Putting Prion Research Into Service for Society PrioNet announces results of Knowledge MobilizationCall for Proposalsby Alison Palmer

Volume II, Issue 5April - July 2011www.prionetcanada.caPrioNews

PrioNet Canada’s Triannual Newsletter

A Tale of Two Prions

see page 3

Feature Storiesfrom PrioNet's science writing program see page 8

see page 4

Global Prion Congress in Montreal

PrioNet Funds 11 New Projects Involving 55 Different Researchers Sharing the results of Open Call IVby Sandra Haney

In July 2011, PrioNet Canada announced $2.9 million in funding for 11 large, cross-disciplinary projects aimed to help solve the various problems posed by prion diseases in Canada. These projects involve 55 different researchers and are led by principal investigators at nine different Canadian universities. In this recent open call for project proposals, the fourth of its kind, PrioNet continues to better understand the biology of prion disease, develop strategies to manage prion disease outbreaks and minimize the impact on Canadians, and apply the learnings of prion research to the treatment of more common human neurodegenerative disorders.

The goal of the funding is two-fold, explains Dr. Neil Cashman, Scientific Director of PrioNet. “By working with our partners, we aim to continue to protect Canada against classical prion diseases like chronic wasting disease and mad cow disease (bovine spongi-form encephalopathy or BSE), and we’re also providing benefit to Canadians through the development of innovative therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS.” continued on page 2

Dr. Neil Cashman, Scientific Director of PrioNet

Given the persistent threat of another prion disease outbreak and the ongoing goal of understanding the biology and discovering solutions for prion and protein-misfolding neurodegenerative diseases, PrioNet recognizes the need for an efficient and targeted strategy for sharing knowledge. Acting on this responsibility, PrioNet has launched a new Open Call for Proposals designed to investigate the process of putting available prion research knowledge into service for society.

PrioNet’s inaugural Open Call for Knowledge Mobilization (KM) Proposals, launched at the end of March 2011, is a step towards developing an effective KM strategy for prion disease research. As the first call for this type of project, it is a retroactive exploration of the social processes of KM in terms of both investigating scientific questions, and translating scientific knowledge. One of the key features of the initiative this round is that all KM projects must be linked with one of PrioNet's researchers. continued on page 2

What is Knowledge Mobilization?

Knowledge Mobilization (KM) is defined as the social processes through which scientific knowledge is developed in laboratories and disseminated to receptor groups such as regulatory agencies, stakeholders, interest groups, industrial and commercial enterprises, and civil society more generally. A reciprocal and proactive process, KM brings scientists and their knowledge into contact with recipients of their activities and output. It ultimately ensures that scientific knowledge, especially that created through publicly funded programs, is informed by receptor needs and reaches the intended audience.

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The new projects and their lead investigators are listed below by theme:

Prion Biology • Structural Proteomics of Prion Aggregates Christoph Borchers, University of Victoria

• Prion-like Propagated Misfolding of SOD1 in ALS Pathogenesis Neil Cashman, University of British Columbia

• Identifying Novel Regulators of Cell-to-Cell Prion-like Propagation of α-Synuclein Pathology in Parkinson's Disease Edward Fon, McGill University

• Upstream and downstream partners of the prion protein as therapeutic targets in prion diseases and Alzheimer’s disease Marco Prado, University of Western Ontario

• AltPrP, the novel polypeptide encoded within the prion protein gene Prnp: function in prion diseases and potential as a biomarker Xavier Roucou, University of Sherbrooke

• Physiological travel of prion proteins and patho- physiological delivery of misfolded cargo: relationship to prion infections and Alzheimer's disease Gerold Schmitt-Ulms, University of Toronto

• Misfolding pathways of mammalian PrP - defining the structural basis for prion disease susceptibility Simon Sharpe, Hospital for Sick Children & University of Toronto

Prion Preparedness & Prevention• Integrating Resource Selection, Movement and Group Size Models to Predict and Communicate Chronic Wasting Disease Risk for Elk with Co-occurring White-tailed Deer Ryan Brook, University of Saskatchewan

• Development of an integrated risk management framework for Chronic Wasting Disease Ellen Goddard, University of Alberta

Prion Ecology• Chronic Wasting Disease Strains Debbie McKenzie, University of Alberta

• Development of an Oral Vaccine for Chronic Wasting Disease Scott Napper, University of Saskatchewan ■

Knowledge Mobilization...continued from page 1

PrioNet funds 11 new projects...continued from page 1

With the review process for submitted proposals now complete, PrioNet is pleased to announce the following new projects emerging from this Open Call for Knowledge Mobilization:

• Rhetoric and Knowledge Mobilization in Prion Research across Communities:Dr. Heather Graves from the University of Alberta will look at Dr. Michael Woodside’s IDeal/Bootstrap joint PrioNet and APRI project, a collaboration with ChemRoutes Corporation.

• Scientific Knowledge as a Social Process - A Case Study of Knowledge Mobilization, Transfer and Implementation (KMTI) In a Prion Biology Research Context:Dr. Ralph Matthews from the University of British Columbia will investigate Dr. Neil Cashman’s prion research laboratory.

• In Land and Life: Knowledge Mobilization, CWD, and Aboriginal Communities in Saskatchewan and Alberta:Dr. Stéphane McLachlan from the University of Manitoba will sharpen his focus on knowledge mobilization for his own PrioNet project In Land and Life: Multi-Scale Implications of Chronic Wasting Disease for Aboriginal Communities and Other Stakeholders.

• The Social Dimensions of Knowledge Mobilization: An ex post facto analysis of how PrioNet Biology knowledge moves through society:Dr. Nathan Young from the University of Ottawa will look at Dr. Xavier Roucou’s research surrounding the links between prion biology and neurodegenerative diseases in humans.

These new KM researchers have extensive expertise in social science and together with the assistance of PrioNet Principal Investigators and their teams, will gather valuable data to feed PrioNet’s planned cycle of KM. This cycle involves first evaluating PrioNet’s KM activities, making recommendations for best practices and improvements, and implementing these best practices and recommendations. Using such a cyclic approach, PrioNet strives to continuously improve its effectiveness at KM and to ensure this country is at a maximum state of readiness should another prion outbreak occur and that biological answers and solutions continue to emerge. ■

Dr. Nathan Young

Dr. Stéphane McLachlan

Dr. Ralph Matthews

Dr. Heather Graves

April - July 2011 PrioNews 3

Christoph Borchers, Director of the University of Victoria Genome BC Proteomics Centre (see sidebar), has always been interested in the structure and analysis of proteins. After developing the tools, reagent and software to do this at the Centre, he searched for ways to apply his discovery.

Enter David Wishart, PrioNet investigator from the University of Alberta, whom Borchers knew from previous collaborations. Dr. Wishart suggested that it would be interesting to characterize the conversion of prion protein into the infectious form and the structure of the fibrils associated with that form. Dr. Borchers brought in his long-term collaborator in the structural analysis of proteins, Dr. Lars Konermann from the University of Western Ontario—and the new PrioNet project, Structural Proteomics of Prion Aggregates, was born.

“We are trying a number of ways of modifying the surface of the prions and using various enzymes to study the digestion products of the infectious and non-infectious forms,” says Dr. Borchers. “Modifying the surface allows us to determine which parts of the protein are on the inside and which are on the outside.”

Because this process changes the mass of the protein and of the peptides created when the protein is digested, the researchers can use mass spectrometry to determine what parts of the protein interact when the fibrils form.

The team will also be using “crosslinkers”—chemicals that link one portion of a protein to another. Crosslinkers come in different lengths, and can be used to create a 3D model of the protein.

Individually, these methods do not provide a complete structural picture; however, Dr. Borchers believes that they will if used in tandem, and that the model produced will help the researchers determine how the infectious prion forms aggregates and causes disease.

“We’ve only been working on this for a few months,” says Dr. Borchers, “but we’ve already made a lot of progress. For the first time, we have structural information about the tail of the prion protein. The structure of the tail changes during the conversion to the infectious form. This aligns with results using other methods, so it’s very promising.”

The UVic Genome BC Proteomics CentreAlthough the UVic Genome BC Proteomics Centre has been in operation since 1982, its greatest expansion has been under Dr. Borchers’s leadership. Since 2006, the staff has tripled, $6 million worth of the latest equipment has been obtained and the centre is financially self-sufficient thanks to contracts, agreements and competitive grants.

“We are the only Genome Canada-funded Science and Technology Innovation Centre for proteomics,” says Dr. Borchers. “We are delighted to offer our services and expertise to scientists from Canadian and international research institutions.”

The centre offers a wide variety of services to government, academia and industry on a fee-for-service and collaborative basis. As well, a spin-off company, MRM Proteomics Inc., offers an interface with the private sector and opens doors to jobs and commercialization.

PrioNet is pleased to be working with the Centre and looks forward to what is already proving to be a productive relationship.

Dr. Christoph Borchers

An added advantage is that these methods can also be applied to proteins with similar mechanisms, such as the amyloid-β and α-synuclein proteins implicated in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, respectively.

Best of all, as the process behind the structural changes become clearer, the knowledge may inform the search for drugs to inhibit the changes. ■

A Tail of Two PrionsHow mass spectrometry can spot the difference by Sylviane Duval

PrioNet Canada and the Alberta Prion Research Institute were proud co-hosts of the PRION 2011 internationalcongress this past May in Montreal, held for the first time outside of Europe. The congress, organized by an international Steering Committee, gathered nearly 600 delegates from 29 different countries, representing academia, government, industry and the not-for-profit sector. From the plenary by Nobel Laureate Dr. Stanley Prusiner and spirited “hot topic” panel sessions, to the 58 oral and 290 poster presentations, the congress was a vibrant four day success. The Steering Committee would like to thank the following organizations for their support in helping to make this congress a reality: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Alberta Livestock and Meat Agency, ProMetic Biosciences, Biosphere Technologies, Neotope Biosciences, Biogen Idec, and GE Healthcare. Health Canada also provided value-added conference support.

Gathering the Global Prion Research Community

Highlights of a PRION 2011 congress in Canada by Alison Palmer and Sandra Haney Congress presentation highlights:

The congress centered on four major themes: Prion Biology, Prions in Affected Environments, Managing Prion Disease Risks, and Prion-like Propagation and Protein Misfolding. The latter theme, which was incorporated into the PRION program for the first time this year, represents the expansion of the prion research field to encompass other neurodegenerative diseases that exhibit prion-like propagation mechanisms.

Gala dinner at the Chalet du Mont Royal

Dr. Robert Rohwer and Dr. Susie ElSaadany

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Dr. Stanley Prusiner from the University of California, San Francisco, set the stage for PRION 2011: New World with his opening plenary presentation on the “Changing Spectrum of Prions”. The presentation was a journey through this recent expansion of prion science to investigate implications in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and traumatic brain injury. Other selected presentations include:

• The Honourable Preston Manning, former politician and founder of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, spoke about the importance of receptor-oriented communication in science, the act of asking what an audience wants to know versus what a speaker might want to get across. Mr. Manning stressed how this type of communication to target audiences such as politicians is crucial for advancing science.• Alberta’s Minister of Advanced Education and Technology, Greg Weadick, highlighted his government’s investments in prion research projects and facilities, initiatives that are helping to make Alberta an important hub for prion research. • A presentation by Dr. Charles Weissmann from Scripps Florida showed evidence that the heterogeneity of cloned prion populations develops gradually during propagation, presumably by mutational changes of conformation. This work reveals that, although devoid of nucleic acid, prions are subject to Darwinian evolution.• Dr. Byron Caughey from the NIH Rocky Mountain Laboratories presented a new, adapted assay able to detect extremely dilute suspensions of scrapie, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), and chronic wasting disease (CWD) in biological fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid, nasal fluids and blood plasma. • Laboratory studies by Dr. Edward Hoover’s research group at Colorado State University revealed the potential for CWD to cross the species barrier to extend beyond the currently infected cervid populations. Although there is no evidence for this crossing in nature, the existence of multiple CWD prion strains suggests that interspecies strain selection could occur. • University of Texas researcher Dr. Claudio Soto’s recent work reveals that the two most prevalent protein misfolding diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and type 2 diabetes, can be initiated by exposure to misfolded protein aggregates, which replicate in the body in a similar manner to infectious prions. This finding opens a new avenue to understand these diseases and provides new strategies for disease prevention and intervention.• Dr. Michael Coulthart from the Public Health Agency of Canada presented his collaborative research into the recent case of vCJD in a Canadian resident from Saudi Arabia, and subsequent analyses into the geographic distribution of vCJD risk. Given their hypothesis that foodborne exposure occurred in Saudi Arabia in this case, Health Canada recently extended its geographically based deferral criteria for blood donors to include at least a six month residence in Saudi Arabia between 1980 and 1996.

Nobel Laureate Dr. Stanley Prusiner

Student and Post-Doctoral Fellow Poster Competition: The Student and Post-doctoral Fellow Poster Competition at PRION saw an impressive total of 146 poster presentations across the congress’ four themes evaluated by an international team of 25 judges.

Best Posters by Theme:1. Prions in Affected Environments Luke Price, University of Alberta Detection of PrPCWD from the saliva, urine and feces of experimentally-infected white-tailed deer

2. Prion Biology Assunta Senatore, Dulbecco Telethon Institute in Milan, Italy Mutant Prion Protein Suppresses Glutamatergic Neurotrasmission in Cerebellar Granule Neurons by Impairing Membrane Delivery of Voltage-gated Calcium Channels

3. Prion-like Propagation and Protein Misfolding Allen Herbst, University of Alberta Generation of PrP-res by Unseeded PMCA

4. Managing Prion Disease Risks Aye Chan Myae, University of Alberta Explaining Preferences for CWD Management Strategies

continued on next pageAye Chan Myae

April - July 2011 PrioNews 5

Student and Young Professionals Association (SYPA) Day: PrioNet's SYPA hosted the 7th Annual SYPA Day—a two day event that took place prior to PRION 2011 in Montreal. Given the great enthusiasm of SYPA Members for their annual event, SYPA Day attracted approximately 130 attendees from across Canada, Europe, the Pacific Rim and the United States. The event included a workshop on writing scientific articles, presentations by renowned clinician Dr. Michael Geschwind on his work into CJD diagnosis and by Dr. Stanley Prusiner’s Post-doctoral Fellow Dr. Joel Watts on the basics of prion research, a Networking and Job Fair, and more. PrioNet would like to applaud the SYPA Council Events Committee for all their hard work in putting this event together.

Dr. Joel Watts

Young Researchers Training in Science Communication: In partnership with NeuroPrion, PrioNet was also pleased to offer the Young Researchers Training in Science Communication to Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP). The training, which took place May 14 - 15, 2011, included 12 selected PrioNet HQP from across Canada and 12 NeuroPrion young researchers from all over Europe. By bringing together young Canadian and European researchers in this way, PrioNet and NeuroPrion not only provided a platform to explore effective science communication and debating techniques, but also created important opportunities to build relationships between young scientists from around the world.

continued from previous page

Student and Post-Doctoral FellowPoster Competition:

Honourable Mentions:1. Prions in Affected Environments Tizazu Mekonnen, University of Alberta Development of Novel Value-Added Industrial Protein Applications

Christen Smith, University of Wisconsin Time-Dependent Decline in PrPTSE Desorption from Soil Particles

2. Prion Biology Matthew Bishop, University of Edinburgh Variant CJD strain transmission from the spleen of a codon 129 MV genotype patient

Charles Mays, University of Alberta Endoproteolysis of Shadoo and Doppel

3. Prion-like Propagation and Protein Misfolding Patricia Leighton, University of Alberta Zebrafish models of Prion and Alzheimer diseases via zinc finger nuclease knockout

Jason Yau, Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto Probing the assembly of human prion peptide fibrils by solid-state NMR and interaction with model membrane

4. Managing Prion Disease Risks Roberta Galeno, Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome, Italy Transmission of atypical Italian sCJD case to humanized mice reveals a novel infectious strain

Fabio Moda, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta in Milan, Italy Brain delivery of AAV9 expressing anti-PrP molecules delays prion disease onset in mice

Jason YauTizazu Mekonnen

The Presenting Science Cohort of Young Researchers Training

6 PrioNews April - July 2011

More photos from PRION 2011 can be viewed on the congress website at www.prion2011.ca. PRION 2012 is taking place next May 9-12 in Amsterdam. Details can be found at www.prion2012.com. Registration for this congress will open in September and abstracts will be due in December.

“What a wonderful meeting! PRION 2011 was so well organized with no detail left untended. Thank you very much for including the CJD International Support Alliance in the program and for giving us such a central place. We were very touched by this honor.” – Florence Kranitz, President, the CJD Foundation

“I would like to congratulate you [the PRION 2011 co-hosts] for a really superb meeting. I think it has been a complete success.” – Dr. Jesus Requena, PRIORITY

“All my students and trainees who attended were saying it was one of the best conferences they've ever attended (on any subject).” – Dr. David Wishart, Professor, University of Alberta

“It was very nice to see many prominent scientists in the field having discussions with grad students and postdocs who were exhibiting posters. I also enjoyed the speeches by Preston Manning and the CJD Foundation. For me, the most memorable and poignant moment of the conference was the presentation by families who had lost loved ones to CJD.” – Dr. Sina Ghaemmaghami, Post-doctoral Fellow with Dr. Stanley Prusiner, University of California, San Francisco

“This was without doubt the best organized and executed major conference that I have attended in recent years. The scientific program was truly exceptional with presentations and posters from so many leading thinkers in this highly complex and rapidly widening field of misfolding proteins. As an observer, I remain concerned that prions will continue to constitute an unknown, and potentially serious, threat until their biology can be fully understood.” – Dr. John Webb, Director of Emerging Science, Maple Leaf Foods

Gala entertainment by the Painchaud FamilyDr. Herbert Budka

April - July 2011 PrioNews 7

‘Down Under’ with PrP A kiwi trying PrioNet on for size by Carlene Starck

New Zealand. When people here meet me and find out I am a ‘kiwi’, from the country where clean green goodness overflows in abundance, they often ask, “Why did you move here from New Zealand?” I reply with absolute certainty that although I initially came here for work, Canada is actually very similar, albeit on a much larger scale. Yes, it’s true—New Zealand is beautiful, with crisp air, a relaxed atmosphere and stunning scenery. I love New Zealand and it will always be home. However, I must admit that I am starting to compose a list of The Top 100 Things about Canada.

So what’s at the top of my list? I love the snow and the very distinct seasons here, I love Shoppers Drug Mart, I love how Canadians make a really big deal out of every holiday and I love Tim Horton’s. But one of the most appealing aspects about Canada so far is PrioNet, its sense of community and the support that makes me feel as though I am part of one giant research lab. I have many ‘supervisors’ to turn to for advice, a huge range of technologies at my disposal, and ongoing guidance from SYPA.

I am working with Dr. Simon Sharpe at the Hospital for Sick Children, in Toronto, to determine the molecular structure of a prion protein intermediate composed of eight subunits, an octamer. Among many other biochemical and biophysical techniques, we predominantly use solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a technology that gains information about protein structure via the specific magnetic properties of some atomic nuclei. Almost one year into my post-doctoral fellowship, and with the help of a number of other lab members and collaborators, we have discovered that the octamers we’ve been studying are composed of a ‘tetramer of dimers’ and have an ordered core region similar to that seen in PrP fibrils. Moreover, we have started to put together a structural model for the transition from monomer subunit to octamer prion protein intermediate. It is an exciting, fast-moving research area to work in and I feel extremely lucky to be doing what I am doing, where I am.

I gained a short but sweet background in amyloid structure after my PhD research took an alternative path and ignited my passion for protein misfolding in disease. I had absolutely no idea when I decided to pursue this passion and applied for the position in Toronto that I would be entering something like the PrioNet ‘family’. New Zealand just doesn’t have a community like this, likely because it’s comparatively so small. The New Zealand community is concerned about prion disease, especially from an agricultural perspective, but research is limited and there isn’t the flexibility I have found here.

I hope that PrioNet continues for a long time to come, and that its presence in the research community reflects the existence of similar research organizations elsewhere. This network is a strength—it is just the type of initiative to ensure that we, as a scientific team, win the war against devastating neurodegenerative diseases. ■

is PrioNet’s scientific communications program for students and other young professionals. Visit PrioNet’s website for submission details and upcoming deadlines!

The conversion of prion protein monomers to fibrils involves the formation of intermediate multi-subunit species. Recent evidence suggests these are the most infectious particles. We have isolated a stable octameric intermediate and are working to determine its molecular structure.

Monomer

Intermediate states?

Unfolded

Proposed PrP Misfolding Pathway

Octamer Fibrils(Lu et al., PNAS, 2007)

8 PrioNews April - July 2011

Dr. Carlene Starck is a post- doctoral fellow in Molecular Structure and Function at the Hospital for Sick Children, working for Dr. Simon Sharpe. Although biochemistry is one passion, when she is not in the lab she can be found indulging another love, on a mountain bike trail surrounded by trees.

Surviving in a Prion Lab as a “Stranger”

My experience entering the Prion Centreby David Vergote

Originally from Europe, I lived the 1990’s bovinespongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic and was exposed to itsconsequences. The fear this epidemic generated across the continent was huge, particularly in rural communities such as the one in which I grew up. Every farmer and farm worker feared the devastating economic consequences associated with the detection of a mad cow case in their herds and faced the reluctance of consumers to purchase beef. Because of this background, the Nobel Prize awarded to Dr. Prusiner during my early university years was probably the first one I related to personally.

Despite this experience with BSE, my background knowledge in prion biology was close to null when I joined the Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases (CPPFD) as a senior post-doctoral fellow with Dr. David Westaway. Words like species barrier, Shadoo, Doppel and PMCA were concepts and terminologies I barely knew. My previous research experiences were in the field of neurosciences, but more closely related to neuroimmune disorders such as sepsis, HIV and multiple sclerosis. Therefore, Dr. Westaway and I decided it would be more beneficial for both parties if I worked on Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-related projects that exposed me to prion research.

I have to confess that I struggled in seminars describing structural studies of PrP until I started to see that these techniques are also extremely informative for other protein folding diseases such as AD. The integration of an “outsider” to the prion world such as myself was greatly facilitated by three factors: (i) the growing literature describing molecular interactions of PrP with the Alzheimer-associated amyloid precursor protein and its derivatives which gave me many opportunities to make what I like to believe were useful contributions to discussions, (ii) the wide range of age-associated

is PrioNet’s scientific communications program for students and other young professionals. Visit PrioNet’s website for submission details and upcoming deadlines!

Dr. David Vergote is a research associate in the CPPFD within Dr. Westaway's lab. He's a neuroscientist interested in molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying brain pathologies.

pathologies investigated within the CPPFD (including AD, Niemann-Pick disease and muscular degeneration), giving trainees a vast overview of the pathological conse-quences of ageing, and (iii), most importantly, the people working in the CPPFD contributing to make it a stimu-lating environment that continually promotes critical thinking and discussions among trainees.

Although my focus was not on prion per se, spending three and a half years within the CPPFD made the prion field less obscure and allowed me to explain the concepts that were so new a few years ago. This experience not only benefited me by “forcing” me (willingly though) to understand the mechanistic basis underlying brain diseases I was not familiar with, but more importantly it contributed to my maturation as a scientist and prepared me to apply for a Faculty position. For all of this, I am sincerely thankful to each and every one of my colleagues and in particular to Dr. David Westaway for their invaluable contribution to my career. ■

"The Centre for Prions and Protein Folding Diseases of the University of Alberta provided a great environment for my personal and scientific maturation."

"The fear this [BSE] epidemic generated across the continent was huge, particularly in rural communities such as the one in which I grew up."

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PrioNews is published by PrioNet Canada Suite 200, 2386 East Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z3 tel: 604-222-3600 fax: 604-222-3606 web: www.prionetcanada.ca To subscribe, e-mail: admin@prionetcanada.ca

PrioNet Canada is made possible by the federal government’s Networks of Centres of Excellence program.

Calendar of EventsDynamics Within and Between Proteins August 31 - September 2, 2011 Essex, UKwww.biochemistry.org/Conferences

4th Protein Misfolding and Neurological Disorders Meeting September 17-19, 2011 Heron Island, Queensland, Australiawww.proteinsmisfolding.asnevents.com.au/

Innovation 2011 November 20-22, 2011Montreal, Quebecwww.innovationpartnership.ca

Protein Folding and Misfolding: Mechanisms and Consequences December 1-2, 2011Maynooth, Irelandwww.biochemistry.org/Conferences

Networks of Centres of Excellence Annual Meeting December 5-7, 2011Ottawa, Ontariowww.nce-rce.gc.ca

Protein Folding Dynamics Gordon Research ConferenceJanuary 8-13, 2012 Ventura, California, USAwww.grc.org/

PRION 2012May 9-12, 2012 Amsterdam, the Netherlandswww.prion2012.com

> PrioNet is pleased to welcome five new members of its Board of Directors: Dr. John Culley, formerly Director of the Office of Intellectual Property and Commercialization at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC); Dr. Max Cynader, Director of the Brain Research Centre at the University of British Columbia; Shannon MacDonald, Director of Policy and Partnerships at the Neurological Health Charities of Canada; Dr. Marco Prado, Professor at the Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario (PrioNet’s Scientific Participant); and Ms. Deena Gendoo, McGill University PhD Student and PrioNet SYPA’s New Chair (SYPA Representative).

> PrioNet's Executive Director, Janie Toth, retired effective March 31, 2011. Dr. Michelle Wong, PrioNet’s Director of Scientific Programs and Training, has taken on the role of Executive Director. PrioNet is pleased that Michelle will be leading the organization into this crucial year of renewal activities and strategic planning.

> With Dr. Wong’s recent appointment, PrioNet has hired a new Manager of Scientific Programs, Dr. Leslie Grad. Dr. Grad brings years of experience in protein misfolding and neurodegenerative disease research to the PrioNet office; he was formerly a Senior Research Associate in Neil Cashman's laboratory. Welcome Dr. Grad!

> Conference Support to attend PRION 2011 was awarded to the following individuals: Amrit Boese of the University of Manitoba; Simon Beaudoin, Alireza Roostaee and Benoit Vanderperre of the University of Sherbrooke; Karen Simonetti and Carlene Starck of the Hospital for Sick Children; Pharhad Arslan of the University of Toronto; Carol Ladner, Violet Muringai, Nataraj Pagadala, Fozia Saleem, Rory Shott and Bow Suriyamongkol of the University of Alberta.

> Master’s Student Maria Fernanda Mejia Salazar from the University of Saskatchewan received support to attend the Wildlife Disease Association 60th Annual International Conference, in Quebec City in August. PhD Candidate Flavio Beraldo and recent graduate Fabiana Andrade Caetano, from the University of Western Ontario, received support to attend the International Society for Neurochemistry in Greece at the end of August. Master’s Student Cherie Dugal from the University of Saskatchewan received support to attend the Student Conference on Conservation Science in New York in October.

> PrioNet granted a Training and Travel Exchange Award to Sandor Dudas for travel from his home at the University of Calgary to the Universities of Berlin and Göttingen in Germany. Dr. Dudas will use this exchange to explore new prion purification and detection methods that will help to achieve the most accurate results in his current work. Dr. Dudas also received a Knowledge Exchange and Network Building Award to participate in PrioNet SYPA’s Videoconference Series.

> Research Associate Anna Weier from the University of Manitoba received Work-shop Support to attend the Practical Workshop Facilitation Skills Certificate Program, a useful tool for her community based research. She also received support to attend the Banff Science Communications Program taking place this August in Banff, Alberta.

> Open Call IV, HI and PoP grants were awarded in early April and Knowledge Mobilization grants were awarded in early June (see pages 1 and 2, for detailed award listings).

Network Notes

Visit prionetcanada.ca for more details

10 PrioNews April - July 2011