| Wednesday, September 5, 2012
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6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
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Mapping the Neuronal Methylome at the Epigenetic Interface of Genes and Environment
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| Description: |
RSVP to lmavros@mit.edu if you would like to attend.
Speaker: Janine LaSalle, Ph.D., Professor, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, MIND Institute, Genome Center, UC Davis
MIT Building 46-3002 (Singleton Auditorium), 43 Vassar Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
Please visit our website for further details, including talk abstract.
The SCSB Autism and Developmental Disorders Colloquium Series is sponsored by the Simons Center for the Social Brain at MIT.
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| Contact: |
Lee Mavros Rushton
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| Thursday, September 6, 2012
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Noon - 1:00 PM
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Aggressive periodontitis in children and adolescents: what have we learned so far?
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| Description: |
Speaker: Luciana M. Shaddox, DDS, MS, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Periodontology, College of Dentistry University of Florida
Location: The Forsyth Institute, Seminar Rooms A & B, 245 First Street, 17th Floor, Cambridge
Abstract: Aggressive periodontitis (AgP) is a rare and rapidly progressing form of periodontitis which is often characterized by early age of onset and a family aggregation. Due to the severe nature of this disease, it is thought that AgP is associated with the presence of a highly virulent flora and/or a high level of subject susceptibility. The objectives of our studies are to define immunological mechanisms and bacterial profile associations with localized AgP (LAP) disease onset and response to treatment in African-American children/adolescents. Our studies so far have shown that AgP patients exhibit a hyper-inflammatory response when exposed to bacterial antigens and this response may be related to the severe tissue destruction observed in this disease. We have also observed that healthy siblings respond to LPS with a heightened inflammatory response when compared to healthy controls but to a lesser extent of that observed in their LAP siblings. Our more recent data show that this inflammatory profile seems to be slightly higher in females and in older subjects with permanent dentition affected. The microbial profile studies in this population so far indicate a strong association of LAP with Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), as well as Filifactor alocis. Our more recent data analysis have shown an association of Aa with some Streptococcus species, however, Filifactor alocis, Eubacterium nodatum, and Porphyromonas gingivalis are found in samples that do not contain any Aa. In addition, comparing Aa positive patients with Aa negative patients, we found a slightly different inflammatory profile but no significant differences in clinical parameters. Analysis of response patterns to conventional treatment is also enlightening regarding LAP in this population. Our studies are ongoing in this population and our results are providing us with important knowledge regarding LAP mechanisms and how to best prevent and treat it.
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| Contact: |
Pam Quattrocchi
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| Monday, September 10, 2012
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4:00 PM
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| Wednesday, September 12, 2012
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Noon - 1:00 PM
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| Thursday, September 13, 2012
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Noon - 1:00 PM
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Immunoregulation by adenosine and hypoxia
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| Description: |
Speaker: Akio Ohta, Ph.D., Principal Research Scientist, New England Inflammation and Tissue Protection Institute, Northeastern University
Location: The Forsyth Institute, Seminar Rooms A & B, 245 First Street, 17th Floor, Cambridge
Summary: Immune system has various mechanisms to discourage potentially tissue-damaging immune activation, e.g. anti-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cells including regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells). Extracellular adenosine also plays a non-redundant role in the control of immune responses. The increase of adenosine levels in pathophysiological conditions may represent negative feedback mechanism triggered by hypoxia in damaged tissue. Such counterbalance can prevent overactivation of immune responses and consequent excessive tissue injury, but are also able to diminish immune responses to fight against infectious pathogens and cancer cells. Immunoregulatory mechanism through the hypoxia-adenosine pathway may be crucial in the control of pro- and anti-inflammatory balance.
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| Contact: |
Pam Quattrocchi
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2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
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Resume & Networking workshop for HBC Career Fair
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| Description: |
Making the Most of the Harvard Biotechnology Club's Career Fair: Resumes and Networking Strategies.
Laura Stark Malisheski, Office of Career Services for Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Location: Cannon Room, 1st Floor Building C, HMS Quad.
*Note: Due to space limitations, the workshops will be open only to Harvard-affiliated members.
Are you attending the Harvard Biotech Club Career Fair? Make the most out of this great opportunity to meet with employers who want to hire PhDs!
Laura Stark Malisheski of the Office of Career Services for Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, will share her tips on how to present yourself, on paper and in person!
In the first part of this workshop, you will learn how to best organize your resume for different types of PhD-level nonacademic positions. Laura will offer specific guidelines and sample resumes to inspire you to create a resume that best represents your strengths and experiences.
In part two of the workshop, you will learn how to effectively introduce yourself to potential employers and make the most of your time at the HBC Career Fair.
RSVP: If you would like to attend this event, please send an email to RSVP@thebiotechclub.org with "workshop" in the subject line.
Presented to you by the GSAS Harvard Biotech Club (www.thebiotechclub.org) in collaboration with Harvard FAS Office of Career Services
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| Contact: |
Edouard Mullarky
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5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
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| Friday, September 14, 2012
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Noon - 1:00 PM
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Tregs & periodontal disease: from regulatory and migratory mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities
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| Description: |
Speaker: Gustavo Pompermaier Garlet, DDS, MSc, PhD, Associated Professor, Dept of Biological Sciences, School of Dentistry of Bauru, Brazil
Location: The Forsyth Institute, Seminar Rooms A & B, 245 First St., 17th Floor, Cambridge
Summary: While the mechanisms involved in periodontal destruction by inflammatory cytokines are well known, regulatory mechanisms involved in the control of periodontitis remain elusive. In this scenario, regulatory T cells (Tregs) appears as a T helper subset potentially involved in disease outcome determination. Our group recently demonstrate the presence of Tregs in diseased periodontal tissue, as well its role in experimental disease outcome. Together with this previous data, unpublished results describing the mechanisms involved in the migration of Tregs to periodontal tissues will be discussed, as well the opportunities for the therapeutic manipulation of this system. Also, the possible role of distinct classes of oral bacteria in the modulation of Tregs system in periodontal environment will be discussed.
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| Contact: |
Pam Quattrocchi
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| Tuesday, September 18, 2012
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4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
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Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy – New insights into Disease Pathogenesis
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| Description: |
Speaker; Jeffrey E. Saffitz, Mallinckrodt Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Chairman, Dept. of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Cardiovascular Seminar Series Department of Cardiology | Boston Children’s Hospital
Location: Enders Auditorium, Children's Hospital
This conference is supported by the Faye and Karen Sinclair Research Fund for Congenital Heart Disease
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| Contact: |
Michelle Merry
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6:00 PM
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Sigmund Socransky Memorial Symposium
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| Description: |
The Forsyth Institute will be hosting the Sigmund Socransky Memorial Symposium on September 18, 19, and 20, at the Joseph B. Martin Center, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Sigmund Socransky was a true giant in oral microbiology and periodontology for more than a half century. Through his many contributions to basic, translational and clinical knowledge, he helped to launch the era of modern periodontal disease research. The conference will include a day and a half of speaker sessions featuring international experts in inflammation, microbiology and periodontology.
Registration is $75. 10.5 Continuing Education Credits will be provided by The Forsyth Institute.
Learn more about the program and register to attend via Forsyth’s website: http://www.forsyth.org/support/socransky.html
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| Contact: |
Pam Quattrocchi
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| Wednesday, September 19, 2012
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6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
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| Thursday, September 20, 2012
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Noon - 1:00 PM
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7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
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Computer-Aided-Biology -> Biology-Aided-Computers
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| Description: |
IEEE Computer Society and GBC/ACM
Broad Institute Auditorium (formerly MIT building NE-30)
George Church, Director of the Center for Computational Genetics and Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT, Associate member of the Broad Institute
The Omics data explosion is leading to ever higher quality computational models and has already led to computer-aided-design of synthetic systems to swiftly test these models. The exponential improvement in the cost per base pair of sequencing and synthesis of DNA (currently running at 8X/year) is now at the point where it is beginning to overwhelm the 1.5-fold/yr changes in computing efficiency, storage density, and I/O. These developments have the potential to enable new classes of neural systems. DNA nanostructures have already led to compact storage and simple nanorobots, which integrate sensors, logic and actuators capable of specific impact on cancer and T-cells. Such methods may soon also enable new kinds of complex circuits.
DNA is particularly suitable for immutable, high-latency, sequential access applications such as archival storage. DNA storage is very dense and is not restricted to a planar layer, and is often readable despite degradation in non-ideal conditions over millennia. Finally, DNA's essential biological role provides access to natural reading and writing enzymes and ensures that DNA will remain a readable standard for the foreseeable future.
Recent work at the Church lab has been exploring the technologies needed to make DNA programming a reality. More information is online at http://radar.oreilly.com/2012/08/dna-storage.html and http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/08/15/science.1226355.full . This talk will report on recent experiments with DNA storage and discuss future use of DNA as a storage, computation and communication mechanism.
George Church is Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at Harvard and MIT, an associate member of the Broad Institute, and Director of the Center for Computational Genetics. He graduated from Duke University with degrees in Chemistry and Zoology, co-authoring research on 3D-software & RNA structure with Sung-Hou Kim. His PhD from Harvard (with Wally Gilbert) included the first direct genomic sequencing method in 1984. He helped initiate the Human Genome Project while working Biogen Inc. and as Monsanto Life Sciences Research Fellow at UCSF with Gail Martin. He invented broadly-applied concepts of molecular multiplexing and tags, homologous recombination methods, and array DNA synthesizers. Technology transfer of his work on automated sequencing & related software to Genome Therapeutics Corp. resulted in the first commercial genome sequence (the human pathogen, H. pylori, 1994). He has served in advisory roles for 12 journals (including Nature Molecular Systems Biology) and 5 granting agencies. Innovations in DNA reading & writing & allele replacement in cells lead to current research & commercialization in human genomics (Complete Genomics, PersonalGenomes.org, 23andme, Knome) & synthetic biology (SynBERC, Joule, LS9) & new ethics/security strategies. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Church and http://arep.med.harvard.edu/gmc/ for more details.
George is also the co-author of a new book "Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves". More information is online at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0465021751 .
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| Contact: |
Peter Mager
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| Monday, September 24, 2012
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2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
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The Warren Alpert Foundation Prize Symposium
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| Description: |
The Warren Alpert Foundation and Dean Jeffrey S. Flier, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Harvard University Presents
2013 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize Symposium
Therapeutic Targeting of the Proteasome in Disease
Location: Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, New Research Building, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston
Symposium Program
Opening Remarks
Jeffrey S. Flier, MD, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Harvard University
Joan S. Brugge, PhD, Louise Foote Pfeiffer Professor of Cell Biology and Chair of the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School
Award Lectures
The following lectures are presented by the recipients of the 2012 Warren Alpert Foundation Prize. These individuals are honored for their discovery, preclinical and clinical development of bortezomib (Velcade) to FDA approval and front line therapy for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma.
Alfred L. Goldberg, PhD, Professor of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School
Functions of the Proteasome: From Protein Degradation to Drug Development
Julian Adams, PhD, President, Research and Development, Infinity Pharmaceuticals
The Discovery and Development of Bortezomib
Kenneth C. Anderson, MD, Kraft Family Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Director of the LeBow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics and Director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Bench to Bedside Translation of Proteasome Inhibitor
Therapy in Multiple Myeloma
Paul G. Richardson, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Clinical Director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
The Clinical Development of Bortezomib in Multiple Myeloma: from Single Agent to Combinations and Beyond; Current and Future Directions
RSVP to events@hms.harvard.edu
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| Contact: |
Edward Canton
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| Tuesday, September 25, 2012
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1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
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Harvard Biotech Career Fair 2012
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| Description: |
Harvard Biotech Career Fair 2012
The Harvard Biotech Club invites you to the biggest career event for life science PhDs, MDs and postdocs. The biomedical industry is hiring heavily again this year and companies are hungry for talented Harvard students and postdocs. In 2011, these companies included leading organizations in Biotech (Biogen Idec, Vertex), Consulting (BCG, Campbell Alliance, Clearview Healthcare, Health Advances, LEK Consulting), Patent Law (Clark & Elbing, Finnegan, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, Lando & Anastasi, Wolf Greenfield), Pharmaceuticals (Pfizer, Merck), and others (Broad Institute, Nature).
Join us at the Career Fair to network with company representatives, and land the perfect job!
Venue: New Research Building (3rd floor Rotunda), Harvard Medical School
Companies are recruiting post-doctoral fellows, PhDs and MDs.
Registration is free for Harvard students and Harvard-affiliated postdoctoral fellows, $20 for non-Harvard students, and $40 for professionals. Please pay by cash or check on-site.
For more info, please visit: http://www.thebiotechclub.org/careerfair/
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| Contact: |
Edouard Mullarky
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| Thursday, September 27, 2012
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2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
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Fifty Shades of Fur: The Genetics of Pigmentation in Mammalian Species
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| Description: |
Have you ever wondered why your hair is brown and your cousin’s hair is red? Have you ever wondered why a single litter of puppies can produce coats of many different colors, or why horses show such a broad range of coat colors and patterns? What makes the spots on an animal? Why are mice in one environment primarily one color, and those in another environment another color? Are some coat colors or patterns associated with disease or other defects? This nanocourse will explore the genetics of pigmentation in mammalian species, from humans to wild animals to our domesticated companions. We will discuss what forces – natural and artificial – have acted on various animal species to produce the variety of colors and patterns we see around us, and reveal the benefits and detriments of particular pigmentation alleles to the overall health of these species.
Lecturers:
Dr. David Fisher, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Hopi Hoekstra, Harvard University
Dr. Leah Brault, Harvard Medical School
Location: Harvard Medical School, Tosteson Medical Education Center (TMEC), Room 209
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| Contact: |
Leah Brault
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| Wednesday, October 3, 2012
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5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
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MSI Graduate Consortium Reception and Information Session
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| Description: |
Location: Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE)- climate change exhibit area/seminar room, 24 Oxford St (Cambridge), 3rd Floor, Room 310
Host: Roberto Kolter
Description: MSI welcomes Harvard graduate students with an interest in any aspect of the microbial sciences to join this vibrant interdisciplinary community. The evening will be an opportunity to socialize with current and prospective members of the consortium and to learn more about the program.
RSVP: to Nora Millan Rivas at nemrivas@fas.harvard.edu
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| Contact: |
Nora Millan Rivas
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6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
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| Thursday, October 4, 2012
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7:00 AM - 5:30 PM
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The 1st Official Conference of ICBS2012
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| Description: |
Keynote lectures
• Stuart Schreiber, HHMI and Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, US
• Lewis Cantley, Harvard Medical School, US
• Paul Workman, The Institute of Cancer Research, UK
For more information visit www.chemical-biology.org/ICBS2012
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| Contact: |
Lauren Bautista
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9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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Noon - 1:00 PM
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From Transcription to Morphogenesis: Foxc1, Msx2 and the Patterned Growth of the Mammalian Skull
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| Description: |
Speaker: Robert Maxson, PhD, Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Keck School of Medicine USC
Location: The Forsyth Institute, Seminar Rooms A & B, 245 First Street, 17th Floor, Cambridge
Summary: My talk will have two parts. In the first, I will focus on the morphogenetic mechanisms by which the bones of the skull vault grow. I will discuss an interaction between the transcription factors, Foxc1 and Msx2, that has a crucial part in the initial specification of osteoprogenitor cells that give rise to the frontal and parietal bones. We have found that the forkhead transcription factor, Foxc1 regulates the influence of Bmps on the expression of Msx2 and the specification of osteogenic precursor cells in the developing skull vault. Foxc1 acts directly on an Msx2 upstream enhancer to restrict Msx2 expression to an osteogenic zone in the developing frontal bone: In Foxc1 mutants, Msx2 expression, and the osteogenic domain, expand resulting in the premature differentiation of osteogenic precursor cells and the consequent failure of skull vault growth. In the second part of the talk, I will discuss the pathophysiology of craniosynostosis, the fusion of calvarial bones at the sutures. I will describe a regulatory network in which Twist1 and its basic helix loop helix partner, Tcf12, are at the top of a hierarchy, controlling two independent pathways, ephrin-Eph and Jagged1/Notch. Ephrin-Eph functions in the guidance of osteogenic cells to their destinations in the developing frontal and parietal bones. A failure of this process results in mis-migration of osteogenic precursor cells into the coronal suture. Jagged1/Notch functions in the initial specification of sutural cells and in the boundary between the osteogenic and non-osteogenic compartments in the coronal suture. Together these two mechanisms underlie craniosynostosis in Twist1 mutant mice and, we propose, in humans with Twist1 mutations.
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| Contact: |
Pam Quattrocchi
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12:15 PM
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| Friday, October 5, 2012
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(All Day)
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Month of September 2012
