Proteomics, from July 16 through July 24 at the University of Dhaka, the premier public university in Bangladesh. What his brief visit to that countrys capital taught him, though, was that education is critical for all of our futures and that with patience education could help overcome even great cultural and economic differences.

Aimed at providing an overview of genomics and proteomics, the workshop, the first of its kind that UC Riverside has offered in Bangladesh, was funded by the World Bank and hosted by the University of Dhakas Botany Department.

I learned, too, that many of the research projects in the department were biotechnology-oriented towards solving problems that are important for, and in some cases unique to, Bangladesh projects like plant virus and fungal disease resistance, bioremediation, and production of biomass for feeds and fertilizers, he added.

Faculty and students at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, recently attended a workshop presented by UC Riversides Glenn Hicks.

PHOTO CREDIT: G. HICKS, UC RIVERSIDE.

Hicks found that although the University of Dhaka is a large university, its infrastructure is limited in terms of opportunities for the most up-to-date research and postgraduate studies utilizing advanced methods and technologies. For example, the laboratories he toured had basic equipment for molecular biology research, but access to advanced instrumentation was limited. Still, the students and faculty were eager to learn, he found, and sincere in their desire for more high-quality research.

They have a strong hunger for more contemporary knowledge and hands-on scientific training, Hicks said. Many of the faculty are smart and forward looking. They are acutely aware of the need to target new areas for learning. While some of the highest-technology equipment is not available to them as yet, procuring knowledge is what matters as a start. From there, meaningful projects and focused infrastructure can follow. This was noted by the vice chancellor of the University of Dhaka, Professor Siddique, whom I was able to meet. He was very supportive of future interactions with UCR.

The trip to Bangladesh, his first, was an opportunity for Hicks to make a significant contribution beyond the UCR campus. An early difference he made there was getting the workshop participants to ask questions in the ten lectures he presented.

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Lessons From Bangladesh

Simon Chan, shown in his UC Davis plant biology lab, led the discovery of how to breed plants with genes from only one parent. (Steve Yeater/Associated Press)

Chan had been suffering from primary sclerosing cholangitis, an autoimmune disorder, and developed complications while awaiting a liver transplant.

"Simon was an incredible scientist, superb mentor and a great friend," said James Hildreth, dean of the College of Biological Sciences at UCD. "His brilliant work could fundamentally change how new crop plants are generated and may shed light on how new plant species are formed."

Professor Bill Lucas, chair of the Department of Plant Biology, described Chan as "one of a kind."

"His enthusiasm for his science was contagious and his passion for teaching and mentoring his students served as a true role model for us all. Words cannot express our deep sorrow at losing such a talented and wonderful human being," Lucas said.

Working with the model plant Arabidopsis, Chan's laboratory discovered a way to breed plants with genes from only one parent, making it possible to "breed true" without generations of inbreeding.

In June 2011, Chan was one of two UC Davis scientists selected for the first-ever class of HHMI-GBMF Investigators, funded jointly by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to support promising research in plant sciences. (The other awardee was Jorge Dubcovsky, professor of plant

Chan planned to use the HHMI-GBMF award to expand his work to crop plants such as tomatoes and Chinese cabbage.

Chan was also working with plant breeders in Colombia, Tanzania and Kenya to find new ways to breed bananas, plantain and cassava, staple foods for millions of the world's poorest people. That project was supported by a grant from the NSF-BREAD (Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development) program, a joint initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

Chan was born in 1974 in Auckland, New Zealand, and earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Auckland in 1996. From there he went to UCSF, where he worked with Professor Elizabeth Blackburn, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, and was awarded his doctoral degree in cell biology in 2006.

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UCDs' Simon Chan made plant breakthroughs

Imagine a diabetic with specially engineered cells that detect the rise and fall of his or her blood sugar and administer insulin if needed. Imagine cancer patients intentionally infected with a "smart virus" that can determine if cells are cancerous and then destroy the dangerous cell from the inside. And imagine cells engineered to excrete biofuels or pharmaceutical products.

These are the visions of synthetic biology. A relatively new breed of researchers, synthetic biologists view the future through a lens in which specially designed DNA sequences, proteins and cells do the work of creating compounds, elements and biological materials that help us treat diseases, produce new kinds of medicines and even establish colonies on other planets.

"The big breakthrough 100 years ago was organic chemistry, when people figured out how to make synthetic materials," says Harvard University biologist Pamela Silver. But "a cell is probably an even better chemist."

The concepts behind synthetic biology have since at the least the 1970s, when scientists inserted the genes to make human insulin into E. coli bacteria, but the outcomes of experiments were notably hit and miss. That's changing quickly.

"Now we're coming to a point where, when I say this part does something, other designers can trust it," said Adam Arkin, a professor of engineering and the director of the University of California at Berkeley's synthetic biology institute.

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One project Silver and her colleagues at Harvard are working on is building human and other mammalian cells that can record and remember past events and also be able to "count" forward in time. Such clocked cells would be useful as sensors and could also be part of a new wave of intelligent therapeutics, remembering how a patient's body reacted to previous treatments.

Another project, backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a genetically engineered bacteria named Shewanella.Silver and her team are trying to rejigger the bacteria's photosynthetic pathways so it will accept electricity instead of light as an energy source, an advance that would allow biofuel-excreting microorganisms to be plugged into the grid. The Harvard team is also trying to engineer Shewanella to generate fuel that's similar to diesel fuel or gasoline and which requires no additional chemical processing after being pumped out of the bacteria-filled tank.

"It's a very 'blue sky'-type project," Silver says, meaning that Shewanella's success is uncertain.

Synthetic biology's arrival on the scene coincided with the first International Genetically Engineered Machine competition in 2004, in which five teams worked on building their own biological systems. In that initial competition, a team from the University of Texas at Austin created a bacterial photographic "film" using color-changing bacteria that responded to light input. One image captured on this film was two lines of text: "Hello World."

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Synthetic Biology Turns Cells Into Chemists Producing Treatments For Diabetes And Cancer -- And Easing Journeys To Mars

The soft and transparent protein models will enable researchers to quickly and collaboratively see, touch, and test ideas about molecular interactions and the behavior of proteins. Credit: Masaru Kawakami/Review of Scientific Instruments

Published: Aug. 24, 2012 at 4:55 PM

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- A new soft, transparent and squishy silicone model could offer biology researches hands-on help to learn the secrets of molecules, its Japanese developer said.

Created by Masaru Kawakami a biophysicist researcher at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, it is mostly transparent and easy to manipulate, intended to help researchers more intuitively understand protein structures, positions, and interactions.

The model, described in the American Institute of Physics journal Review of Scientific Instruments, will enable researchers to quickly and collaboratively see, touch and test ideas about molecular interactions and the behavior of proteins, Kawakami said.

"Because my new model is soft, users can deform the model and experience ligand binding or protein-protein association, which has never been possible with other physical molecule models," he said.

"I believe my model would be an effective discussion tool for the classroom or laboratory to stimulate inspired learning."

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'Squishy' model shows cell biology

Simon Chan, an associate professor of plant biology at the University of California, Davis, whose work on plant breeding promised to help some of the world's poorest people, died Aug. 22. He was 38.

Chan had been suffering from primary sclerosing cholangitis, an autoimmune disorder, and developed complications while awaiting a liver transplant.

"Simon was an incredible scientist, superb mentor and a great friend," said James Hildreth, dean of the College of Biological Sciences at UC Davis. "His brilliant work could fundamentally change how new crop plants are generated and may shed light on how new plant species are formed."

Professor Bill Lucas, chair of the Department of Plant Biology, described Chan as "one of a kind."

His enthusiasm for his science was contagious and his passion for teaching and mentoring his students served as a true role model for us all. Words cannot express our deep sorrow at losing such a talented and wonderful human being, Lucas said.

Working with the model plant Arabidopsis, Chan's laboratory discovered a way to breed plants with genes from only one parent, making it possible to "breed true" without generations of inbreeding.

In June 2011, Chan was one of two UC Davis scientists selected for the first-ever class of HHMI-GBMF Investigators, funded jointly by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to support promising research in plant sciences. (The other awardee was Jorge Dubcovsky, professor of plant sciences.)

Chan planned to use the HHMI-GBMF award to expand his work to crop plants such as tomatoes and Chinese cabbage.

Chan was also working with plant breeders in Colombia, Tanzania and Kenya to find new ways to breed bananas, plantain and cassava, staple foods for millions of the world's poorest people. That project was supported by a grant from the NSF-BREAD (Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development) program, a joint initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

Chan was born in 1974 in Auckland, New Zealand, and earned his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from the University of Auckland in 1996. From there he went to UCSF, where he worked with Professor Elizabeth Blackburn, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, and was awarded his doctoral degree in cell biology in 2002.

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Obituary: Simon Chan made breakthroughs in plant breeding