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Last updated: March 01, 2006
National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research - Summary of Meeting
National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research
Summary of Meeting
Silver Spring, Md.
May 17-18, 1999
The open session of the National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research (NACHGR) was convened for its twenty-sixth meeting at 8:30 a.m. on May 17, 1999 at the Holiday Inn, 8777 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, Md. in the Lincoln Room. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) the meeting to order.
The meeting was open to the public from 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. on May 17. In accordance with the provisions of Public Law 92-463, the meeting was closed to the public from 1:00 p.m. on May 17 until adjournment on May 18 for the review, discussion and evaluation of grant applications. Dr. Jeffrey Trent, NHGRI Division of Intramural Research (DIR) scientific director, gave an update on activities within the DIR during the closed session.
Council members present:
Allen Buchanan
Wylie Burke*
Aravinda Chakravarti*
David R. Cox
H. Robert Horvitz
Raju Kucherlapati
Jeanne Lawrence
Richard Mathies
Joseph Nadeau
Maynard Olson
Colleen Scanlon
Alan R. Williamson
Barbara Wold
Ex officio members:
Joel N. Buxbaum
William M. Nelson
Ad hoc members:
Kim J. Nickerson
Council members absent:
Troy Duster
Robert Waterston
*Via teleconferencing
Staff from the National Human Genome Research:
Jane Ades, OPC
Carol Almeida, OAM
Joy Boyer, DER
Lisa Brooks, DER
Erin Burgess, OAM
Jean Cahill, DER
Monika Christman, DER
Francis Collins, OD
Elise Feingold, DER
Adam Felsenfeld, DER
Barbara Fuller, OPC
Bettie Graham, DER
Alan Guttmacher, OD
Mark Guyer, DER
Karen Hajos, OD
Craig Higgins, OPC
Kathy Hudson, OPC
Linda Jacobson, OAM
Elke Jordan, OD
Charles E. Leasure, OD
Emily Linde, DER
Jane Peterson, DER
Rudy Pozzatti, OSR
Charmaine Royal, DIR
Jeffery Schloss, DER
Elizabeth Thomson, DER
Benjamin Wilfond, DIR
Emma Williams, OAM
Sally York, DER
Others present for all or a portion of the meeting:
Gene Belt OFM/OD
Cheryl Corsaro, CSR
Rosalie Goldberg, National Society of Genetic Counselors
Kurt Hirschhorn, American College of Medical Genetics
Arthur Holden, The SNP Consortium Ltd.
Rachel Hunt, Analytical Sciences Inc.
Maureen Johnson, NCI
Elliot Marshall, Science Magazine
Susan Mattson, OBSSR/NIH
Usha McFarling, Knight Ridder
Michael Morgan, Wellcome Trust
Pamela Moore, Capitol Publications
Ari Patrinos, DOE
James Shreeve, National Geographic
Kelly VanKoughnet, OSP/NIH
David Wang, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Ron Worton, American Society of Human Genetics
Dr. Jordan introduced ad hoc Council Member Dr. Kim J Nickerson, program officer with the Minority Fellowship Program of the American Psychological Association.
Dr. Jordan also welcomed the liaisons to the council from the professional societies: Dr. Kurt Hirschhorn, representing the American College of Medical Genetics, and Ms. Rosalie Goldberg, representing the National Society of Genetic Counselors. She also introduced Dr. Ronald Worton, of the Ottawa General Hospital Research Institute, who will represent the American Society of Human Genetics.
Dr. Alan Guttmacher was introduced to the council as the new senior advisor to the director for clinical affairs. His official start date will be June 14, 1999.
The minutes from the February 21 and 22, 1999 NACHGR meeting were approved as submitted, with a note that Dr. David Cox was incorrectly listed as being present.
The following dates were proposed for future meetings: September 13-14, 1999; February 28-29, 2000; May 22-23, 2000; September 11-12, 2000; February 12-13, 2001; May 21-22, 2001; and September 17-18, 2001.
General Announcements
Dr. Collins reiterated that Dr. Alan Guttmacher would be joining the Office of the Director as senior advisor to the director for clinical affairs. In this position Dr. Guttmacher will provide advice and guidance on clinical issues, the NHGRI outreach program that targets health professionals, clinical genetics issues having ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI), and serve as a liaison to other NIH and DHHS components. Currently, Dr. Collins is the only physician in the NHGRI Office of the Director and he must spend a significant amount of time dealing with clinical issues and responding to Congress regarding potential misuse of genetics research findings. A search committee chaired by Dr. Robert Nussbaum conducted a nationwide search to identify a candidate who could assist Dr. Collins in these activities. Dr. Guttmacher emerged as a leading candidate. He is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. In addition, as director of the Vermont Human Genetics Initiative and director of the Vermont Regional Genetics Center and Pregnancy Risk Information Service, he has been involved in efforts to educate primary care physicians regarding genetic issues, and to determine the potential for misuse of genetic information in health and life insurance underwriting. He also served as associate cirector for clinical genetics in the Familial Cancer Program of the Vermont Cancer Center.
Dr. Collins announced that Dr. Michael Blaese has retired as chief of the Clinical Gene Therapy Branch to become chief scientific officer and president of the Molecular Pharamaceuticals Division of Kimeragen Inc. in Newtown, PA. Dr. Blaese first came to NIH in 1966 and during his distinguished career engaged in pioneer research on gene therapy. A special tribute was held for him in the Masur Auditorium at NIH on April 15, 1999. A search is currently being conducted to recruit a new chief of the Clinical Gene Therapy Branch.
Dr. Leonid Kruglyak, an NHGRI K01 grantee, was one of 10 individuals to receive the McDonnell Award for "Geniuses of the 21st Century" worth $1 million. Dr. Kruglyak was trained by Dr. Eric Lander, and has been involved with "analyzing biological states and their determining genetic factors." He has also carried out important work on the potential applications of SNPs.
Dr. Janet Rowley, former chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors for NHGRI, was awarded the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest science honor, by President Clinton. Last year Dr. Rowley was a Lasker Award winner.
NIH Initiatives
Dr. Collins reported on three NIH initiatives concerning the rat, the zebrafish, and other non-mammalian models.
A meeting on Rat Genomics was held on May 3, 1999. This trans-NIH meeting was sponsored by NHLBI and attended by rat genomicists and physiologists, as well as mouse and human genome researchers. Attendees discussed resources needed to develop the rat model to a state comparable to the mouse. Highest priority was given to the development of rat embryonic stem cell lines and the ability to do knockouts.
A meeting on Genomic and Genetic Tools for the Zebrafish was held on May 10-11, 1999. The zebrafish is a transparent fish that is ideal for studies on developmental genetics, and an expanding number of investigators are entering this field. The meeting in May, which was organized by the Trans-NIH Zebrafish Committee, was held to review progress in this field and study available resources. One of the more exciting presentations was made by Nancy Hopkins who presented advances in insertional mutagenesis. There were questions about when we should start genomic sequencing of the zebrafish, and whether it should follow the same strategy as sequencing of the human and mouse models.
The Non-Mammalian Models (NMM) Workshop was held February 16-17, 1999 and chaired by Drs. Raju Kucherlapati and David Valle. Organisms reviewed included yeast, C. elegans, D. melanogaster, zebrafish and Xenopus. Dr. Collins called attention to the summary of the meeting, especially Appendix C, which gives the recommendations of breakout groups for each of the main non-mammalian models.
Dr. Collins also announced the establishment of the Trans-NIH Coordinating Committee for Non-Mammalian Models (CCNMM), chaired by Drs. Elke Jordan and Marvin Cassman. The charge of this committee is to plan and coordinate development of genomic resources for non-mammalian model organisms, using the recommendations of the NMM workshop as a starting point. Each NIH institute is being asked to identify staff with appropriate expertise to serve on the CCNMM, since this is an area where resources are needed beyond what NHGRI can provide. Dr. Jordan is currently gathering names of institute representatives, and Dr. Bettie Graham is assembling a Web page for the CCNMM.
Dr. Horvitz expressed concern that the report of the NMM Workshop underplayed the significance of comparative genomics.
Dr. Lawrence asked about the status of the dog genome. Dr. Jordan indicated that we are not supporting research in this area to any great extent, and since the dog is a mammal, it is not under the purview of the CCNMM.
Council members agreed that difficult decisions needed to be made about allocating resources for sequencing additional genomes once the human genome is sequenced.
Report of Total Human Sequence in Genbank
As of Friday, May 14, 1999 GenBank is reporting the following numbers:
329,238 kb (10.2 percent) finished sequence
215,053 kb (6.7 percent) working draft sequence
544,291 kb (16.9 percent) TOTAL (including finished and working draft)
These figures are expected to increase dramatically in the months to come, particularly with regards to working draft sequence.
Large-Scale Effort to Sequence the Human Genome
The pilot phase of sequencing the human genome has been successfully completed, and the full scale effort to sequence the total human genome has begun. An international consortium of the five largest sequencing groups, consisting of three U.S. laboratories funded by the NHGRI, the Joint Genome Institute of the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Sanger Centre supported by the Wellcome Trust predicts they will produce at least 90 percent of the human genome sequence in a working draft form by the spring of 2000. In support of this sequencing effort, the NHGRI has awarded new grants totaling $81.6 million to three U.S. academic sequencing groups at the Whitehead Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, and Baylor College of Medicine. There have been weekly conference calls between NHGRI staff and staff at the five largest sequencing centers to facilitate meeting this ambitious timetable. This effort will also be a topic for discussion at the upcoming meeting at Cold Spring Harbor.
In a related development, the new SNP Consortium (to be presented in more detail later in the council meeting) is also planning to speed up the process of cataloging SNPs. This innovative collaboration involving ten pharmaceutical companies, the Wellcome Trust, and several leading academic centers is unprecedented and will ensure that SNP discoveries move forward rapidly and remain freely accessible to the public. This effort complements the NIH SNP RFA that was reported at the February council meeting.
One of the mandates from the ELSI Research Planning and Evaluation Group (ERPEG) was that the NHGRI ELSI program look at the consequences of research studies on human DNA sequence variation. Consequently, NHGRI has released an RFA for "Studies of the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Research into Human Genetic Variation". The RFA was released on April 29, 1999; letters of intent are due June 15, 1999; and the application deadline is August 31, 1999.
NIH Animal Model Uncovers a Role of BRCA1-Associated Breast Tumor Formation
NHGRI scientists have collaborated on a study of an animal model of tumor formation that holds great potential for studying breast cancer in women. They have uncovered the role of two key genes implicated in the development of inherited forms of breast cancer. This research was published in the May issue of Nature Genetics.
Dr. Jeffrey Trent, DIR scientific director, will be addressing the council in closed session to give further updates on intramural research activities.
Congressional/Budget Issues
The President's Budget for FY 2000 has been submitted, proposing a 2.1 percent increase above the FY 1999 budget for NIH. On February 23, 1999, NIH Director Dr. Harold Varmus appeared before the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee as spokesperson for the NIH. On February 25, 1999, Dr. Collins appeared before the House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Subcommittee chaired by Congressman John Porter. This was Dr. Collins' first appearance before Congress since the new 5-year plan was adopted, and subcommittee members had questions about NHGRI collaboration with the private sector; different scientific methods used by NHGRI and others; and issues arising from genome research, such as genetic testing and counseling, genetic privacy and genetic discrimination.
Appropriations subcommittee members are in a difficult position because budget caps are still in place that make it impossible to meet program needs. The prospect of a $10 billion shortfall for the House Appropriations, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies subcommittee is being discussed in Congress. In the Senate, the situation is expected to be equally bleak , where allocations reportedly would leave FY 2000 programs $8 billion below FY 1999 levels unless the budget caps are lifted. At this time it is impossible to predict the NIH budget for FY 2000.
Dr. Buxbaum asked if Congress was still concentrating on obtaining funding for research into specific illnesses, rather than obtaining funds for health research in general. Dr. Collins said this varied among the different legislators, but that Mr. Porter wants to see NIH benefit as a whole.
House Appropriations Subcommittee Visit to NIH
On April 20, Chairman Porter and House Appropriations Subcommittee members Miller, Dickey, Cunningham, Pelosi, and DeLauro were given a tour of NIH intramural programs. Dr. Collins was among the NIH staff who addressed the group. The visit was extremely positive.
Genetic Testing Hearing
On April 4, 1999 Dr. Collins gave a presentation before the House Subcommittee on Technology, Committee on Science as part of its hearing on genetic testing. This House subcommittee is chaired by Ms. Connie Morella, in whose Congressional district NIH resides. In a similar vein, HHS Secretary Donna Shalala is in the process of establishing an Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing, which was a major recommendation of the NIH-DOE Task Force on Genetic Testing.
Upcoming Meetings
International Sequencing Meeting, Cold Spring Harbor, May 19. This meeting will bring together NHGRI staff, representatives of the Wellcome Trust, the Department of Energy, and international partners in the HGP from France, Germany and Japan to coordinate human genome sequencing efforts and discuss intellectual property issues.
SNP Meeting, Bethesda, June 7-8. This meeting will bring together Principal Investigators from the NIH SNP RFA, NIH staff, and representatives from the SNP Consortium to coordinate large scale SNPs discovery and production. Attendees will discuss mutual concerns, including quality assessments, databases and ELSI issues.
The American Society of Gene Therapy is meeting in Washington, D.C. on June 9-11.
National Medical Association, August 9. NHGRI will present a symposium on genetics and minority populations, focusing on the NHGRI/Howard University collaboration to study disorders that disproportionately affect African Americans, including prostate cancer and diabetes.
Dr. Ari Patrinos, Associate Director for Biological and Environmental Research, Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science updated the council on genome-related activities at the Department of Energy (DOE). He indicated that DOE is concerned about the same budget caps that are affecting NIH. DOE has an ambitious science agenda, but a money shortfall.
DOE is also scaling up to participate in the international effort to meet the accelerated human sequencing goals set forth in the Five-Year Plan. The DOE Joint Genome Institute's (JGI) Production Sequencing Facility (PSF) in Walnut Creek, Calif. was dedicated on April 19, 1999, and will be responsible for producing approximately 10 percent of the human working draft sequence. Trevor Hawkins has been appointed as the new Sequencing Director. However, growing pains have resulted in significant changes in personnel for high-throughput sequencing efforts.
Major equipment purchases have been initiated. The JGI is switching to capillary sequencers and acquiring 18 more MegaBACE machines. They may have 100 such machines by the end of the year.
The JGI continues to focus on 5X coverage of human chromosomes 5, 16 and 19. JGI has completed 31 Mb of human sequence (to Bermuda standards) and hopes to have completed 52 Mb of Bermuda quality human sequence by next March.
Recent awards have included $2 million for ELSI activities, $4 million for instrumentation, $3 million for R&D infrastructure including the Bacterial Artificial Chromosome (BAC) end sequencing effort, and $2 million for informatics.
Dr. Patrinos was concerned about the how accelerated demand for human sequencing data may be affecting other potentially useful projects.
Dr. Kathy Hudson initiated the presentation on the translation of ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) research into policy by giving an overview of the ELSI programs within the NHGRI. The original organizational component within the institute was the ELSI Research Program, which is part of the Division of Extramural Research (DER). The DER ELSI program is responsible for soliciting and managing a portfolio of ELSI research projects that focus on the ethical, legal and social implications of genetics research. ELSI policy issues are dealt with primarily in the Office of Policy and Public Affairs in the Office of the Director. In addition, bioethics research and research involving special populations are a priority for the Office of Bioethics and Special Populations Research within the Division of Intramural Research.
There are four major priority areas of the overall ELSI program: 1) privacy and fair use of genetic information; 2) clinical integration of genetic technologies and information; 3) ethical principles in human genetics research; and 4) public and professional education. ELSI research is important for development of research policy, health policy and public policy. The process by which ELSI research is translated into policy is: 1) collection of data; 2) input from stakeholders; 3) development of policy options; 4) validation of policy recommendations; 5) dissemination of recommendations; and 6) implementation of recommendations.
Dr. Benjamin Wilfond, Co-Director of the Office of Bioethics and Special Populations Research, DIR, discussed the integration of ELSI research into research ethics policy. Dr. Wilfond cited four examples where ELSI research has had an impact on research policy: 1) pedigree research; 2) stored tissue research; 3) gene transfer research; and 4) issues surrounding community consent and group harms.
As an example of the way ELSI research can lead to research policy, he cited three articles published in professional journals and a book which deal with informed consent in stored tissue research. He also demonstrated the impact that these publications had on professional organizations which later issued their own policy statements regarding this topic (American College of Medical Genetics, the American Society of Human Genetics, the American Association of Medical Colleges, and the National Bioethics Advisory Commission).
Elizabeth Thomson, ELSI Program Director in the DER, discussed the translation of ELSI research into health policy. She listed examples in which ELSI research has influenced the development of health policy: 1) cystic fibrosis; 2) breast, ovarian, and colon cancer; and 3) Alzheimer's disease.
In the case of Alzheimer's disease, there were extremely diverse views about whether there should be predictive genetic testing using APOE testing. She cited the research project awarded to Stephen Post in which research was carried out, a policy group deliberated the findings and a number of publications resulted, including policy recomendations about such testing (in JAMA and NEJM). In the area of cancer genetic testing, Ms. Thomson outlined the work of the NIH Cancer Genetic Studies Consortium established in 1994. This consortium of 15 investigators was formed to conduct research examining the ethical, legal and social implications surrounding the use of cancer genetic tests. As a result of this group's deliberations, four significant publications resulted, including one on informed consent for cancer genetic testing and recommendations for follow up care for those found to have cancer genetic mutations. Another paper presented ethical and health policy issues related to cancer genetic testing. In addition, members of the consortium published another 30 papers in peer reviewed journals on the topic of genetic testing for cancer.
Finally, Ms. Thomson discussed the process that led to a consensus statement on genetic testing for cystic fibrosis (CF). The gene for CF was discovered in 1989. At that time although general population testing was anticipated in the near future, it was felt that genetic testing for CF would be premature because many unanswered questions remained and the test was not sensitive or specific enough. In 1991 NHGRI (along with NICHD, NINR, AND NIDDK) released an RFA to study the issue of CF testing and eleven research projects were funded. Between 1991 and 1995 research was conducted. Research results were reported in the literature from 1992-1997 and beginning in 1996, an NIH Consensus Conference was planned. Finally, in 1997 the Consensus Conference was held, which recommended that CF genetic testing be offered to pregnant women or couples planning a pregnancy.
Ms. Thomson made it clear that while NIH is not in the business of recommending health policy, it does have a formal process through which health policy recommendation can be made. For CF, this was the NIH consensus conference mechanism. The consensus conference process has been designed to pull together an expert, non-federal, unconflicted panel to examine all the available data and make recommendations regarding the issue under consideration. In the case of the CF Consensus Conference, panelists considered the results of ELSI-funded research that showed that there were a variety of ways to educate people, including individual genetic counseling, and the provision of brochures and videos. These studies further showed that when offered the test, the majority of pregnant women opt for the test. Based on the results of the research and the panel's deliberations, the panel concluded that such testing should be "offered" to pregnant women. That recommendation is now under consideration by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dr. Kathy Hudson discussed how research on the privacy and fair use of genetic information is translated into public policy, and pointed out that only 16 percent of the ELSI research budget is devoted to this priority area. She discussed a diagram of how -funded research follows a pathway to become policy recommendations that are disseminated or possibly implemented through legislation. Examples include legislation on health insurance passed by numerous states. On the federal level, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was enacted by Congress in 1997 and four bills regarding fair use of genetic information have been introduced in the 106th Congress.
The concept of genetic justice encompasses privacy issues, involving research and medical records, and fair use, involving health insurance and workplace issues. These issues have been discussed in workshops set up with the stakeholders involved, and the resulting recommendations have been disseminated widely.
The Workshop on Privacy and Confidentiality in Genetics Research discussed how legislation could affect research, and whether participants in research studies should have access to their records if the results were unclear or unproven. The workshop participants wanted to make sure that experimental research data was not placed in a patient's medical record and developed guidelines about when experimental research data should be disclosed.
Dr. Hudson summed up her presentation by saying that, "ELSI research is necessary but not sufficient for good policy-making."
Council members expressed concern about research conducted by managed care systems and how to define and classify a medical record. There was also discussion about regulating companies that direct market genetic tests and how they can use the samples they collect. Dr. Collins questioned whether genetic tests should be directly marketed to the public.
Dr. Cox asked whether the people who make policy recommendations are actually basing their decisions on research results. He stated that the conclusions of the CF Consensus Conference were so surprising, some questioned whether they were really based on research findings. He also stated that while papers recommending policy published in professional journals may have great impact, they do not necessarily tell people what the actual research findings were.
Ms. Thomson explained that it is the responsibility of the Office of Medical Applications Research to gather the appropriate research data and make it available to the panelists selected for an NIH Consensus Conference. While panelists are supposed to have expertise in a particular area, they cannot be directly involved in the research related to the topic being deliberated. In addition, in the case of CF genetic testing, outside sources were invited to give presentations to panelists giving different points of view.
Council members expressed a desire for assurances that recommendations of consensus panels would clearly follow from research data. They also questioned what constituted consensus. Was unanimity required? Dr. Horvitz pointed out that consensus may be influenced by different societal views -- "what you see depends upon where you stand." There is a need to bring other stakeholders into policy decisions, including consumers, the insurance industry, managed care personnel, etc.
Dr. Hirschhorn of the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) mentioned that one of the complicating features of CF testing is that minority groups have different sets of mutations. These groups may not benefit from genetic testing for CF since there may be a large number of missed carriers. He suggested that there can be a problem with offering genetic testing when there are many populations with differing genetic alleles.
Dr. Mathies said that concerns over ELSI issues will accelerate as the gene discovery process is scaled up and more genetic tests become available. He questioned whether the current process of setting up consensus panels will work as the volume of candidate genes increases. Dr. Collins suggested that guidelines be established for representative genes with recommendations about interventions and available testing. Dr. Mathies also suggested that this issue be handled in a trans-NIH manner. Dr. Hudson pointed out that the CDC and the FDA are also involved in policy decisions.
Two new advisory groups have been established to look at ELSI issues. A trans-NIH Bioethics Committee is dealing with a number of issues that affect all of NIH. At this time it is dealing with privacy and confidentiality of research records. This committee was established as the result of a recommendation of the ELSI Evaluation Committee chaired by Dr. Spence and Dr. Rothstein. The second committee, established by HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, is an Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing. Its members should be named soon. Council members questioned how the NHGRI ELSI program will work with the Secretary's advisory committee. There were concerns about how much data should be collected, what should be done with it, and what oversight was needed?
Dr. Williamson pointed out that consensus is not always possible. We can only bring investigators together to see if it is possible. Dr. Olson felt that NHGRI needs an exit strategy in dealing with disease-related genetic tests. Other IC's need to take responsibility for genetic testing for diseases in their research areas of interest. However, he stated that increased research emphasis on human variation will soon dwarf disease specific issues. At the same time, the need for public education will greatly increase.
Dr. Lawrence felt NHGRI through its ELSI program should lead the way in developing processes to translate research data into policy. Dr. Collins pointed out that we have made substantial progress towards drawing stakeholders and consumers into policy debates and have made ourselves readily available to help inform the legislative process.
Mr. Arthur Holden, Chairman and CEO, began the presentation on The SNP Consortium (TSC). He thanked council members Alan Williamson, David Cox and Robert Waterston for their roles in initiating and developing the project. He also acknowledged the support of the Wellcome Trust, represented at the council meeting by Dr. Michael Morgan, in establishing the TSC.
Following a presentation of the mission statement, Mr. Holden described the consortium as a non-profit organization made up of diverse participants and funded exclusively by member contributions, whose purpose was the development of "pre-competitive genomic platforms."
The organization will "establish a strong, focused alliance to collaborate and complement ongoing public efforts."
The TSC was set up because there was strong support within the pharmaceutical industry to develop an industry standard SNP map with universal access. It was felt that a consortium would maximize the total data available, and there were economic benefits to be gained from cost and risk sharing.
Founding members include the Wellcome Trust and ten pharmaceutical companies (AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Glaxo Wellcome, Hoechst Marion Roussel, Hoffman LaRoche, Novartis, Pfizer, Searle, and SmithKline Beecham). These members will be working with leading academic centers, including the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Washington University School of Medicine, Stanford Human Genome Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the Wellcome Trust's Sanger Centre. Member commitments go beyond money and include collaborative management. Underperformance is the only reason members can withdraw from the consortium.
The TSC is run by a Board of Directors, and there are three task forces. The Scientific Task Force is headed by David Wang. The IP Legal Task Force is headed by John Keller, and is dealing with intellectual property issues. The Public Relations Task Force is headed by Mary Prescott.
The key objectives of the TSC will be to create the highest quality SNP map. The goal is to identify a minimum of 300,000 SNPs in the next two years, and map at least 150,000 SNPs. A database will also be created with on-going support from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. A budget of $45 million has been established for the initial phase of the project.
Mr. Holden concluded by summarizing progress to date. The TSC has been established and management processes put in place. Eleven funding agreements and five research agreements have been completed. An intellectual property program is in place and the public relations program has been launched. Pilot studies have been successfully completed and production scale-up has begun.
Dr. David Wang of Bristol-Myers Squibb gave a scientific overview of the TSC project. SNP identification will be done at the Whitehead Institute, Washington University, and the Sanger Centre. During the first year of the project approximately 97,500 SNPs will be identified, and 202,500 during the second year, for a total of 300,000 SNPs identified by the year 2002.
SNP mapping will be performed by radiation hybrid (RH) mapping at Stanford University and the Sanger Centre, and by in silico mapping at Cold Spring Harbor.
Approximately 18,000 SNPs will be mapped by RH analysis in 2000 and in 2001 respectively, for a total of 36,000; and 24,000 and 90,000 will be mapped in silico in 2000 and in 2001 respectively, for a total of 114,000.
The number of SNPs needed for whole-genome studies is estimated to be 60,000 to 600,000. The TSC target is 300,000 SNPs. SNPs will be obtained using the NIH DNA Polymorphism Discovery Resource set of 24 unrelated individuals of diverse origins.
Cold Spring Harbor (CSH) will serve as the Data Coordinating Center. CSH will be responsible for collecting SNP and mapping data from the genome centers into a central, highly usable database, facilitating management of the overall project's progress, and ensuring systematic and uniform data release to NCBI's dbSNP, a public database of SNPs. The data format should be compatible with public databases and there have been discussions with NCBI.
As for program management, the Board of Directors will meet quarterly, the TSC Operating Committee will meet monthly, and the Scientific Management Committee will meet monthly.
A "protective" strategy has been developed for Intellectual Property (IP). Provisional patents will be filed to protect novel information until it can be put in the public domain. Provisional patents will be converted to Continuation in Part (CIP) applications, and these will be converted to Statutory Invention Registrations (SIRs) as SNPs are mapped and ready for release. Intellectual property will be managed by the consortium, and all parties will have equal data access. There will be no early access to SNP data by participating companies.
Dr. Chakravarti wanted to be certain that the TSC patents would not preclude organizations from filing functional use patents. He was assured that groups could request a patent on the use of a SNP, but not on the SNP itself.
Current available funding for phase 1 of the TSC project includes $14 million from the Wellcome Trust and $30 million from the pharmaceutical companies ($3 million from each of the 10 pharmaceutical partners). Most of these funds will be used for R&D, with only a small amount to be used for administrative purposes. However membership in the TSC is open, and hopefully new members will join and contribute additional funding. Once the core focus of developing the SNP map is completed, the project can concentrate on other areas such as verification studies, informatics, education, and ethical issues.
Dr. Olson noted that the presentation on the TSC did not contain information about the technical processes that would be used to identify and map SNPs. He indicated that this was a change from the past and wondered if there was reason for the secrecy. Mr. Holden responded that this was an inappropriate forum for discussing technical processes. A provisional patent has been filed regarding the process to be used, and the information will eventually be made available to the public. Dr. Morgan of the Wellcome Trust assured Council that there was no hidden agenda.
Dr. Morgan also pointed out that a SNP must be validated before it can be released into the public domain. Dr. Collins indicated that Maria Freire from the NIH Office of Technology Transfer had reviewed the consortium's plans for handling intellectual property and given assurances that they were legal and well conceived, and an excellent way to place intellectual property in the public domain.
Dr. Collins also mentioned that NIH had issued a SNP RFA that resulted in 16 awards. Of the SNPs found under this RFA, about half will be in coding regions and half will not be. The DNA Polymorphism Discovery Resource of DNA samples and cell lines that has been deposited with the Coriell Institute will be used by most of the investigators under this RFA. These samples are representative of the diversity found in the U.S. population, which includes people of European, Asian, Native American, and African descent. This same resource is being used by the SNP Consortium.
Dr. Horvitz offered his congratulations and indicated he realized how difficult it was to establish a consortium of this nature and get everyone to agree on how to proceed. He then asked how an academic research center's resources would be diverted if, upon review it was felt that the center was not producing adequately. Would there be competition for the resources?
Mr. Holden indicated that a performance standard would be established. A center would need to meet basic baseline objectives that had previously been agreed to by all. Significant underperformance would be the only reason to reallocate resources, and there was no reason for centers to actually compete with each other. Also, the research centers participating in the project have an established track record.
Council members also questioned why some pharmaceutical companies agreed to join the consortium and others did not. Mr. Holden indicated that some pharmaceutical companies elected not to join the TSC since the SNP information will be made available to the public. Therefore, they could get the information for free and not pay the $3 million dollar contribution made by the companies who joined the consortium.
Dr. Hirschhorn asked how the TSC would deal with a 5 percent failure rate if the goal was 95 percent accuracy. There was discussion regarding how to confirm the accuracy rate. There was also a question about how the FDA would become involved as SNPs were discovered. Dr. Collins pointed out that the consortium has focused on getting started and other issues will be considered later.
Dr. Nickerson asked if there was a mechanism for integrating diverse groups into the consortium. He also questioned the consortium's long-term goals and asked if there was a Web site. Mr. Holden responded that the membership of the consortium is open and that they are proactively trying to get information out to various groups. Long-term goals will depend upon how quickly short-term goals are met. As to the third question, the consortium will be using the Cold Spring Harbor Web site.
Dr. Collins indicated that a meeting has been scheduled for June 7 and 8 so NIH grantees and members of the SNP Consortium can meet and discuss SNP research, including ELSI issues. It is expected that the social consequences of SNPs research will soon dwarf other ELSI research issues.
Dr. Collins invited Dr. Michael Morgan from the Wellcome Trust, and NHGRI's long-term partner in the HGP, to address the Council. Dr. Morgan indicated that the Wellcome Trust is prepared to challenge any patents that deny public access to information on SNP identification. He also reported that the Sanger Centre is committed to sequencing one-third of the human genome sequence by 2003, and the sequence production rate is proceeding on schedule and new equipment will be acquired. The Sanger Centre was also involved in sequencing C. elegans and is looking into other pathogen genomes. Other interests of the Sanger Centre include functional genomics and family collections. In support of the HGP, the Wellcome Trust is currently trying to expand the U.K. genome campus.
Dr. Jordan noted the items of interest in the council folders, and referred council to the material in Tabs "K through W." She mentioned that issues arising from the recently enacted law requiring public access to all federally funded research data under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) have not been resolved, but it is possible that Congress will take action to block the law.
Dr. Collins announced that Dr. Gerald Rubin of the University of California, Berkeley and Dr. Craig Venter would be invited to the September Council meeting to give an update on the partnership of Celera and the Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project and their effort to decode the sequence of the fruit fly. Dr. Wold indicated that it would also be useful to have a presentation by Dr. Venter on his efforts in sequencing the human genome.
In closed session, the Council reviewed 80 applications, totaling $123,073,955. The applications included 44 regular research grants, six other research grants, one training grant, and 29 small business program grants. A total of 56 applications requesting $116,231,397 were recommended.
I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing minutes are accurate and complete.
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California famers produce half of the country's homegrown fruit, nuts, and vegetables. An exceptional drought is decimating those crops. That could mean bigger grocery bills for shoppers nationwide.
They are the biggest issues in your life: Your job, your savings, your home, and your debt. Christine Romans breaks down the business news of the week and shows you how it impacts your bottom line. Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. ET
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subset: commoncrawl


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Quino and Big Mountain reboot
The San Diego reggae-pop band, which topped international charts in the 1990s, is reactivating for new album and Kickstarter campaign. Quino has solo show here tonight.
It's been 19 years since San Diego's Big Mountain scored an international Top 10 hit with its bouncy, reggae-fied version of Peter Frampton's "Baby I Love Your Way." That success in turn helped lead to the band becoming the first American act to ever headline Jamaica's prestigious Sunsplash festival, a feat the group achieved two years in a row in the mid-1990s.
But Big Mountain has been largely inactive over the past decade.
During that time, lead singer and guitarist Joaquin "Quino" McWhinney has worked as a solo artist, led the bilingual band Quinazo and become a high school information technology and video production teacher in South Bay's Sweetwater District. As of this writing, budget cuts have placed his teaching position in question after this school year concludes in May.
"Proposition 30 was supposed to solve our budget problems, but it also led the state to send money directly to the school districts," Quino noted Wednesday. "Whereas, before, the San Diego Office of Education got the money, (now) the superintendents decide how to divide the money."
In 2003, Quino made a memorable album with Los Alacranes, the San Diego folklorico quartet that has been cited as a key inspiration by the members of Los Lobos. (Los Alacranes and two members of Los Lobos will perform together April 28 as part of the free Adams Avenue Unplugged festival.)
His performance with his own group Friday, April 5, at The Griffin in Bay Park is as part of a multi-band lineup that also includes Shaka, a group that features former Big Mountain guitarist Jerome Cruz.
By coincidence, last week Big Mountain began an online Kickstarter campaign to help fund what will be the band's first album since 2003's "Cool Breeze." If enough fans contribute, Big Mountain's 2002 breakthrough song, "Touch My Light," could become a new fundraising slogan for the group.
"We just passed $7,000 and have $33,000 left to raise," Quino said. "Either way, we'll be recording an album in May. This is our opportunity to be more independent. Other options for us are to go out and get a loan, which we'd really rather not do. There are amazing projects being funded through Kickstarter, some of which are much more important than ours.
"But we thought it was a cool idea and that we'd give it a shot, before we went after some less attractive options. It's been 10 years since we recorded our last album and a lot has changed. We've been working on this re-launch since last year. At this point in our lives, being a musician has more requirements. When you're my age, you can't jump in a van (to tour) like we used to. Some of us in the band are more active than others. My brother has been doing a lot of producing over in Hawaii. We didn't intend on taking this much time off, but we're really excited. And we're back with Bruce Kaplan, who was our manager from 1990 to 1996. I've been on his tail for a few years. And, finally, last August, he said: 'OK, let's do this.' He's based in Ojai."
Will the revamped Big Mountain perform any shows before the new album is completed and released?
In a word, no.
"It just doesn't' make sense," Quino said. "It's really important to get a new record out and then start touring."
Quino does, however, have another April gig lined up after The Griffin.
"I'm performing at Humphreys on April 27, which is my birthday," he said. "I'll be 47."
Quino, with Shaka, Psydecar, Selektah Reefah & Lady Piracy
When: 8 p.m. Friday, April 5
Where: The Griffin, 1310 Morena Blvd., Bay Park
Tickets: $8 advance, $10 at the door
Phone: (619) 684-1816
Online: thegriffinsd.com
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A San Diego insider's look at what talented artists are bringing to the stage, screen, galleries and more.
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I was talking with someone recently about the Waikato River water that provides some 10% of the drinking water in Auckland. This was approved despite much protest, on the basis that Metrowater would only use it in emergencies. I suspect that Mayor George Wood at the time knew that it would end up being turned on all the time, as part of his deal with his crony mayors.
The water was declared safe by WHO standards, however councillor Joel Cayford, who is now employed by ARC said that it was unsafe. I attended the public meeting where he explained that WHO standards listed a number of quality requirements, but excluded many ingredients such as dioxins, heavy metals, fertiliser and more. In my opinion the meeting wasn't helped by constant interjections from rent a protester, which didn't help the cause.
Not long after approval was given by the regional mayors, including the Mayor Bob Harvey of Waitakere who approved it on the condition that Waitakere water would only come from local dams in the rainforest, thus not having to take this water.
What has this got to do with dead zones in the ocean? Well here's the thing. A lot of the objections against using Waikato river water were because it contains huge amounts of leached chemicals from farms including fertiliser, antibiotics and much more. It appears that these same types of chemicals are flowing from rivers around the world into the sea and several studies are suggesting that the rise in industrial food production is increasing the number of dead zones rapidly.
Oceanic dead zones are areas where the oxygen levels in the water are so low that they kill of almost all forms of marine life. There are now more than 400 oceanic dead zones around the world and they are growing fast.
According to experts, including NASA a major contributor to these dead zones is fertiliser that flows to the ocean from farms both in the form of chemicals leaching from farms and from the animal manure which still contains these chemicals. The nitrogen and phosphorous feeds the algae and phytoplankton, making these plants grow rapidly.
In New Zealand, we have become aware of algal bloom. This is occurring more commonly now both in coastal waters, such as our local Waiheke Island, and also in freshwater lakes, including many in the Waikato, where 10% of our drinking water is coming from.
So what does this mean? We know that fresh water is going to be on of the important issues in the future, both from climate change and from man-made intervention. We know that our oceans are becoming polluted, much of it from man-made waste. We know that the fish stocks are becoming depleted in many parts of the world, due to over fishing, to feed growing nations. But fish are also now seriously at risk from the oceanic dead zones, where oxygen levels are so low that fish and other marine life can't survive.
We seem to be in danger of creating the 'unrealistic and unbelievable' wasted planet that is often depicted on science fiction movies.Am I exaggerating? Well check these examples out:
A dead zone the size of New Jersey of the coast of Oregon and Washington, may be irreversible.
The Mississippi Delta dead zone is one of the smaller ones in the world, only 3,000 square miles. The US Government is investing $320 million to try to slow it down, but as long as the chemicals keep flowing down and farm production is increased, we have a problem.
The Baltic sea apparently contains 7 of the 10 worst oceanic dead zones and it appears that the surrounding countries haven't been doing much about them. The end result could be the loss of almost all marine life in the area. This map shows how bad it is in places, where the red areas represent areas where the water essentially contains no oxygen.
It appears that the man-made damage to the oceans and lakes in the world could present an even greater problem than global warming and of course one that is compounded by it. If so much water ends up unable to sustain life, how will we survive, especially the poorer areas on the planet, where water is already scarce. The sea's health is not something we can take for granted, no matter how vast it appears. The attractive colours of algae bloom that we sea coming back each summer in bigger areas, is evidence that we need to change some of our ways, and quickly.
I'll leave the last word to Joanne from Rocketboom who explains it far more succinctly than I:


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1. Milan: Fast-Track Milan Cathedral and Terraces Guided Tour
Enjoy a 1.5-hour tour of the Milan Cathedral complex, including the terraces and the archeological area beneath the cathedral. Discover the history of this famous monument with your expert guide. You'll also have access to the Duomo Museum and San Gottardo Church. Best of all, choose from either a shared small-group experience or private tour, depending on your preference. Skip the ticket lines and enter the cathedral. Admire this stunning example of Gothic architecture and the artworks that decorate its interior. Continue to the rooftop terraces by elevator for breathtaking views over the city. Then explore the archaeological area beneath the Duomo, where the ruins of the Baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti were found. After your guided tour, you can visit the Duomo Museum and San Gottardo Church on your own.


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No one has shouted yet.
Be the first!
Be the first!
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Reel World
Porch'n Tour
Beloved Binge, an indie-pop duo from Durham, N.C., will pass through town on Friday, Feb. 20. to play a gig at Burt's Tiki Lounge. This is of note to film fans because the group's drummer, Eleni Vlachos, will screen a "humorous, pro-vegan documentary" she shot titled Seeing Through the Fence earlier in the evening. The screening begins at 5:30 p.m. at UNM's School of Law, Room 2401. A Q&A with the director will take place at 6:30 p.m. Both film and concert are part of "Porch'n Tour," a yearlong DIY tour the band embarked on this September. Log on to porchlifeproductions.com for details.
Film Review
The International
Globe-hopping thriller banks on handsome stars and pretty directing
One of the hardest tasks for Hollywood screenwriters is finding good villains. The problem is not in crafting antagonists who are realistic or even well-suited to the hero in question. It's in capturing the direction of America's most up-to-date hatred and exploiting it without violating the politically correct terms of the day. For the run of the Cold War, Russians were the default villains in everything from James Bond movies to Rocky flicks. Then the Berlin Wall fell and they didn't seem so scary anymore. In the wake of the World Trade Center attack, we had a good run of Middle Eastern villains. ("24," anyone?) But the tides have turned once again, and we're starting to view those of Arabic persuasion as allies in the war against terror. So where does that leave us looking for villain fodder? Must we fall back on that tired old evergreen, the evil Nazi?
Film Review
Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived
History 101: The Alternate Version
Joining, if not flat-out founding, the underpopulated genre of "speculative documentary," Koji Masutani's Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived takes us on a "What if?" tour of one of the mid-20th century's greatest historical junctures. Using copious amounts of archival footage and a lot of intellectual assist from Brown University Professor James G. Blight, the film rewrites history to show us how different things might have been had John F. Kennedy not been killed on that fateful November morning in 1963.
Idiot Box
Good to Gold?
"The 81st Annual Academy Awards" on ABC
The Academy Awards, like most awards shows, exists mostly for people to complain about afterwards. Why was it so long? What was she wearing? How could that win Best Picture? It's an important social steam valve that allows us all to vent minor frustrations around the office water cooler while avoiding other, more controversial topics of discussion (the war in Iraq, President Obama's economic stimulus plan, "The Hills"—real or fake?).
Week in Sloth
The Week in Sloth
"ER" (KOB-4 9 p.m.) Noah Wyle adds his name to the list of final season drop-ins. ... It's kinda like watching Eddie Murphy or Bill Murray or Adam Sandler guest host on "Saturday Night Live."
"Real Time with Bill Maher" (HBO 8 p.m.) Bill Maher steps up to the plate to try to answer the question on the mind of every left-leaning political humorist in America: Is our country at all funny now that Obama's in charge?


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When porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD) struck the 130,000-sow Pipestone System, their swine veterinary team made adjustments until more vaccine became available.
In 2005, PCVAD was little more than a passing concern for the Pipestone System. By the spring/summer of 2006, all that had changed as the virus began to consistently impact grow-finish pig flows.
Finishing mortality jumped from 2-5% to 6-10% or more in pigs averaging 12-18 weeks of age, recounts Joel Nerem, Pipestone veterinarian. Many cases were in herds with other health challenges.
But a few high-health herds were also struck by the porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) virus. Those herds were mostly negative for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), Mycoplasmal pneumonia and Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia.
Outlining the Problem
The Pipestone Veterinary Clinic quickly found most pigs were unresponsive to antibiotic and other treatment therapies. Further, demand for the three commercially available circovirus vaccines were quickly outstripping limited supplies.
Plus, the shareholders in the Pipestone System's farrow-to-wean operations that receive weaned pigs to finish out on their farms were quickly becoming disenchanted and demanding some answers.
Nerem, the newest of seven swine veterinarians at the Minnesota clinic, was assigned the dubious task of controlling the allocation of limited supplies of the three circovirus vaccines.
"It was kind of hard to be friends with new customers when you are the guy controlling the 'circo' vaccine," he recalls.
Meeting the Challenge
As the scope of the disease widened during 2006, and more and more producer customers were impacted, the calls for vaccine grew more intense, Nerem relates. Problems were popping up in all of the Pipestone System locations: southwest Minnesota, eastern South Dakota, Nebraska and northern Iowa.
In their practice area, wasting was the most common tipoff PCVAD was present, along with the respiratory form of the disease. Enlarged lymph nodes were typical. Lesions were less commonly reported than they were by some veterinary clinics.
"At our clinic, it became very frustrating because we knew what the problem was. We knew that vaccination was the answer, but we couldn't give our producers the solution," he declares.
"The Pipestone clinic was forced to develop criteria for allocating PCV2 vaccine to clients," says Nerem, "with the goal of utilizing vaccine in a way that was 'fair' and that would have the biggest impact on pig health."
Their position statement featured three criteria for determining which finishing flows would receive vaccine:
Confirmed diagnosis of PCVAD by a Pipestone veterinarian. Diagnosis requirements included clinical signs consistent with PCVAD and doubling of historical finishing mortality; gross lesions consistent with PCVAD; and, microscopic lesions consistent with PCVAD, including presence of PCV2 in lesions.
Severity of historical PCVAD from the source farm or site.
Age of pigs at the time of vaccine eligibility. Eligible pigs were 6 weeks of age or less.
Continue on page 2
New Vaccine Strategies
Nerem and colleagues also devised a number of plans to stretch tight vaccine supplies to see what might work.
But first, the clinic decided it had to protect the overall integrity of the Pipestone System. That meant reserving a small quantity of full-dose vaccine for incoming breeding stock, particularly the 21-day-old replacement gilts purchased, and for limited use in sows as a pre-farrowing vaccine trial.
"We did a limited trial in sows because we knew there was a product that was labeled for use in sows in Europe (Merial), and we wanted to see if it could make a difference in maximizing use of the vaccine," Nerem explains.
PCV2 vaccine was administered to about 18,000 sows from November 2006 through January 2007. No measurable changes were observed in sow and litter performance as measured by standard PigChamp data analysis. Most pigs from vaccinated sows were vaccinated in the nursery, so offspring performance from vaccinated sows could not be measured. Another confounding factor was an outbreak of PRRS that struck some sow units in January 2007, he notes.
The bulk of limited vaccine supplies went to commercial wean-to-finish systems using three guidelines:
Vaccinate affected flows or sites only;
Vaccinate pigs 3-6 weeks of age; and
Vaccinate pigs with ½ dose of commercial vaccine.
By the spring of 2007, vaccine demand had drastically outpaced supply. The Pipestone clinic implemented a focused plan to make the most of vaccine supplies:
Vaccinate affected flows or sites only;
Vaccinate pigs at weaning at the sow farm; and
Vaccinate pigs with ¼ dose of commercial vaccine.
As vaccine supplies increased this summer, but were still not enough to use full-dose vaccine throughout the Pipestone System, the strategy became:
Vaccinate affected flows or sites only;
Vaccinate pigs at processing and at weaning on the sow farm using the two-dose product; and
Vaccinate pigs with ½ dose of commercial vaccine.
Nerem told the crowd at the Leman Swine Conference in St. Paul, MN, that he understands those vaccine strategies didn't follow the label guidelines developed by the manufacturers.
"I am in no way advocating that kind of use. We had a very tough decision to make. We made a decision that there might be another way to reduce shareholders' risk, and prevent disease in young pigs, by using less than a full dose of vaccine," he explains.
Trial Conclusions
The main objective of the partial- dosing protocols was to maximize the number of pigs getting at least some protection, Nerem emphasizes. He summarized those results:
Pigs given ½ dose of circovirus vaccine from 3-6 weeks postweaning performed very well. On several occasions, vaccinated and unvaccinated pigs from the same source were placed on the same finishing sites. For roughly 10,000 pigs compared, vaccinated pig groups closed out with 2.7-5.0% mortality, while unvaccinated counterparts finished with 11.4-23.7% mortality. He says clinical signs in most vaccinated groups were minimal to non-existent.
Pigs given ¼ dose of circovirus vaccine at weaning were closing out at the time of his presentation in mid-September. But Nerem says preliminary data clearly indicates that most groups getting ¼ dose of vaccine lacked complete protection, with mortality and prevalence of clinically affected pigs both running higher.
In another limited trial, pigs were given ½ dose of commercial vaccine twice preweaning. Results were not available at presstime.
Overall, using ½ dose of vaccine has provided acceptable results when given to pigs at the appropriate age (under 6 weeks of age), says Nerem.
Current Program
Now that it appears sufficient quantities of PCV2 vaccine are available, the Pipestone clinic will use vaccine at the full dose recommended by the manufacturers on the label.
Nerem observes: "Our shareholders now expect to get vaccinated pigs when they receive them from the sow farm. So we have implemented a program of delivering vaccine to the sow farm for use at piglet processing and at weaning (two-dose program). We are seeing good results from that strategy, and those pigs are just coming to market now."
He stresses again, even though it is not the manufacturers' recommendations, the Pipestone clinic has been able to immunize pigs prior to weaning and get protection to market. Circovirus vaccines are federally licensed for use in pigs at 3 weeks of age and older.
Finally, the clinic is conducting an experiment to investigate the return to growth performance from vaccinating pigs with a full dose vs. a half dose of vaccine.
"Certainly, the mortality data would indicate that the results are very similar with both dose regimens, but there are probably some advantages to a full dose of vaccine, and we are seeking to verify those claims," Nerem points out.
The jury is also still out on sow vaccination. He admits more work needs to be done to determine the impact on maternal antibody as well as the piglet vaccination program.


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12/15/2015 Liebherr.com integrates new product worlds: New online presence of mobile and crawler cranes and also maritime cranes
The Liebherr website was revamped in June 2014 and the domestic appliances division was added in September 2015. Now, two additional product areas are going online with a new web design. From 15 December, the mobile and crawler cranes and also maritime cranes division will be integrated under the liebherr.com umbrella.
The newly-created product worlds for mobile and crawler cranes and maritime cranes offer existing content with greater user-friendliness and have been supplemented with additional content. To gain access to the desired information quickly and in a target-orientated manner, the search function can be refined with new filters. Aside from technical data about the individual products, many downloads are available with brochures, publications and operational reports. The new service area offers information about the global service partners, training courses for customers and staff as well as technical assistance for successful operations.
Another key area of the website for the two product areas is dedicated to more comprehensive information on the subject of technology. For example, the area of maritime cranes, in particular, offers the user a broad overview of maritime technologies and presents innovative systems from Liebherr, which make crane operation more efficient, safer and ecologically friendlier.
The concept of the newly-created product worlds at liebherr.com will be continued in the coming months. It is estimated that all Liebherr product worlds will be presented in this format by April 2016. Until they are completed incorporated, the existing content of the individual product areas remains active and unchanged as separate internet portals.


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Iraq unraveling as top Shiite cleric issues call to arms
ISTANBUL — The likely breakup of Iraq into feuding ethnic and sectarian bastions accelerated Friday as Iraq's senior Shiite Muslim cleric broke years of support for the central government and decreed that every able-bodied Shiite man had a religious obligation to defend the sect's holy sites from rebellious Sunni Muslims led by fighters from the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
In answer to the call, thousands of Shiites — many with militia experience from the sectarian war that pitted Sunnis against Shiites and killed thousands from 2006 to 2008 — flooded the cities of Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala to receive weapons, enlist in organized units and receive their orders.
Hours later, President Barack Obama made it clear that the United States was unwilling to commit itself to the defense of a government that had been unable to resolve Iraq's ethnic and sectarian differences.
"We're not going to allow ourselves to be dragged back into a situation in which, while we're there, we're keeping a lid on things, and after enormous sacrifices by us, as soon as we're not there, suddenly people end up acting in ways that are not conducive to the long-term stability and prosperity of the country," Obama said.
With Sunni Islamists in control of much of the north and west, Kurds expanding their control of the long-contested Kirkuk region and Shiites gathering for sectarian war, the likelihood of any accommodation seemed remote.
Emma Sky, a fellow at Yale University who advised U.S. forces in Iraq until 2010, called the events "the slow death" of the Iraqi state in an interview with McClatchy.
Perhaps most telling was Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's religious endorsement of Shiite men taking up arms to defend "their homes, their cities and their holy places" from the Sunnis. Previously, al-Sistani had rejected militia activities and urged support for the central government, even during the darkest days of the 2006-08 sectarian war.
A Shiite resident of Baghdad, who asked to be called Abu Zeinab, said his neighborhood near the Shiite Shrine of Khadam in the neighborhood of Khadamiya was filled with volunteers after al-Sistani's decree became known.
"The statement by the marja, Sistani," he said, using an Arabic term of respect that loosely means "object of emulation," "has changed everything now. It says we should fight as Shiites to protect Shiites. I think this means there is no Iraqi state now."
Iraqi state television showed dozens of vehicles filled with hundreds of men in Baghdad singing martial Shiite songs commemorating the battle of Karbala in A.D. 680, when the Sunni caliphate destroyed a Shiite uprising — an event that has played heavily in the rhetoric of both sides; in recent days, Islamic State of Iraq members have threatened to repeat that massacre.
"People are scared of the Wahhabi invaders," Abu Zeinab said, using a term common in Iraq to describe ISIS ideology that allows killing Muslims deemed insufficiently pious, particularly Shiites. "All the boys from the neighborhood who were in militias during the American occupation have returned, and hundreds of youth from the (Shiite-dominated south) have come to fight. The government and the militias are handing out arms. I think there're Iranians here as well; there're always Iranians here at the shrine."
Other Baghdad residents reached by phone said a near-panic had set in among much of the population as rumors were spreading about an impending jihadist invasion of the city. Rumors were rife that the government planned to block popular text-messaging and social media services in the city to try to contain the hysteria. There was no official announcement from the government, however.
Meanwhile, ISIS and its Sunni allies continued capturing ground in areas disputed between Sunni and Shiite religious factions while the Iraqi army appeared irrelevant to the conflict.
Iranian and Iraqi news organizations were filled with reports that the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' al-Quds Force, the cross between an intelligence agency and special forces that's often deployed to pursue Iranian foreign and security policy, had arrived in Baghdad to direct the fight against ISIS after four days that saw the army crumble.
Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani was, according to numerous credible reports, said to be directing the defenses of Baghdad personally. Suleimani, a well-known figure in Middle East security circles, is said to control Iranian operations in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Supporters of Iran often credit him with devising the strategy that has salvaged the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad during the past year of civil war there.
On Friday, CNN reported that a senior Iraqi official had said that as many as 500 troops from the al-Quds Force had begun arriving to help protect Baghdad. CNN said the official had said the Iranians would be deployed to Diyala province, a mixed Sunni and Shiite area, where their presence would generate less anger than in the mostly Sunni areas now under ISIS control.
A former European intelligence official, who runs a consultancy in the region and regularly deals with Iranian government representatives in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, said in an interview that he expected any Iranian troops sent to Iraq would augment what was already a robust covert presence.
"Hajj Qassem does not get taken by surprise, not next door to his own country," the consultant said, asking that his own name not be used on such a sensitive subject. "Hajj" is an Islamic honorific.
The consultant said he suspected that ISIS's rapid advance hadn't surprised the Iranians. "I've been hearing about the problems with ISIS in the desert outside Mosul for a year and have been told the Iranians were warning Maliki about this," he said.
The claim that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had had ample warning of a serious problem, beyond the loss of the western desert of al-Anbar nearly six months ago, also was made by a top security official of the peshmerga, the Kurdish militia.
"Especially in Nineveh, Salahuddin and Anbar governorates, the Iraqi security agencies and ministries have been incapable, and soldiers and employees were only interested in collecting their salaries," Lt. Gen. Jabbar Yawar told a Kurdistan Regional Government website. He said Kurdish officials had warned that the security forces were poorly trained but "Baghdad did not heed the ... warnings and now, unfortunately, our predictions have come to pass."
He added that Kurdish officials had proposed that "several military bases be built in Anbar, Salahuddin and Mosul, particularly at the desert border areas" but that al-Maliki had ignored the suggestions. "Baghdad incorrectly interpreted our proposals as politically motivated and not in the public's interest," he said.
The mustering of the Shiite community was to be expected: ISIS had issued a manifesto Thursday in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, which it had captured Tuesday, calling for the destruction of all Shiite shrines.
Abu Zeinab said daily life was tense in Baghdad as people stocked supplies and in many cases gathered weapons to prepare for a siege as ISIS and Sunni forces were rumored to be within 20 miles or so of the capital.
"Iraqis have only known war and shortages for 30 years," he said. "We know what to do."
Official Iraqi forces, which were humiliated in the immediate fall of Mosul and have continued to defect or surrender when faced with ISIS attacks, were said to be holding firmly in the city of Samarra, just north of Baghdad, where the al-Askari Mosque is one of Shiism's holiest shrines. They were bolstered by Shiite militias, including Assaih al-Haq, a group trained by the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah that also helped the security forces fend off an ISIS attack on Samarra last month.
Some Iraqi media outlets were quoting officials as claiming that security forces had regained control of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown and a notorious anti-Shiite stronghold, but there was scant evidence to back that, and ISIS and its allies appeared to have moved even closer to the capital Friday, taking two key villages in Diyala province, adjacent to Baghdad.
In Mosul, an ongoing hostage drama involving as many as 80 Turkish nationals taken from a truck stop and from the Turkish consulate was reportedly escalating, according to Turkish media reports, with ISIS demanding $5 million to release the drivers and threatening to execute one an hour until the money arrives. Any demand for the dozens of consular officials has yet to be made public, although the Turkish government has expressed a willingness to talk with ISIS about their fate.


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Seat Padding - The Proof Is In the Padding
Visco-Elastic Polymer Padding Offers Comfort, Safety At An Affordable Price
One of the most overlooked and least appreciated aspects of modern seat technology these days is the padding that surrounds the cold aluminum castings. Renowned seat builder Brian Butler, founder and president of Butler Built Motorsports Equipment, has long worked to improve driver safety with his innovative seat designs and accessories. To that end, a product Butler started working with in 1996 has now been reintroduced with great praise from the racing industry.
Visco-elastic polymer padding, which resembles a gel that keeps its shape, is now used to line the drivers seat in order to increase comfort and reduce the impact during a crash. With numerous back and neck injuries in the professional ranks of motorsports these days, there is no doubt new options to increase safety are certainly needed.
In the simplest terms, visco-elastic polymer is a very soft, synthetic rubber that is flexible but retains a memory of its original shape. The physical properties of the polymer allow it to spread out the force of an impact. For example, impacts on the body of a driver are concentrated on a relatively small area. That same impact, however, on the polymer padding would be spread over an area 1.5 to four times the size of the original force.
The visco-elastic material is self-extinguishing and can withstand temperatures reached in a racing car. The padding contains no latex or silicon and will not crystallize, leak, leach or spill out even if punctured. The padding material is a solid and comes pre-cut in sealed component form, but if a racer has an odd-shaped seat or wants to cut down the pieces, they are easily cut with scissors. The visco-elastic polymer has a natural ability to evenly distribute heat throughout the material. Any heat build up in one section of the pad will be distributed away from that section.
Continuing Care
Brian Butler feels the material provides its greatest benefit to a driver with a previous injury. The drivers who are recovering from back, shoulder and rib injuries really notice how much more comfortable and well-protected they are in the seat, Butler comments. I feel this is the best material Ive ever seen to isolate any driver from the shocks they receive during a race.
Polymer padding was introduced in 1996 and first used by driver Todd Bodine. After trying the padding, he got his brothers to use it and other drivers soon followed.
I was skeptical at first, but after using this polymer padding, I stayed cool and a lot more comfortable, Todd Bodine says. I wasnt tired at the end of the race. That was the first Monday, ever, that I woke up without a backache.
NASCAR Winston Cup driver Robert Pressley has been using the polymer in his seats for more than three years. Its just a good little piece, Pressley says. Its a lot better; it springs back, as compared to the foams that give up during the race. The polymer just stays with you through the whole race. I think it helps you through any type of accident. Where I noticed it helps the most is at Dover and Bristol on those bumpy concrete racetracks, where any kind of pad would go flat. This (polymer) will stay with you through the whole race.
Ed Kennedy drives in the ARCA RE/MAX Series for stock cars and on the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series. When you are sitting in the seat it just molds you right in there, Kennedy says. It is very, very comfortable, and it actually helps you reduce a little bit of fatigue as you are racing. The next day you dont feel sore. I run it in both my ARCA and Modified cars, and if you know anything about the Modifieds, we use a lot of bumpers. You are always getting a bump here, a bump there, and then the next morning you are a bit sore. Not any more. That helps a lot.
I had a real bad crash at Talladega in the ARCA car, Kennedy continues. I broke my shoulder, and it was the first time I came out of a crash where the only thing that hurt was what was broken, and everything else was pretty good. Normally, every bone in your body is hurting. I didnt really feel that bad. I would never get in a race car without it. I actually practiced somebody elses car last night and made sure I had some padding with me. I put it in the seat before I took the car out. I will have it for every race car that I ever drive again.
Harness Pads Too
Other companies in the motorsports industry have used the V/E material for more safety-related products. Heintz Performance, Hutcherson-Pagan Enterprises and BSR Products sell, in addition to the seat padding, shoulder harness pads. The V/E harness pads further protect the drivers shoulders and chest. During a violent crash the shoulder belts can produce large bruises or rib and collarbone injuries. The harness pads with V/E polymer padding help to spread out the impact and reduce the force transferred to the drivers body. Mark Martin, Mike Skinner, Tim Fedewa, Andy Santerre and Jeff Fuller all have used the V/E polymer harness pads for years.
With the success that the V/E polymer padding products have had in the last five years, many companies have tried to copy the product. Other pads or mats have made their way to the market made from gel-like, liquid or foam material.
The property these products lack is load-carrying ability. This is important because with gels and foams, as load is applied to one area or another, the padding will continue to compress as more weight is applied. At a specific point, the foams or gels will compress far enough so there will be no more cushioning effect. Any shock, bounce or hit will be felt directly through the foam or gel material. On the other hand, the visco-elastic material distributes load away from the point of pressure. The V/E material will not fully compress or lose its shape.
While the material itself seems space age, its price remains firmly attached to the ground. A full seat package costs around $300, while individual pieces of the material can be had for $40 to $60. The harness pads retail for $45 to $65 per set. Such numbers make the visco-elastic polymer affordable for any level of racing, and most Saturday-night racers do have to get up and go to work on Monday morning.
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