From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Mon Dec 02 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!ORAU.GOV!DORSEYB From: DORSEYB@ORAU.GOV Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.gdb Subject: U.S. Department of Energy Hollaender Fellowship Program Date: 3 Dec 1996 13:42:51 -0800 Organization: BIOSCI International Newsgroups for Molecular Biology Lines: 29 Sender: daemon@net.bio.net Distribution: world Message-ID: <32A49D38.0C67.09B6.000@WPO.ORAU.GOV> NNTP-Posting-Host: net.bio.net U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY OFFICE OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH Alexander Hollaender Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Research Opportunities in Energy-Related Life, Biomedical, and Environmental Sciences including Human Genome and Global Change * Research in OHER-sponsored programs * Tenable at various laboratories * Stipends $37,500 * Doctoral degree received after April 30, 1995 * U.S. citizens or PRA eligible DEADLINE: January 15, 1997 Information and applications: Hollaender Postdoctoral Fellowships Education and Training Division Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education P.O. Box 117 Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-0117 Phone: (423) 576-9975 Fax: (423) 241-5220 E-mail: dorseyb@orau.gov From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Mon Dec 02 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!GDB.ORG!pfoster From: pfoster@GDB.ORG ("Patricia A. Foster") Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.gdb Subject: What's New at GDB Date: 3 Dec 1996 06:07:08 -0800 Organization: Genome Database Lines: 47 Sender: daemon@net.bio.net Distribution: world Message-ID: <32A432F1.3C1E@gdb.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: net.bio.net 3-Dec-96 1.Release of Mapview 2.0 Mapview 2 is a Java applet that displays multiple maps with common markers indicated by alignment lines. Whole maps or slices can be displayed. Users will have the options of viewing maps in either Mapview 1 or 2. For help retrieving a map or maps, see Access Points to GDB. 2.Universal Coordinate Querying Another option for searching on the basis of location has been added to the query forms. All Localizations, immediately following Cytogenetic Localization on the query forms, will use a specified location to search for Genomic Segments (and its subclasses, amplimers, genes, clones) across all maps in GDB simultaneously based on a common coodinate system; see details. 3.Other New Features The Order attribute of GenomicSegment and its subclasses has been renamed to Related Segments. The Order class has been renamed to Relationships between Genomic Segments The menus that border the top of the details forms have been reorganized.When retrieving sequence information from a detail form (Nucleic Acid Sequences), you will be asked to choose a sequence database, either GSDB (Genome Sequence Database or GenBank (at NCBI). This selection will become your default database for future sequence retrievals, but you can change your preference at any time. 4.Large Data Sets in GDB (1-Dec-96) Source Data Type Cal Tech BAC Library Image Consortium Clones Roswell Park Cancer Institute PAC Libraries Science Human Transcript Maps Stanford Radiation Hybrid Maps Whitehead Institute Radiation Hybrid Maps CHLC Linkage Maps Genethon Linkage Maps From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Mon Dec 02 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!ihnp4.ucsd.edu!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!feed1.news.erols.com!howland.erols.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-hub.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-stk-11.sprintlink.net!news.dx.net!portal.dx.net!not-for-mail From: Xtra_Cash@your.home.com (MoMoney) Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.bio-matrix,bionet.molbio.embldatabank,bionet.molbio.evolution,bionet.molbio.gdb,bionet.molbio.genbank Subject: Earn extra cash for the holidays working from home. Date: 2 Dec 1996 20:42:35 -0500 Organization: Work from Home Network Lines: 13 Sender: user@portal.dx.net Message-ID: <5800ib$ek@portal.dx.net> Reply-To: No one! NNTP-Posting-Host: portal.dx.net Xref: biosci bionet.molbio.bio-matrix:803 bionet.molbio.embldatabank:725 bionet.molbio.evolution:5391 bionet.molbio.gdb:539 bionet.molbio.genbank:2433 Homeworkers Urgently Needed! Earn weekly paychecks from the comfort of your home. FREE details. Send long, self-addressed, stamped envelope to: S.P.E.L., Dept IN-2 PO Box 211-111 Royal Palm Bch, FL 33421-1111 From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Thu Dec 05 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!agate!howland.erols.net!news.bbnplanet.com!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!uunet!in3.uu.net!198.151.175.33!news.xensei.com!news From: symposia@xensei.com (Cambridge Symposia) Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.gdb Subject: Functional Genomics:From Genes To Drugs Date: Fri, 06 Dec 1996 14:57:25 GMT Organization: Cambridge Symposia Lines: 233 Message-ID: <589c6a$tno@xensei3.xensei.com> Reply-To: symposia@xensei.com NNTP-Posting-Host: chi.xensei.com X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.0.82 Functional Genomics:From Genes To Drugs April 17-18 , 1997 Washington Court Hotel, Washington DC, USA For more information or to register please contact Cambridge Symposia Phone:(617) 630-1399 Fax:(617) 630-1395 e-mail:symposia@cambridge.org AS the quest to divine the full sequence of the human genome rapidly approaches fruition, so too does a new era in human biology and the understanding of gene function. Scientists are already celebrating the completion of the yeast genome project and the sequence of several important micro-organisms. These discoveries are providing myriad new opportunities for analyzing gene function and evolution, and provide a tantalizing glimpse of the opportunities that will exist in the future of human genetic research. In addition to providing a boon in understanding gene function, these discoveries will have profound implications for the fields of genetic diagnostics and therapeutics. Indeed, gene-based discoveries are already providing an entirely new approach to pharmaceutical drug development, and large pharmaceutical corporations and independent genomics companies are racing to harness the fruits of the genome project into the development of novel therapeutic products. Functional Genomics: From genes to drugs - the fifth international Nature Genetics conference - represents a timely opportunity to analyse the cutting edge of human genomic research and its implications for understanding gene function and initiating drug discovery. Subjects covered will include the current state of the genome project in humans and model organisms; methods of analyzing raw DNA sequence information; new experimental approaches to dissect gene function; the impact of new technologies on genetic diagnostics; and strategies for the application of new gene discoveries to target disease. Functional Genomics: From genes to drugs features many of the leaders in the field from both academia and industrial settings. The conference will include presentations on late-breaking discoveries and there will be ample time for discussion and interaction with the speakers. The meeting will be of interest to a broad audience of geneticists, molecular biologists, pharmaceutical researchers, venture capitalists and more. By reserving your place now, you can take advantage of generous discounted registration rates. Nature Genetics looks forward to welcoming you to Washington D.C. and participating in one of the most exciting conferences of 1997. Thursday, April 17 I:From Sequence... Chair: Peter Goodfellow SmithKline Beecham WALTER GILBERT Harvard U Genomics and the evolution of genes FRANCIS COLLINS NCHGR, NIH Genome II - The revolution continues CLAIRE FRASER TIGR Microbial genome sequencing:new insights on physiology and evolution ANDRE GOFFEAU Catholic U, Louvain From the yeast genome to human biology MARK BOGUSKI NCBI, NIH Closing the gap between sequence and function II ...To Function Chair: Francis Collins NCHGR, NIH BOB HORVITZ MIT Uses of the nematode C. elegans for studies of functional genomics GERRY RUBIN UC, Berkeley Placing genes in pathways using Drosophila genetics WOLFGANG DRIEVER MGH Forward genetics: systematic mutagenesis screens in zebrafish ALLAN BRADLEY Baylor College of Med Chromosome engineering in mice Friday, April 18 III:From Genes.. Chair: TBA BARBARA WEBER U Pennsylvania Functional analysis of human breast cancer genes STEVEN FODOR Affymetrix Genes, chips and the Human Genome BOB TEPPER Millennium Pharmaceuticals Analysis of gene expression in complex disease models + Late-breaking research IV ...To Drugs! Chair: Alan Williamson Merck DAVID BEACH Cold Spring Harbor Genetics in animal cells PETER GOODFELLOW SmithKline Beecham Integrating gene discovery and functional genetics BILL HASELTINE Human Genome Sciences Medical genomics: from genes to medical products JURGEN DREWS Hoffmann-La Roche The impact of genomics on pharmaceutical research Functional Genomics:From Genes To Drugs 17-18 April, 1997 Washington Court Hotel, Washington DC, USA |__| Yes, I want to attend |__|My personal check in U.S. $ is encolsed. (Make check payable to Cambridge Symposia) Charge my credit card: |___| Visa |___| Master Card |___| Amex Account Number:_______________________________Exp. Date: _____________ Signature:__________________________________________________________ Name (please print) :____________________________Title: ______________ Organization:____________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________ City:_________________________State: _____________ Zip: ____________ Country: ____________________________ Phone: _______________________Fax:_______________ E-mail: _________________________________________ Special Needs: |__| Chech here if you have a disability and may require special accommodations. If you have a special dietary need indicate please check one: |__|Diabetic |__| Kosher |__| Low Salt |__|Vegetarian 4 Easy Ways to Register: 1. mail a registration form and payment to: Cambridge Symposia, 1037 Chestnut Street, Dept. G., Newton Upper Falls, MA 02164 2. phone: (617) 630-1399 between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm Eastern Standard Time 3. fax: (617) 630-1395 with your credit card number 4. e-mail: symposia@cambridge.org Functional Genomics: From Genes to Drugs conference rates Students with ID Before January 10th:$125 Before March 16th:$150 After March 16th: $175 Postdocs with ID Before January 10th:$175 Before March 16th:$250 After March 16th: $295 Academic and Government Before January 10th:$295 Before March 16th:$395 After March 16th: $495 Industry Before January 10th:$495 Before March 16th:$695 After March 16th: $895 Students and academic postdocs must produce ID when registering. Sponsor's Liability: Should this conference be cancelled or postponed for any reason, the sponsor's liability is limited to the return of the registration fee. Cancellation Policy: All cancellations must be received in writing. Cancellations received before March 16th, 1997 will be subject to a service charge of $100. No refunds will be made after that date. Registrants who are unable to attend may, if they choose, send a substitute. The Washington Court (on Capitol Hill) 525 New Jersey Avenue, N.W. Washington DC 20001 Phone: (202) 628-2100 or 800-321-3010 Fax: (202) 737-2641 The Washington Court Hotel is located on New Jersey Avenue, N.W., just two blocks from the Senate and House of Representatives office buildings as well as the U.S. Capitol. Union Station, which includes both Amtrak and Metro access, is just three blocks away. Washington National Airport is a 15 minute ride by cab or Metro, and Washington's galleries, museums, dining and nightlife are readily accessible. Accommodations are limited, and are assigned in the order in which the hotel receives your request and lodging deposit. You must identify yourself as an attendee to the Nature Genetics Functional Genomics conference to receive the rates indicated below. Full payment for your confirmed accommodations is due and payable to the hotel upon arrival. DO NOT SEND PAYMENT FOR LODGING TO THE CAMBRIDGE SYMPOSIA. Lodging rates:$153.00/night (single/double) Rate does not include state, local and occupancy taxes RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE BEFORE MARCH 17, 1997 TO BE GUARANTEED THE ABOVE RATE. Unscheduled Late Arrivals at the Hotel: The Hotel will hold reserved units for late arrivals until no later than 8 am on the first full day of the conference. PLEASE NOTE: Early, registration is scheduled for April 16, 1997, 5 pm to 8 pm. Please note that there are no sessions scheduled for April 19, 1997. From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Thu Dec 12 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!bcm.tmc.edu!news.msfc.nasa.gov!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!feed1.news.erols.com!insync!uunet!in3.uu.net!138.95.18.2!wilbur.sequent.com!newsfeed.orst.edu!news.orst.edu!sslab.FSL.ORST.EDU!krutovsk From: krutovsk@fsl.orst.edu (Konstantin Krutovskii) Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.gdb Subject: Faculty Research Assistant/Plant Molecular Geneticist Date: Wed, 11 Dec 1996 23:02:10 Organization: Forestry Sciences Lab Lines: 102 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: sslab.fsl.orst.edu X-Newsreader: Trumpet for Windows [Version 1.0 Rev A] Position Number: 002-825 Faculty Research Assistant/Research Associate, Plant Molecular Genetics Location: Department of Forest Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR Date Available: March 1, 1997 Closing Date: January 13, 1997 Position Responsibilities: We seek a molecular geneticist to work as part of the Tree Genetic Engineering Research Cooperative (TGERC) at Oregon State University. The TGERC is a consortium supported by 13 Members, mostly forest industries, that are seeking improved means for genetic manipulation of poplar trees. The applicant's primary responsibility in the Coop will be production of novel plasmid constructs to be used in Agrobacterium transformation, and analysis of the transgenic trees produced. They will work closely with other TGERC staff doing tissue culture, transformation, and gene isolation. The constructs will be composed primarily of floral homeotic genes intended for induction of sexual sterility; however, they will also work with other genes relevant to ongoing Cooperative projects on insect, disease, and herbicide resistance. Specifically, responsibilities will include: 1. Development of strategies for producing binary constructs with various genes for Agrobacterium transformation of poplar. 2. Configuration of genes and plasmid vectors, verifying structure/sequence, and transformation into Agrobacterium strains. 3. Analysis of transgenic plants for gene incorporation, expression, and delivery of desired traits. 5. Supervision of students, technicians, and other workers to help carry out laboratory studies. 6. Participation in writing Coop reports and publications for scientific journals. 7. Effective oral communication of results at annual Coop meeting and other scientific forums. 8. Collaboration with Coop staff to write grants to obtain supplemental funding for research. Education and experience: A B.S. degree in molecular genetics or a related field, and at least two years of experience with recombinant DNA manipulation, are essential. Knowledge of plant molecular biology and experience in plant transformation techniques are desirable. Experience and demonstrated competence in the following areas are particularly important: 1. Advanced recombinant DNA manipulation of plasmid vectors. 2. Molecular analyses, including DNA sequencing, PCR, and Southern, northern, and western blots. 3. Written and oral communication. 4. Collaboration with colleagues, subordinates, and superiors. 5. Long- and short-term organization and planning of work. Employment conditions: The job will be filled at the rank of either Research Assistant (B.S., M.S., or Ph.D.) or Research Associate (Ph.D.), depending upon career track of candidate, in the Department of Forest Science at Oregon State University. We are also open to the applicant taking a more scientific role in the work, as would Ph.D.s in a Research Associate position (e.g., writing papers for publication), or a more technical role, as would most with only a B.S. (limited writing, mostly directed lab work). The appointment is a full-time, 12-month, fixed-term position; reappointment is at the discretion of the Dean. The employee will report directly to Cooperative Director. The salary will be in the range of $24,000 to $32,004/year, depending on qualifications. Medical, dental, and life insurance plans are available. To apply: Send a letter of application describing your qualifications and interests in the position, a resume, transcripts, and the names, email addresses, and fax numbers of four references by January 13, 1997 to Sandra Lewis, Office Manager, Dept. of Forest Science, 020 Forestry Sciences Laboratory, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-7501. For more information contact Prof. Steve Strauss, phone 541/737-6578, email strauss@FSL.orst.edu, fax 541/737-1393. OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND HAS A POLICY OF BEING RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF DUAL-CAREER COUPLES. From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Tue Dec 17 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!agate!spool.mu.edu!newspump.sol.net!howland.erols.net!dciteleport.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!compuserve.com!news.production.compuserve.com!news From: Bob Obar <102063.2640@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: bionet.cellbiol,bionet.molbio.evolution,bionet.molbio.gdb,bionet.molbio.genbank,bionet.molbio.proteins Subject: Alu sequences within dbEST entries Date: 18 Dec 1996 12:50:36 GMT Organization: Matritech, Inc. Lines: 17 Message-ID: <598pas$1s2$1@mhafc.production.compuserve.com> Xref: biosci bionet.cellbiol:6233 bionet.molbio.evolution:5444 bionet.molbio.gdb:549 bionet.molbio.genbank:2444 bionet.molbio.proteins:9576 Several of the EST sequences I've been analyzing contain Alu sequences (specifically, the warning that shows up in the Definition field is something like "similar to contains Alu repetitive element;contains element L1 repetitive element." Can anyone explain: A) Why these sequences should be present AT AL in ESTs, which are supposed to represent cDNAs; or B) What to do about them when aligning the ESTs and e.g. trying to make contigs from them? I'd like to just ignore them when analyzing the DNA they're fused to, but is this acceptable practice? Is there any meaning in the presence of these sequences in some cDNAs but not others? Any help by email or posting would be greatly appreciated. -- Bob Obar 102063.2640@compuserve.com From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Wed Dec 18 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!bcm.tmc.edu!cs.utexas.edu!natinst.com!news-relay.us.dell.com!jump.net!grunt.dejanews.com Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 18:50:14 -0600 From: davidk@gdb.org Subject: csmg cancel <1212199600101664895191219467Someone@home.thinking.about.you.com> Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.gdb Message-ID: <850939924.3388@dejanews.com> Organization: Deja News Usenet Posting Service References: <1212199600101664895191219467Someone@home.thinking.about.you.com> X-Article-Creation-Date: Wed Dec 18 20:15:11 1996 GMT X-Originating-IP-Addr: 192.239.76.158 () X-Http-User-Agent: Mozilla/3.0Gold (X11; I; SunOS 5.5 sun4m) X-Authenticated-Sender: davidk@gdb.org Lines: 3 cancel <1212199600101664895191219467Someone@home.thinking.about.you.com> -------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====----------------------- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Wed Dec 18 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!daresbury!nntp-trd.UNINETT.no!nntp.uio.no!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!howland.erols.net!math.ohio-state.edu!jussieu.fr!fdn.fr!med.univ-tours.fr!univ-angers.fr!ciril.fr!cnusc.fr!univ-lyon1.fr!news From: duret@misa.univ-lyon1.fr (Laurent Duret) Newsgroups: bionet.cellbiol,bionet.molbio.evolution,bionet.molbio.gdb,bionet.molbio.genbank,bionet.molbio.proteins Subject: Re: Alu sequences within dbEST entries Date: 19 Dec 1996 08:59:35 GMT Organization: Universite Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 Lines: 73 Message-ID: <59b05n$j0@tempo.univ-lyon1.fr> References: <598pas$1s2$1@mhafc.production.compuserve.com> Reply-To: duret@misa.univ-lyon1.fr NNTP-Posting-Host: misa.univ-lyon1.fr Xref: biosci bionet.cellbiol:6243 bionet.molbio.evolution:5446 bionet.molbio.gdb:552 bionet.molbio.genbank:2446 bionet.molbio.proteins:9581 In article <598pas$1s2$1@mhafc.production.compuserve.com>, Bob Obar <102063.2640@CompuServe.COM> writes: > Several of the EST sequences I've been analyzing contain Alu >sequences (specifically, the warning that shows up in the Definition >field is something like "similar to contains Alu repetitive >element;contains element L1 repetitive element." > > Can anyone explain: > A) Why these sequences should be present AT AL in ESTs, which are >supposed to represent cDNAs; [...] > Is there any meaning in the >presence of these sequences in some cDNAs but not others? Repeats such as Alu have been found inserted not only in intergenic sequences, but also within genes: within introns, 5'UTRs, 3'UTRs and even - albeit less frequently - in coding regions. A simple (simplistic) model of selection can explain the distribution of repeated elements in a genome: repeated elements may insert themselves anywhere, but insertions that disrupt an essential function are eliminated by selection. In other words, any insertion that does not disrupt an essential function can be tolerated and fixed in the population. This model can explain why repeated elements are more common in intergenic regions or introns than in UTRs and even more than in coding regions. Hence if you find an Alu repeat within a gene, then it probably just means that it does not affect the function of this gene (although there are also a few cases where repeated elements have been shown to be involved in the regulation of a gene... evolution is opportunistic: if an insertion appears be useful then it may be positively selected). Eventually, it is not surprising to find Alu repeats within some mRNAs. Moreover, EST sequences do not all correspond to functional mRNAs. Any polyadenylated transcript can be found among ESTs (e.g. it is likely that some pseudogenes are still transcribed). So it is not surprising to find "junk transcripts" (by analogy to junk DNA) among EST sequences. > B) What to do about them when aligning the ESTs and e.g. trying to >make contigs from them? For similarity searches (BLAST, FASTA, ...), you can use the XBLAST program to mask Alu (or other) repeats within sequences and thus avoid the spurious matches with the thousands of Alu-containing sequences. XBLAST is available by anonymous FTP at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov in /pub/jmc/xblast. For a discussion of this problem see Claverie & States 1993 Comput. Chem. 17:191-201 or Altschul et al. 1994 Nature genet. 6:119-129 This solution could be suitable for contiging if the repeat is not too long. Otherwise I don't know if there is any simple solution. Hope this helps, Laurent Duret __________________________________________________________________________ Laurent Duret Laboratoire BGBP - UMR CNRS 5558 Phone : +33 472 44 80 00 p.34 39 Universite Claude Bernard - Lyon 1 FAX : +33 478 89 27 19 43 Bd du 11 Novembre 1918 e-mail : duret@biomserv.univ-lyon1.fr F-69622 Villeurbanne Cedex ======================== France __________________________________________________________________________ From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Thu Dec 26 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!rutgers!cnn.Princeton.EDU!cbgw1.lucent.com!cbgw3.lucent.com!news.pbi.net!news.bbnplanet.com!su-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.sgi.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!compuserve.com!news.production.compuserve.com!news From: Bob Obar <102063.2640@CompuServe.COM> Newsgroups: bionet.cellbiol,bionet.molbio.evolution,bionet.molbio.gdb,bionet.molbio.genbank,bionet.molbio.proteins Subject: Alu sequences within dbEST entries Date: 18 Dec 1996 12:50:36 GMT Organization: Matritech, Inc. Lines: 17 Message-ID: <598pas$1s2$1@mhafc.production.compuserve.com> Xref: biosci bionet.cellbiol:6312 bionet.molbio.evolution:5458 bionet.molbio.gdb:555 bionet.molbio.genbank:2460 bionet.molbio.proteins:9631 Several of the EST sequences I've been analyzing contain Alu sequences (specifically, the warning that shows up in the Definition field is something like "similar to contains Alu repetitive element;contains element L1 repetitive element." Can anyone explain: A) Why these sequences should be present AT AL in ESTs, which are supposed to represent cDNAs; or B) What to do about them when aligning the ESTs and e.g. trying to make contigs from them? I'd like to just ignore them when analyzing the DNA they're fused to, but is this acceptable practice? Is there any meaning in the presence of these sequences in some cDNAs but not others? Any help by email or posting would be greatly appreciated. -- Bob Obar 102063.2640@compuserve.com From owner-gdb@net.bio.net Sun Dec 29 22:00:00 1996 Path: biosci!ZOOM.GDB.ORG!avoltz From: avoltz@ZOOM.GDB.ORG (Amy Voltz) Newsgroups: bionet.molbio.gdb Subject: David Lipman seminar next week Date: 30 Dec 1996 06:55:21 -0800 Organization: BIOSCI International Newsgroups for Molecular Biology Lines: 54 Sender: daemon@net.bio.net Distribution: world Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: net.bio.net ************************************************************************* The Genome Database together with the Division of Biomedical Information Sciences of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine announce the third seminar in the 1996-1997 series "Database Resources for Biologists" "Computers in Molecular Biology: The Paradox of Productivity" David J. Lipman, M.D. Director, National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)/ National Library of Medicine (NLM) Tuesday, January 7, 1997 1 p.m. Presentation 2 p.m. Demonstration Tilghman Room, Turner Bldg., Johns Hopkins University **********************Abstract*************************************** Despite companies investing billions of dollars on computer-based information systems, almost all objective economic studies find little evidence of their impact on productivity within the commercial sector. This consistent observation has been labeled the 'productivity paradox.' In striking contrast to this is the tremendous impact databases and computational tools have had on the discovery process in molecular biology. Tens of thousands of scientific papers highlight sequence similarity results in their conclusions, and detection of significant sequence homology is often the first clue regarding the biological function of a newly discovered human disease gene. With the Human Genome Project focusing more on high-throughput genome sequencing, computational analysis of sequences will become even more important. I will present an overview of the productivity paradox, as well as examples of biological discoveries made possible by computers. I will then discuss possible explanations for this contrast, and lessons we can learn from the productivity paradox. ************************************************************************** Hope to see you there! Amy K. Voltz, Ph.D. Research Fellow Johns Hopkins University, Sch. of Medicine Division of Biomedical Information Sciences avoltz@gdb.org (410) 614-0440