Websites of Interest
In Canada
BIOTECanada
BIOTECanada is a national organization dedicated to promoting a better understanding of biotechnology. The Biotech Classroom section of the site provides general information for the public on the state of the Canadian biotech industry. The site also provides links to international biotech associations. The biannual publication of the BIOTECanada Insights magazine is offered in both English and French.
BioTalent Canada
BioTalent Canada is Canada’s leading source for human resource information and biotechnology skills development. BioTalent Canada’s research, reports, courses, employment bank and programs promote careers, assist companies with human resource issues, and encourage continuing education within the industry. BioTalent Canada helps Canada’s bio-economy industry thrive globally. As a non-profit national organization of innovators leading our bio-economy, BioTalent Canada anticipates needs and creates new opportunities, delivering human resources tools, information and skills development to ensure the industry has access to job-ready people.
Human Resources Development Canada
This site provides information on market trends, job opportunities, and the current state of the job market in Canada.
Youth Resource Network
In addition to teaching youth the basics of how to find a job, this site includes job listings, opportunities for university/college students, and information on youth employment programs. This network is dedicated to helping youth find employment through career planning, training, and education.
Ontario Agri-Food Technologies
This is an informative resource on biotechnology news, especially in bioinformatics, agriculture, and genetics. It provides information on the Canadian biotech industry as well as links to Canadian scientific journals, newsletters, and online articles.
The Biotechnology Initiative
TBI is a non-profit organization committed to promoting the growth of biotechnology in Ontario. It hosts public interest forum to enhance public understanding by sponsoring events which address the social and ethical implications of biotechnology. It has also developed factsheets with a variety of topics and issues in the biotech community as well as the quarterly publication of the BioScan newsletter.
Toronto Hospital for Sick Children
This site provides information on the current research going on at the hospital and provides information on the hospital in general. Researcher’s contact information and publications are available.
Bioinformatics Supercomputing Centre, HSC
This site provides up-to-date information on bioinformatics (i.e. sequence analysis, molecular evolution, and metabolic functions). Workshops and online training are available for researchers interested in using the technology. It has links to biotech centres and university programs related to bioinformatics.
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital
This research institute is a University of Toronto affiliated research centre that is a leader in biomedical research. Its research concentrations are molecular biology and cancer, development and fetal health, and epidemiology and biostatistics. Research Domains, a quarterly publication that is available for download, is a compendium of recent events, granting news, scientific publications, and profiles of researchers.
Sanofi Pasteur Ltd.
Aventis is a pharmaceutical company that works with network partners to discover and develop therapeutic solutions for cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, asthma and allergies. In addition to information on the company itself, the site also provides links to health information and pharmaceutical products on the market.
Sanofi Aventis BioTalent Challenge
D?fi BioTalent Sanofi Avenitis
SABC is an annual competition for high school students to investigate and discover the many current research fields in biotechnology and the future potential of this industry through mentored research. Students finds a biotechnology related issue faced by society today and in addition to proposing a possible solution, students gain important skills in scientific research and knowledge in the biotech industry. This site provides information on the competitions throughout Canada as well as applications.
BioPortal
BioPortal is described as “the Government of Canada’s Web-based biotechnology resource for consumers, industry, scientists and educators.” The site is broken down into four areas of interest – BioGateway, BioBasics, BioStrategy and BioRegulations – each of which address a different aspect of Canada’s biotech sector. Within each area, visitors will find information ranging from public opinion surveys to disease-specific data in relation to current research and technology. Users can also sign up for e-mail updates about new biotechnology Web sites, reports and documents from various government departments and agencies.
In the United States:
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
This site provides extensive information on food, agricultural, industrial, and environmental biotechnology as well as bioethics in biomedical research. Its collection of factsheets, update reports, biotech news, articles, and other publications provide diverse information from many different sources. The site also has an excellent list of links to biotechnology journals on the web, educational resources, biotech organizations, and government sites. Though intended for those in the industry, the information is relevant, current, and comprehensible to students and teachers.
Biotech Careers
This site provides extensive links to university courses, business schools, graduate schools, education, and training for Canadians interested in careers in biotechnology. It also features job searches, recruitment, and employment by connecting potential employees to employers.
Biotechnology Institute, Iowa State University – Biotechnology
This site provides information on bioethics (i.e. case studies), biotechnology education (i.e. curriculum, protocols, outreach), the biotech industry, and current research. The university has a biotechnology outreach education center that provides an online course for educators on biotechnology ethics as well as various publications such as Bioethic in Brief and Ag Bioethics Forum. The site provides links to current news in biotechnology, and articles for biotechnology educators.
Amgen
Amgen is a pharmaceutical company with focuses in cancer biology, inflammation, metabolic disorders, neurology, and hematology. Amgen products information and research is available. The site provides extensive information on biotechnology, the process, history, and the genetic code. It also includes links to informative online services and educational resources.
Genentech
Genentech, the founder of the biotechnology industry, is a leading biotech company with research focuses of oncology, immunological disease, and vascular biology. Information on the company’s products, researchers, patient profiles, as well as current research projects is available.
Genentech’s Access Excellence program
Vaccine research – National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Nation
The VRC focuses its efforts on the understanding of the nature of virus and viral immunology, especially HIV. Many of its publications and papers are available and VRC also provides seminars on its current researches. This site also includes news releases concerning the VRC from 1999 onward.
Bioinformatics – National Centre for Biotechnology Information, National Library
This is an American national resource for molecular biology information and the information is quite academic and advanced. However, its information regarding organism models for research as well as sequences of organisms might be useful for experimental design for students’ project proposal. NCBI also offers free subscription to its quarterly newsletter, which provides information on research, FAQ, bibliography of recent staff publications, etc.
Dolan DNA Learning Center, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Using multimedia, this site engages its audience in learning about DNA in a simple and informative way. The site features extensive information on genetic disorders, the history of DNA and its revolution, eugenics, as well as Bioservers, a teacher and student friendly bioinformatics tool. The site also has a Biology Animation Library that covers DNA science concepts. This is an extremely educational and resourceful site targeted at students, teachers, and people with minimal scientific background.
Primer on Molecular Genetics, Department of Energy
This primer was prepared for the Human Genome Program Report in 1992 and is an excellent resource on the human genome project and the mechanisms involved in the mapping and sequencing the human genome. The information given is quite advanced and readers should have some understanding of the science of DNA.
Bioresearch Online
Targeted at members of the biotechnology industry, this site has a wealth of information on the latest products, research breakthroughs, companies, and articles. Products and books are advertised on the site is for sell. A free Bioresearch Online newsletter is also available. This is an excellent resource for up-to-date biotech news as well as what’s hot in the industry.
Genome Technology (monthly publication)
Genome Technology is a monthly magazine for and about the genomics industry and provides news and information on the business and technology of genomics, proteomics, and bioinformatics. Subscribers include research enterprises in the pharmaceutical, agriscience , biotechnology, academic and government sectors.
International:
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Established in 1974, EMBL aims to conduct research in molecular biology, provide essential services and training to scientists, and to develop new instrumentation for biological research. The site includes news archives, research information, and various papers for download.
Molecular Biology Notebook Online
The site is an extension to the MBN CD ROM. On the website, links to information on DNA and molecular biology, resources for students and teachers, sample experiments, and discussion forums are available. This site provides excellent links to online biology courses and various resources.
Sci-Fi Science Blunders Hall of Infamy
Ever wonder how scientific science fiction really is? The Sci-Fi Science Blunders Hall of Infamy offers some insight, pointing out the genre’s worst “bad science” offences. These blunders – the kind of mistakes a high-school science student could point out, according to the author – include everything from the improbability of fiery explosions in the vacuum of space, to the potential pitfalls of the interspecies breeding. The site, which is updated infrequently and could stand some content, also features more detailed articles and essays, as well as links to a few other sci-fi themed Web pages.
Campaign for Responsible Transplantation
The Campaign for Responsible Transplantation (CRT) is a non-profit group dedicated to stopping xenotransplantation, the practice of transplanting animal organs, cells or tissues to humans. The group-s Web site outlines its argument against these procedures, pointing to potential legal, ethical, environmental and health issues. While the site raises some serious concerns, the CRT still finds time to make its visitors smile – the “xeno humour” section features several amusing cartoons that elicit some laughs while still getting the organization’s point across.