Dear Collegues in the Schisto Research Community,
A couple of weeks ago I circulated the survey below to the schisto
newsgroup and to members of the schisto genome network. The response to
date has been sadly minimal, with only 4 replies received.
On June 28th, The NIH will be deciding whether to fund large scale genomic
sequencing of schisto (a US$3,000,000 committment to generate 14,000 BAC
ends (= 7MB of non contiguous sequence), 5MB of fully annotated sequence,
and construction of a new BAC library). Their decision will, in part ,be
based on whether we can prove that there is a demand for such data from
the research community. If we cannot demonstrate that the existing data has
been of value, we do not stand a good chance of getting more funds for this
more extensive genomic analysis.
WE URGENTLY NEED YOU TO REPLY TO THE SURVEY SO THAT WE CAN DEMONSTRATE TO
NIH THAT THE PROPOSAL IS WORTH FUNDING. WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR ANY
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION AND IT SHOULD ONLY TAKE A COUPLE OF INUTES FOR YOU
TO FILL IN. I URGE YOU TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY AND RETURN IT TO E AS>SOON AS
POSSIBLE.
SORRY FOR THE CAPITAL LETTERS, BUT THIS PROJECT REALLY IS OF
EORMOUSOTENTIAL BENIFIT TO ALL OF US IN SCHISTO.
Best wishes,
David
*****************************************
Dear Collegues in the Schisto Research Community
As you may already know, WHO-TDR which has supported the Schistosoma Genome
initiative for the past 5.5 years, has recently been reorganised. As part
for this reorganisation, the Parasite Genome Steering Committtee has changed
its remit to "Functional Genomics" and also merged with the Pathogenesis
committee. At the same time, other funding agencies are starting to express
interest in large scale genomics for schisto.
In order that both genomic and post genomic work continues to attract
funding from WHO and these other agencies, it is vital that the Schisto
genome Network is able to demonstrate that the data it has generated (and
at which it aims to generate through any new applications) is / will be
of value to the wider research community. Consequently, we are attempting
to formally quantify the use and impact of the schistosome genome data
Specifically, we are interested in establishing the following 5 pieces of
information:
*****************************************************************
>SURVEY OF UTILISATION OF SCHISTOSOMA GENOME DATA
>1. How many papers have resulted from use of the schistosome genome data,
>both published and in press? - please send numbers and, if possible, the
>citations
>2. How many grant proposals, both unsucessful submissions and funded ones,
>to any agency) have resulted from use of schistosome genome data? - please
>send number of applications and, if you are willing, funding agency, names
>of collaborating labs on each grant and value
>3. Who has received clones from contributors to the schistosome genome
>network and how many clones have been received? - please send numbers, we
>do not need to know clone / gene identity.
>4. Who has received reagents (eg libraries, BACs, library screening, FISH
>mapping) or services (installed SchistoDB, used the cluster data, had help
>with specific informatics queries etc) from the Network? - please include
>number of times.
>5. Who has used the schistosome genome data to design PCR primers and
>isolate genes from their own libraries / material without requesting the
>source clone from Network members? - please send the numbers, we do not
>need to know clone / gene identity. The Network believes that this occurs
>regularly and we are quite happy for it to occur (after all, that is why
>the data is all in the public domain), however, as it is rarely reported to
>us, we cannot report the (potentially major) scale of this usage to the
>funding agencies without carrying out a survey such as this.
>*****************************************************************
>This information is important to demonstrate to the funding agencies who
>will support genomic/post genomic research, that the data generated will be
>of value.
>Please email your answers to me (daj at nhm.ac.uk). All individual replies
>will be treated in strictest confidence, but summary statistics will be
>produced and put on the Schisto WWW site and sent to funding agencies.
>We would also request that such reporting occurs whenever you exploit the
>data in the future, so that we can maintain an ongoing demonstration of the
>value of the data.
>Thank you, in advance, for your co-operation.
>David.
>David A. Johnston,
>ecretary to the WHO Schistosoma Genome Network,
>iomedical Parasitology Division,
>ept. of Zoology,
>he Natural History Museum,
>romwell Road, London SW7 5BD, England, UK.
>***PLEASE NOTE NEW PHONE / FAX NUMBERS***
>Tel: 020-7942-5566/5008/5152
>ax: 020-7942-5347
>from outside the UK: 44-20-7942 ****)
>***PLEASE NOTE NEW PHONE / FAX NUMBERS***
>eMail daj at nhm.ac.uk>http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted_sites/schisto/>The Biomedical Parasitology Division is a WHO Collaborating Centre for the
>identification of schistosomes and their snail hosts.
>David A. Johnston,
>Secretary to the WHO Schistosoma Genome Network,
>Biomedical Parasitology Division,
>Dept. of Zoology,
>he Natural History Museum,
>Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, England, UK.
>***PLEASE NOTE NEW PHONE / FAX NUMBERS***
>Tel: 020-7942-5566/5008/5152
>Fax: 020-7942-5347
>from outside the UK: 44-20-7942 ****)
>***PLEASE NOTE NEW PHONE / FAX NUMBERS***
>eMail daj at nhm.ac.uk>http://www.nhm.ac.uk/hosted_sites/schisto/>The Biomedical Parasitology Division is a WHO Collaborating Centre for the
>dentification of schistosomes and their snail hosts.
