LIPI Berikan Inventor Award pada 2 Peneliti

Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI) kembali memberikan Inventor Award kepada 2 orang peneliti yang telah mendapatkan hak paten atas temuannya.

Kedua orang tersebut, yaitu Dr Enny Sudarmonowati, dengan karya temuan ”Proses Produksi Bibit Sengon dengan Cara Enkapsulasi Hasil Kultur Jaringan dengan no paten ID 0.20.032, dan Sunartoto, APU dengan karya temuan ”Peralatan Fototerapi menggunakan Lampu TL, UVB dengan no paten ID 00.19.948.

“Dengan dua karya yang telah dipatenkan tersebut, menambah jumlah paten peneliti LIPI menjadi 11 paten,” ujar Dr Ir Syahrul Aiman, Kepala Pusat Inovasi-LIPI di Jakarta, Sabtu (23/8).

Menurut Syahrul, penelitian tersebut sudah cukup lama diajukan, kendati baru saat ini paten atas temuan tersebut disahkan. “Prosesnya bisa lama, rata-rata lebih dari 3 tahun,” ujarnya.

Untuk itu, lanjut dia, diharapkan aturan paten bisa segera diubah agar waktunya tidak terlampau lama. “Total 11 paten, terhitung dari 1991 hingga 2008. Padahal, jumlah penelitian yang diajukan untuk dimintakan hak paten cukup banyak. Tahun ini saja, LIPI mengajukan sekitar lebih dari 100 temuan untuk diproses hak patennya,” ujarnya. (Lea)

Sumber : TEchnology Indonesia (25 Agustus 2008)

Biotechnology, a Key to Agricultural Development

Mr. Sharad Pawar, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Consumers Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, recognized biotechnology as a key factor in agricultural development in the coming decades. While inaugurating the National Seminar on "Seed and Crop Technologies for Doubling Agricultural Production", organized by the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) from 8-9th August, he stressed that application of biotechnology in agriculture holds enormous promise in developing crop varieties with higher level of tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses.


Emphasizing on the record production of 230.67 million tonnes of food grains during 2007-08, India is well poised to achieve similar production levels in 2008-09. It is important that India follows the trend as agriculture is of critical importance and source of largest livelihood provider, he said. The Government of India adheres to the commitment of creating a conducive environment for application of frontier sciences in varietal development and for enhanced investment in research and development.

With limited natural resources available to improve agricultural production, genetically engineered crops are being looked upon as promising alternative which can benefit farmers, manufacturers as well as consumers. At the same time, concerns related to human and animal health should be addressed, said Mr. Pawar.

In addition, he called upon the seed industry to further strengthen the move towards food security and pay greater attention to developing quality seeds in cereals and legumes. He also appreciated the efforts of the private sector for the significant increase in production of quality seeds.

For more information about National Seed Association of India (NSAI), visit: http://www.seedassociationofindia.com/ and get a copy of the Minister's speech from Executive Director, NSAI at: aicba1@yahoo.co.in For more information about biotech development in India contact: b.choudhary@isaaa.org and k.gaur@cgiar.org .

Program Beasiswa DAAD untuk Master dan Doktor

Tahun ini DAAD kembali menawarkan beasiswa untuk studi dan penelitian di Jerman. Melalui E-mail ini kami bermaksud untuk sekali lagi menyampaiikan informasi mengenai beberapa program beasiswa utama DAAD. Jika Anda mengenal kandidat yang berminat dan memenuhi persyaratan, silakan sampaikan brosur terlampir.

DAAD Jakarta tahun ini kembali menawarkan program beasiswa "Postgraduate Courses for Professionals with Relevance to Developing Countries" untuk jenjang Master dan Doktor . Program beasiswa ini ditawarkan untuk dosen/peneliti/ professional (PNS dan pegawai swasta) dengan pengalaman kerja minimal dua tahun setelah lulus S1. Program ini ditujukan hanya bagi program studi tertentu. Batas waktu pendaftaran adalah tanggal 4 September 2008.

Program beasiswa "Long-term Research Grants for Master Graduates of All Disciplines" untuk jenjang studi Doktor. Program beasiswa ini ditawarkan untuk dosen/peneliti/ professional (PNS dan pegawai swasta). Dibandingkan dengan tahun lalu, tahun ini terdapat perbedaan pada persyaratannya, yaitu BATAS USIA DITIADAKAN. Sebagai gantinya, pelamar sudah menyelesaikan studi Masternya paling lambat enam tahun lalu (diberlakukan perkecualian terhadap pelamar yang prestasi akademisnya sangat baik). Batas waktu pendaftaran adalah tanggal 15 Oktober 2008.

Selain itu DAAD juga menawarkan beasiswa jangka pendek untuk akademisi dan peneliti dari universitas atau lembaga penelitian untuk melakukan penelitian selama beberapa bulan di Jerman. Program ini ditawarkan bagi kandidat Doktor (yang sedang melakukan studi S3 di universitas di Indonesia), alumni DAAD, dan untuk program post-doktoral.

Upcoming Metabolomics Webinar

Presents an Educational and Informative Audio Webinar: Metabolomics: Analytics, Tools, and Applications [Register Now for Free!]
Broadcast Date Thursday, August 28, 2008; Time 1:00 - 2:00 pm EDT

Metabolomics—the small molecule chemical footprint of biological processes—is poised to take its rightful place beside genomics and proteomics as an enabling bio-technique. Scientists involved in the discovery and clinical development of new drugs should attend this free webinar, Metabolomics: Analytics, Tools, and Applications, to find out more about how this technique can advance cancer and diabetes research.

Those who will benefit from attending this webinar include:

* Biologists who are interested in the metabolic profile of a cell or system
* Scientists working in drug discovery and development
* Investigators already involved in metabolomics who are interested in learning the latest instrumental techniques
* Researchers looking for new techniques for analyzing individual and groups of small molecules of biological interest
* Chromatographers and analytical scientists working with small molecule metabolites

Key learning points for this webinar:

* Introduction to and definition of metabolomics
* Examples of metabolomes and where they fit into the larger biological picture
* Analytical techniques for uncovering and exploiting metabolomics—capabilities and limitations
* Implications of metabolomics for biomedicine, drug discovery, and development
* Metabolomics case studies in diabetes and prostate cancer

Because the metabolome is reflected in small molecules typically generated in low abundance and with a wide dynamic range, analytical science has been scrambling to devise methods for meeting the metabolomic challenge. Two techniques in particular—gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography—in tandem with mass spectrometry have become the de facto platforms for analyzing the metabolome.

Your hosts for this webinar, Steven Fischer, Ph.D. (Agilent Technologies), Chris Beecher, Ph.D. (University of Michigan), and Chris Newgard, Ph.D. (Duke University), bring years of combined experience surrounding metabolomics. They will present specific examples of how metabolomics can be applied to translational medicine, diabetes, and prostate cancer. A live Q&A session will follow the presentations, offering you a chance to pose questions to our expert panelists.
REGISTER TODAY www.genengnews.com/metabolomics

Two full-time postdoctoral positions are available

Two full-time postdoctoral positions are available at the Biostatistics and Informatics laborabory, Genome Institute, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Thailand, for a hard-working and motivated individual with a PhD degree in computational biology, bioinformatics, computer science, computer engineering or related fields with a strong background/experien ce in one of the following areas;

First project:
- molecular docking
- molecular dynamics
- drug screening
- drug design

The first project focuses on computational drug screening, small molecule/peptide inhibitor design, and drug target identification.

Second project:
- genome database engineering
- genome signal processing
- genetic epidemiology
- high performance computing

The second project deals with genotype-phenotype correlation of complex diseases.

For more information about postdoctoral positions, please visit at: http://gi.biotec. or.th/GI/ jobs

Potential candidates should send a detailed CV, a description of your research, email addresses and phone numbers of three references to Dr. Ekachai Jenwitheesuk at ekachai@biotec. or.th

Contact:
Dr. Ekachai Jenwitheesuk
Genome Institute
National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
113 Thailand Science Park
Paholyothin Road, Klong Luang
Patumthani 12120, Thailand
Phone: (66-2) 654-6700 ext 5565
Email: ekachai@biotec. or.th

Innocent Dating, or Eugenics for 21st Century?

Actually, it's all pretty innocent. A Swiss company called GenePartner has launched its dating service designed to match men and women based on the correlation of genes that express the HLA (human leukocyte antigen) molecules. And why? Well, there is evidence that people tend to choose a partner on the basis of their HLA-dependent odortype. (Matching of HLA antigens is also important for organ transplantation. )

More about the concept behind the service:

The GenePartner project was inspired by a famous study performed by Prof. Dr. Wedekind at the University of Bern in Switzerland. In this study, Prof. Dr. Wedekind recruited female volunteers to smell T-shirts worn by men for three consecutive days and rate them for attractiveness. He then analyzed the particular part of DNA that codes for HLA (human leukocyte antigen) molecules and found that women preferred T-shirts from men whose HLA molecules were most different from their own. Sensing and classifying the HLA genes is something our bodies do automatically and subconsciously.

HLA molecules play a central role in controlling the activation of immunological effectors during an immune response and are therefore essential for immune resistance. A greater variety in HLA genes offers a greater variety in possible immune responses. In terms of evolution, this makes perfect sense: children of couples with a higher variety in their HLA genes (and hence, immune responses) will have better protection from a greater variety of diseases. Simply put, this means that their body has more weapons to use in its defence against a disease. An important additional effect is that comparing HLA genes can help identify kinship and prevent potential inbreeding.

In 2003, the GenePartner team decided to take this discovery one step further and see if there are specific patterns of HLA genes that "attract" each other more. In collaboration with the Swiss Institute for Behavioural Genetics, we tested a large number of individuals (both romantically involved couples and persons not in a relationship) for their HLA genes. The results were astounding and led to the development of a formula that combines the diversity factor studied by Prof. Dr. Wedekind, together with several other evolutionary factors researched and developed by the Swiss Institute for Behavioral Genetics.

The GenePartner formula measures the genetic compatibility between two individuals and makes an accurate prediction of the strength of their basis for a long-lasting and fulfilling romantic relationship.

"Advances in the Technology from the Bench to Animal Health to Clinical Application"

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a proud media sponsor and host of DNA Vaccines 2008, "Advances in the Technology from the Bench to Animal Health to Clinical Application" presented by The International Society of DNA Vaccines, taking place December 9- 11, 2008 at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.

DNA Vaccines 2008, chaired by David B. Weiner, Ph.D. - University of Pennsylvania, and organized by BioConferences International, Inc., promises to be the most comprehensive DNA Vaccine conference to date. It will focus on recent preclinical advances, clinical studies, delivery strategies, manufacturing technologies, and will be highlighting the status and commercial success of FDA/USDA approved DNA vaccines and plasmid-based therapies.

Please visit our website: www.bioconferences.com/dna for additional information, to register, submit an abstract or for sponsorship opportunities.

We look forward to the pleasure of seeing and welcoming you to this stellar meeting in Las Vegas.

Sincerely,

Harriet I. Matysko
Senior Vice President
BioConferences International, Inc.

NAPRALERT Update

NAPRALERT updates

New applications that have been recently added to the NAPRALERT database website at http://www.napraler t.org to explore these new options.

1. You can now query the database for new information added since your last query. To run updated queries, go to My Reports and click the 'Find New Results' button. By using this option, when you submit a query you have already obtained, NAPRALERT will recognize this, and will only show new data.
2. We now have a Shopping Cart that eliminates the need to reenter your personal information for each query.
3. You can now request specific pharmacology for a Genus and species
4. You can now search at the subtaxon level (i.e. varieties of Brassica)

Seminar Tempe Indonesia,IICC, Bogor 28 Agustus 2008

Forum Tempe Indonesia (FTI) akan melaksanakan seminar tentang perkembangan terkini tentang "Tempe dan produk makanan berbasis kedelai: Teknologi, Standarisasi dan potensinya dalam perbaikan gizi serta kesehatan" yang akan dilaksanakan pada:

Hari/Tanggal : Kamis, 28 Agustus, 2008
Waktu : 08.00 - 17.00
Tempat : IPB International Center (IICC)

Kampus IPB Baranang Siang, Bogor
Sehubungan dengan kegiatan tersebut, kami mohon bantuan untuk menyebar luaskan informasi tentang seminar ini. Terlampir adalah brosur kegiatan seminar dimaksud.
Untuk informasi lebih lanjut atau konfirmasi silahkan menghubungi sekretariat FTI dengan Ibu Dr. Harsi Kusumaningrum di (0251) 8629227.