Monthly Archives: April 2018

Scientific meetings: Hunting for collaboration and friendship

At the time of writing, I am in Turku, Finland at the annual meeting of the Scandinavian Society for the Study of Diabetes. As the name says, this is a Scandinavian meeting for physicians and researchers interested in diabetes. The mayor of Turku opened the meeting with an interesting question: Is there anyone who remembers where the meeting was last year, and the two years before? Uncertain responses. But do you remember someone you met at these meetings and what you talked about? Yes, that was something completely different! Of course we remembered meeting old and new acquaintances, exchange og information and ideas for new studies. Even though today we have very effective tools for sharing information through the internet and other types of computer networks, personal meeting with professionals at home and abroad is more important than ever. It maintains existing and opens up new friendships, and provides professional refills. It is possible that a meeting must have something physical to attract attendees, but I am not so sure that it really means so much. Hence, I’m coming back from a meeting full of enthusiasm and new ideas, and I think little about where the meeting actually took place. So, go to meetings, make new friends and learn something new!

Pål

The Gilead Sciences Nordic Fellowship Programme 2018 

Gilead Sciences Nordics proudly announces the sixth year of the Gilead Sciences Nordic Fellowship Programme. Funding this year will total SEK 3,000,000 to projects executed in the Nordic countries.

The aim of the Gilead Sciences Nordic Fellowship Programme is to award financial grants to encourage the development, exploration and dissemination of new ideas, generating best practice in the delivery of patient-centred care in three areas – HIV, liver diseases (LVD), and hematology/oncology (ONC). Evidence generated from Fellowship projects provides the opportunity to shape public health policy and practice, or to generate new studies or joint ventures to shape clinical care pathways. The projects supported under the Gilead Sciences Nordic Fellowship Programme are independent of the use of any particular therapeutic agent.

Please see the attached brochure for further details about the fellowship program – the topics for this year, the application timeline etc. Also, please note, that proposals that meet the criteria for a clinical trial under the EU Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC cannot be funded under the fellowship program.

Gilead Sciences Nordic is committed to supporting local initiatives which ultimately improve patient care and we look forward to receiving completed applications over the next few months.

Guidance to applicant can be found here.

More information about the nordic fellowship programme can be found here.

If you have any questions then please contact us here. 

Yours sincerely,

Anette M. Hommelgaard, PhD
Country Medical Director Nordics Gilead Sciences Nordic

Free Internet Courses on Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics

The September 2018 introductory course on Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics (7.5 ECTS credits) given by Uppsala University is now open for application.

The course, which is free of charge for EU/EAA-citizens, is suited for researchers, post docs, teachers and students who are interested to learn how complex chemical and biomedical processes can be investigated even down to their finest chemical details using informatics, and how this can be used for the development of novel drugs.

Further information and signing up can be found here.

On request of many previous participants we now also offer two additional courses:

1.  Applied Structural Pharmaceutical Bioinformatis (5 ECTS credits) (course start September 2018).
2. Applied Pharmaceutical Bioinformatics (5 ECTS credits) (course start November 2018)

More information about both courses are available here.

INSULIN GOES VIRAL

Invited talk by Prof. C. Ronald Kahn, Harvard Medical School.

One of the world’s—if not the world’s—leader in insulin signaling.

Date: Wednesday April 18th
Time: 09:00
Place: Auditorium @ Armauer Hansens hus, Haukeland University Hospital

A recent study from Prof. Kahn has identified viruses that can produce insulin-like hormones that are active on human cells. This novel discovery brings new possibilities for revealing biological mechanisms that may cause diabetes, as well as autoimmune disease, metabolic conditions or cancer.

Viruses known to infect fish and amphibians, could possibly expose humans to viral insulins. Prof. Kahn and his colleagues at Joslin have found that various viruses can produce peptides that are similar in whole or in part to 16 human hormones and regulatory proteins. Four viruses interestingly have insulin-like sequences, and show ability to bind to and stimulate human insulin receptors and receptors for a closely related hormone called IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1). The viral peptides could this way potentially stimulate all signaling pathways inside the cells that are stimulated by human insulin and IGF-1, including glucose uptake and cellular Growth.

Large international conferences on teaching and learning in Bergen October 24th to 27th 2018 – call for abstracts!

This is the annual conference of “The International Society for Scholarship in Teaching and Learning” ISSOTL, and it collects approximately 500 teachers and researchers from around the world. “Scholarship in Teaching and Learning” is about having a scientific approach to ‘what works’ in teaching and learning, and the theme of this year’s conference is Toward a learning culture. It is thus the collegial and cultural aspects of learning and education that will be in the center. This is something that will interest many at UiB and in Norway just now, in the era of Kvalitetsmeldingen!

Here are great opportunities for UiB employees to participate – be inspired, share experiences, meet other teachers or researchers, promote all the wonderful stuff we do in Bergen to the world … you name it! You can contribute with a presentation or poster, and participate in the panel, workshop, or just be a participant. Deadline for submitting abstracts is 8 April.

Read Call for proposals here

More information about ISSOTL18 here

Good news: UiB and some of the faculties * are helping with the conference fee! And it will be student grants!

Forsker Grand Prix

Researcher Grand Prix is the Norwegian championship in research dissemination. As a participant, you get a fabulous opportunity to learn more about how to reach your message to a large audience. In addition, if you take your doctorate at UiB, you will receive dissemination points to participate.

We provide you with individual coaching where you will learn more about storytelling, presentation techniques, voice usage, chronicle writing, media management and creative thinking. You also get access to a large network in other professional environments.

Do not miss this great opportunity to improve your dissemination skills.

Read more about the UiB participants’ experience here

More information and application form can be found here

Supervisor-lunch for PhD supervisors

Ph.d.-supervisors are invited to supervisor-lunch at the Faculty of Medicine. The seminar will be held April 24th, 2018 at 11.30-1pm in the Steering Room in Armauer Hansen’s House (Haukelandsveien 28).

Agenda:
1. Alternative career paths after graduation by Steiner Kvinnsland
2. Vancouver rules for co-authorship by Roland Jonsson
3. Predatory journals – still new names on the list by Roland Jonsson

The seminar is free for mentors at MED and it can accommodate 30 people. Lunch is also included 🙂

Sign up here

Research funding opportunity from Gades Legat

Gades Legat announces funds for use in research in pathology, microbiology and immunology. Anyone who is professionally affiliated with the research community at UiB or Haukeland University Hospital within pathology, immunology or microbiology can apply for funding. The application must be concise and contain:

• Name of applicant and workplace
• Name and short description of the project that is applied funding for
• Budget
• The application must not exceed 2 pages in total

The Legate wishes to collect funds to fewer projects with greater allocation for each project. Support for multiannual projects can be considered. Support for travel where you do not present your own research will not be given priority.
Application deadline is Wednesday, April 27, 2018

Application will be sent electronically to Gades Legat by secretary Håvard Hoel Aass

Gades Legat announces funds for use in research in pathology, microbiology and immunology. Anyone who is professionally affiliated with the research community at UiB or Haukeland University Hospital within pathology, immunology or microbiology can apply for funding. The application must be concise and contain:
• Name of applicant and workplace
• Name and short description of the project that is applied funding for
• Budget
• The application must not exceed 2 pages in total
The Legate wishes to collect funds to fewer projects with greater allocation for each project. Support for multiannual projects can be considered. Support for travel where you do not present your own research will not be given priority.
Application deadline is Wednesday, April 27, 2018

Application will be sent electronically to Gades Legat by secretary Håvard Hoel Aass.

New publications

Here are recent publications with contributions from K2 based on last week’s search on PubMed (and optionally articles that have not been included in previous lists). This time the list includes in total 13 recent publications. The entries appear in the order they were received from NCBI. If you have publications that are not included in this or previous lists, please send the references to Hege F. Berg.
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