4 December 2020
Online odysseys
In February 2020, when Smita Jain and Shantala Hari Dass sat down with Gerlind Wallon, Head of the EMBO Courses & Workshops Programme, to explore ideas for a new online seminar series focused on essential skills for young researchers, they did not imagine the initiative could come to fruition within just a few months. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “We met for coffee and the idea immediately began to take shape, although at the time I had no idea it could take off and fly so quickly,” says Jain, who is Executive Director of IndiaBioscience, which has developed several initiatives together with EMBO, including conferences, lectures, and awareness-raising programmes. “The first workshop, focused on grant writing, took place in June and attracted more than 450 participants. We followed this up with a second in September and the series will eventually include a wide range of themes such as science communication, lab management, and research integrity. Both sides have put in an enormous amount of effort during the pandemic and the response has been remarkable.”
We learned how to make grant applications stand out from the crowd
Zill-e-Anam, PhD Student at Jawaharlal Nehru University
Amongst those attending the first EMBO|IndiaBioscience online workshop was Zill-e-Anam, a final-year PhD student at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. “We learned how to make grant applications stand out from the crowd,” says Anam, whose work focuses on malaria drug discovery and was one of 20 participants selected to take part in a further hands-on session. “The exercises helped me to see where I am going right and wrong, and how I can do better – for instance by soliciting feedback from colleagues outside my specific field, building a compelling narrative that makes sense to outsiders, and identifying a backup plan for if experiments do not go as expected. The trainer, Chapin Rodriguez, was very knowledgeable and gave me some great tips and tricks to get started. I have gained skills that I can put into practice when I come to write my own grant applications – in some respects it was better than an in-person workshop.”
Innovative investigators
While the COVID-19 pandemic has presented unexpected hurdles for scientific training and networking, it has not stopped EMBO’s first cohort of Global Investigators forging international connections. Amongst them is Yen-Ping Hsueh, a group leader at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan, whose work focuses on the cross-kingdom communication and co-evolution of predator fungi and their nematode prey. “Carnivorous fungi are not very well studied despite being almost universal in the soil environment,” she explains. “By using genetics to study the molecular interactions between the nematode C. elegans and carnivorous fungi, we want to shed light on how their interaction shapes predator-prey coevolution and maybe come up with ways to combat parasitic nematodes in the future. EMBO provides a great platform to learn, network and share ideas. I have taken part in online trainings and am looking forward to travelling when the situation allows. Connections with EMBO provide a great opportunity for researchers in Taiwan to meet and work with scientists around the world.”
The EMBO Global Investigator Network, launched in 2019, supports researchers in areas such as training, attending conferences, setting up joint lab meetings, and childcare. Yansong Miao, Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technical University in Singapore, says that being part of the EMBO network will be a boon to his research studying how cellular signals influence the shape of the diverse actin networks that coordinate different cellular processes. “Actin cytoskeleton assembly is important for numerous cellular activities including migration, protrusion, and immune response,” he explains. “We want to learn more about how signal transduction can reshape and reorganise actin filaments, and how proteins that regulate this framework are able to sense different signals. The massive complexity means taking an interdisciplinary approach and being an EMBO Global Investigator will enable me to develop collaborations with researchers across a range of disciplines. While it has not yet been possible for me to travel to Europe, there have been a lot of opportunities to meet virtually, attend training courses and connect with scientists all over the world.”
Alluring lectures
EMBO also supports lecture series involving exchanges between scientists internationally. In November 2019, Michael Hall, Professor of Biochemistry at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel and an EMBO Member, visited Chile to take part in a series of events across the country. Hall is renowned for his groundbreaking work in TOR (target of rapamycin) signaling. “TOR proteins play a central role in regulating cell growth and function but can also contribute to many disorders, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes,” explains Hall, who was joined on the trip by Nahum Sonenberg, an EMBO Associate Member who is Professor of Biochemistry at McGill University, Canada. “One of our recent studies found that diet-induced obesity in mice can cause hyperglycemia, despite normal insulin signaling – and we have pinpointed a gene, also found in naturally hyperglycemic Mexican cavefish, that could be contributing to that. My lectures focused largely on these findings that could shed light on how diet causes diabetes. In Chile there is clearly a real desire to do science yet there is also a sense of isolation. Through such initiatives, we are able to close that gap and it was very gratifying to give these lectures.”
Rapamycin, the drug Hall used in yeast that led to his discovery of TOR in the early 1990s, was originally found in Easter Island bacteria. Hall visited the Chilean island, also known as Rapa Nui, as well as giving talks in Puerto Varas and Santiago during a week-long programme of activities. The events were initiated by Soledad Matus, a group leader at the Fundación Ciencia & Vida, who also manages the institute’s international programme. “Even though we have a very productive science community, it’s not always easy for people to come here because of money and time,” explains Matus, whose work focuses on the biology of neurodegeneration. “For us it was not only about the lectures themselves but establishing strong relationships. Thinking about the connections, exchanges and discussions that stemmed from Dr. Hall’s visit brings a smile to my face – it was a really great moment for us. EMBO provided great support and as soon as it is possible to do so again, I recommend anyone who has the opportunity to organise such a lecture series to do so.”
Constructive conferences
Ideas for EMBO Global Activities often snowball from previous initiatives, one example being an India|EMBO Symposium focused on synthetic biology that took place at the end of January. The event stemmed from long-standing connections between Victor de Lorenzo, a Group Leader at the Spanish National Centre for Biotechnology, and Himanshu Sinha and Karthik Raman, Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chennai. “Chennai is somewhat off the beaten track, but the campus at IIT and the city are amazing – when you arrive you see many talented young people involved in many activities,” says de Lorenzo, an EMBO Member whose work looks at the interface between synthetic biology and environmental biotechnology. “The event covered a fascinating range of interdisciplinary practical and theoretical questions, from new ways to biodegrade plastics to understanding how proteins avoid forming knots when they fold, but also addressed wider issues such as gender equality. This was one of the most memorable discussions I have ever been involved in – it was not easy, and really touched on people’s lives. There is an entire world of interesting science going on in India – it provides a massive opportunity to build partnerships.”
The symposium, which featured 70 participants and 18 speakers, also delivered practical outcomes. “Synthetic biology can help to address some of the most pressing challenges that face humanity, and one of the key things to come out of the meeting was a policy statement on how synthetic biology in healthcare, agriculture and the environment should proceed in India,” says Himanshu Sinha, whose research deals with complex genetics and systems biology. “There are significant opportunities to address areas such as pollution, food production, and green chemistry and it is about looking at how to mitigate some of the big challenges that the field faces, such as ethical concerns amongst the public. Some of these issues were also taken up by participants who were invited to co-edit a special edition of a leading biotechnology journal. This was one of the first conferences on synthetic biology to be held in India and you can really see the impact of the event on the ground – students in Chennai are not often in a position where they can travel to conferences and it makes a huge impact, while at the same time scientists from across the world can learn about the science that is happening in India.”
