Genre: Information/Explanation

Research The Bioinformatics group at Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre is developing computational approaches to analyse DNA sequence information, especially deriving from the next-generation DNA sequencing technology.  Studies are ongoing which will provide insights to the mutations and other DNA re-arrangements which occur and accrue within the oncogenic process which give rise to cancer. The group has a long established interest  in the understanding the mechanisms by which DNA sequence changes can give rise to altered gene expression. To this end, investigating computational approaches to detect regulatory elements within genomic sequences as well as methods to map transcription factor binding events such as described in Nat. Methods. 2007 Aug;4(8):613-4. Previously, Steven Jones was a researcher at the Sanger Institute , Cambridge, UK. , 1994-1998. During this time he participated in the computational analysis of the 45 MB of Caenorhabditis elegans sequence generated at the Sanger Centre as part of the C. elegans Genome Project [Science (1998) 282:2012-2018]. This project resulted in the derivation of the first complete genome of a multi-cellular organism. Another contribution also includes the invention of the web-based blast server, which currently is now the most common interface through which DNA and protein sequence searches are now performed. The original concept was developed to serve the needs of the C. elegans genome sequencing project but it was rapidly adopted by other groups, including both NCBI and EMBL, as a generic way of searching DNA and Protein databases. See here and here my original postings to the C. elegans newsgroup back in the heady days of 1995. In 2005 Steven Jones was identified as one of Canada's top 40 professionals under 40 by Caldwell Partners International as well as by Business in Vancouver.  He also received the Spencer Award for IT innovation as well as the 2007 Medical Genetics teaching award for UBC. Further contributions include his involvment as the founding director of the CIHR/MSFHR Bioinformatics Training Program as well as director of the University of British Columbia Bioinformatics Graduate Program. In 2011 he was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada for his contributions to Genomics and Bioinformatics. To learn about more events for Bioinformatics in the Vancouver area, check out VanBug .