www .labtimes.org

68 Pages·2016·7.12 MB·English

CELL SIGNALING TECHNOLOGY 3
2/
0
1
6
Deciphering Cancer
Tools to Interpret the
Tumor-Immune Cell Crosstalk
PD-1
IDO
PD-L1
LAG3
PD-L2
ICOS
TIM-3
CD3
Arginase-1
CD8
w
w
VISTA w
.la
b
tim
e
s
.o
rg
Visit our website to request our Tumor Immunology Poster
www.cellsignal.com/immunetumor
© 2015 Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. Cell Signaling Technology, CST, PTMScan, and SimpeChIP are trademarks of Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.
15PADEPIGNONE0079ENG_00
For Research Use Only. Not For Use In Diagnostic Procedures.
© 2016 Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. Cell Signaling Technology and CST
are trademarks of Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.
16PADIMMU0017ENG
LT_316_OC_OC.indd 2 09.06.16 12:51
Clever co-workers
Outstanding platform for automated method development
The Nexera Method Scouting system provides an all- • VALIDAT®
round solution for efficient HPLC method development for an automated method validation workflow from prelimi-
and implementation. The automated method develop- nary plan to a fully customized validation report
ment solution comprises of four software packages
which complement each other in creating a seamless
method development work-flow.
• Method Scouting Solution software
enables automated, quick and simple column and solvent
screening
• LabSolutions software
for data evaluation
• DryLab®4 HPLC modeling software
focuses on strategic method optimization by calculation
and visualization of the design space www.shimadzu.eu
LT_316_IC_IC_eP.indd 2 10.06.16 14:35
Editorial 3-2016 Lab Times page 3

“A Reliable Scientific Literature…
…is crucial for an efficient research process,” wrote Bernd ‘Never admit to any weaknesses in your own earlier work, or it
Pulverer, EMBO’s Head of Scientific Publication, in an editori- might get retracted; and invest time pointing out weaknesses in
al for The EMBO Journal last year (34(20):2483-5). An increas- your rivals’ earlier work, in the hope that yours will look better
ing number of retractions shows, however, that we cannot always in comparison when their work is retracted.’ It’s hard to imag-
trust on what’s written. In recent times, the term “correcting the ine a message more inimical to the advance of science.” Daniele
scientific record” has become somewhat of a recurring catch- Fanelli, well-known for his studies on scientific misconduct and
phrase. research bias, added, “This journal’s actions reflect a complete
The world of academic publishing, currently, has three op- misunderstanding of what retractions should be used for, and
tions how to handle papers with wrong, faulty or misleading find- they set a damaging precedent that will discourage open debate,
ings. Depending on the kind and severity of the misinformation, self-criticism and self correction.”
journals can either issue an erratum, a correction, an expression Also, Kokko thinks that researchers, who notice mistakes in
of concern and, as the last and final step, a retraction. their earlier work, might now keep quiet for fear of retraction. “In
COPE, the Committee of Publication Ethics, advises that jour- our view, science is best served if (a) papers identifying a scientif-
nal editors should only then consider retracting a study when ic problem and making initial attempts at solving them are, gen-
“they have clear evidence that the findings are unreliable, either erally, kept in the literature even if flaws are later found, as there
as a result of misconduct (e.g. is usually quite a bit of merit left
data fabrication) or honest er- in the sense of identifying areas
ror (e.g. miscalculation or ex- of research; (b) if I was criticis-
perimental error); the findings ing someone else’s work (other
have previously been published Retract responsibly! than my own) at a similar lev-
elsewhere without proper cross- el of severity, I would still not
referencing, permission or justi- want that person to retract (or
fication (i.e. cases of redundant hn to be forced to retract) the orig-
o
publication); it constitutes pla- u J inal, for that would leave coun-
h
giarism or it reports unethical es terproductive gaps in literature
/J
research.” om and change research atmos-
The guidelines are clear pics.c pheres towards a much more
about it but is it always the right ers destructive game,” she told Re-
n
decision to retract a study when esig traction Watch.
published data is found to be er- o: d Ben Ashby, who was one
roneous? hot of the current paper’s referees,
P
Hanna Kokko, evolution- even says that an erratum had
ary biologist at the University of achieved the same thing as a re-
Zürich, recently set a precedent and, with it, ignited a lively de- traction, without stigmatising the authors. In his reviewer report,
bate on social media and Retraction Watch. What had happened? he had thus suggested a correction. “Scientists are not perfect.
When working on a new paper about mate searching, Kokko’s Honest mistakes will happen along the way, but it’s important
new collaborator, Lutz Fromhage from the University of Jyväs- that we encourage people to admit when they have gone wrong,”
kylä, Finland, noticed an analytical mistake in one of her earli- he writes in a guest post for Retraction Watch.
er papers. The two worked it out and wrote a new paper, correct- Was it now right or wrong to retract Hanna Kokko’s erroneous
ing the mistake and updating their conclusions. The journal ed- study? Opinions will differ. But, when considering this case, it’s
itors of Evolution, where the original study had been published clear that journal editors have a responsibility beyond “merely”
and the new manuscript submitted, now had to decide what to correcting the scientific record. With their decisions, they can, at
do: add an erratum to the out-dated study, explaining the mis- the very least, push science towards more honesty and openness
take and linking to the new study, or erase it from the scientific or, vice versa, towards dishonesty and irresponsibilty.
record. They went for the latter option, also because an erratum
can only be issued when it is signed by the same authors as the
original study. Which wasn’t possible in this case. Hence, study
retracted! Self-criticism felled a paper. Bam!
Although a few scientists agreed with the journal, most were
outraged at this editorial decision: open science advocate, Mike
Taylor from the University of Bristol, for instance, commented,
“The journal is wrong, simply and flatly. I hope they have a de-
cency and honesty to undo their error, and unretract the origi-
nal paper. If they don’t, then they are sending a simple message:
LT_316_03_03.indd 3 10/06/2016 09:55
page 4 Lab Times 3-2016 Contents
News
Picture of the issue / New ESFRI Roadmap published / Call for action on open science / Recently
awarded / Research vessel naming contest / EU regulation of EDCs / New visa directive for non-EU
scientists / UK physicists explain Chlamydomonas’ swimming style ____________________ 6-12
Opinion
Observations of The Owl: Bossy Bosses __________________________________________13
Research letter from... Greece: Therapeutic Dance Jumps _____________________________14
HPI Over the Line? What’s une Femme to Do? ________________________________________15
Photo: Analysis
With the help of designer recombinases, virol-
ogist Joachim Hauber was able to reverse an EU Project
HIV infection at the molecular level. Now, he’s MaCuMBa project members want to discover molecular treasures hidden in marine microbes. __16
ready to take the next big step. (p. 24) Cover Story
Peter Lawrence looked at the last 50 years in science. His verdict is sobering. ______________18
Interview
German virologist Joachim Hauber might have found a cure for AIDS. ____________________24
Journal Club
Photo: Lida Xing, Univ Beijing HCPNLiouuavtpmebriertlbipniocuohnaroa grtlegi//soeGUenneaK/ rrS cDmAht ea3 ainnnDtmi y Esm autAorir ockpdps ieAle ol ton_ fse_ tawu_ ds_may_eu _strhh_ooop_wdo_ sd_s h_tsho_hawo_tws _t r_sha _ohv_weol_w lte_h rt_esh _eAd_ Toa_Pnna_’cts_ iehe_n ar_tve _etai_ tltla_oyn _fwse_ oam_rrk_ oZs_vi.ke_ ad__ .__v i___ru___s___. ____________________________________23338204
You don’t want to be trapped under a giant
sauropod’s foot. Karl Bates and Vivian Allen
Biobusiness
used computer power to reconstruct the evo-
News
lution of the ancient titans’ body plan. (p. 32)
Antibody producer accepts civil penalty / Thermo Fisher’s next takeover / Life sciences fund
obtains €245 million for European startups / Bayer offers €56 billion for Monsanto __________37
Company Portrait
Rodos Biotarget (Hanover, Germany) sends nano-sized drug carriers into the human body,
pointing drug molecules in the right direction. _____________________________________39
Dubious Laboratory Testing
Diagnostic service provider Theranos became the hottest US biotech venture, with the company
valued at €8 billion. There’s growing suspicion that their technology is a house of cards. _______42
BT
Rodos Service
Photo: Product Survey: Thermocyclers_______________________________________________44
The most effective medicine cannot work New products ____________________________________________________________54
if it doesn’t reach its destination. Or, even Methods
worse, if it works in the wrong place. These Bench philosophy: Fluorescent carbon dots from beer _______________________________52
three men might be able to help. (p. 39) Tips and tricks of the trade: DNA origami _________________________________________51
Book Reviews
Arrival of the Fittest: Solving Evolution’s Greatest Puzzle. By Andreas Wagner ______________56
Raw Data. By Pernille Rørth __________________________________________________57
Careers
Career Strategies for Young European Scientists
An Indian neuroscience student came to Germany to refine more than her scientific skills. _____58
MIT Jobs / Calendar __________________________________________________________61
Photo: Humour
Carbon quantum dots are the latest species to
Paul the Postdoc __________________________________________________________06
emerge from the carbon nanomaterials zoo.
Contact _________________________________________________________________31
Their tunable fluorescence makes them inter-
Laboratory Tales ___________________________________________________________66
esting candidates for cell labelling. (p. 52)
LT_316_04_05.indd 4 09.06.16 16:08
Order your sample at
www.eppendorf.com/5mL
Your Turn
Eppendorf Tubes® 5.0 mL - now with screw cap
Choose the optimal Eppendorf > High g-safe® stability enables safe and
Tubes 5.0 mL for your laboratory fast centrifugation steps
needs: Whether centrifugation, incu- > The new screw cap combines user-
bation, storage, or other applications - friendly handling with an exceptionally
the Eppendorf 5.0 mL system provides tight seal
the ideal solution for handling samples > Highest sample integrity as no slip
in the low to medium volume range. agents, plasticizers, or biocides are
used during manufacturing
www.eppendorf.com/5mL
Eppendorf®, the Eppendorf logo, g-safe® and Eppendorf Tubes® are registered trademarks of Eppendorf AG, Germany.
U.S Design Patents are listed on www.eppendorf.com/ip. All rights reserved, including graphics and images. Copyright © 2016 by Eppendorf AG.
LT_316_04_05.indd 5 09.06.16 16:08
page 6 Lab Times 3-2016 News
didn’t know
Picture of the issue
Weird Science that blue eyes
It’s not often that one is honoured is just rs12913832
for something weird. And can it
get any weirder than nano-den-
tistry? Not much. That’s perhaps why
Nina Vyas, doctoral student at the
University of Birmingham, won sec-
ond place in the Weird and Wonder-
ful category of the annual science
photo competition, organised by the
UK-based Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council, EPSRC.
Her false-colour electron micrograph
iomf Gagloer (ys,e seh roiwghs tp)a, rtittsl eodf hOenr trheese Eadrcghe mingham
pftairncoaejle otcfut :ab p uhuluermsp,l atehn-ce to olliootttulher e wgdri teihse ntiht sbe ed saeudnrs-- University of Bir
atircele nso otf c aabroieust b 8a0c0te nrima bsiuzte s. iWlichaa pt aarr-e Nina Vyas,
tmhaonse t osiolticha, ypoaurt wicloensd deori?n “gW oen aar he uin-- Photo:
vestigating how antimicrobial parti-
cles can be put into teeth to kill bac-
teria that invade the tubules during dental decay (...) We are researching a new way to push sub-micron particles
further into the channels, using the large forces generated by cavitation bubbles. These are bubbles that implode
on themselves and generate high speed microscopic jets and shock waves. We have shown that the sub-micron par-
ticles can be delivered into the tubules after just a one second blast of cavitation bubbles,” Vyas explains. Weird
and wonderful indeed.
-KG-
Paul the Postdoc
by Rafael Florés
lab fashion New Trends in Lab overalls for thiis
summer, coming from top reference
labs in Paris, London and new york.
e
d
n.
erli
b
n-
sig
6
0
0
1.
1
LT_316_06_12.indd 6 09/06/2016 15:25
didn’t know
that blue eyes
is just rs12913832
LightSNiP
Assays
SNP on Demand
More and more human SNPs are
analyzed for their potential
association with diseases, risk
Convenient to Apply Simple to Order
factors and predispositions.
Our LightSNiP assays are pre- melting curve (guaranteed for all LightSNiP assays come premixed For ordering use the rs number
established, probe-based tests LightCycler®systems 1.x, 2.0,480, with a standardized protocol. Just from dbSNP (NCBI/GenBank®)
using a melting curve to detect Nano and Roche TaqMan® 48. reconstitute in water, combine
sequence variations. Some LightSNiP assays have been with the Roche master reagent, tib-molbiol.com/oligoshop/SNP
These assays are developed exemplarily tested to work on add samples and start your expe-
on the Roche LightCycler® 480 Illumina ECCO, Qiagen Rotorgene, riment. LightSNiP assays on pla- One vial contains primers and
system, but can be applied also Bio-Rad CFX96 and other instru- tes (arrays) available on request. probes for 96 rxns each 20 l.
µ
on other instruments that run a ments; please inquire).
e
d
n.
erli USATIB MOLBIOL LLC DEUTSCHLANDTIBMOLBIOLGmbH ITALIA TIB MOLBIOL s.r.l. ESPAÑATIB MOLBIOL sl
n-b Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]
6 sig Tel. [phone] Tel. [phone] Tel. [phone] Tel. [phone]
0
0 Fax [phone] Fax [phone] Fax [phone] Fax [phone]
1.
1
SimpleProbe® and LightCycler® are trademarks from Roche. SimpleProbe® probes under license of Roche Diagnostics GmbH (for research use only).
Homogenous amplification methods with real-time detection are covered by patents owned by Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
WWW.TIB-MOLBIOL.COM Use of these methods requires a license.
LT_316_06_12.indd 7 09/06/2016 15:25
page 8 Lab Times 3-2016 News
New ESFRI Roadmap published
ing and providing access to infrastructures
Recently Awarded Strategic Plans addressing multi-scale phenotyping for ana-
lysing genotype performance under diverse Conferences
In case you missed it, already in March the environmental conditions”. Coordinating
Not less than five researchers have European Strategy Forum on Research In- country is Germany, the Forschungszen-
been honoured with the Canada Gaird- frastructures, or ESFRI, published its latest trum Jülich to be exact. Costs in the con-
ner International Award for their work Roadmap (www.esfri.eu/roadmap-2016). struction phase are estimated to be in the
In it, they announce, which pan-Europe- €70 million range. Operation of the infra-
on the CRISPR-Cas system. Besides the
an research infrastructures (such as com- structure is scheduled for 2020, with opera-
usual suspects, Jennifer Doudna (UC
puting facilities, repositories or libraries) tional costs of €3.6 million per year.
Berkeley), Emmanuelle Charpentier
are especially important for the European Mere months away from providing its
(MPI for Infection Biology, Berlin) and
Research Area and thus, deserve funding services to European scientists is the EURO-
Feng Zhang (Broad Institute of MIT),
(giving a nudge to EU financiers). “The fu- BioImaging infrastructure, which entered Transcription and Chromatin
who were awarded for the development
ture prosperity of Europe”, ESFRI reasons, the ESFRI Roadmap in 2008. With three im-
of the bacterial defense system as a
“in an increasingly competitive, globalised aging facilities scattered throughout Europe
genome editing tool, two more early
and knowledge-based economy, depends (University of Turku, Finland; University of
“Heroes of CRISPR”, Philippe Horvath upon fully exploiting the continent’s poten- Torino, Italy; EMBL Heidelberg, Germany), 31 AUG - 3 SEP
(DuPont, France) and French-born, tial for scientific and technological innova- the infrastructure wants to give all Euro-
Rodolphe Barrangou (North Carolina tion.” And this can only be achieved by fun- pean scientists the possibility to use state-
State University), received the prize for nelling powers. of-the-art imaging technologies. “Such an
their studies, focussing on the actual im- Currently, 21 projects from all walks open access model will not only bring scien-
mune function of the system in bacteria. of science enjoy ESFRI support, which al- tific benefits. It could mitigate the high costs
lows them to gradually grow from incuba- of innovative imaging technologies and the
This year’s EMBO Gold Medal went tion phase to fully operating “hubs of sci- scarcity of expert staff, increase internation-
entific excellence”, benefitting all Europe- al cooperation and boost transfer of knowl-
to two young scientists with extraor-
an scientists. ESFRI follows the infrastruc- edge among European researchers,” the co-
dinary research subjects. Richard
tures from its initial, preparatory phase for ordinators hope. The annual budget for EU-
Benton (University of Lausanne) was
hpiTfinnrhoeot eBrnemc roasee uetrpshcrctteeeeoiold dnoCn dnfei.ona npTr , thi rhrndieezisis e sesf ocwccworito ei vGnorneknedtr eineoosrdornt,as m Bti nnhiisetcsa nr epteR capcLetrehe gtopiehucltnflnuoaaolercta-sirtor.o l nyry Emoinpxefpernaentsce attdr tsu EtlchiUtgeuRh rstOeloy.-oB bnieo-ttIotme-bar gee-iqnugi p- RCAThOaelm-lB sfiioogrbInm As aicbgttoiiondingeo iowsun €e lO1ls. p5fo e5rnG m wSiilcodliieeoansnpc.relesad open mainpictures.net/Lynn Greyling 28 AUG - 5 SEP | EMBO Practical Course
taynp einsd civaindnuoatl ’so ngleyn beeti ctr amcaekde b-uapc ka ntod arecqcuesirse sto n soct hloeslas rtlhy arne sae atrracnhs.f oArlmthaotuiognh oitf w.publicdo
w
tPhhee ninofltuypenicc de ivoef resnitvyi raolnsmo eanritsaels f afrcotmor s. cinegn,t ubryy -2o0ld2 0p,r aacllt ipcuesb liinc layc afudnedmeidc pscuibelnistihf-- Photo: w J. BrHig.g Ss,t aBh. lbBeoregtt c| hEeMr,B LL. PHaesidsmelboerer,g C, G. Searmchasney,
“stochastic variances in gene expression ic publications should be available to the
early in development.” The Medal carries a maximum of ten years. After which, the public as well as the scientific communi-
an honorarium of €10,000. projects are expected to “start implementa- ty free of charge. That’s one of two impor-
tion and reach sustainability for long term tant pan-European goals, the Amsterdam
operation, thus assuring maximum return Call for Action on Open Science wants to
Eppendorf does not only make handy
on investment in terms of science, innova- attain. The other one is a “fundamentally
tubes for the molecular biology lab, it
tion, training, socio-economic benefits and new approach towards optimal reuse of re-
also, annually, honours young biomedi-
competitiveness”. search data”.
cal scientists with its Eppendorf Award
Six new infrastructures entered the new In April, experts and stakeholders came
for Young European Investigators.
ESFRI Roadmap that “fill in important gaps together to discuss the future of academic
This year, the award, which includes a
in the European science landscape”. Only publishing at the Open Science – From Vi-
prize money of €20,000, went to Adrian
one is relevant for life sciences: EMPHA- sion to Action conference. The result is the
Liston from the University of Leuven. SIS (European Multi-Environment Plant Call for Action, a “living document reflect-
The Australian/British scientist studies Phenotyping and Simulation Infrastruc- ing the present state of open science evo-
the adaptive immune system, in par- ture, which is not be confused with the lution”. In it, the authors identify current Protein Expression,
ticular regulatory T-cells, or Tregs. These EU-funded Effective Management of Pests problems (for instance, access barriers such Purification and Characterisation
cells help the body maintain a healthy and Harmful Alien Species: Integrated So- as paywalls, embargos and the long time
balance between autoimmunity and im- lutions project or the also EU-funded Ex- between submission of a manuscript and
munosuppression. In his more applied plosive Material Production Hidden Agile its publication) and suggest possible solu-
immunological research, he identified Search and Intelligence System. tions (researchers are encouraged to try out
several new primary immunodeficiencies When completed, the ESFRI- supported new and faster ways of publishing, such as
EMPHASIS project wants to back European flipped publishing, and should no longer
and inflammatory diseases. -KG-
plant and agricultural science “by develop- accept disclosure clauses).
LT_316_06_12.indd 8 09/06/2016 15:25
220016

7 - 10 SEP | EMBO | EMBL Symposium 5 - 8 OCT | EMBO | EMBL Symposium 12 - 15 NOV | EMBO Conference
Conferences
Actin in Action: From The Complex Life of mRNA From Functional Genomics

Molecules to A. Ephrussi, N. Sonenberg, J. Steitz, D. to Systems Biology
Tollervey | EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Cellular Functions E. Furlong, F.C.P. Holstege, N. Rajewsky, M.
Walhout | EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
24 - 26 JUL | EMBL Conference B. Baum, J. Faix, P. Lenart, D. Mullins, F.
12 - 15 OCT | EMBO | EMBL Symposium
Microfluidics 2016 Nedelec, C. Sykes | EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Organoids: Modelling Organ
20 - 23 NOV | EMBO Conference
C. Merten, S. Quake
EMBL Heidelberg, Germany 14 - 17 SEP | EMBL–Wellcome Development and Disease Molecular Machines:
Genome Campus Conference in 3D Culture Integrative Structural and
27 - 30 AUG | EMBL Conference Proteomics in Cell Biology M. Bissell, J. Knoblich, E. Schnapp
Molecular Biology
Transcription and Chromatin EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
and Disease Mechanisms J. Briggs, T. Carlomagno, G. Kleywegt, D.
D. Duboule, E. Furlong, A. Shilatifard,
A.-C. Gavin, A. Lamond, M. Mann | EMBL Panne, D. Svergun | EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
M. Timmers | EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Heidelberg, Germany 19 - 23 OCT | EMBO Conference
Experimental Approaches to
4 - 6 DEC | EMBL–Wellcome Genome
31 AUG - 3 SEP | EMBO Conference
25 - 27 SEP | EMBL–Wellcome Evolution and Ecology Using Campus Conference
Chemical Biology 2016
Genome Campus Conference Target Validation Using
M. Köhn, J. Overington, C. Schultz Yeast and Other Model
Big Data in Biology
EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Genomics and Informatics
Systems
and Health E. Birney, C. Fox, M. Fergusson, S. John
J. Berman, M. Dunham, J. Leu, L. Steinmetz
E. Birney, B. Grossman, J. Korbel, C. Relton EMBL Heidelberg, Germany EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
21 - 25 NOV | EMBL Course
Courses
NGS: Enrichment Based
16 - 23 OCT | EMBO Practical Course
Targeted Resequencing
High-Throughput Microscopy
28 AUG - 5 SEP | EMBO Practical Course 19 - 23 SEP | EMBL-EBI Course V. Benes, J. Dreyer-Lamm, A. Heim
for Systems Biology EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Cryo-Electron Microscopy Structural Bioinformatics
J. Ellenberg, D.W. Gerlich, B. Neumann, R.
and 3D Image Processing T. Hancocks, G. Kleywegt, C. Orengo Pepperkok | EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
EMBL-EBI Hinxton, UK 28 - 29 NOV | EMBL Course
J. Briggs, B. Boettcher, L. Passmore, C. Sachse,
H. Stahlberg | EMBL Heidelberg, Germany NGS: Whole Genome
17 - 24 OCT | EMBO Practical Course
19 - 24 SEP | EMBL Course
Solution Scattering from Sequencing Library Preparation
29 AUG - 2 SEP | EMBL Course Extracellular Vesicles: from V. Benes, J. Dreyer-Lamm, A. Heim
Chromatin Signatures Biology to Biomedical Biological Macromolecules EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
A. Kikhney, D. Svergun
during Differentiation Applications EMBL Hamburg, Germany
J. Dreyer-Lamm, P. Grandi, K.-M. Noh J. Dreyer-Lamm, A. Hendrix, E. Nolte-‘t Hoen 28 NOV - 2 DEC | EMBL-EBI Course
EMBL
EMBL Heidelberg, Germany EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Biological Interpretation of
7 - 11 NOV | EMBL-EBI-Wellcome
Genome Campus Course Next Generation Sequencing
12 - 14 SEP | EMBL-EBI Course 3 - 6 OCT | EMBL-EBI Course Resources for Computational G. Rustici | EMBL-EBI, Hinxton UK
Metagenomics Bioinformatics Introduction to Next
Drug Discovery
H. Denise, L. Emery, A. Mitchell
Generation Sequencing 4 - 9 DEC | EMBL-EBI-Wellcome
EMBL-EBI Hinxton, UK T. Hancocks | EMBL-EBI Hinxton, UK
T. Hancocks, J. Randall, M. Rossello Genome Campus Course
EMBL-EBI Hinxton, UK
Proteomics Bioinformatics
12 - 20 SEP | EMBO Practical Course 9 - 10 NOV | EMBL Course
L. Emery | EMBL-EBI, Hinxton UK
Protein Expression, Microinjection into
4 - 7 OCT | EMBL Course
Purification and Characterisation Whole Transcriptome Adherent Cells 7 - 11 DEC | EMBL Course
C. Loew, R. Meijers, A. Parret | EMBL Data Analysis R. Pepperkok, S. Terjung, S. Stobrawa Microbial Communities:
Hamburg, Germany EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
V. Benes, R. Calogero | EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
Modelling Meets Experiments
R. Mahadevan, K. Patil, K. Sasaki
EMBL Heidelberg, Germany
We would like to thank the members of the EMBL ATC Corporate Partnership Programme:
Founder Partners: Leica Microsystems, Olympus
Corporate Partners: BD, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific
@emblevents Associate Partners: Eppendorf, Merck, Nikon, Sanofi
LT_316_06_12.indd 9 09/06/2016 15:25
page 10 Lab Times 3-2016 News
EU regulation of EDCs
“To achieve these objectives, all of the honour. “I have been privileged to explore
stakeholders must take action. Scientists’ the world’s deepest oceans alongside amaz- Basic Agreement
evaluation and assessment systems will ing teams of researchers, and with this new
need to be reviewed. Universities and re- polar research ship they will be able to go It’s a hotly fought over topic – are endocrine
search funders must ensure that the new further and discover more than ever before,” disrupting chemicals (EDCs) harmful for
system values the impact of research and he told the Guardian. our health and need strict regulation? Or
sharing results more highly, instead of just At the beginning of May, the men behind can they, at low concentrations, safely be
looking at numbers of publications and ci- the Name Our Ship competition also had to tolerated? For years, the conflict between
tations. The EU member states and the Eu- report to the House of Commons as part of different pressure groups has been simmer-
ropean Commission must better align their a general inquiry into science communica- ing in Europe. In April, 23 scientists, mod-
policies to facilitate open access and open tion in the UK. Duncan Wingham, NERC’s erated by former European Science Advi-
data, thus making policy more uniform,” head, confessed that although the contest sor, Anne Glover, and former European
the Call urges. had run out of the rudder, “I would like to Commission President, Jose Manuel Bar-
Several European nations have already think [the minister] sees this as what I’d de- roso, met in Berlin to, for starters, come to a
done their homework. Switzerland is cur- scribe as an incredible success (…) We could mutual agreement about clear “criteria for
rently preparing its national Open Access make the claim that we’re probably now the identifying the hazard potential of harmful
strategy, as suggested by the Amsterdam best known research council in the world. endocrine substances”. These criteria are
Call. And the country’s principle public Hundreds of thousands of people now know just the very first but important step in the
funding body, the Swiss National Science not only about us, but about the science we entire risk assessment procedure.
Foundation (SNSF), recently released a have done.” Indeed, the participants arrived at a
monitoring report, revealing that “40 per joint solution. In the resulting Consensus
cent of publications produced with the aid Document, the scientists, including An-
Photo: www.publicdomainpictures.net/Richard Revel
of SNSF funding are openly accessible”. dreas Kortenkamp (Brunel University Lon-
Proudly, the SNSF announces that this “im- don), Åke Bergman (Swedish Toxicology
pressive figure is set to rise” even further. Sciences Research Center) and Alberto
In related Open Access news, the Direc- Mantovani, (Istituto Superiore die Sanitá,
tory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) re- Rome) recognise that “the identification
cently purged its inventory. The DOAJ op- of chemicals that contribute to adverse ef-
erators removed more than 3,000 journals fects on human health is fraught with dif-
that did not renew their application, even ficulties, which, in the case of endocrine
after being reminded three times. “We are disruptors, can be traced to several specific
confident that the majority of the journals factors”. For instance, exposure to EDCs of-
removed have never supplied article meta- ten occurs during puberty and thus, effects
data to us, or have done once but haven’t are “difficult to re-construct”, the scientists
sent us anything for at least two years.” Cur- write. In addition, “internationally validat-
rently, the database gives access to more ed test systems” are yet to be optimised.
than 8,000 Open Access journals and close Indeed, with their contest, the Coun- “We believe that a consensus about these
to two million articles. cil reached not less than 214 million people issues is unlikely to emerge in the near fu-
on Twitter alone. Thousands watched the ture. Nevertheless, in our view, the estab-
Council’s videos on Youtube and read about lishment of criteria for the identification
Research vessel naming contest
their scientific projects. A dream come true of endocrine disruptors is possible without
Ship Ahoy! for any marketing strategist. resolution of these issues.”
The new vessel, the UK’s “largest and Andreas Hensel, president of the Ger-
More famous than Lady Gaga and Angela most advanced research ship yet”, will set man Federal Institute for Risk Assessment,
Merkel together, Boaty McBoatface took the sail to the Antarctic in 2019. Carrying nine which organised the meeting, called the
world by storm. With overwhelming major- double-decker busses worth of scientific Consensus Document a “breakthrough”.
ity, the entry submitted by BBC radio pre- equipment, the RSS David A ttenborough “The results can support the European
senter James Hand won the Name Our Ship will help researchers find out more Commission in taking science-based meas-
competition by the Natural Environment Re- about, amongst others, the stability of the ures where required to reduce endocrine
search Council (NERC). Was it all a clever Antarctic ice sheet and the diversity of ma- disruptors, for instance in consumer prod-
publicity stunt by the NERC or just a scien- rine life. ucts, pesticides and also in food.”
tific outreach activity that has gotten total- And what about Boaty McBoatface? Ac- Despite this laudable basic agreement,
ly out of control? cording to the NERC, the name “will live on the opposing camps continue on their
Fact is, the £200 million research vessel as the name of the ship’s high-tech remotely path. Seven Concerned Toxicologists for
will, after all, cruise Arctic and Antarctic wa- operated sub-sea vehicle”. Reporting to the Better Science and Regulation recently ap-
ters not as Boaty McBoatface but under the Members of Parliament, Duncan Wingham proached the EC Commissioner of Health &
name “RSS David Attenborough”. Appreci- said that the Council did not yet have time Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, to lobby
ating the public’s “truly inspirational and to come up with an appropriate media strat- for their cause. During a meeting in Brus-
creative” name suggestions, UK science min- egy for the bright yellow vehicle. The pub- sels, Colin Berry, Alan Boobis, Wolfgang
ister, Jo Johnson, ultimately vetoed against lic can, however, be sure that it will re-sur- Dekant, Daniel Dietrich, Helmut Greim, Pat
Boaty. For Attenborough, it’s, of course, an face very soon. Heslop-Harrison and Richard Sharpe –
LT_316_06_12.indd 10 09/06/2016 15:25