Addgene Innovation Awards
The Addgene Innovation Awards were initiated to give back to the research community. The goal of this program is to fund innovative ideas and projects in the life sciences. In 2010, we have hosted three awards, each focused on recognizing outstanding contributors to the research community.
We are pleased to announce the winners of our Addgene Challenge Award. This award focused on recognizing laboratories that are using plasmids from Addgene’s collection in creative ways to advance their research.
Aaron Gitler
University of Pennsylvania
Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
http://sites.google.com/site/gitlerlab/
The Gitler Lab has taken a unique approach in identifying key players (genes) in neurodegenerative diseases. While yeast has long been used as a model system for studying gene function, the Gitler Lab has been using the organism to predict which genes may be important in disease. What are the advantages of working with yeast?
“They’re very fast (to work with). And the protein folding pathways are conserved in yeast- making it a good system,” explains Dr. Gitler.
The lab used a set of yeast Gateway vectors from Addgene to express the human ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease) protein TDP-43 and performed a high-throughput screen in yeast to identify unique toxicity modifiers. One of the modifiers that was pulled out of the screen was the yeast counterpart to a human gene called Ataxin-2. The Gitler Lab then collaborated with other laboratories at the University of Pennsylvania to determine how or if Ataxin-2 plays a role in neurotoxicity and ALS. First, its role as a toxicity enhancer was confirmed in in the nervous system of the fruit fly Drosophila. It was then found that a polyQ (poly-glutamine) expansion of 24-34 repeats in the Ataxin-2 gene is linked with a higher risk of ALS in humans.
The lab hopes to continue working with yeast, as they’ve shown it to be a good model for understanding basic molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration. Moreover, the plasmid system they’ve used (from Addgene) has proven to be very flexible in that the genes can easily be transferred out of their original vectors to be used in a variety of systems.
Dr. Rudolf Jaenisch
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
http://www.wi.mit.edu/research/summaries/jaenisch.html
The Jaenisch Lab has been a pioneer in developing unique strategies and techniques for studying embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Consistently developing new technologies to better understand stem cell processes, one of the lab’s current projects is to investigate the molecular links between X-inactivation and the pluripotent state. Dirk Hockemeyer, one of the lead scientists working on the project, explains that Zinc Finger Nucleases are being used to specifically target fluorescent reporter genes to each of the X chromosomes in female hESCs. This will result in an X-chromosome tagged hESC cell line for studying X-inactivation in live cells, the first of its kind. The lab obtained a plasmid (Ai9) from Addgene encoding tdTomato, which is being used as one of the reporter genes to track X-activation status.
Past studies in the lab have shown that hESCs with two active X chromosomes behave in more of a “naive” state (similar to mouse ESCs) and therefore may hold significant technical advantages. Future studies with the tagged X-chromosome will assay for conditions that promote the earlier developmental state characterized by two active X chromosome in hESCs.
Dr. Xiaoxia Lin
University of Michigan
Department of Chemical Engineering
http://www.engin.umich.edu/dept/che/research/lin/
As the need for alternative energy sources increases and the synthetic biology field grows, biofuels have become a fast growing area of research for both industry and the academic labs.
Alissa Kerner, a graduate student in the Lin Lab, is currently engineering two separate E. coli auxotroph strains in order to develop a tunable, synthetic consortium where the strains are dependent on one-another for growth. “I am manipulating the export of essential amino acids in order to create a programmable, forced symbiosis between the strains,” explains Alissa.
The circuit Alissa is creating takes advantage of a plasmid from Addgene’s collection, pPro24, which can be used to tune levels of expression of a given gene using propionate. Alissa is using the plasmid to tune levels of Tryptophan, that is then exported from the first strain and used to control growth of the co-strain. Similarly, another tunable system has been devised to control levels of Tyrosine in the co-culture.
“This circuit can be transferred to a more complex production scheme where a highly desired biochemical molecule, such as a biofuel, can be produced,” says Alissa.
Dr. Michael Roberts
University of Missouri at Columbia
http://robertslab.missouri.edu
At the forefront of stem cell research, the Roberts Laboratory is involved in understanding the differentiation process of trophoblasts. Trophoblasts represent the outer layer of blastocysts, which eventually gives rise to the placenta during development. Dr. Bhanu Telugu, a Research Scientist in Dr. Roberts’ laboratory is interested in how these cells progress to a specific subtype of human trophoblast known as “extra-villous trophoblast (EVT)”, whose defective invasion into the maternal uterus has been shown to cause several pregnancy disorders, including preeclampsia. Dr. Telugu has been successful in establishing methodologies for directed differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (ESC) into EVT, in other words “birth” of these cells in vitro. He is currently establishing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) from human umbilical cord cells from both normal and preeclampsia patients to investigate the genetic determinants of this disease. Dr. Telugu is also using a plasmid from Addgene encoding the HIF-1α gene to understand the role of this gene in the etiology of preeclampsia.
“We want to understand how hypoxic conditions (and HIF-1α) interfere with differentiation of trophoblasts, specifically EVT,” explains Dr. Telugu.
The Roberts Laboratory has also been a leader in the development of stem cell tools for regenerative studies using pig as a model species. Recently, it was one of three research groups that established induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from porcine embryonic fibroblasts. These and other novel lines, including “naive” ESC lines from pig, were produced using the human reprogramming factors available from Addgene.
“(The pig) is a valuable model in regenerative biology-its physiology is very similar to humans. This makes grafting studies in the pig a viable choice,” explains Dr. Roberts.
The lab continues to improve the efficiency of developing porcine iPSCs and is exploring the use of these cells for tissue grafts.
Recombinant DNA Technology Award Winners: (September 2010)
Dr. Jeremy Reiter, University of California, San Francisco
Dr. Anne Robinson, University of Delaware
Dr. Richard Steinman, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Joseph Wade, Wadsworth Center
Resource Sharing Award Winners (July 2010)
Dr. Eric Campeau, University of Massachusetts, Worcester
Dr. Tom Gilmore, Boston University
Dr. Keith Joung, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Steve Koch, University of New Mexico
Awards Descriptions
Addgene Challenge Award (November 2010)
Addgene was founded in 2004 as a non-profit organization dedicated to making it easier for researchers to share academically derived plasmids. Over the years we have sent over 100,000 plasmids to laboratories working in fields as diverse as Developmental Neuroscience to Yeast Genetics. Scientists often comment on how obtaining plasmids from our collection has helped their research. Now we want to hear how our plasmids have helped you!
Share your story of what happened after you received a plasmid from our collection. How did the plasmid make it possible for you to make an interesting discovery? Perhaps your plasmid took on a whole new look and you redesigned it into something with a different function. Maybe you established a new protocol and altered the application of the plasmid. For our final Innovation Award of 2010, we are rewarding laboratories that use plasmids from our collection in creative ways to advance research. Awards will be chosen based on the novelty of the approach taken by the laboratory when using the plasmid, the future potential of the project, and its scientific impact.
One award will be reserved for an Addgene depositor. This is Addgene’s way of saying thank you to scientists who have supported us and to encourage new labs to join our community.
Recombinant DNA Technology Award (September 2010)
Has your lab been working on designing a unique plasmid or cDNA element that will help solve current challenges in your field? The “Recombinant DNA Technology Award” from Addgene was created to recognize laboratories that are using innovative strategies to build novel DNA tools.
In the life sciences, there is always demand for DNA tools and features that will help make research more efficient and more robust. As a plasmid repository, we are looking to reward scientists who are expanding and refining plasmid-based technologies. Addgene encourages scientists who are building new types of plasmids or cDNA elements that can be used to advance their field of research to apply. Examples include novel expression systems, improved viral packaging systems, more sensitive reporter assays, and more.
Resource Sharing Award (July 2010)
Has your lab been an innovator in helping share resources or biological information/data? The “Resource Sharing Award” was designed to recognize scientists who encourage an open-access sharing policy in the life sciences.
We are looking for laboratories that share the overall mission of Addgene: the promotion of resource sharing. Such labs foster this goal by using unique and innovative ways to help others obtain information or materials for their research. Additionally, we are continuously trying to find ways to improve current models of plasmid sharing. With your comments and suggestions, we hope this award will also serve as a model for future resource sharing practices.
At least one of the four awards will be reserved for a lab that has deposited plasmids to Addgene. This is Addgene’s way of saying thank you to scientists who have supported us and to encourage new labs to join our community.
Q: Who can apply for an Addgene Innovation Award?
A: Any academic laboratory in the United States.
Q: I am a graduate student/post-doc, can I apply for an Addgene Innovation Award?
A: Yes! We will accept applications from any lab member, however we will only accept one application per lab for each opportunity.
Q: How do I apply for an Addgene Innovation Award?
A: We are accepting applications through the web-based funding platform, LabGiving.
Q: How long will the application take?
A: The application usually takes one hour or less to complete.
Q: How can I find out about future award opportunities?
A: Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates on the Addgene Innovation Awards Program.
Q: I want to contact someone regarding the awards program.
A: Feel free to email us at awards@addgene.org