ISB News

Inspiring Teachers to Inspire Students

Featured image: ISB’s Dr. Martin Shelton, left, speaks to administrators from the Central Kitsap School District. ISB’s Logan Center for Education recently kicked off a five-year Principles of Science for Principals (P4P) project with the leadership from the Central Kitsap School District. While many programs and accompanying research have been employed to support science teachers in advancing their practice, there have been few programs designed to support principals and their…

ISB Engineer Hopes to Save the Sword Ferns in Seattle’s Magnificent Forest

Seattle’s Magnificent Forest at Seward Park is located within one of the nation’s most diverse neighborhoods. The 98118 zip code in southeast Seattle is home to people of all socioeconomic classes including groups of immigrants who speak more than 60 languages. Seward Park serves as an urban oasis for the community to enjoy nature, easy hikes, and access to the expansive Lake Washington. The park’s Magnificent Forest, so called because…

‘Scientific American’ Quotes ISB Scientist

Scientific American published an article on the human olfactory system and quoted ISB principal scientist Gustavo Glusman: “Different species specialize in smelling different things, and it’s therefore very hard to compare [them] meaningfully,” Glusman explains. He also points out the brain’s plasticity. “It is well known that when one function is lost, other functions become more nuanced,” such as increased hearing ability after vision loss. Read More

Dr. Jim Heath

Institute for Systems Biology Recruits Technology Pioneer James Heath as President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE >> Renowned scientist, visionary leader from Caltech will join Seattle research community SEATTLE, APRIL 3, 2017 – The Institute for Systems Biology has named James Heath, PhD, as its new president, effective January 2018. Heath is widely recognized as one of the world’s most accomplished scientists, working on fundamental problems at the interface of the chemical, physical, biological, and biomedical sciences, with focus areas of molecular biotechnologies…

New Compliance Certification

Chris Witwer, ISB’s Associate Director of Compliance, has been appointed to the Council for Certification of IRB Professionals (CCIP), which develops and maintains certification standards for HRPP/IRB professionals. The CCIP is a credentialing program of Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R), a professional organization whose mission is to advance the highest ethical standards in the conduct of biomedical, behavioral, and social science research. The appointment is well-timed. On Jan….

ISB-CGC banner image

ISB Gets $3.4M NIH Extension for Cancer Genomics Cloud

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ISB Receives $3.4 Million Extension to NIH Contract to Continue Development of ‘Cancer Genomics Cloud’ with Google and CSRA SEATTLE, Oct. 21, 2016 – Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) has received a $3.4 million, one-year extension to an existing federally-funded contract from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH). This follows the completion of the initial two-year, $6.5 million contract during which ISB developed…

Vice President Biden Gives Cancer Moonshot Update

This week, Vice President Biden delivered an extensive update on the progress of the Cancer Moonshot initiative. ISB was mentioned in relation to the Cancer Genomics Cloud project. Learn more about ISB CGC at isb-cgc.org. Excerpt from the official White House press release: Official White House press release Full Cancer Moonshot Report Puget Sound Business Journal article

Dr. Nyasha Chambwe, a postdoctoral fellow in the Shmulevich Lab at Institute for Systems Biology, discusses some data analysis with colleague Summer Elasady.

In the News: Basketball and Biology

Congratulations to Dr. Nyasha Chambwe on being featured in the May 20 issue of Puget Sound Business Journal’s “People in Research” column. The profile reveals Dr. Chambwe’s path to ISB, starting with a full-ride scholarship to Jackson State University. She has been working on a study on pre-term birth and soon will be moving to projects related to glioblastoma and leukemia. Read the PSBJ article… Photo above: Dr. Nyasha Chambwe,…

ISB’s Cancer Genomics Cloud Team Launches BigQuery Platform

Genomeweb published an article on the Cancer Genomics Cloud pilots. Learn more about ISB’s CGC project. PDF: Cancer Genomics Cloud Pilot Developers Provide Update, Open Up Platforms for Early Testing | GenomeWeb NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The developers of the three proposals selected by the National Cancer Institute for the Cancer Genomics Cloud pilots — an effort to build sustainable computing infrastructure for analyzing omics data from the Cancer Genome…

Science Teaching Experience for Postdocs

Congratulations to Nyasha Chambwe (Shmulevich Lab) and Vangelis Simeonidis (Price Lab; pictured above) who have been accepted by the UW STEP Program. Formerly called “Future Faculty Fellows Apprenticeship,” the program provides training sessions that introduce effective teaching strategies, and guide participants through the development and teaching of a 10-week course. Rhishi Bargaje (Hood Lab) was a fellow last year.

Bio-Fiction Recap

On May 7, ISB hosted the first-ever screening of BIO·FICTION in North America. More than 120 people attended the event, which took place as part of the South Lake Union Art Walk. BIO·FICTION explores the emerging field of synthetic biology from different disciplinary angles including science and engineering, social science, cultural studies, amateur biology, filmmaking, art and design. The original program had presentations, panel discussions, do-it-yourself biology demos, performances, art…

7 Reasons to GiveBIG to ISB

Today is May 5, which many people associate with Cinco de Mayo revelry. But for ISB, today is GiveBIG, Seattle Foundation’s day of community giving. When you give to ISB today, Seattle Foundation will match a percentage of your gift. You can go directly to ISB’s page and follow the links. Remember, to give BEFORE MIDNIGHT today, May 5. Give Now But in case you need a little more background,…

Symposium on “Taoism, Biology & Life” at ISB on May 18, 2015

Painting copyright Feng Xiaodong. Institute for Systems Biology presents: Taoism, Biology and Life Please join ISB in welcoming Xiao Dong Feng and Dr. Stephen Little for a symposium on Taoism, Biology and Life. Opening remarks by Dr. Lee Hood. This event is free and open to the public. Location: ISB Main Floor, 401 Terry Ave N, Seattle Date: Monday, May 18 Time: 3:15pm – 5pm Biographies: Xiao Dong Feng was…

For the first time in the U.S.: Join ISB for BIO-FICTION

Join us on Thursday, May 7 at Institute for Systems Biology 
in South Lake Union Doors open at 4:30pm. Screening begins at 5:00pm, followed by a panel discussion. BIO·FICTION explores the emerging field of synthetic biology from different disciplinary angles including science and engineering, social science, cultural studies, amateur biology, film making, art and design. The original program had presentations, panel discussions, do-it-yourself biology demos, performances, art works and, of…

Lee Hood Will Speak at ‘Xconomy Forum: Seattle Biotech Seizes the Momentum’

Dr. Lee Hood will be one of the featured speakers during the next Xconomy Forum on Seattle’s biotech revival. The event takes place on May 6 at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. For full details, visit the event page. Promo code: Use XconFriend to get a discount at registration. Biotech has roared back to life the past couple years, perhaps more than any other U.S. economic sector. Seattle’s biotech community…

Baliga Lab: A Global Map To Fight Tuberculosis

3 Bullets: The disease progression of tuberculosis is extremely complex and it’s poorly understood. ISB and Seattle BioMed researchers have made an important step by developing a comprehensive map of gene regulation in tuberculosis. A resulting open-access web portal offers any scientist the ability to mine the collected data. By ISBUSA Tuberculosis (TB) remains a top global health threat due to its remarkable complexity in disease progression. To help understand…

NIH-Led Effort – Including ISB – Launches Big Data Portal for Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery

The National Institutes of Health announced the launch of a new Alzheimer’s Big Data portal, which includes the first wave of data for use by the research community. This portal is the result of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP) program, which focuses on facilitating collaboration among government agencies, academia and industry in order to translate research more quickly to therapies. The launch of the AMP Alzeheimers Disease Knowledge Portal is…

Dr. Nathan Price was promoted to full professor. He also serves as the associate director of ISB. March 26, 2015

Dr. Nathan Price Promoted to Professor

Dr. Nathan Price has been promoted to full professor. He started at ISB as an associate professor in the fall of 2011. Dr. Price also serves as the associate director of ISB and co-PI of the 100K Wellness Project. Congratulations! Learn more about the Price Lab and some of his group’s publications. ISB staff gathered to toast Dr. Price on March 26, 2015: