The Philadelphia Science Forum

Happy New Year and Happy Science!

2012-01-17T10:08:00.001-05:00

1、科学的分类（Science Classification）

如果是绿色的或是在摆动，属于生物学的一部份；（If it’s green or it wiggles, it’s part of Biology）

如果发臭，是化学；（If it stinks, it’s Chemistry）

如果得不到结果，属于物理学。（If it doesn’t work, it belongs to Physics）

2、实验室工作者守则（Rules for Laboratory Workers）

如果你不知道你在做什么，做得干净整洁点；（When you don’t know what you’re doing, do it neatly）

首先画个曲线，然后描出你的数据；（First draw your curves, then plot the data）

工作经验和损坏的仪器设备成正比；（Experience is directly proportional to the equipment ruined）

试验必须要可以重复——它们应当以同样的方式失败；（Experiments must be reproducible. They should all fail the same way）

数据记录非常重要——它们表明你一直在工作；（A record of data is essential. It indicates you have been working）

有疑问的时候要让它们听起来很有说服力；（In case of doubt, make it sounds convincing）

不要相信奇迹——要依赖它们；（Do not believe in miracles, rely on them）

实验室里团队协作很重要——使你有其他人可以归咎；（Teamwork is essential in the lab. It allows you to blame someone else）

当得不到结果时，要常常留有解释的余地。（Always leave room to add an explanation when it doesn’t work）

3、菲内格定律、信条及座右铭（Finagle’s Law, Creed, and Motto）

第一定律——如果实验中有任何事情可以出错，就会出错；（First Law – If anything can go wrong with an experiments, it will）

第二定律——不管预期的结果如何，总会有人愿意伪造它；（Second Law – No matter what results is anticipated, there is always someone willing to fake it）

第三定律——不管发生什么，总会有人根据其钟爱的理论而相信它；（Third Law – No matter what occurs, there is always someone who believes it happened according to his pet theory）

第四定律——不管是什么样的结果，总会有人急切地想去胡乱解释它；（Fourth Law – No matter what the result, there is always someone eager to misinterpret it）

信条——科学是真理。不要被事实误导；（Creed – Science is truth. Don’t be misled by facts）

座右铭——微笑；明天会更糟。（Motto – Smile; tomorrow it will be worse）

(Translated by Jian Liu)

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] Circadian Rhythms and Physical Fitness

2011-10-17T11:57:00.001-04:00

Circadian Rhythms are regulated by cell-autonomous molecular feedback loops, termed circadian clock that modulates the daily physiological processes to optimize the maximal physiological fitness. Many important aspects of processes, for example, daily rest/activity cycle, blood pressure, metabolic rates and many more, are known to be under the regulation of circadian clocks. Dr. Yang will tell us not only how circadian clock generally works, but also how PPARgamma, a transcription factor, is able to regulate a critical circadian clock transcription factor BMAL1 and regulate behavioral and metabolic circadian rhythms. Come join us and see how circadian clock is also regulating the biology you are working on.

Title: PPARγ Is a Master Regulator of Circadian Rhythms of Behavior and Metabolism
Speaker: Dr. Guangrui Yang, Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania
Time: 10/26/2011, Wednesday, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Venue: Clinical Research Building (CRB) room 302
Drink and Snack will be provided at the seminar.

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] 名家讲坛: 于丹《感悟东方智慧》& 程凯《通畅身体母亲河》

2011-10-13T11:31:00.003-04:00

We are delighted to announce that two Chinese scholars, Dan Yu and Kai Chen, will give us two lectures at the Chemistry Building Room 102, UPenn on Nov 12, Saturday. The lectures will be given in Chinese. Pre-registration is required. Please refer to the attached flyer.

文化中国 - 名家讲坛

于丹: 著名中国古典文化学者, 演讲标题《感悟东方智慧》

程凯:著名中医专家，医学博士, 演讲标题《通畅身体母亲河》

地点 (Location): University of Pennsylvania Chemistry Building 102

231 South 34th St. Philadelphia PA 19104

时间 (Time): 11月12日星期六

10:00 AM -12:00 PM (于丹)

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (程凯)

主办: 美国亚洲文化中心

http://www.asiancc.net

协办: 费城科学论坛

http://www.newpsf.org

特别鸣谢: 中国海外交流协会

讲座免费，工作语言中文，需网上注册

https://docs.google.com/a/acngusa.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEVMNEJ1ZUJ1YnUzZzlwZFdJYmhHb3c6MQ

查询电话： 212－679－8833 ext 118

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] Merck Director 分享职场经验及Q&A_July 23rd, Saturday 2-5pm

2011-07-17T19:31:00.004-04:00

Career Development Association at Penn
Philadelphia Science Forum
Society for Clinical and Biomedical Research

Individual's Growth and
Success within a Team

Zak Huang, MD
Director, Worldwide Regulatory Affairs
Merck & Co., Inc

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011 2 - 5pm
Clinic Research Building 302
415 Curie Blvd

How do you improve yourself?
Why should others like you? Respect you?
How do you interact with your team?
How do you lead and influence others?

If interested in attending this event, please RSVP by clicking here,
or to careerdevassoc@gmail.com Space is limited.
Please include school / program, your graduation year and
your interested fields or industries.

Dr. Zak Huang received medical training from Nanjing Medical College, and practiced medicine for 7 years in Jiangsu Province Hospital, Nanjing, China. He has acquired a broad range of experience in pharmaceutical, biologics and medical device development, both in clinical research and regulatory affairs. He designed and conducted clinical trials at University of Minnesota, Guidant Corporation (now Boston Scientific) and Eli Lily & Co. His career in regulatory affairs started at Guidant in 2002, providing regulatory leadership on Class III medical device programs. In 2004, Dr. Huang joined Merck & Co., Inc. as Director of Worldwide Regulatory Affairs, leading global regulatory teams. He has been in charge of regulatory strategy for development programs of pharmaceutical and biologics products, and alignment between program development and regulatory strategy. Externally, he has been the company representative on specific products, liaising with regulatory authorities, especially, the U.S. FDA, for all regulatory issues. At Merck, he has received "Award of Excellence", "Division Award" or "Special Achievement Award" 11 times, with 4 awards directly related to special contributions to China-related activities.

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] How is the nucleotide coding sequence related to a posttranslational modification?

2011-04-16T16:09:00.001-04:00

It's our great honor to invite Dr Fangliang Zhang from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary to give a PSF series talk on "How is the nucleotide coding sequence related to a posttranslational modification?". During the talk Dr. Zhang will also share with us his experience on looking for a tenure track position in the US.

Speaker: Fangliang Zhang, PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary

Time: April 27 Wednesday 6:00-7:30pm

Venue: Clinical Research Building (CRB) room 302

Abstract: Actin is the major component of microfilament cytoskeleton. Nonmuscle cells contact two actin isoform beta and gamma actin, which are extremely similar in amino acids. Beta-actin is found to have N-terminal arginylation, which regulates its function. However gamma-actin was never found to be arginylated on the same site in vivo. To investigate this puzzle, we check the metabolic fate of artificially arginylated gamma-actin and found it is highly unstable and selectively ubiquitinated and degraded in vivo compared to the beta-actin. This instability was regulated by the differences in the nucleotide coding sequence between the two actin isoforms, which conferred different translation rates. Gamma-actin was translated more slowly than Beta-actin, and this slower processing resulted in the exposure of a normally hidden lysine residue for ubiquitination, leading to the preferential degradation of gamma-actin upon arginylation. This is the first demonstration that the nucleotide coding sequence can be utilized to regulate protein posttranslational state.

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] The role of c-Abl tyrosine kinase in T cell actin responses

2011-03-26T10:32:00.002-04:00

You are cordially invited to the next PSF series talk by Dr. Yanping Huang from the Children Hospital of Philadelphia.

Cells are not bags of soup largely because actin skeleton plays huge roles in organizing the subcellular structures and helping cargo transporting etc during many cellular processes, facts that deserve much more attention in biological/clinical researches. Dr. Huang will introduce to us the actin biology. Most importantly, she will talk on her new finding on how T-cell actin responses are regulated by T-cell signaling pathway through the tyrosine kinase c-Abl.

Brief introduction:

Virtually every aspect of T lymphocyte function, including differentiation, migration and effector function depends on regulated reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. Dysregulation of these events is associated with immunodeficiency and autoimmunity, as well as leukemia and lymphoma. As in other cell types, T cell actin responses are controlled by the coordinated action of multiple actin regulatory proteins, which function downstream of a complex network of kinases and other signaling molecules. The Abl nonreceptor tyrosine kinases, which include c-Abl and Abl-related gene (Arg), are well known for their relationships with leukemia. c-Abl and Arg play an important role in regulating actin responses in other cell types, but their role in T cells are poorly understood. We have found that c-Abl is a key player in the T cell signaling cascade, leading to actin reorganization during T cell activation (Blood. 2008, 112 (1): 111-9). Our current studies focus on identifying Abl family kinase substrates in T cells, and determining how Abl family kinases and their substrates cooperate to regulate T cell actin remodeling.

Please join the talk on Friday (April 1) from 4:30-6:30pm at the Clinical Research Building room 302. Refreshment will be served.

[PSF实用讲座系列] 2010 个人及家庭报税讲座 Mar 28 6PM @DRL A6

2011-03-23T17:55:00.003-04:00

Time: March 28 (Monday) 6：00－7：30 PM (open to all)

Location: Room A6, David Rittenhouse Laboratory, 33rd and Walnut Streets

2010 个人及家庭报税讲座

一年一度的报税季节已经来了。美国是一个高收入高税收的国家, 家庭“税”的管理极其重要。政府提供了许多有税上好处的政策, 但不同的人可以享受的税的优惠也不同。目前的优惠政策大多有一定的有效期。潜在的税的问题不可忽视。税法是美国最繁杂的法律之一，尤其很多中国过来的留学生更是对每年的1040表知之甚少。常见问题有：

What’s Filing Status for individual tax?
What’s AGI and Taxable Income?
What’s Marginal tax rate and Effective tax rate?
What’s Social Security tax, Medicare tax and Self-employment tax?
What’s Schedule A, B, C, D?
What’s Capital Gain and Dividends tax?
What’s Estate and Gift tax?
What’s AMT?
F1, J1, OPT, H1B, FICA taxes?

你想知道怎么去填1040（NR）表，你想知道今年税法有什么新的改变，你想知道今年政府给了多少credit，你想知道F，J，Q，M签证，CPT，OPT，H1B牵涉的税务问题吗？你想知道F1学生能否拿回所有的联邦税以及对申请绿卡的影响？填错的税表怎样去修正？所有这些问题都会由专家给你解答。 (信息量很大，请带好纸笔。）

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] MicroRNA: Take the Stress Out of Your Life. - Role of miR-144/451 in Red Blood Cell Development ( 6-7:30pm on Thur, Mar. 17 @ CRB 302)

2011-03-09T20:53:00.001-05:00

Duonan Yu, M.D. Ph.D.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Division of Hematology

Thursday, March 17, 2011

6-7:30pm

CRB 302

Refreshments will be served.

Abstract

The bicistronic microRNA (miRNA) locus miR-144/451 is highly expressed during erythrocyte development, We show that miR-144/451 ablation in mice causes mild erythrocyte instability and increased susceptibility to damage after exposure to oxidant drugs. This phenotype is deeply conserved, as miR-451 depletion synergizes with oxidant stress to cause profound anemia in zebrafish embryos. At least some protective activities of miR-451 stem from its ability to directly suppress production of 14-3-3z, a phospho-serine/threonine-binding protein that inhibits nuclear accumulation of transcription factor FoxO3, a positive regulator of erythroid anti-oxidant genes. Thus, in miR-144/451_/_ erythroblasts, 14-3-3z accumulates, causing partial relocalization of FoxO3 from nucleus to cytoplasm with dampening of its transcriptional program, including anti-oxidant-encoding genes Cat and Gpx1. Supporting this mechanism, overexpression of 14-3-3z in erythroid cells and fibroblasts inhibits nuclear localization and activity of FoxO3. Moreover, in vivo shRNA suppression of 14-3-3z protects miR-144/451_/_ erythrocytes against peroxide-induced destruction, and restores catalase activity. Our findings define a novel miRNA-regulated pathway that protects erythrocytes against oxidant stress, and, more generally, illustrate how a miRNA can influence gene expression by altering the activity of a key transcription factor.

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] Impact of the tumor microenvironmental stress on viral oncogenesis (12:00-1:30pm on Monday, February 28 at CRB 302)

2011-02-28T09:14:00.001-05:00

The next PSF series seminar by Dr. Qiliang Cai will focus on impact of the tumor microenvironmental stress on viral oncogenesis.

Seminar will start at 12:00 pm on Monday, February 28 at CRB 302. For details, please check the PSF group message.

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座]: Impact of the tumor microenvironmental stress on viral oncogenesis (12:00-1:30pm on Monday, February 28 at CRB 302)

2011-02-21T08:47:00.001-05:00

You are invited to the next PSF series seminar, Impact of the tumor microenvironmental stress on viral oncogenesis presented by Dr. Qiliang Cai. The seminar will be hold from 12:00 to 1:30pm on Monday, February 28 at CRB 302.

For more details, please join our forum group.

[Career Development] Explore your career path: The road from a scientist to a patent agent

2011-02-16T11:06:00.001-05:00

Career Development Association
at the University of Pennsylvania
and Philadelphia Science Forum Present

Explore your career path:
The road from a scientist to
a patent agent

Yuqi Li, PhD

李裕琦

A self-development and job hunting story from
a Chinese Scientist in the US

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011
Clinical Research Building, Room 302
415 Curie Boulevard
5:00pm-6:30 pm
Dinner will be provided

Space is limited. Please RSVP by
https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEJ4Z3gzT2tsTGhaRDUzRGhfVndKLWc6MQ
If you have any questions, please contact careerdevassoc@gmail.com

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] Grant Application: Pathway to Independence, Dec10th 4:30pm CRB 302

2010-12-05T19:58:00.003-05:00

Grant Application: Pathway to Independence

presented by

Long Ding, Ph.D.
Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania
Recipient of a Pathway to Independence (K99/R00) award from the National Eye Institute

Ronghua Meng, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Awardee of American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellowship

Yuting Zhao, Ph.D. candidate
Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania
Awardee of American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship

Friday, Dec 10, 2010
4:30-6:30pm
Clinical Research Building (CRB, 415 Curie Boulevard) Room 302

Pizza and beverage will be served.

Photos here.

Some useful links:

NIH Career Development Awards

NIH Grants

NIH Grants Q&A

Grant Writing Workbook

A farewell dinner for Dr. Miao Wang - This coming Tuesday

2010-11-29T14:06:00.000-05:00

The president of the PSF standing board, Dr. Miao Wang, will leave for a new career. We will hold a farewell dinner for him. Please join us and say thank-you to him for his endeavors in organizing and promoting our forum.

Time: 5:30PM, November 30 (Tuesday)
Venue: SangKee Noodle House
Address: 3549 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] HTS effort in finding therapeutics for SARS & Ebola virus infection -- 5:30-7:00 PM, Nov 17, 2010 (Wednesday) at CRB 302

2010-11-04T20:40:00.003-04:00

Tianhua Wang, a PhD candidate at department of engineering and applied science, UPenn, will present: HTS effort in finding therapeutics for SARS & Ebola virus infection.

Abstract:

A thiocarbazate compound was initially identified as a potent cathepsin L (EC 3.4.22.15) inhibitor via an high-throughput screening (HTS) effort at Penn Centre for Molecular Discovery. Molecular docking technique was employed to explore the interaction between the inhibitor and the enzyme and identified particular moieties responsible for binding affinity. These efforts have led to the discovery of a tetrahydroquinoline oxocarbazate (PubChem CID 23631927) which was tested to be an inhibitor of human cathepsin L and an entry blocker of SARS coronavirus and Ebola pseudotype virus. The compound demonstrated activity in blocking both SARS-CoV (IC50 = 273±49 nM) and Ebola virus (IC50 = 193±39 nM) entry into HEK 293T cells while the thiocarbazate compound did not show efficacy in the assay. In an attempt to trace the intracellular action of the inhibitors with intracellular cathepsin L, the activity based probe DCG-04 was used to label the active site of cysteine proteases in 293T lysates. The reduction in active cathepsin L in inhibitor treated cells correlated well with the observed potency of inhibitors observed in the virus pseudotype infection assay. This study helped explain the observed difference in potency and further confirmed the validity of targeting cathepsin-L to find therapeutics for SARS and Ebola infection.

Come to learn how to trace the intracellular action. Refreshments will be provided. The talk will be held at CRB 302, Wednesday, 5:30 - 7:00 PM, Nov 17, 2010.

[PSF series talk/费城科学论坛系列讲座] Insight to the Development of the Heart -- October 13 (Wednesday) 6-7:30pm

2010-10-07T11:51:00.004-04:00

The next PSF series seminar will be presented by

Yuzhen Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.

University of Pennsylvania

Departments of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology

“Insight to the Development of the Heart - a molecular biology viewpoint”

Wednesday, Oct 13, 2010

6-7:30pm

CRB 302

Abstract

Cardiomyocyte proliferation is high in early development and decreases progressively with gestation, resulting in the lack of a robust cardiomyocyte proliferative response in the adult heart after injury. Little is understood about how both cell-autonomous and nonautonomous signals are integrated to regulate the balance of cardiomyocyte proliferation during development. In this study, we show that a single transcription factor, Foxp1, can control the balance of cardiomyocyte proliferation during development by targeting different pathways in the endocardium and myocardium. Endocardial loss of Foxp1 results in decreased Fgf3/Fgf16/Fgf17/Fgf20 expression in the heart, leading to reduced cardiomyocyte proliferation. This loss of myocardial proliferation can be rescued by exogenous Fgf20, and is mediated, in part, by Foxp1 repression of Sox17. In contrast, myocardial-specific loss of Foxp1 results in increased cardiomyocyte proliferation and decreased differentiation, leading to increased myocardial mass and neonatal demise. We show that Nkx2.5 is a direct target of Foxp1 repression, and Nkx2.5 expression is increased in Foxp1-deficient myocardium. Moreover, transgenic overexpression of Nkx2.5 leads to increased cardiomyocyte proliferation and increased ventricular mass, similar to the myocardial-specific loss of Foxp1. These data show that Foxp1 coordinates the balance of cardiomyocyte proliferation and differentiation through cell lineage-specific regulation of Fgf ligand and Nkx2.5 expression.

Come to learn the roles of transcription factors in the balance of cardiac proliferation and differentiation. Refreshments will be served.

[CRSS seminar] Consideration on Pharmacokinetic Monitoring Service by Dr. Toshimi Kimura

2010-09-27T21:48:00.003-04:00

A clinical research seminar on considerations in pharmacokinetic monitoring service by Dr. Toshimi Kimura, Director, Department of Pharmacy, Tokyo Woman's Medical University Hospital will be held on Sep 30, 2010. This event is co-sponsored by Laboratory for Applied PK/PD at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Society for Clinical and Biomedical Research.

Title: Considerations in Pharmacokinetic Monitoring Service
Speaker: Toshimi Kimura, Ph.D., Department of Pharmacy, Tokyo Woman's Medical University Hospital
Date: September 30, 2010
Time: 5:30-6:20 pm, Seminar; 6:30-7:00 pm, Q&A
Location: Room 3040, Colket Translational Research Building (CTRB), 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104

(CTRB is an 11-floor new building located at the corner of Civic Center Boulevard and West Service Drive, please see the map at http://www.chop.edu/img/visitors/main-campus-map.html, or contact Di Wu for direction)

Abstract: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is important job for pharmacists. Therapeutic window and regimen should be updated and well understood. In 2009, a consensus review of vancomycin (VCM) TDM has been released by The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), which has influenced on the entire world. The consensus review of VCM, opinion of Japanese society of chemotherapy, and concepts of TDM easily mistaken, will be described and discussed.

Light refreshments will be served prior to seminar. If you have any questions about the event, please email Di Wu at wudi@email.chop.edu or call Di Wu at 215-590-8797 in the daytime. Please come early and be prepared to ask questions. Dr. Kimura is happy to provide perspectives on career development and advise on difference of pharmacy practice between Japan and United States.

Biography – Toshimi Kimura, Ph.D.
Dr. Kimura is Visiting Professor from Japan supported by The Japanese Research Foundation for Clinical Pharmacology and Director of Department of Pharmacy, Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital which has 1,423 beds and 76 pharmacists. He is a Council of the Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and Council of the Japanese Society of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. His specialty is TDM, pharmacometrics, infectious disease, oncology, drug information and pediatrics. He continues to contribute in the area of pediatric pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study while working as a hospital pharmacist and as a specialist of TDM from 1986. He is in charge of a supervisor of the pharmacokinetic analysis of some clinical trials in Japan. He was awarded the arts and sciences prize for encouragement of the Japan Antibiotics Research Association in 2001 and the society prize for encouragement of The Japanese Society of Chemotherapy in 2007 related to pharmacometric analysis of pediatric diseases. Currently Dr. Kimura is collaborating with Laboratory for Applied PK/PD at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in order to adapt pharmacometric technology to clinical research and bridge study in pediatric patients.

费城科学论坛系列讲座/PSF series talk: Helicobacter Pylori and gastric cancer -- 5:30-7:00pm, September 23 (Thursday) at CRB 302

2010-09-09T15:46:00.002-04:00

Helicobacter Pylori was discovered in 1982 and has won the discoverers Robin Warren and Barry Marshall a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2005. Before the discovery, people had attributed the then-unknown causes of peptic ulcer diseases to stress and lifestyle. But now it's known that "Helicobacter pylori causes more than 90% of duodenal ulcers and up to 80% of gastric ulcers."---- and "the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the world", too!

Time: September 23 (Thursday) 5:30-7:00pm
Venue: CRB room 302
Speaker: Huaisheng Lu, Ph.D.
Title: Helicobacter Pylori and gastric cancer

Abstract: Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the world, representing 876,000 new cases and accounting for 405,000 deaths each year. It has been considered that Helicobacter pylori infection is the main risk factor of gactric cancer. H.pylori is a gram-negative bacterium, it infects more more than half of the world population and its infection causes various gastric diseases. The infection is occurred at the childhood and will persist for the lifespan of host if without antibiotic treatment. Despite only a few will develop gastric cancer, the high rate of infection is still made it the big problem.

Because gastric cancer is mainly occurred in East Asian countries, especially in Japan, China and Korea, at this time, Dr. Huaisheng Lu will introduce why the occurrence of gastric cancer is regional different and what are the mechanisms of H.pylori infection-related gastric cancer.

For event details, future event announcement, or subscription to the discussion group, please visit www.newPSF.org. Attendees are encouraged to send an email to emailPSF@gmail.com for registration.

中国科学院青岛生物能源与过程研究所 8月9日费城人才招聘会

2010-08-03T12:54:00.002-04:00

费城科学论坛(Philadelphia Science Forum, PSF)和北大费城校友会(PUPA)将于8月9日主办大费城地区的中国科学院青岛生物能源与过程研究所的招聘会。

中国科学院青岛生物能源与过程研究所由中国科学院、山东省和青岛市于2009年11月30日三方共建，是中国科学院新建的直属科研机构。该所组建了生物资源、能源应用技术、生物材料、生物催化与转化等4个科研中心。做为一个新所，青岛生物能源与过程研究所将在美国招聘50名包括百人计划在内的项目负责人。招聘团将于8月9日，10日两天（下周一，二）在大费城地区宣传招聘。

彭辉副所长和呂雪峰研究员将给我们带来该所的招聘信息。欢迎有志于回国工作的同学们朋友们拨冗前来招聘会询问，商谈。

招聘会时间：8月9日 5:00-7:00pm

招聘会地点：University of Pennsylvania, Houston Hall, Bodek Lounge

3417 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

招聘专业：生物化学；微生物学；生物信息学；生物化工；

发酵工程；化学工程；材料学；有机化学；计算化学；

高分子化学；器件物理学；环境工程；热能工程等

招聘岗位：百人计划；研究员；副研究员

该所2010年骨干人才招聘需求的详细资料请登录PSF论坛。

临床科研与应用讲座：Developing the Clinical Pharmacology Section of a US Package Insert, by Dr. Phil Mayer on July 14, 2010

2010-06-18T11:37:00.001-04:00

You are cordially invited to a clinical research seminar by Dr. Philip Mayer, Assistant Vice President of Pfizer, Inc. on the development of the Clinical Pharmacology section of a package insert. Dr. Mayer is President-elect for American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and has considerable industrial experience in both the Drug Metabolism and Clinical Pharmacology areas. His bio appears below. This event is co-sponsored by the Pediatric Basis of Therapeutics Research Affinity Group at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Society for Clinical and Biomedical Research.

Title: Developing the Clinical Pharmacology Section of a U.S. Package Insert--Protonix

Date: July 14, 2010

Time: 5:00-5:15pm, Welcome and Registration; 5:15-6:00 pm, Dinner and Network; 6:00-7:00 pm, Seminar and Q&A.

Location: Room 3040, Colket Translational Research Building (CTRB), 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (CTRB is an 11-floor new building located at the corner of Civic Center Boulevard and West Service Drive, please see the map at http://www.chop.edu/img/visitors/main-campus-map.html)

Abstract: The package insert/product labeling is the final summary of many years of research and development on a new drug. Each sentence of each section should be precise and referenced to the full NDA submission. This presentation will summarize what studies are performed to generate data for the clinical pharmacology section of a package insert through an example, Protonix, as the ADME processes, special population pharmacokinetics and drug interactions are assessed.

Food and drink is served upon registration. Please register with Di Wu at wudi@email.chop.edu for better food preparation and room reservation. If you have any questions about the event, please call Di Wu at 215-590-8797 in the daytime.

Please come to learn more about the process and science of developing the Clinical Pharmacology Section of the package insert. This information is vital to the dosing and guidance of pharmacotherapy management as well as a highly negotiated document constructed in collaboration with FDA. We are very fortunate to have such an established world leader and senior scholar as Dr. Mayer. Please come early and be prepared to ask questions. Dr. Mayer is happy to advise on topics of career development and provide perspective on academic versus industrial paths as well.

费城科学论坛系列讲座/PSF series talk: 6:00-7:30pm Wed (June 16) at CRB Room 302

2010-06-08T08:37:00.004-04:00

It is our great pleasure to invite Dr. Stacy L. Gelhaus, Chair of the Board of Directors, National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) to give a special talk for Philadelphia Science Forum (PSF) seriestalk. NPA shares the same mission as PSF regarding serving the graduate students and research professionals.

Stacy's talk includes two parts.

The first part is focused on biochemical metabolisms of environmental carcinogens, titled as "Paradoxical down-regulation of benzo[a]pyrene-mediated DNA-adduct formation by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in human lung cells". See below for abstract. The second part will be "Overview of the National Postdoctoral Association".

The talk is scheduled 6:00-7:30pm Wed (June 16) at Clinical Research Building (CRB) Room 302, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Speaker: Stacy L. Gelhaus, PhD (Centers for Cancer Pharmacology and Excellence in Environmental Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA 19104)

Abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous, environmental pollutants. Benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a prototypic PAH, is often used to elucidate the pathways of metabolic activation. Metabolism of B[a]P by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1/1B1 and epoxide hydrolase results in the formation of the ultimate carcinogen, (+)-anti-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-B[a]P(B[a]PDE). B[a]PDE is able to translocate to thenucleus where it forms DNA-adducts, primarily (+)-anti-trans-B[a]PDE-N²-dGuo(B[a]PDE-dGuo). Typically, pre-treatment of cells with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) will induce CYP1A1/1B1 expression through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway thus causing an increase in B[a]PDE-dGuo formation. Unexpectedly, TCDD induction caused a decrease in B[a]PDE-dGuo formation versus the untreated, control human bronchoalveolar, H358 cells. Further investigation revealed that the TCDD-mediated decrease in B[a]PDE-dGuo simultaneously occurs with anincrease in B[a]P-glutathione-adduct formation. All adductswere monitored by stable isotope dilution liquid chromatography-massspectrometry. This study reveals that the subtle balance between activation and detoxification of B[a]P in lung cells.

It would be an excellent oportunityto enjoy science and get deep insights into the esteemed national organization. Snack and beverage will be served.

For event details, future event announcement, or subscription to the discussion group, please visit www.newPSF.org. Attendees are encouraged to send an email to emailPSF@gmail.com for registration.

Photos are here.

Advisory board - updated

2010-05-21T23:32:00.001-04:00

As of May 21, 2010

Professors at UPenn

Prof. Peter Sterling (Neuroscience)
Prof. Sally Zigmond (Biology)
Prof. Noga Vardi (Neuroscience)
Prof. Robert G Smith (Neuroscience)
Prof. Minghong Ma (Neuroscience)

Lecturer, The Wharton School, UPenn

Lawrence Gelburd, MBA

Senior Research Investigator at UPenn

Dr. Patricia Y Tsao (Rheumatology)

Temple University School of Medicine
Prof. Wenzhe Ho (Pediatrics)

Professors at CHOP (The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
Prof. Hongming Zhuang (Radiology)

Other senior professionals
Weihong Hsing, PhD, JD (Attorney at Law)
Di Wu, PhD, FCP
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, CHOP
Kinetic Modeling and Simulation Core, UPenn

Guest Professor, Central South University

Corresponding advisor
Prof. Shigang He (Neuroscience)

临床科研系列讲座: Cardiovascular manifestations in Williams Syndrome by R. Thomas Collins, II, M.D. on May 19, 2010

2010-05-12T15:21:00.002-04:00

You are cordially invited to attend a seminar in Clinical Research Seminar Series (临床科研系列讲座) by R. Thomas Collins, II, M.D.

Title: Cardiovascular manifestations in Williams Syndrome: What do we know, and where do we go from here?

Speaker: R. Thomas Collins, M.D.
Fellow of Cardiology, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
CHOP Annual Poster Day 2010 winner

Abstract: Williams syndrome (WS) is a multisystem developmental disorder effecting 1 in 8,000 live births. The commonest manifestations of WS are cardiovascular in nature, often involving stenoses of arterial vessels. Sudden death is another known risk for patients with WS. Recent work at CHOP has shown that abnormalities in cardiac repolarization are more common in patients with WS, and this could contribute to sudden death. This seminar will detail the cardiovascular research in WS that has been ongoing at CHOP, and will discuss future directions for research in these patients.

Organized by Kinetic Modeling and Simulation Core at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Science Forum, Laboratory for Applied PK/PD at CHOP

Location: Conference Room 3058, Colket Translational Research Building (CTRB), 34th St & Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Date & Time: 12:00-1:00 pm, May 19 (Wednesday), 2010

Pizza and drink will be served upon registration. Please register with Di at wudi@email.chop.edu for your attendance (name, department/school/affiliation) by 4 pm on May 18, 2010.

How to get to CTRB
CTRB is located on the corner of Civic Center Blvd and W. Service Dr. The glass-door entrance to A level of CTRB is located at the corner of W. service Dr. and Health Service Dr. Once getting into the A level of the CTRB, please go upstairs to the first floor and present CHOP ID (or sign in as a visitor) to the security officer at the security desk. Then follow the sign on the wall to get to the passenger elevator (to 2nd , 3rd , 4th , 5th , 6th floor). Conference Room 3058 is at the 3rd floor in CTRB.

Please check the CHOP map via the weblink listed below or attached map.
http://www.chop.edu/img/visitors/main-campus-map.html

费城科学论坛系列讲座(PSF series talk): 诱导多能干细胞(iPS cells)和在CdLS中的应用研究

2010-04-22T17:20:00.001-04:00

The iPS cell research is an extremely important break-through in life sciences in recent years, opening brand new doors for both basic life science research and the clinical endeavor to curb diseases. Dr Dongbin Xu from CHOP will kindly give us a talk to both review the development of this exciting field and present how he develops iPS cells from Cornelia de Lange Syndrome patients in exploring the mechanism of the syndrome and more.

We hope you mark your calendar and join us for the talk and discussion at CRB room 302 on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, from 5:50pm. Refreshment will be served.

费城科学论坛BBQ烧烤活动 -- a farewell party for Xu Ying

2010-04-21T07:45:00.003-04:00

The spring is here and it's the time to have some fun outside of your lab and office. It's the time to meet the new and old friends. Let's eat, chat, hike and play, forgetting about the science......or not.

On April 24 (Saturday), the Philadelphia Science Forum will have an annual picnic event. This particular annual even will highlight the farewell to Ms Xu Ying, a founder of the Philadelphia Science Forum, who will take a faculty position at Guanzhou, China. This BBQ picnic will be held at the Ridley Creak State Park:
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=UTF-8&gfns=1&q=39.942193,+-75.453127

Please RSVP by emailing with your name and number of persons to PSFregister@gmail.com to register to this event by next Wednesday (April 21). A $10 fee is due at the event for each person.

Photos here (by Xiaoyu).

Advisory Board - Updated

2010-04-11T19:32:00.002-04:00

As of April 14, 2010

Professors at UPenn

Prof. Peter Sterling (Neuroscience)
Prof. Sally Zigmond (Biology)
Prof. Noga Vardi (Neuroscience)
Prof. Robert G Smith (Neuroscience)
Prof. Minghong Ma (Neuroscience)

Lecturer, The Wharton School, UPenn

Lawrence Gelburd, MBA

Senior Research Investigator at UPenn

Dr. Patricia Y Tsao (Rheumatology)

Temple University School of Medicine
Prof. Wenzhe Ho (Pediatrics)

Professors at CHOP (The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
Prof. Hongming Zhuang (Radiology)

Other professionals
Weihong Hsing, PhD (Attorney at Law)

Corresponding advisor

Prof. Shigang He (Neuroscience)

PSF event next Wednesday: Should You Apply for a Patent?

2010-04-07T15:45:00.003-04:00

Event Name: PSF Event: Should You Apply for a Patent?
Event Sponsor: GAPSA
Event Date & Time: Wednesday, April 14th, 6:00pm to 8:00 pm
Event Location: 302, Clinical Research Building
415 Curie Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Patent protection is crucial to the modern pharmaceutical and biotech industries. A potential breakthrough in discovery or technology can have great impact on the global marketplace. Should you try to capitalize your research results by applying for a patent? What can be patented? What are required for you to get a patent? Who owns the patent? What can you do with a patent?

PSF is honored to invite Dr. Weihong Hsing, JD, PhD, Patent Attorney at Panitch Schwarze Belisario & Nadel LLP, to hold a lecture to address these basic questions and discuss any issues you may have relating to pharmaceutical and biotech patenting.

Snacks and drinks will be served. The seminar will be held in English.

Photos are here (by Xiaoyu)

PUPA SAPA-GP Career Planning Workshop

2010-03-31T20:59:00.001-04:00

You are cordially invited to Greater Philadelphia Area Career Planning Workshop on April 10, 2010 (Saturday), 10 am – 1 pm at Claudia Cohen Hall G17 Auditorium, University of Pennsylvania (249 South 36th Street, Philadelphia PA 19104, local map is as below with nearby parking lots highlighted). The seminar features a panel of 3 industry executives with professional leadership in pharmaceutical R&D, technology transfer and marketing. The workshop is aimed to help students, postdocs and professionals get well prepared for the workplace and to live fulfilling careers.

The seminar series is open to the public and is jointly organized by Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professional Association and Peking University Philadelphia Alumni Penn Office, sponsored by SASgov at University of Pennsylvania. It is a great opportunity for students, postdocs, and scholars in the greater Philadelphia area to network and learn from veteran leaders from the industry, and to develop a successful career.

Time: 10 am – 1 pm, Saturday, April 10, 2010
Place: Claudia Cohen Hall G17 Auditorium, University of Pennsylvania
249 South 36th Street, Philadelphia PA 19104
http://www.facilities.upenn.edu/map.php

Target audience: Graduate students, postdocs, and professionals in academia and industry

Agenda

9:30 am -10:00 am On-site registration (free), Refreshments

10:00 am -10:10 am Welcome

10:10 am -11:10 am Speaker presentation

Liu, Mike MD. PhD. Senior Clinical Development Manager,
Global Clinical Development Center, GSK Biologicals

Chen, Erli PhD. Director of Nanotechnology Licensing,
Center for Technology Transfer, University of Pennsylvania.

Wang, Mingbo MBA. Global Strategic Marketing at Johnson & Johnson

Li, Yunsong (Frank) PhD. Senior Research Biochemist, Merck

11:10 am -12:30 pm Q & A and Panel discussion

12:30 pm Conclusion

Co-Organizers:
• SAPA-GP: Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association – Greater Philadelphia Chapter
• PUPA: Peking University Philadelphia Association
Sponsor: GAPSA, University of Pennsylvania

Please see the attachment for more information. Please reply to yuting_Zhao@hotmail.com to register the event (free).

费城科学论坛系列讲座/PSF series talk: 5:30-7:30pm Thur (Mar. 25) at CRB Room 302

2010-03-18T09:45:00.002-04:00

Please join us for Philadelphia Science Forum series talk 5:30-7:30pm Thur(Mar. 25) at CRB Room 302

Title: Principles of Clinical Trials and Drug Development

Speaker: Di WU, PhD, FCP

Laboratory for Applied PK/PD

Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Kinetic Modeling and Simulation Institute of Translational Medicine and Therapeutics

University of Pennsylvania

Abstract: Basic concepts and principles of clinical trials and drug
development will be described and elucidated. FDA regulations for IND
and NDA applications will be addressed. Some concerns for drug
development would be discussed in the presentation. Audience will
obtain a generalized picture of clinical trial and drug development by
this seminar.

Snack and beverage will be served.

费城科学论坛系列讲座/PSF series talk: 5:30-7:30pm Wednesday (March 3) at CRB Room 302

2010-03-01T23:19:00.001-05:00

Please join us for the Philadelphia Science Forum series talk, 5:30-7:30pm Wednesday(March 3) at CRB Room 302.

Title: Seeking therapy for autoimmune diseases: from library screening to patient treatment

Speaker: Dr. Xuming Mao (Department of Dermatology, UPenn)

Abstract: Autoimmune diseases occur when an overactive immune response attacks tissues or cells normally present in the human body. Pemphigus represents one of the autoimmune disorders that target only the skin and mucous membranes. It is a potentially fatal blistering disease characterized by autoantibodies against desmoglein (Dsg) cell adhesion proteins. To study the role of autoantibodies in pathogenesis and seek new specific treatments, we isolated lymphocytes from patients with pemphigus, followed by mRNAs to establish a cDNA expression library. Using antibody phage display, we have isolated repertoires of human anti-Dsg mAbs as single-chain variable-region fragments (scFvs) from a patient with active mucocutaneous pemphigus vulgaris. Injection of these pathogenic but not the nonpathogenic antibodies reproduced blisters in animal models or in organ-cultured human skin. In vitro studies showed mAb causes rapid internalization of Dsg during assembly in skin epidermal cells. Furthermore, we found the pathogenic antibodies triggered activation of certain signaling pathways that may contribute to antibody-mediated pathogenecity. Our preliminary results have demonstrated that interference of antibody binding or subsequent activation of cell signaling will help us to identify targeted therapy of pemphigus in the future.

Snack and beverage will be served.

Advisory Board - Updated

2010-02-28T15:25:00.003-05:00

As of Feb 28, 2010

Professors at UPenn

Prof. Peter Sterling (Neuroscience)
Prof. Sally Zigmond (Biology)
Prof. Noga Vardi (Neuroscience)
Prof. Robert G Smith (Neuroscience)
Prof. Minghong Ma (Neuroscience)

Lecturer, The Wharton School, UPenn

Lawrence Gelburd, MBA

Senior Research Investigator at UPenn

Dr. Patricia Y Tsao (Rheumatology)

Professors at CHOP (The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) and Temple University School of Medicine
Prof. Wenzhe Ho (Pediatrics)

Corresponding advisor

Prof. Shigang He (Neuroscience)

Happy Chinese New Year 2010 - the year of the Tiger

2010-02-13T12:34:00.001-05:00

We thank you for your enthusiasm and support. We wish you, all of our friends, a happy, healthy and prosperous Chinese new year!

PSF Entrepreneurship Workshop : Thursday, Feb 25th, 5:30pm to 7:30pm

2010-02-11T11:22:00.005-05:00

Philadelphia Science Forum is very pleased to have Mr. Lawrence Gelburd, the lecturer from Wharton Business School, to give an instructing course for graduates/post-docs who wants to become entrepreneurs in the future.

The seminar will cover concepts, key points and steps of how to turn an idea into business plan as the first step towards entrepreneurship. The speaker will also share his own experience of how to become an entrepreneur with an engineer background.

So don't miss this opportunity to learn business!

Pizza and drinks will be provided.
The event is generously funded by GAPSA of Penn.

Date & Time: Thursday, Feb 25th, 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Location: 302, Clinical Research Building
415 Curie Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Following is the link for the speaker:
http://wep.wharton.upenn.edu/teaching/faculty/gelburd.html

RSVP is required, please send email to <zjwwj@yahoo.com> with your name and school (like medical school, SAS..) for pre-registration.

Photos are here (by Ying).

职业人生讲坛-生物医学跨学科研究应用讲座 (Feb 18, 2010, Thursday) Symposium on Career Development & Interdisciplinary Approaches in Biomedical Research

2010-02-08T12:00:00.002-05:00

You are cordially invited to attend a symposium: Career Development & Interdisciplinary Approaches in Biomedical Research, sponsored by Philadelphia Science Forum (PSF) and Peking University Philadelphia Alumni (PUPA).

职业人生讲坛-生物医学跨学科研究应用讲座
Time: 5:30-9:00 pm, 2/18/2010 (this Thursday)
Location: Clinical Research Building (CRB) Room 302, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Agenda
5:30-7:00pm职业人生讲坛-Keynote Talk
“Journey to a physician faculty in the United States”

Hongming Zhuang, MD, PhD
Dr. Zhuang is an Associate Professor of Radiology at School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Chief of Division of Nuclear Medicine and Director of PET/CT at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Deputy Editor of Clinical Nuclear Medicine.

7:00-7:30pm Dinner

7:30-9:00pm 生物医学跨学科研究应用讲座
Interdisciplinary approaches to address biomedical questions

Hongchang Qu, PhD, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UPenn
Aizhi Zhao, PhD, Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, UPenn
Hualei Zhang, PhD candidate, Deptartment of Radiology, UPenn

FREE dinner will be provided. Please register with Yuting at yuting_zhao@hotmail.com in your earliest convenience. If you have any questions, please call Wenjie at 215-275-7457.

Photos are here (by Xiaoyu).

费城科学论坛系列讲座/PSF series talk: 6-7:30pm Thursday (Feb. 11) at CRB Room 302

2010-02-06T16:02:00.002-05:00

Please join us for the Philadelphia Science Forum series talk, 6-7:30pm Thursday (Feb. 11) at CRB Room 302.

Title: Seeking therapy for autoimmune diseases: from library screening to patient treatment

Speaker: Dr. Xuming Mao (Department of Dermatology, UPenn)

Abstract: Autoimmune diseases occur when an overactive immune response attacks tissues or cells normally present in the human body. Pemphigus represents one of the autoimmune disorders that target only the skin and mucous membranes. It is a potentially fatal blistering disease characterized by autoantibodies against desmoglein (Dsg) cell adhesion proteins. To study the role of autoantibodies in pathogenesis and seek new specific treatments, we isolated lymphocytes from patients with pemphigus, followed by mRNAs to establish a cDNA expression library. Using antibody phage display, we have isolated repertoires of human anti-Dsg mAbs as single-chain variable-region fragments (scFvs) from a patient with active mucocutaneous pemphigus vulgaris. Injection of these pathogenic but not the nonpathogenic antibodies reproduced blisters in animal models or in organ-cultured human skin. In vitro studies showed mAb causes rapid internalization of Dsg during assembly in skin epidermal cells. Furthermore, we found the pathogenic antibodies triggered activation of certain signaling pathways that may contribute to antibody-mediated pathogenecity. Our preliminary results have demonstrated that interference of antibody binding or subsequent activation of cell signaling will help us to identify targeted therapy of pemphigus in the future.

Snack and beverage will be served. For event details, future event announcement, or subscription to the discussion group, please visit www.newPSF.org

Due to the severe weather condition and the school closure, today's event is canceled and the rescheduled date will be announced.

Please note the venue and time have been changed. Check here.

费城科学论坛系列讲座/PSF series talk: 6-7:30pm Friday (Jan. 29) at BRB2/3 Room 801

2010-01-20T23:59:00.004-05:00

The first Philadelphia Science Forum talk in 2010 will be held at BRB2/3 Room 801 6-7:30pm Friday (Jan. 29).

Title: CREB deficiency suppresses the development of epilepsy

Speaker: Xinjian Zhu, PhD (the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia)

Abstract: Epilepsy is a disease of recurrent seizures that can develop after brain insults. To prevent the morbidity and mortality associated with the epilepsy we need to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms that contribute to the development of epilepsy. Several lines of evidence suggest that cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) might be involved in the development of epilepsy. In this study, the chemoconvulsant pilocarpine and kindling model were used to investigate the role of CREB in the development of epilepsy. Our results implicated that deficiency of CREB suppressed the development of epilepsy in the pilocarpine and the kindling model. Blocking CREB activity following a brain insult may suppress the development of epilepsy.

Snack and beverage will be served. For event details, future event announcement, or subscription to the discussion group, please visit www.newPSF.org.

Photos here by Xiaoyu.

PSF Happy Hour Flashback

2009-12-07T23:51:00.001-05:00

Photo courtesy by Xiaoyu.

PSF(费城科学论坛) career workshop/be a physician and a professor - 5:30 -7pm, Dec 15th , CRB Room 302

2009-12-07T21:15:00.001-05:00

Please join a career development workshop organized by Philadelphia Science Forum (PSF).

Dr. Huayan Zhang, a physician and assistant professor of pediatrics at UPenn & CHOP will share her experience and viewpoints with us on how to make professional decisions and advance a meaningful career in the United States. In this talk she will review her career path of becoming an academic neonatologist, describe the "culture shock" she has experienced on this path and discuss what are the most important to have a successful career in the United States. Students/postdocs/professionals, particularly those who determine to be a physician scientist are welcome.

Time: 5:30 -7:00 pm, December 15 (Tuesday)
Location: CRB Room 302, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Pizza and beverage would be served.

Pre-registration is required for head count to secure food. Please send your confirmation to shangweih@gmail.com (Shangwei) with name and school (optional).

Mini-symposium: Interdisciplinary Approaches in Biomedical Research

2009-12-07T16:08:00.002-05:00

If you are graduate students or research fellows who are doing biomedical research or interested in this booming field, you are cordially invited to join our Mini-symposium: Interdisciplinary Approaches in Biomedical Research, on Dec 19th (Saturday), 2009.

Philadelphia Science Forum (PSF) and Peking University Philadelphia Alumni (PUPA) are hosting this mini-symposium to facilitate interdisciplinary communication and potential collaboration. The program will be four to five talks in the morning, followed by a FREE social lunch and a panel discussion.

We are now calling for MORE speakers to share their successful experiences in biomedical research using interdisciplinary approaches as nowadays biomedical research involves experts coming from various disciplines such as biology, medicine, chemistry, mathematics, computational sciences, physics, psychology, engineering, etc.. You are more than welcome to present your research approaches in a short casual talk (~20 min). This is a good opportunity to discuss and learn.

Please contact yuting_zhao@hotmail.com if you want to join the event and/or to give a talk.

Postponed due to the weather issue. New schedule will be announced later.

PSF(费城科学论坛) happy hour/networking with industry professionals - 10:30am to 1pm, Dec 5th , CRB Room 302

2009-12-03T10:58:00.001-05:00

You are cordially invited to join Philadelphia Science Forum (PSF) happy hour -networking with professionals from pharmaceutical industry. This will be a great chance to network with Penn alumni working in pharmaceutical industry. The speakers will talk about their life style and experience in pharmaceutical industry and share viewpoints on choosing industry. This event is aimed to help students, postdocs and professionals in academia to make career decision and get prepared for working in industry. Our panelists are:

1) Cheng, Yan, Principle Scientist, Johnson & Johnson (University of Pennsylvania faculty of pharmacology prior to joining J&J)

2) Li, Wenkai: Senior scientist, Merck (University of Pennsylvania '07, Ph.D in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics)

3) Zhu, Peijuan : Senior scientist, Schering Plough (University of Pennsylvania '07, PhD in Pharmacology)

Time: 10:30am to 1pm, Dec 5 (Saturday).
Location: CRB Room 302, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Lunch provided.

It is free but pre-registration is highly recommended for head count and food preparation. Please send your confirmation to jwwj@yahoo.com (Wenjie) with name and number of participants. If you need help to access the room, please call 215-275-7457.

费城科学论坛系列讲座/PSF series talk: 6-7:30pm Friday (Nov. 20) at BRB2/3 Room 801

2009-11-13T12:08:00.001-05:00

Dr. Dongbin Xu from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) will kindly share with us two independent stories, which cover molecular regulation of apoptosis and mechanism study of Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. As a major approach, animal model system with Drosophila and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells will be discussed.

(1) Identification of Essential Apoptotic Genes in Drosophila melanogaster
Apoptosis is a normal physiological cell suicide process which is essential for tissue homeostasis and normal development of metazoans. Misregulation of apoptosis is associated with many developmental defects and human diseases. The genes involved in the regulation and execution of apoptosis are highly conserved in humans and flies. Caspases are the executioners of cell suicide. Because of the unavailability of specific fly mutants, the developmental function of many caspase genes and genetic relationship between caspases and apoptotic components were undefined in Drosophila. We isolated several mutant alleles of the initiator caspase gene dronc, the effector casase drICE, and the Mediator component Cyclin C from the GMR-hid eyFLP/FRT screens which is designed to isolate mutants of recessive cell death genes in Drosophila melanogaster. Characterization of these mutants defined that they are essential for developmental cell death in Drosophila. dronc is required for most, but not all, cell death in Drosophila. drICE is required for apoptosis in many cells and it shares redundancy with another effector caspase gene, dcp-1, in a subset of cells in Drosophila. The genetic relationship between caspases and other apoptotic components was established through mutant analysis. We also found that Cyclin C and its kinase partner Cdk8 are required for prompt transcriptional induction of dronc in cell killing contexts. This suggests transcriptional activation of the initial caspase in apoptotic responses. In short, we defined the essential pro-apoptoic function of dronc, drICE, and Cyclin C in Drosophila and provided evidences to support a novel mechanism for regulation of dronc transcription. In the long run, these studies will help us decipher the complicated regulatory mechanism of cell death in humans.

(2) Investigation of Cdls-associated Neuronal Defects in Drosophila and iPS Cells
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) is a dominant genetic disease characterized by a striking constellation of birth defects including malformations of many organ systems, growth delay, and mental retardation. Approximately 50% of CdLS probands have mutations in the NIPBL/Scc2 gene. The NIPBL protein is required for the dynamic association of the multi-protein cohesin complex with sister chromatids during cell division. About 6% CdLS probands have mutations in other two essential cohesin components, SMC1 and SMC3I. While the canonical role of cohesin has been reported in the regulation of sister chromatid cohesion and segregation during mitosis and meiosis, recent research has indicated that the pathogenic mechansim by which disruption of cohesin function results in the CdLS phenotpye is through cohesin's more recently described role as a regulator of gene expression. Two recent studies in Drosophila demonstrated that cohesin plays a postmitotic function in axon pruning during neuronal development with evidience suggesting that this is mediated through regulating the expression of an ecdyson receptor EcR-B1. While the potential applicability of these findings towards understanding cohesin's contribution to cognitive defcits in humans is exciting there are still many question that remain to be answered: (A) It has not been tested if the analagous NIPBL (nipped-b in Drosophila) or SMC1A (smc1 in Drosophila) mutations identified in CdLS probands also cause neuronal defects and (B) It has not been investigated if the differentiation defects and correlated dysregulated cohesin target genes seen in Drosophila are analagous to what is occuring in the central nervous system of CdLS probands. Based on current findings, we hypothesize that CdLs-associated mutations cause postmitotic differentiation defects in the central nervous system through dysregulated expression of a conserved subset of target genes which is directly related to the cognitive phenotypes seen in inidividuals with CdLS. We plan to test this hypothesis through an animal model system using Drosophila and a human model system using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Using these two model systems will allow for a synergistic approach towards understanding the developmental impact of cohesin disruption in the developing central nervous system as well as providing the reagents to examine potential therapeutic modalities for correcting identified regulatory disruptions. Research plans and current progression will be presented.

Want to know more? Please bring your curiosity, questions and come join us at BRBII/III Room 801, 6-7:30pm Friday (Nov. 20)!

Daylight Saving Time Will End Tomorrow

2009-10-31T22:04:00.002-04:00

DST ends at 2am on the first Sunday of November. Please remember to turn your clock back one hour to normal time.

(Picture from http://media.webexhibits.org)

PSF talk next Wednesday 11/4 noon time 12:00 to 1:30pm

2009-10-28T13:34:00.002-04:00

Dr. Zhengquan Yu at Penn Dermatology Department will start this series by kindly giving us a talk on "An evolutionarily conserved transcriptional mechanism on epithelial barrier formation". Using genome-wide gene expression study, he identified the transcription regulators that regulates the formation of the effective permeability barriers in skin and bladder epithelia. He then characterized one of these regulators -- Grainyhead factor Get1/Grh3 in knockout mice.

This is our first PSF talk that covers both genome-wide gene expression profiling and mouse gene knock-out techniques, not to mention the dermatology field. Members please manage to come.

Please join us for this talk at CRB buidling room 302 at noon time 12:00-1:30pm. Snack and beverage will be served. Feel free to bring your lunch box.

Please note the time and venue change: THIS FRIDAY (November 6) evening
starting from 6:00pm at BRB II/III room 801.

2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

2009-10-06T17:19:00.005-04:00

[Adapted from NobelPrize.org, for the full story, please visit the website]

"for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase"

Elizabeth H. Blackburn	Carol W. Greider	Jack W. Szostak

Photo: Gerbil, Licensed by Attribution Share Alike 3.0	Photo: Gerbil, Licensed by Attribution Share Alike 3.0	Photo: Jussi Puikkonen
1/3 of the prize	1/3 of the prize	1/3 of the prize
USA	USA	USA
University of California San Francisco, CA, USA	Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA	Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Summary

This year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded to three scientists who have solved a major problem in biology: how the chromosomes can be copied in a complete way during cell divisions and how they are protected against degradation. The Nobel Laureates have shown that the solution is to be found in the ends of the chromosomes – the telomeres – and in an enzyme that forms them – telomerase.

The long, thread-like DNA molecules that carry our genes are packed into chromosomes, the telomeres being the caps on their ends. Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack Szostak discovered that a
unique DNA sequence in the telomeres protects the chromosomes from degradation. Carol Greider and Elizabeth Blackburn identified telomerase, the enzyme that makes telomere DNA. These discoveries explained how the ends of the chromosomes are protected by the telomeres and that they are built by telomerase.

If the telomeres are shortened, cells age. Conversely, if telomerase activity is high, telomere length is maintained, and cellular senescence is delayed. This is the case in cancer cells, which can be considered to have eternal life. Certain inherited diseases, in contrast, are characterized by a defective telomerase, resulting in damaged cells.

The award of the Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of a fundamental mechanism in the cell, a discovery that has stimulated the development of new therapeutic strategies.

The mysterious telomere

The chromosomes contain our genome in their DNA molecules. As early as the 1930s, Hermann Muller (Nobel Prize 1946) and Barbara McClintock (Nobel Prize 1983) had observed that the structures at the ends of the chromosomes, the so-called telomeres, seemed to prevent the chromosomes from attaching to each other. They suspected that the telomeres could have a protective role, but how they operate remained an enigma.

When scientists began to understand how genes are copied, in the 1950s, another problem presented itself. When a cell is about to divide, the DNA molecules, which contain the four bases that form the genetic code, are copied, base by base, by DNA polymerase enzymes. However, for one of the two DNA strands, a problem exists in that the very end of the strand cannot be copied. Therefore, the chromosomes should be shortened every time a cell divides – but in fact that is not usually the case.

Both these problems were solved when this year's Nobel Laureates discovered how the telomere functions and found the enzyme that copies it.

Telomere DNA protects the chromosomes

In the early phase of her research career, Elizabeth Blackburn mapped DNA sequences. When studying the chromosomes of Tetrahymena, a unicellular ciliate organism, she identified a DNA sequence that was repeated several times at the ends of the chromosomes. The function of
this sequence, CCCCAA, was unclear. At the same time, Jack Szostak had made the observation that a linear DNA molecule, a type of minichromosome, is rapidly degraded when introduced into yeast cells.

Blackburn presented her results at a conference in 1980. They caught Jack Szostak's interest and he and Blackburn decided to perform an experiment that would cross the boundaries between very distant species. From the DNA of Tetrahymena, Blackburn isolated the CCCCAA sequence. Szostak coupled it to the minichromosomes and put them back into yeast cells. The results, which were published in 1982, were striking – the telomere DNA sequence protected the minichromosomes from degradation. As telomere DNA from one organism, Tetrahymena,
protected chromosomes in an entirely different one, yeast, this demonstrated the existence of a previously unrecognized fundamental mechanism. Later on, it became evident that telomere DNA with its characteristic sequence is present in most plants and animals, from amoeba to man.

An enzyme that builds telomeres

Carol Greider, then a graduate student, and her supervisor Blackburn started to investigate if the formation of telomere DNA could be due to an unknown enzyme. On Christmas Day, 1984, Greider discovered signs of enzymatic activity in a cell extract. Greider and Blackburn named the enzyme telomerase, purified it, and showed that it consists of RNA as well as protein (Fig 3). The RNA component turned out to contain the CCCCAA sequence. It serves as the template when the telomere is built, while the protein component is required for the construction work, i.e. the enzymatic activity. Telomerase extends telomere DNA, providing a platform that enables DNA polymerases to copy the entire length of the chromosome without missing the very end portion.

Telomeres delay ageing of the cell

Scientists now began to investigate what roles the telomere might play in the cell. Szostak's group identified yeast cells with mutations that led to a gradual shortening of the telomeres. Such cells grew poorly and eventually stopped dividing. Blackburn and her co-workers made mutations in the RNA of the telomerase and observed similar effects in Tetrahymena. In both cases, this led to premature cellular ageing – senescence. In contrast, functional telomeres instead prevent chromosomal damage and delay cellular senescence. Later on, Greider's group showed that the senescence of human cells is also delayed by telomerase. Research in this area has been intense and it is now known that the DNA sequence in the telomere attracts proteins that form a protective cap around the fragile ends of the DNA strands.

An important piece in the puzzle – human ageing, cancer, and stem cells

These discoveries had a major impact within the scientific community. Many scientists speculated that telomere shortening could be the reason for ageing, not only in the individual cells but also in the organism as a whole. But the ageing process has turned out to be complex and it is now thought to depend on several different factors, the telomere being one of them. Research in this area remains intense.

Most normal cells do not divide frequently, therefore their chromosomes are not at risk of shortening and they do not require high telomerase activity. In contrast, cancer cells have the ability to divide infinitely and yet preserve their telomeres. How do they escape cellular senescence? One explanation became apparent with the finding that cancer cells often have increased telomerase activity. It was therefore proposed that cancer might be treated by eradicating telomerase. Several studies are underway in this area, including clinical trials evaluating vaccines directed against cells with elevated telomerase activity.

Some inherited diseases are now known to be caused by telomerase defects, including certain forms of congenital aplastic anemia, in which insufficient cell divisions in the stem cells of the bone marrow lead to severe anemia. Certain inherited diseases of the skin and the lungs are also caused by telomerase defects.

In conclusion, the discoveries by Blackburn, Greider and Szostak have added a new dimension to our understanding of the cell, shed light on disease mechanisms, and stimulated the development of potential new therapies.

[For more info, please visit NobelPrize.org]

Career development workshop - Aug 13 (Thursday), 2009

2009-08-04T17:46:00.001-04:00

PSF is happy to hold a career development workshop.

Dr. Wenchao Song, professor of pharmacology at UPenn will share his experience and viewpoints with us on career decision making and advancing a fulfilling career. Dr. Song is internationally well recognized scholar, primarily working on complement in immune/inflammatory disease and on hormone sensitivity. Born in China mainland, Dr. Song lead a very successful career in relatively short time. As a role model, his story may shed lights for oversea students/postdocs/professionals on making a thoughtful choice of personal career and living a happy life.

The workshop will take place August 13 (Thursday) 5:30-7pm in Room 601, BRB2/3, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6160

"Vector did not kill HIV trial"

2009-07-20T13:48:00.003-04:00

From The Scientist by Jet Akst.

New findings have disproved a leading explanation for why an experimental HIV vaccine made subjects more susceptible to the virus, reopening the door for further HIV vaccine efforts based on similar principles.

FHuman Immunodeficiency Virus
Image: NIAID

The Merck-funded STEP study, which used an adenoviral vector to deliver an HIV vaccine candidate, was halted in 2007 after the data suggested the vaccine increased the risk of HIV infection. Researchers thought the effect might be due to an immune reaction to the viral vector, but two studies published online in Nature Medicine today show this is not the case.

"Both of these papers show that's not a possible explanation," said molecular immunologist David Weiner of the University of Pennsylvania, who was not involved in the research.

"Overall this is a positive and optimistic message for the field," said immunologist Dan Barouch, chief of Harvard University's Division of Vaccine Research and the lead author of one of the studies. "Other vaccine vectors can and should be further pursued in clinical trials."

Individuals who have previously been exposed to adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) -- a common cold virus -- have more Ad5-specific antibodies in their blood; that is, they are Ad5 seropositive. Analysis of the trial suggested that Ad5-seropositive subjects contracted HIV at a higher rate when they received the vaccine as opposed to the placebo. Researchers hypothesized that Ad5-seropositive individuals might be more sensitive to the Ad5 vector, and consequently, could "mount a more rapid, larger immune response," explained molecular biologist Alan Bernstein, executive director of Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, who was not involved in the research. Because HIV attacks activated T cells, increased T-cell counts would provide more plentiful targets for HIV infection, and could thereby explain the boost in susceptibility.

The current studies analyzed frozen blood samples from two different precursor trials to the STEP study, and in both cases, the research teams disproved the idea that prior exposure to the Ad5 vector equated to higher T-cell counts. In the study led by Barouch, approximately 90% of subjects had Ad5-specific T cells prior to vaccination, but very few had Ad5-specific antibodies. This demonstrated that the two measures of immunity -- Ad5-specific antibodies and Ad5-specific T cells -- are not correlated, meaning that that Ad5 seropositivity cannot be used to predict levels of Ad5-specific T cells prior to vaccination.

(For the full story please visit www.The-Scientist.com)

The coming talk on July 16, 2009 (Thursday)

2009-07-15T14:41:00.001-04:00

This coming Thursday night, Dr. Ying Xu will give a talk on "Modulation of G-protein cascade in retinal ON bipolar cells".

The talk will be held at BRBII/III Rm 601 and will start at 6:30pm. Drinks and snacks will be served.

Open access journal publisher accepts fake paper

2009-06-14T14:39:00.001-04:00

A nonsensical article generated by a computer program was accepted and published by an open access journal.

For the full story, please visit TheScientist.

Research Paper to Watch

2009-06-13T12:13:00.003-04:00

Researchers from Columbia and other universities designed fluorescent false neurotransmitters as substrates for the synaptic vesicle monoamine transporter. Using these probes to image dopamine release in the striatum, they made several observations pertinent to synaptic plasticity. They found that the fraction of synaptic vesicles releasing neurotransmitter per stimulus was dependent on the stimulus frequency. A kinetically distinct "reserve" synaptic vesicle population was not observed under these experimental conditions. A frequency-dependent heterogeneity of presynaptic terminals was revealed that was dependent in part on D2 dopamine receptors, indicating a mechanism for frequency-dependent coding of presynaptic selection.

For the abstract, click here.

Think twice before you call it RARE

2009-05-25T16:05:00.007-04:00

Rare Species Are Valued Big Time

Background

It has recently been postulated that the value humans place on rarity could cause the extinction of rare species. This is because people are willing to pay the high costs of exploiting the last individuals. Many hobbies, such as ecotourism or the keeping of exotic pets may cause this effect – known as the anthropogenic Allee effect. However, the entire theory relies on the insofar undemonstrated assumption that people do value rarity.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In order to quantify how much people valued rare species relative to common ones, we created online slideshows of photographs of either rare or common species on an Internet web site. The slideshow with photographs of rare species attracted more visitors, and visitors spent, in general, more time waiting to view it.

Conclusions/Significance

We provide evidence that people value rare more than common species. As we did not target consumers of a specific market, this finding suggests that the anthropogenic Allee effect is likely be driven by a large part of the population. Given the substantial participation in our online experiment, we highlight the potential of the world wide web resource as a tool for conservation action. However, the evidence presented here that the general public value rare species, combined with the assumption that anthropogenic Allee effect is operating, implies that conservationists should be prudent when using rarity to promote conservation.

(For the full story, please visit www.plosone.org)

Why Most Published Research Findings Are False

2009-05-01T16:15:00.001-04:00

Summarised by John P.A. Ioannidis from PLoS Medicine.

Brain imaging skewed

(from News at nature.com)

Double dipping of data magnifies errors in functional MRI scans.
Alison Abbott

Functional magnetic resonance imaging poses a tricky problem in sorting the wheat from the chaff.SPL

Nearly half of the neuroimaging studies published in prestige journals in 2008 contain unintentionally biased data that could distort their scientific conclusions, according to scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Experts in the field contacted by Nature have been taken aback by the extent of the methodological errors getting through the supposedly strict peer-review systems of the journals in question.
Nikolaus Kriegeskorte, Chris Baker and their colleagues analysed 134 functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies published last year in five top journals — Nature, Science, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron and The Journal of Neuroscience. The survey, published in Nature Neuroscience on 26 April (N. Kriegeskorte, W. K. Simmons, P. S. F. Bellgowan and C. I. Baker Nature Neurosci. 12, 535–540; 2009), found that 57 of these papers included at least one so-called 'non-independent selective analysis'; another 20 may also have done so, but did not provide enough information to confirm suspicions.
The non-independence of the analysis lies in using the same data to set up the conditions to test a hypothesis, then to confirm it. "We are not saying that the papers draw wrong conclusions, because in some cases the error will not have been critical," says Baker. "But in other cases we don't know, and this creates an ambiguity."
"It is a poor reflection on the quality of peer review of prestige journals — they really need to up their game in terms of rigour," says Karl Friston, scientific director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London.
Brain imaging provides vast quantities of data in the form of voxels (three-dimensional pixels), from the entire brain. Neuroscientists sometimes focus on an area of interest by searching for voxels that are activated when subjects perform different tasks in an experiment — for example, looking at a face or an inanimate object.
“The issue of selection bias doesn't require special understanding of statistics, just the following of good practice — it is not rocket science.”
- Karl Friston Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, University College London
But fMRI data are intrinsically very noisy, producing many 'false voxels'. Problems arise when researchers use the same data to select a particular brain region and then to quantify the experimental effects there — for example, by asking how much more strongly the region responds to a face compared with an inanimate object.
"It is crucial to analyse your results with a set of data that are independent of that used in the earlier selection process," says Chris Baker. "It is even OK to split your total data and use one half to select the voxels, and the other to further analyse the response in these voxels."
A similar type of error has been addressed by Edward Vul of the Massachussetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and his colleagues (E. Vul, C. Harris, P. Winkielman and H. Pashler, Perspect. Psychol. Sci. 4, 274–290; 2009). A preprint of their research caused uproar in the field earlier this year by referring to 'voodoo correlations' and naming labs it considered guilty of circular analysis (see Nature 457, 245; 2009).
In contrast, the study by Kriegeskorte and Baker does not single out any researchers. "We didn't name names because the error is just too common," says Baker. "And we saw no reason to be personal — our idea was to highlight a problem so people are less likely to fall into the trap."
"This new paper is less controversial, but potentially more worrying," says Friston. "The issue of selection bias doesn't require special understanding of statistics, just the following of good practice — it is not rocket science."
Baker points out that circularity errors creep into many areas of neuroscience. "It applies equally to single-unit electrophysiology, electroencephalography, gene microarray studies or even behavioural data," he says. But fMRI data are particularly vulnerable because of the complex analysis demanded by their huge volumes, and because so many untrained outsiders are entering the field. "For those of us with a few years of fMRI experience the issue is entirely passé, but there will always be a substantial minority on a steep learning curve," says Friston. "What surprised me is how frequent the errors are."
Baker notes that the increasing complexity of the data "probably leads people to take their eye off the ball so that the more fundamental aspects don't get taken care of".

Swine flu: What you need to know

2009-04-30T12:56:00.006-04:00

By Debora MacKenzie from NewScientist.

Hundreds people in Mexico and an increasing number in other countries have come down with a new kind of swine flu. People are concerned because some of those infected in Mexico have died, and because this is the kind of virus that could become a serious worldwide epidemic (see Deadly new flu virus in US and Mexico may go pandemic and Threat level for flu pandemic raised).

Should I worry about this flu?

That depends on two things: how severe this flu is, and how far it spreads. Its severity is still unknown. Those who died in Mexico were young
adults who don't often die of flu, so we know this virus can be serious. But it isn't always this bad: the cases picked up in the US were mild. Outbreak investigators are now trying to find out how many people have had the virus, and how many of those were seriously ill, to get an idea of how bad it is.

Will it spread to where I live?

That depends, again, on two different things: whether the virus is transported to your region, and how efficiently it spreads between people.

So many people travel globally now that, as long as this virus keeps infecting people, it is unlikely not to get to where you live. Some countries are already using infrared cameras to spot people with fevers on flights from affected areas. But that won't stop it entirely, since five days can pass before an infected person shows symptoms, and the virus can spread before symptoms start.

The big question is how efficiently it spreads once it lands. From the number of cases in Mexico and the fact that those infected in the US had not been in contact with pigs or each other, we know that it can spread from human to human, and has done so for weeks at least. Investigators are conducting tests to see whether people who contacted known cases have also been infected to try to assess how easily it spreads. Preliminary observations in the US suggest it has spread readily to contacts of known cases.

Similar swine flu viruses have jumped from pigs to people before and have always petered out without causing a pandemic because they were not good enough at spreading in people. This virus may do the same thing.

Does this virus mean I shouldn't eat pork?

No. This virus is named swine flu because one of its surface proteins is most similar to viruses that usually infect pigs, and the whole thing is of a type that has been spreading in North American pigs for years. But this particular virus is spreading in people and we don't yet know if it infects pigs. In any case, cooking kills the virus. Wash your hands after handling meat.

(for full story please visit www.newscientist.com.)

Night vision inverts chromatin

2009-04-16T13:02:00.002-04:00

by Elie Dolgin from TheScientist.com

Image: striatic and Animal Photos!

Researchers have discovered a cellular mechanism that helps nocturnal mammals see in the dark. Mice, cats, deer, lemurs, and other mammals that are active at night remodel the DNA within their eyes to turn photoreceptor cells into light-collecting lenses, according to a study published today (Apr. 16) in Cell.

In nearly all eukaryotic nuclei, chromatin -- the structural building block of chromosomes -- is spatially separated into distinct compartments. Condensed, non-coding heterochromatin is usually localized to the periphery of the nucleus, while extended, active euchromatin typically resides in the nuclear interior. This "conventional" pattern is nearly universal, and probably helps cells regulate essential nuclear functions such as how and when genes are expressed.

But some nuclei are special. In 2006, a team led by Didier Devys, a molecular biologist at the Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology in Illkirch, France, showed that mouse rod photoreceptor cells have a different arrangement in which the chromatin is "inverted." In these cells, but not in other mouse cell types, heterochromatin is shunted to the interior, where it is enveloped by a thin ring of euchromatin. With this layout, all transcription takes place at the nuclear margins rather than at the core of nucleus as per usual.

(Please visit TheScientist.com for the full story...)

[60 sec Science] Want better eyesight? Play video game!

2009-03-31T21:12:00.001-04:00

Researchers in the USA and Israel recently published a research result in Nature Neuroscience claiming that the vision contrast sensitivity could be enhanced (43-58%) by playing action video games. They speculated that the video game playing may train the visual cortex to make a better use of the information that it receives.

美国和以色列研究者最近在《自然·神经科学》杂志上发表一项研究结果，声称可以通过玩动作类的电子游戏提高人的视觉对比度敏感性（提高幅度达43-58%）。他们认为动作类的电子游戏能训练视觉皮层更好地利用其接受的信息。

(Photo from the Internet)

[60 sec Science] Think twice before drink

2009-03-25T15:14:00.001-04:00

A group of researchers in the United States and Japan have found that the people, who have facial flushing after drinking alcohol, have much higher risk of esophageal cancer due to an inherited deficiency in the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2). The authors advise these ALDH2-deficient people to limit their alcohol consumption. The finding has recently been published in the journal of PLoS Medicine.

美国和日本研究者共同发现饮酒后脸红的人群，因体内先天性缺乏一种“乙醛脱氢酶”，罹患食道癌的风险很高。建议少饮酒。

(Image from the Internet)

Be aware of plagiarism

2009-03-09T11:07:00.002-04:00

(From TheScientist.com by Bob Grant)

Some experts claim that plagiarism is rampant in the scientific literature. Others say that it's a serious but relatively rare occurrence. The trouble is it's hard to put one's finger on exactly how prevalent plagiarism, duplication, improper citation, and other less tractable taboos have become in scientific publishing. It's even harder to unearth the reactions of the interested parties -- original and secondary authors and journal editors.

A new survey appearing in this week's issue of Science does just that.

Harold Garner, a physicist-turned-biochemist and software engineer, along with colleagues at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, identified more than 200 pairs of manuscripts that had "signs of potential plagiarism" from the millions of biomedical research citations listed on MEDLINE, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's bibliographic database. Garner then contacted and compiled responses from anonymous plagiarizers, those they plagiarized, and the journal editors who published the manuscripts.

"What we tried to do was capture the various attitudes and levels of response that could characterize why [plagiarism] has gone completely uncontrolled for such a long time," Garner told The Scientist.

The responses ranged from apology and concern to denial and befuddlement. Here are some of the more interesting responses highlighted in Science.

From authors of the original papers:

"We were very sorry and somewhat surprised when we found their article. I don't want to accept them as scientists."

"I have no statement. I cannot prove that this is plagiarism. Even if it is, what can be done?"

From authors of the papers containing hints of plagiarism:

"I would like to offer my apology to the authors of the original paper for not seeking the permission for using some part of their paper. I was not aware of the fact I am required to take such permission."

"I know my careless mistake resulted in a severe ethical issue. I am really disappointed with myself as a researcher."

"There are probably only 'x' amount of word combinations that could lead to 'y' amount of statements.... I have no idea why the pieces are similar, except that I am sure I do not have a good enough memory-and it is certainly not photographic-to have allowed me to have 'copied' his piece.... I did in fact review [the earlier article] for whatever journal it was published in."

From editors at the journal that published the papers with plagiarism:

"Believe me, the data in any paper is the responsibility of the authors and not the journal."

"The news has taken us by surprise and a sense of deep concern. We are calling an emergency meeting of the editorial board to discuss the matter. [Our journal] deeply condemns the act and we stand firm to take necessary actions against the authors."

From the editors at the journal that published the original papers:

"It's my understanding that copying someone else's description virtually word-for-word, as these authors have done, is considered a compliment to the person whose words were copied."

"I have been Editor for 14+ years and this is the first time this issue has been raised."

Daria Sorokina, a Carnegie Mellon University postdoc and computer scientist who previously studied software used to detect plagiarism, told The Scientist that she was surprised to read the responses indicating that journal editors "were not willing to deal with [plagiarism]." Sorokina was not involved with the survey appearing in Science.

Garner said that everything from cultural differences regarding the use of other authors' words to the widespread use of the internet and electronic word processing and the economic downturn could be contributing to an uptick in plagiarism in the scientific literature, a trend he described in a Nature commentary last year.

To track down the cases used in his latest survey, Garner used a biomedical literature search engine called eTBLAST, and a publically accessible database called Deja vu, both developed in his lab. There are several other similar tools and databases -- such as Ithenticate and CrossCheck -- available to journal editors and reviewers, and some journals have implemented regular text scans for plagiarized passages as part of the routine reviewing process.

Garner said that the suite of existing software tools and publically-accessible databases might ease detection of inappropriate manuscript practices such as plagiarism. "You can't expect all the editors and reviewers to have all 18,000,000 papers in their head from biomedicine," he said. "The blame lies on the need to have technologies to help find this stuff and then to use them."

Sorokina agreed that the widespread use of technologies could counteract the growth of such practices. "First you need to make the tools available," she said. "Second you need to convince editors to use the tools. I think it will take some time before it becomes very common."

Larry Claxton, a research biologist at the US Environmental Protection Agency, told The Scientist that beyond authors and publishers, researchers' home institutions should take measures to curb plagiarism in scientific papers. "If the institutions were more diligent in looking for abuses and taking action when abuses are found, I think that would help curb plagiarism," he said. Claxton, who was not speaking on behalf of EPA but rather expressing his own experiences tracking plagiarism in the scientific literature, added that the step becomes even more important at government research institutions, which often review studies prior to publication.

Garner added that his group is thinking about creating a commercial site to complement the publically accessible tools that his lab has already produced. Garner said he envisions journal publishers or reviewers being able to sign up for the service and search submitted manuscripts for plagiarized passages for "maybe a buck or something" per paper.

Daylight saving time begins this Sunday (Mar 8, 2009)

2009-03-06T20:46:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to set your clocks an hour ahead this weekend. On Sunday at 2 a.m. daylight saving time goes into effect.

本周日凌晨2点夏令时开始。时钟调快一小时。

（Picture from the Internet）

[60 sec Science] Let's exercise, it's good for your memory

2009-03-03T14:47:00.001-05:00

A group of scientists in the USA found the relationship between aerobic fitness and hippocampal volume: more aerobic exercise, greater hippocampal volume and better spatial memory. The study was based on 165 nondemented older adults.

美国科学家发现有氧运动能增加大脑海马体积并提高空间记忆能力。研究结果发表在最新一期《海马》（Hippocampus）杂志上。

(Picture from the Internet)

Ten Simple Rules

2009-03-03T14:20:00.001-05:00

By PLoS.

Written by PLoS Computational Biology Editor-in-Chief Philip E. Bourne, sometimes with collaborators, the "Ten Simple Rules" provide a quick, concentrated guide for mastering some of the professional challenges research scientists face in their careers.

Please check here.

[60 sec Science] Work harder but not longer

2009-02-25T11:51:00.003-05:00

A group of Finnish scientists found that those working more than 55 hours a week had poorer cognitive performance than those who worked 40 hours a week (standard working hour). It's not clear why working long hours might have a negative effect on the brain. But researchers say that it could be due to increased sleeping problems, depression, an unhealthy lifestyle and a raised risk of cardiovascular disease, probably linked to stress. The research work was publish on the January issue of American Journal of Epidemiology.

芬兰一组科学家通过跟踪调查发现，相对于标准工作时长（每周40小时），每周工作超过55小时的人在认知能力上会出现障碍。目前还不清楚长时间工作对大脑造成不良影响的原因，但是有可能和睡眠不足，精神压抑，不健康生活习惯以及因精神紧张而引发的心血管疾病有关。

原始研究论文见：
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/169/5/596

(Photo from the Internet)

PSF Journal Club: Rainbow in the Brain: visualizing neuronal circuits in colors

2009-02-20T11:10:00.001-05:00

Dr. Wen-Feng Chen will give a talk on a recent paper published in Nature at 12:00 PM on the next Wednesday (Feb 25, 2009).

The authors of this paper used Cre/lox system to shuffle the fluorescent protein expression cassettes to
expression different stochastic mixtures of XFPs to elucidate neuronal circuits in as much as 90 colors in mouse brain stem. They call this technique "Brainbow".

(Photo from scienceblogs.com)

For more information on the paper, please go to:

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v450/n7166/full/nature06293.html

Everyone is welcome and please join us at CRB room 302.

Group Talk History List - 2009

2009-02-13T20:10:00.003-05:00

Feb 13, 2009 Friday
Title: Lentiviral vector in gene therapy for spinal cord injury.
Speaker: Zhilong Jiang, PhD

Feb 25, 2009 Wednesday (CRB302, 12:00PM)
PSF Journal Club: Rainbow in the Brain: visualizing neuronal circuits in colors
Speaker: Wen-Feng Chen, PhD

[60 sec Science] Watch out for the first 90 days after your first-time child birth

2009-02-10T19:02:00.001-05:00

Researchers from Karolinska institute, Sweden found that there is a high risk of mental illness for the first-time mother, especially for those of high maternal age. During (but not after) the first 90 d post-partum the risk of psychoses among women without any previous psychiatric hospitalization was independently affected by: maternal age, high birth weight and diabetes.

瑞典卡洛林斯卡研究院（诺贝尔生理医学奖颁奖地——按）研究人员发现没有精神病史的初次生产的母亲在产后90天内容易产生精神方面的异常（我们常说的"产后抑郁症"——按）。引起精神疾病的高危因素有：产妇高龄，产儿高体重以及母亲有糖尿病。

科学论文见：
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000013

[60 sec Science] More water, less flu virus

2009-02-10T18:58:00.001-05:00

Scientists from Oregon State University found that absolute humidity modulates influenza survival, transmission and seasonality. Simply put, the higher absolute humidity, the less influenza virus in the air. Their work has been published in the Feb 9 issue of PNAS.

美国俄勒冈州立大学研究人员发现空气绝对湿度对流感病毒的存活、传播以及季节性爆发有一定的关系。他们对过去研究资料的分析后发现，空气绝对湿度低的时候，流感病毒在空气中的存活时间长，反之则短。他们的研究工作发表在二月九号的美国科学院院刊上。

科学论文见：
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/02/09/0806852106.abstract

[60 sec Science] Why we need a partner

2009-02-10T18:52:00.002-05:00

Scientists at UPenn Vet School found that male mice live longer when housed with female mice. The hypothesis is that the females' effect on the environment of the spermatogonial stem cells likely occurs through the male's endocrine and nervous systems, but other systems are likely involved.

Detailed news see here.

宾夕法尼亚大学兽医学院的研究者发现和雌性老鼠混居的雄性老鼠能推迟其生殖功能的衰老。

The coming talk on Feb 13, 2009 (Friday)

2009-02-06T13:35:00.002-05:00

Dr. Zhilong Jiang from Drexel University is going to give us a talk about "Lentiviral Vector in Gene Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury" at 6:30 PM next Friday.

Everyone is welcome to join us and to ask questions. Snacks will be provided.

The talk will be held at CRB 302, 6:30 PM.

Abstract

Lentiviral vector (Lv) is widely used HIV-based RNA vector for gene transfer, due to its high transduction efficiency into dividing and non-dividing cells, and integration into cell genomes for better gene duration in infected cells. Most importantly, lentiviral vector has deleted of all viral genomes, thus has very lower immune responses than other vector after administration in vivo. Therefore lentiviral vector has much more advantage over other gene transfer vectors (adenoviral vector, HSV vector), promoting long-term gene expression and less immune response in vivo. Our facility have produced several high quality of lentiviral vectors encoding a variety of genes including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), IL-10, FoxP3, CCR5 and CCR7, etc. The studies in vivo have confirmed their beneficial effects on injured spinal cord recovery.

Spinal cord injury is very common neurological disorder, mostly due to car accident with incidence of 1/20,000 Americans, characterized by neuron loss and destruction of signal transduction pathway between brain cortex and four limbs, ultimately cause paralysis and sensation loss. Re-establishing the connection in the injured sites, by promoting neuron growth and regeneration is essential to functional recovery. Our studies demonstrate that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) provide neuroprotection and promote axon growth after transplantation into injured spinal cord. First, we infected fibroblasts, adipocyte-derived stromal cells (Ad-MSC) or neuron stem cells (NSC) with Lv BDNF/GFP, Lv NT-3/GFP or Lv-GFP (control), expanded the infected cells for up to 2 weeks. The expression of BDNA and NT-3 remain remained high, up to 80% of 3-day post infection, the gene modified cells expanded for at least 20 times, thus expansion after infection protocol provided enough cells for cell transplantation without compromise of therapeutic gene expression level. In vitro and in vivo functional studies showed that BDNF and NT-3 produced from modified cells facilitated axonal growth in a chick dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and promoted regeneration of axons into injured sites, form synapses and connections with other axons in grafts, thus over-expression of BDNF and NT-3 in injured spinal cord might be promising strategy in gene therapy of spinal cord injury.

The coming talk on Oct 29, 2008 (Wednesday)

2008-10-22T19:56:00.001-04:00

Dr. Di Wu from CHOP will give us a talk on next Wednesday.

Title: Quantitative pharmacology of buprenorphine
pharmacotherapy in newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome: a case study on how developmental changes affect clinical trial dose optimization.

Outlines:
1. Develop population pharmacokinetic models to establish dose and exposure relationship of buprenorphine (BUP) & its major metabolite—norbuprenorphine (NBUP);

2. Evaluate how the developmental changes affect population modeling in term infants.

The talk will still be held at CRB 302, 12:00 ~ 1:00PM.

"How I do for my research" - PSF special talk - ARC 12th floor lounge, CHOP - 10:30 AM, Oct 11, 2008 (Saturday)

2008-10-06T19:59:00.001-04:00

How should I do my research? I bet most of us have been struggling with this puzzle for a long time. Wanna know how a successful Chinese scientist did his research? Come and find the answer by yourself! Please join us at Prof. Ho's second talk at 10:30 AM on the coming Saturday (Oct 11, 2008). Registration continues. Send your name and affiliation to psfboard@gmail.com for securing a spot. If you are not familiar with the location, please feel free to send a message to the email address above and we will be more than happy to help.

"Be the best of yourself" - PSF special talk - Location Changed - 10:00AM, Sep 27, 2008 (Saturday)

2008-09-26T18:03:00.001-04:00

Since the number of people who would come to the talk has exceeded the limit of the BRB 1101, we will change the location to the Abramson Research Center (ARC) 12th floor lounge at CHOP.

You may find the ARC here. Please bring your ID with you in order to sign into the building.

The talk will start at 10:00AM. Please try to arrive ON TIME and show your respect to the speaker.

"Be the best of yourself" - PSF special talk - BRB II 1101 - Sep 27, 2008 (Saturday)

2008-09-22T23:43:00.001-04:00

Do you know about yourself? How would you do your scientific research? Are you still struggling with writing a research paper in English simply because you are not a native English speaker?

If you want to know the answer or try to find out how a successful scientist pursues his scientific career, please join us at a series of talks given by Dr. Ho, a full professor at CHOP (The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia). The first talk will be held at BRB II 1101, 10:00AM on Saturday (Sep 27, 2008).

Pre-registration is encouraged. Send your message to psfboard@gmail.com with your name and affiliation.

PSF special event on Sep 19, 2008 Friday

2008-09-09T14:06:00.001-04:00

The Philadelphia Science Forum (PSF) is honored to invite Peng Fang, Esq., an attorney at law in New York, to give us a talk on the issues of USA immigration laws, visa and green card application. Mr. Peng Fang has years of experience in this field and has already successfully helped many Chinese students and scholars at UPenn, Temple University, Drexel University, and Penn State get their green cards. Mr. Fang will be happy to answer your questions on spot. The seminar is organized by the PSF and sponsored by Law Offices of Peng Fang, P. C.. This talk, which will be carried out in Chinese, is specifically tailored for the oversears Chinese students and scholars working at universities or institutes in the States. The talk will begin at 5:30 PM, Sep 19, 2008, Friday and the location is in the auditorium of BRB II lobby, UPenn. A pre-registration is encouraged to secure a spot in this seminar. Please send your name and affiliation to psfboard@gmail.com.

费城科学论坛（PSF）有幸邀请到纽约州执业移民律师方鹏先生为各位讲解有关移民法律方面的各种问题以及如何申请美国签证和永久居住证（即绿卡）等，并将为现场听众进行答疑。方律师从业多年，经验丰富，已成功地为宾大，天普大学，德雷克赛尔大学和宾州州立大学等高校华人学生学者申办了美国绿卡。本次讲座由PSF组织，方鹏律师事务所赞助。本次讲座对象主要为美国高校及研究所的华人学生和学者，语言为中文。讲座将于9月19日（星期五）晚5:30开始，地点为宾大BRBII底楼礼堂。鼓励有意参加本次报告的朋友发送邮件提前注册。请将您的姓名和单位信息发送到psfboard@gmail.com。

The coming talk on Aug 27, 2008 (Wednesday)

2008-08-26T11:33:00.001-04:00

At the coming PSF seminar, Dr. Huikai Tian, from Prof. Minghong Ma's lab, will give us a talk on the "old-fashioned" but still very powerful technique - in-situ hybridization.

Hope to see you at CRB 302, 12:00 - 1:30 PM on Wednesday (Aug 27, 2008)! Snacks and water are provided. Lunch boxes are welcome.

The coming talk on Aug 15, 2008 (Friday)

2008-08-11T19:10:00.001-04:00

On this coming Friday, Dr. Zhongyuan Kan will give a talk on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technique.

The NMR technique is widely used in many fields, say, medicine, chemistry and so on. The NMR and the X-ray based protein crystallography are both powerful tools of dissecting the structure of proteins.

His topic is "NMR-based Hydrogen Exchange (HX) Study of Protein Folding".

The talk will be divided into two parts:
Part 1: Introduction of biomolecular NMR
Part 2: HX study of protein folding
         (1) protein folding problem
         (2) HX methodology
         (3) Cytochrome c folding: a case study

Please come and join us at BRB 1101, 12:00 - 1:30 PM on Friday (August 15, 2008, please note the temporary time and location change)! Snacks and water are provided. Lunch boxes are welcome.

The coming talk on July 30, 2008 (Wednesday)

2008-07-26T08:23:00.001-04:00

Dr. Miao Wang will give us a talk on the importance of translational medicine in modern drug discovery.

Prostanoids are a class of small lipid molecules with diverse physiological and pathological function. They are synthesized from cell membrane-released arachidonic acid under sequential enzymatic actions. Cyclooxigenases (COXs) are rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis and are targeted by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin and ibuprofen. Efficacy and toxicity consideration has been driving drug discovery of new NSAIDs. As such, COX-2 selective inhibitors were developed, however, recent clinical trials show increased cardiovascular toxicity is associated with these drugs. The function of prostanoids in cardiovascular system will be discussed, with particular focus on a new drug target in the COX pathway.

Hope to see you at CRB 302, 12:00 - 1:30 PM on Wednesday (July 30, 2008)! Snacks and water are provided. Lunch boxes are welcome.

The coming talk on July 16, 2008 (Wednesday)

2008-07-08T21:42:00.001-04:00

Ms. Yao Zhang, a PhD candidate in the Department of Chemistry at UPenn, will talk about transmembrane proteins on next Wednesday (July 16, 2008).

Title: Molecular design of TM helical bundle as a tool for probing the feature that drives folding in membrane

The interaction of transmembrane helices is a fundamental step in the folding of membrane proteins. However, the energetics of interaction of transmembrane segments is not completely understood. We are interested in investigating the effect of the amino acid composition at the association interface, using a model peptide (MS1) derived from the soluble coiled coil GCN4-P1. Previous research in water soluble coiled coils showed that the stability of association increases with the hydrophobicity of the amino acid in the /a/ position. Here we have introduced Gly, Ala, Val and Ile at all the putative /a/ positions in MS1 and measured the dimerization equilibria of all variants using a disulfide crosslinking equilibrium method. The results show that the association strength ranks in a reversed order as in the water soluble peptides, consistent with both the fact that hydrophobic interactions are not dominant in the membrane environment and that small residues can be favorable at protein-protein interfaces in membrane proteins. Computational modeling of the MS1 variants suggest smaller amino acids allow for closer and more favorable backbone interactions than the larger amino acids.

Sounds a little bit Greek to you? Come and ask questions!

Hope to see you at CRB 302, 12:00 - 1:30 PM on Wednesday (July 16, 2008)! Snacks and water are provided. Lunch boxes are welcome.

(Figure is from http://www.scientificblogging.com/)

The coming talk on July 2, 2008 (Wednesday)

2008-06-23T10:48:00.001-04:00

Dr. Yong Tang, a senior researcher at the Wistar institute, is going to give us a talk on protein crystallography on July 2, 2008.

Practical approaches of protein crystallography
– your beloved protein! your own structure?!

In this talk yong is going to cover various aspects of a "typical" protein crystallography project with an aim to stimulate your own enthusiasm of obtaining crystals of proteins you may be working on.

Q1: Is my protein a potential (or exciting) structural target?
A1: There are ways to help you evaluate whether your protein is
workable or not, and if workable, how big the impact may be. Secondary structure prediction, structural homology to known structures, expected structural novelty.

Q2: How do I get started and what are the secrets of getting proteins
"suitable" for crystallization?
A2: Examine your gene first with a bacterial-expression perspective
and engineer your protein expression vector to be crystallization-friendly. These includes rare codons, cleavable tags (like GST or 6His), minimum vector-derived sequence, co-expression. What if all these fail? – I would follow up with this.

Q3: All right, I got my protein as you have recommended, but it just
won't crystallize!
A3: These are tricks to modify proteins at both the gene and protein
levels. Subcloning to make truncated or internal-deletion constructs
(and what are the guild lines?), limited proteolysis to get rid of
"unstructured" tails or internal fragments.

Q4: Well, I still have no clue how to crystallize a protein!
A4: I would bring in a simple but comprehensive set of crystallization
tools and reagents for demonstration. It is easy – you would graduate
the course in 10 minutes, but indeed it takes years for you to claim
yourself a "crystallization expert".

Q5: Hooray, I got my protein crystallized! But how to proceed then?
A5: Improving protein crystals takes a combination of fine-tuning your
crystallization conditions on one hand, and improving your protein
itself on the other. I would introduce some guild lines.

Q6: How to know if my protein crystals are good enough for structural determination?
A6: Congratulations, you are very close to getting a protein structure
– at this point, I would suggest that you consult a professional
crystallographer with collaboration perspectives.

Q7: How to determine and refine a structure?
A7: Save your time and effort for what you are really good at and let
a professional crystallographer take it over from here.

Q8: Hooray again! My collaborator determined the structure for me
perfectly. But, sorry, how to understand all these chicken wires,
cartoons, surfaces, and save me!, the table that seemed to be written in another language?
A8: Good point. Even if you don't work on proteins, it is indeed
essential to understand how structural biologists present protein
structures – truly protein structures have been in the spotlights now
and then. I would guild you through these various bare-bone
experimental data (like coordinates and electron density map) and all
these "artistic" renditions.

Q9: Hey, my crystallographer collaborator stole!!! my leading
co-first-authorship in CELL. How do I survive collaboration like this?
A9: We mostly think that crystallographers are service person for
pioneering cell biologists or biochemists, but believe it or not,
crystallographers indeed have their own advantage to identify novel
and dominating aspects of a collaborative project. I would explain
with examples.

Q10: So, am I ready to move on as a crystallographer after my first
success with protein crystallization?
A10: There are indeed well-known crystallographers coming from
"nowhere" and I would share with you what I know about the pros and cons.

Sounds very interesting? Come and join us at CRB 302, 12:00 - 1:30 PM on Wednesday (July 2, 2008)!

The coming talk on June 18, 2008 (Wednesday)

2008-06-12T22:08:00.002-04:00

Our PSF practical techniques series continues!

Dr. Chao-Xing Yuan, Technical Director of Proteomics Core Facility at the University of Pennsylvania, will give us a talk on using two dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) coupled with mass spectrophotometry as a systematic proteomic approach to identify differentially expressed proteins between your experimental and control samples.

Dr. Yuan will talk about how 2D-DIGE works and why 2D-DIGE is better than traditional 2D electrophoresis.

In this post-genomic era, knowing something about proteomics is a
must. So please join us at CRB room 302 on June 18th, Wednesday,
12:00-1:30pm for this exciting talk (please note the changes of time and venue. You are welcome to bring your lunch).

The coming talk on June 6, 2008 (Friday)

2008-06-04T22:05:00.001-04:00

Dr. Xinhua Zhang, an associate professor of Shanghai Medical School, Fudan University, will give us a talk on the functions of dendritic cells in regulation of immunity.

Dendritic cells (DCs) orchestrate a repertoire of immune responses that bring about resistance to infection and silencing or tolerance to self. In the settings of infection and cancer, microbes and tumours can exploit DCs to evade immunity, but DCs also can generate resistance, a capacity that is readily enhanced with DC-targeted vaccines. During allergy, autoimmunity and transplant rejection, DCs instigate unwanted responses that cause disease, but, again, DCs can be harnessed to silence these conditions with novel therapies.

Do you want to know more about some present medical implications of DC biology that account for illness and provide opportunities for prevention and therapy? Come and join us!

Please note the changes of time and venue: 12:00 pm in BRB II/III 1201 (you are welcome to bring your lunch).

The coming talk on May 22, 2008 (Thursday)

2008-05-20T09:33:00.001-04:00

Dr. Huaiyu Tong is going to give us a talk on "Common Diseases Treated in the Neurosurgery Department", which will give us a fresh mind of another neuroscience field.

The seminar will be held at BRB II/III Rm 1101, 6:30 PM, Thursday (May 22, 2008).

Please join us and let's see how the benchwork results get their applications in the bedside.

(Photo: from Wikipedia)

Anniversary - BBQ at Ridley Creek State Park

2008-05-18T17:50:00.004-04:00

(Photos by Shangwei Hou, Jinghui Dong and Zhihui Sun)

Candlelight Vigil for Sichuan Earthquake

2008-05-14T16:14:00.004-04:00

PUPA and CSSAP are planning to hold a candlelight vigil for victims in Sichuan earthquake. Please join us to wish and pray for the victims and for all the people in Sichuan.

Location: 40th and Locust Walk. PUPA has applied for the 40th Street Field.
Time: 8:30pm, May 15, 2008, Thursday

Candles: PUPA and CSSAP have prepared candles with containers. But your own candles are welcome. Please make sure you have containers for the candle to be safe. It may rain tomorrow night. Let's hope for the best.

Donation: Donations are really appreciated. We encourage you to write checks which are easy for both you and the organizers to process. You can write "Pay to the order of: Chinese Consulate General in New York" for "Earthquake Relief Donation". We will send all the checks to

Liu, Lei
520 12th Ave, New York, NY 10036
Chinese Consulate General in New York.

Please check http://www.nyconsulate.prchina.org/chn/ttxw/t434163.htm for more instructions.

(Cartoon by Deyong Zhu and contributed by Xinjiang Wu)

They need our help!

2008-05-14T11:04:00.001-04:00

As some of you may have already known that Sichuan province of China has been hit hard by a disastrous earthquake, which was reported 7.8-magnitude (USGS reported as 7.9 magnitudes). The quake has claimed 15,000 lives (NPR reported this morning) and left thousands wounded and homeless. This is really a BIG quake because it originated in Sichuan (midwest of China) but people could feel it as far as in Beijing (northeast of China), thousands of miles away.

We bring this to your attention and hope we can do something for those people who are suffering. If you would like to donate, here are some links for you:

1. Hong Kong Red Cross - you may donate by credit card in Hong Kong dollar.
2. Tsinghua Challenge Education - donate through Paypal or Google Checkout.

(Still being updated)

Mourn for those lost their lives and pray for those in need.

(Photos are from the Internet. Their authors reserve all rights.)

Let's BBQ!

2008-05-11T22:22:00.001-04:00

Hello, all the PSF members. It's spring time!

We have been talking about science and technology for a long time. Now it's time to refresh our mind and to talk about something else! We hope this will be a good opportunity not only to celebrate the anniversary of our PSF but also to hang out together and know each other better!

The PSF will hold a BBQ at Ridley Creek State Park on May 17, 2008 (Saturday). All members and their family or friends are cordially invited to join us. If you would like to take part in this great event, please send an email with the subject of "BBQ" to psfboard@gmail.com as soon as possible. If you can drive, please indicate that in your mail. We have to arrange carpools and prepare food.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Members please check your group message for more information (and please make sure the message will NOT be thrown into your spam box!).

Special event on May 16, 2008 (Friday)

2008-05-02T11:39:00.001-04:00

PSF and PUPA are pleased to announce a coming event in May with an invited talk given by Dr. Han Cao, the founder of BioNanomatrix. The event is sponsored by Fisher Scientific.

Title of the talk: A Nanotech Startup for Genome Analysis Content:
•       Road to a startup
•       What is bionanotechnology anyway?
•       From bulk solution assay to single molecule approach
•       Life as an entrepreneur

Time: May 16th, Friday, 5:30pm to 6:30pm (food provided)
Location: BRB 252, UPenn

Registration is required for food preparation. Please RSVP to psfboard@gmail.com with number and names of those attending.

Dr. Han Cao is the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of BioNanomatrix, a bionanotech company in Philadelphia. Dr. Cao was trained as a molecular biologist with unique and diverse experience from receptor signal transduction, embryonic stem cell, animal disease model, microarray/genomics technology development to micro/nanofluidics design and fabrication. He is currently leading multiple federal government funded projects, and a frequently invited speaker, lecturer and panelist at national and international biotech and nanotech events. Dr. Cao received his BS degree from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and a PhD in Molecular Biology from University of Delaware. He founded BioNanomatrix in Oct 2003.

The coming talk on Apr 25, 2008 (Friday)

2008-04-15T22:30:00.001-04:00

Dr. Shangwei Hou is going to give us a talk on ion channels: from function to structure.

Ion channels are membrane protein complexes that mediate the flow of ions down their electrochemical gradients. They are widely distributed in the membranes of almost all cells, prokaryotic and eukaryotic, and play extensive functions in physiology and pathology. Unlike their well-established functions, the mechanisms of how ion channels work, especially in mammalian cells, are largely unknown.

Shangwei will briefly review the history of ion channels and the recently elucidated crystal structures which provide a blueprint of how ion channel open and close in response to the stimuli.

The talk will be held still at BRB II/III Rm 1101, 6:30 pm. The seminar is open to everyone. You are welcome to join us!

The new domain name of the PSF

2008-04-03T22:14:00.001-04:00

We are happy to announce that the official website of the Philadelphia Science Forum has been upgraded to:

http://www.newPSF.org

Please update your bookmark.

The coming talk on Mar 28, 2008 (Friday)

2008-03-26T10:03:00.001-04:00

This coming Friday, Dr. Sumei Wang will give a talk about the clinical application of advanced MR Neuroimaging.

Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging has been called the most important development in medical diagnosis since the discovery of the x-ray 100 years ago. It has become one of the major tools of radiology. Neuroimaging is the most import part. Conventional MR allows the detailed depiction of brain anatomy and pathology, however, the sensitivity and specificity with which conventional MR alone can define the wide range of neurologic disease is very limited. The last decade has also seen the development of advanced MR techniques, whereby information concerning tissue physiology, function as well as structure is obtained. These techniques include diffusion, perfusion and MR spectroscopy, which provide information on tissue ultra-structure, blood flow and biochemistry, respectively. This information supplements and complements that from conventional MR imaging, often providing important surrogate markers of disease pathophysiology or theraputic response. Currently, these MR techniques have been used in the clinical setting.

Wanna get more ideas? Please join us at BRB II/III Rm 1101 6:30 PM.

The coming talk this Thursday (Mar 20, 2008)

2008-03-19T09:57:00.001-04:00

Dr. Qin Wan is going to give us a talk about her work on synaptic depression and habituation.

Habituation, the waning of a behavioral response with repetition of a stimulus, enables animals to ignore irrelevant stimuli and focus on behaviorally important events. In the mollusc Aplysia, habituation is substantially mediated by rapid depression of synapses from sensory neurons (SNs), which occurs with repeated stimuli. This downregulation of sensory input could leave an animal unresponsive to repetitive stimuli that are important, making it vulnerable to injury.

Since the habituation is so important, why not join us on this Thursday and know more!

The seminar will be held at BRB II/III Rm 1101, 6:30 PM.

The coming talk on Feb 29, 2008 (Friday)

2008-02-22T20:00:00.001-05:00

Dr. Yujie Sun will give a talk on the study of molecular motor proteins by using single molecule fluorescence techniques.

Curious about the Single Molecule Fluorescence Tech? Come and join us at BRB II/III Rm 1101 at 6:30 pm.

The coming talk on Feb 15, 2008 (Friday)

2008-02-12T21:52:00.001-05:00

Intracellular calcium is related to many physiological processes
like neurotransmitters release, ion channel gating, muscle
contraction, second messenger pathways etc. For this reason, calcium imaging by using fluorescent indicators has become the most popular way to quantify the intracellular calcium involved in different processes to explore the molecular mechanisms.

Dr. Ying Xu will focus on: 1) how to choose a proper calcium indicator; and 2) how to load it into cells; and 3) how to analyze the imaging results.

Want to get more ideas about the calcium imaging technique? Come and join us!

Please note the place change. Due to another event in Rm 1101, we may move our seminar to BRB II/III Rm 1201. Please come back and check the notice. PSF members please check your group message via email.

PSF seminar mini survey

2008-02-04T22:16:00.001-05:00

Our PSF community is growing rapidly! Started with 10 people, now we have more 60 members!

We are so excited to know that more and more front line scientists are thinking about attending the PSF seminars. With the expanding of the forum, we now have to face and solve a problem - what time is good for most people who are willing to participate in our activities?

So, please take a mini online survey. Your cooperation and help are greatly appreciated!

The coming talk on Feb 1, 2008 (Friday)

2008-01-29T21:07:00.001-05:00

Dr. Kevin Yu will give a talk on free radicals in normal physiological functions and human cardiovascular diseases at BRB II/III Rm 1101 7:00 pm.

Free radicals mainly referred to reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are products of normal cellular metabolism. They are well recognized for playing a dual role in our bodies. The beneficial effects of ROS/RNS occurred at low concentration include (1) defence against infectious agents, (2) being second messengers of cellular signaling pathways, and (3) regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. The deleterious effects of the ROS/RNS occurred at excessive level are related to most of human diseases and aging. The ROS induced oxidative stress in cardiovascular system has been linked with various cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, cardiomyopathies, cardiac hypertrophy and congestive heart failure. Some details are discussed for the oxidation of the Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by free radicals as an important step in the development of the atherosclerosis.

Want to know more? Please come and join us!

Advisory Board - Updated

2008-01-29T21:03:00.007-05:00

As of Sep 10, 2008

Professors at UPenn

Prof. Peter Sterling (Neuroscience)
Prof. Sally Zigmond (Biology)
Prof. Noga Vardi (Neuroscience)
Prof. Robert G Smith (Neuroscience)
Prof. Minghong Ma (Neuroscience)

Senior Research Investigator at UPenn

Dr. Patricia Y Tsao (Rheumatology)

Professors at CHOP (The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)

Prof. Wenzhe Ho (Pediatrics)

Corresponding advisor

Prof. Shigang He (Neuroscience)

Good news

2008-01-26T00:30:00.001-05:00

The Philadelphia Science Forum now has registered with the University of Pennsylvania.

We know that it's still a long way to achieve our goals, but we are motivated and feel confident that with the joint efforts from all of us, with the guidance of our advisors, we can make it real!

A special event on the coming Friday (Jan 25, 2008)

2008-01-19T15:27:00.001-05:00

Are you frustrated your boss just doesn’t get what you are trying to tell him? Do you feel your coworkers misunderstand you all the time?Are you so sick and tired to explain yourself over and over again? Do you wish you can get around at work with more ease and grace?

Want to know how? Come to the Cross-Cultural Communication workshop!

On the coming Friday, Ms. Patricia Tsao would like to give us a special talk on the skills of communication. Please join us at BRB II/III Rm 1101 6:00 pm.

New Group Talk History List - 2008

2008-01-12T11:19:00.008-05:00

For group talk history 2007, please click here

Oct 29, 2008 Wednesday

Title: Quantitative pharmacology of buprenorphine pharmacotherapy in newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome: a case study on how developmental changes affect clinical trial dose optimization

Speaker: Di Wu, PhD

Oct 11, 2008 Saturday

Title: How I do for my research

Speaker: Prof. Wenzhe Ho, MD, MPH

Sep 27, 2008 Saturday

Title: Be the best of yourself

Speaker: Prof. Wenzhe Ho, MD, MPH
Photos here

Aug 27, 2008 Wednesday

Title: RNA in situ hybridization: RISH

Speaker: Huikai Tian, MD/PhD

Aug 15, 2008 Friday

Title: NMR-based hydrogen exchange (HX) study of protein folding

Speaker: Zhongyuan Kan, PhD

Jul 30, 2008 Wednesday

Title: Prostaglandins in cardiovascular function - Translational medicine drug discovery

Speaker: Miao Wang, PhD

Jul 16, 2008 Wednesday

Title: Molecular design of transmembrane helical bundle as a tool for probing the feature that drives folding in membrane

Speaker: Yao Zhang, PhD candidate

Jul 2, 2008 Wednesday

Title: Practical approaches of protein crystallography

Speaker: Yong Tang, PhD

Jun 18, 2008 Wednesday

Title: 2D-DIGE

Speaker: Chao-Xing Yuan, PhD

Jun 6, 2008 Friday

Title: The functions of dendritic cells in regulation of immunity

Speaker: Xinhua Zhang, MD

May 22, 2008 Thursday

Title: Common diseases treated in the neurosurgery department

Speaker: Huaiyu Tong, MD

May 16, 2008 Friday

Title: A nanotech startup for genome analysis content

Speaker: Han Cao, PhD

Apr 25, 2008 Friday

Title: Ion channels: from function to structure

Speaker: Shangwei Hou, PhD

Apr 11, 2008 Friday

Title: Peptide synthesis, purification and characterization

Speaker: Xiaoyan Qiu, PhD

Mar 28, 2008 Friday

Title: Advanced MR neuroimaging: diffusion, perfusion and MR spectroscopy

Speaker: Sumei Wang, MD

Mar 20, 2008 Thursday

Title: Burst-dependent protection from synaptic depression in Aplysia: possible contribution to maintenance of attention

Speaker: Qin Wan, PhD

Feb 29, 2008 Friday

Title: Study molecular motor proteins using single molecule fluorescence microscopy

Speaker: Yujie Sun, PhD

Feb 15, 2008 Friday

Title: Calcium imaging

Speaker: Ying Xu, PhD

Feb 1, 2008 Friday

Title: free radicals in normal physiological functions and human cardiovascular diseases

Speaker: Kevin Yu, PhD

Jan 25, 2008 Friday

Title: Get what you want by clear communication

Speaker: Patricia Y. Tsao, PhD
Photos here

Jan 18, 2008 Friday

Title: The molecular mechanisms for biological clocks in fruit flies

Speaker: Wenfeng Chen, PhD

Jan 10, 2008 Thursday

Title: Applications of viral vectors in the central nervous system (CNS)

Speaker: Jinghui Dong, PhD

The coming talk on Jan 18, 2008 Friday

2008-01-12T11:14:00.001-05:00

Dr. Wenfeng Chen is going to give a talk on the molecular mechanisms for biological clocks in fruit flies at BRB II/III Rm 1101 Jan 18, 2008 7:00 pm.

The revolution of the Earth around the Sun generates a day-night cycle of 24 hours with rhythmic changes in both temperature and day light. As an adaptation to these daily changes of environmental timing signals (i.e., Zeitgeber - time giver, from the German words Zeit, time, Geber, giver), diverse organisms evolved a crucial mechanism, circadian clock, in order to temporally coordinate internal biological processes with the daily-rhythmic (circadian) environmental stimuli. Research in the last three decades has revealed the general molecular mechanisms for circadian clocks ranging from the Cyanobacteria to the mammals. These clocks are all assembled as cell-autonomous interconnected molecular feedback loops such that: 1. it takes about 24 hours to finish processing one cycle of the feedback loops; 2. moderate changes in ambient temperature do not significantly affect the periods of the cycles; and 3. they are responsive to physiological or environmental cues.

Want to know more? Please come and join us!

A new session of practical techniques launched

2008-01-07T20:59:00.001-05:00

We are pleased to launch a new session of practical techniques in our PSF seminars, which has already been started with Dr. Jian Liu's talk on the new techniques in modern optical microscopy. The session will be continued with Dr. Jinghui Dong's talk on viral vector applications in the CNS on this coming Thursday. More topics include:

1. Calcium imaging technique;

2. fMRI technique;

3. Gene knock-out technique;

4. Peptide extraction and construction;

5. RNAi technique;

6. Bioinformatics.

PSF members are advised to check their group messages for the coming talks.

Special event on the coming Saturday

2007-12-10T21:40:00.000-05:00

Dr. Minghong Ma, a young assistant professor of Neuroscience Deparment at UPenn would like to share with us her experience of getting a tenure track faculty position in academy. The talk will be held at BRB II/III Rm 1101 at 1:00 PM on Dec 15, 2007. You and your friends are welcome to join us.

New way to read the PSF posts

2007-12-07T18:01:00.000-05:00

The RSS technique keeps you posted. Just save the PSF post RSS feed into your browser's favorite, and you can read the new message when it first arrives.

Descriptions for some logo designs

2007-11-28T22:31:00.000-05:00

D: A podium with "S"-shape double-stranded DNA as a support, suggesting a forum with emphasis on biological sciences. The "S"-shape double-stranded DNA together with letters "P" and "F", gives the acronym for the "Philadelphia
Science Forum".

E: "P" is composed of a spectrum and a contour map. "S" is like a C. elegans. The "P" and "S" together also resemble the sword and the snake, which is the symbol of medicine. "F" is like some organelles. So, the combination stands for science and technology.

F: To emphasize the fouding place and time: Philadelphia represented by the Liberty Bell, and the forum was founded in 2007.