Virginia Bioinformatics Institute

Virginia Tech team to investigate the genomics of wood for biofuels production

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A team of Virginia Tech researchers is working to characterize the genes involved in wood formation in poplar trees with the goal of improving the quality and quantity of wood as a feedstock for biofuels production.

Virginia Tech's door opened and they came

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Visitors included folks from the university community, alumni, donors, and curious children and adults from all over the state. The hundreds who came had a chance to learn about such things as cows with portholes, race cars, snakes, flowers, and how disease spreads.

Frank Beamer to spread Hokie Fever 'fandemic' campus-wide

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500

University Open House attendees can join the "fandemic" on Saturday, Nov. 12. At the end of their stay, each participant can check in to learn how widespread "Hokie Fever" is and be included in chances to win prizes.

Research team unravels tomato pathogen's tricks of the trade

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech scientists sequenced the genome of several isolates of a bacterial tomato pathogen in order to track the pathogen's ability to overcome plant defenses and to develop methods to prevent further spread.

Video: Potential top-secret research applications intrigue defense-oriented Virginia Tech alums

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

An inside-the-beltway group called VT IDEA takes a look at research that may have cybersecurity application benefitting intelligence and military agencies.

Diagnostic sensors among technologies to be showcased at life science forum in Roanoke

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech researchers are developing rapid assays to report the presence of target pathogens or to identify unknown contaminants.

New targets for control of HIV are predicted using a novel computational analysis

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

A new computational approach has predicted numerous human proteins that the HIV requires to replicate itself.

Researchers uncover mechanisms of plant infection

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This research is featured on the cover of the latest issue of the top plant research journal Plant Cell.

National Institutes of Health renews successful infectious disease research study

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The National Institutes of Health has renewed funding for a successful program that is modeling the potential path of infectious disease. The study aims to help leaders make better-informed decisions about natural or intentionally caused emerging infectious diseases and plan for national emergencies or acts of bioterrorism.

Video: Teachers enjoy science and math training at Virginia Tech's Southwest Center

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

At a three-day conference each summer at Virginia Tech's Southwest Center, teachers enjoy hands-on training in STEM (science, technology, math, and engineering) topics.

Technology Secretary Jim Duffey welcomes scientists gathered in National Capital Region to explore Virginia Tech's research capabilities

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

More than 150 members of the scientific community gathered to network and learn about Virginia Tech's research capabilities in its new research center.

Artist to demonstrate the science behind her creativity

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech presents an art exhibition, demonstration, and lecture featuring regional artist Gibby Waitzkin on July 14.

Virginia Tech Research Center — Arlington opens to expand capability for scientific inquiry, extend university footprint in National Capital Region

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Virginia Tech Research Center -- Arlington has opened its doors in the Ballston area of Arlington, Va., as a nucleus for discovery to expanding the university's capability for new scientific inquiry and extend Virginia Tech's footprint in the National Capital Region.

Video: Economic developers take a closer look at Virginia Tech's research assets

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Economic developers from around Virginia gathered at Virginia Tech to learn more about the university's assets, especially the research institutes.

Virginia Bioinformatics Institute sheds light on recent E. coli outbreak in Germany

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In the rush to save lives, many laboratories are analyzing these genomes and providing data to the research community.

Plant biology meets up with computational wizardry

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Over time, plants have evolved to adapt to a constantly changing, often hostile, environment. Unfortunately, they are facing a new and difficult challenge ahead.

Comparison of genomes of plant parasites provides solid clues for response

Wed, 18 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

John McDowell, associate professor of plant pathology at Virginia Tech, points out similarities in the strategies of several devastating pathogens that can be targeted as plant breeders develop more resistant crops.

New project aims to fuse top-down and bottom-up approaches in systems biology

Wed, 11 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Virginia Tech researchers a $2.13 million grant to develop new systems biology approaches to study cells, one of the most basic units of life.

Virginia Tech partners with NVIDIA Foundation to 'Compute the Cure' for Cancer

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech researchers, Wu Feng and David Mittelman, have won the first worldwide $100,000 research award from the NVIDIA Foundation, as part of its “Compute the Cure” program -- an effort to fight cancer.

Virginia Tech researchers to study how breast cancer treatments meet resistance in some patients

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Jason Xuan has won a $1.56 million grant to create new computer models to find as yet unknown estrogen receptor-signaling networks to help women fight breast cancer.

Scientists to improve soybean production sustainability, aiding farmers and consumers

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Making major improvements to one of the nation's high-value food crops -- from the lab, to the field, to the market -- is the goal of a project awarded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Open-source software designed to minimize synthetic biology risks is released

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The research team at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech has created the package, which is now available to the gene synthesis industry and synthetic biology community in an open-source format.

Research team seeks to introduce rust fungus resistance in switchgrass

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded Bingyu Zhao a grant to to develop and deploy resistant genes and monitor the pathogen.

New technology pinpoints genetic differences between cancer, non-cancer patients

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A group of researchers led by scientists from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have developed a new technology that detects distinct genetic changes differentiating cancer patients from healthy individuals. The advancement could even serve as a future cancer predisposition test.

Mathematics teachers learn to inspire students by encouraging pattern hunting

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Teachers learn to become patterns hunters in this first of a series of workshops to designed to help make math and science exciting in the elementary-school classroom.

Virginia Tech researchers contribute to strawberry genome sequence

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

An international consortium of researchers from more than 30 institutions, including scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech and the horticulture department in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech, has cracked the genetic code of the woodland strawberry.

The last 'ism' in American society featured in 'Virginia Tech Research' magazine

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Ageism is the latest form of prejudice being studied, although certainly not new in American culture, according to Toni Calasanti, professor of sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech. Her research is the lead story in the winter 2011 "Virginia Tech Research" magazine.

Key information about breast cancer risk and development is found in 'junk' DNA

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

A new genetic biomarker that indicates an increased risk for developing breast cancer can be found in an individual's "junk" (non-coding) DNA, according to a new study featuring work from researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech and their colleagues.

Researchers discover how natural drug fights inflammation

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered how abscisic acid, a natural plant hormone with known beneficial properties for the treatment of disease, helps fight inflammation.

Immune system changes linked to inflammatory bowel disease revealed

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered some of the key molecular events in the immune system that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease.

Genome sequences for two deadly plant pathogens make major contributions to scientific research

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

A scientific paper written by an international team of researchers led by scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech and published in the journal "Science" in 2006 has surpassed 200 citations in the ISI Web of Knowledge.

Massive gene loss linked to pathogen's stealthy plant-dependent lifestyle

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

An international team of scientists, which includes researchers from Virginia Tech, has cracked the genetic code of a plant pathogen that causes downy mildew disease. The results are published in this week's edition of the journal Science.

Kids' Tech University returns to campus with spring semester program

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

As the nation's top government officials target efforts to help better prepare America’s students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subject areas, a program at Virginia Tech that is the realization of these efforts is gearing up for a new semester of on-campus activities.

Distributed computing in a wireless environment

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is funding a proof-of-concept study at Virginia Tech to develop highly connected computer systems that operate in a wireless environment.

Plagiarism sleuths tackle full-text biomedical articles

Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech and collaborators have shown that a computer-based text-searching tool is capable of unearthing questionable publication practices from thousands of full-text papers in the biomedical literature.

Spencer Wells reveals the depth of human ancestry

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Spencer Wells, a leading population geneticist, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, and Frank H.T. Rhodes professor at Cornell University, revealed his thoughts on the depth of human ancestry at a recent keynote lecture at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute’s Conference Center. The lecture, which took place on Oct. 7, was part of the 10-year celebration of the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech.

Virginia Bioinformatics Institute joins nation’s leading science organizations at the USA Science & Engineering Festival

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Researchers from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech will travel to the nation’s capital with the goal of engaging attendees at the country’s first science and engineering festival in an experiment.

Virginia Bioinformatics Institute awarded $10.6 million to model immune responses to gut pathogens

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a $10.6 million grant to researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and collaborators to determine how the human immune system responds to infection by pathogens of the gut.

Virginia Tech Research Center -- Arlington to open next summer; seven-story LEED-certified building designed to foster research and collaboration

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The highly visible, state-of-the-art facility will further the university's mission to expand its research portfolio in a region that offers great opportunity for partnerships with corporate research entities and close proximity to government agencies and other public and private-sector organizations.

Renowned population geneticist Spencer Wells to deliver keynote lecture at Virginia Bioinformatics Institute's 10th anniversary event

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech will formally celebrate its 10th anniversary on Oct. 7, with a day of events, including a keynote lecture by renowned population geneticist and anthropologist Spencer Wells.

GenBioOrg student group announces seminar series lineup for fall semester

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

GenBioOrg, an organization for students in Virginia Tech's Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology Ph.D. program, has announced the lineup for its invited speaker series for the fall 2010 semester, which will include an opening talk by Hamid Bolouri, research faculty in the Division of Human Biology at the Fred Hutchinson Research Center in Seattle, Wash., and visiting associate faculty in the Division of Biology at the California Institute of Technology.

Virginia Tech researchers contribute to turkey genome sequencing

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

An international consortium of researchers has completed the majority of the genome sequence of the domesticated turkey, thanks in part to the efforts of Virginia Tech faculty members.

Virginia Bioinformatics Institute launches new Industrial Affiliates Program

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech has launched a new program aimed at bridging the gap between industry and university research. The institute's Industrial Affiliates Program is designed to facilitate strong cooperative relationships and partnerships, as well as research and information exchange opportunities, with industry.

Virginia Tech research funded by recovery act approaches $35 million

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech faculty members have been awarded $28,689,393 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in fiscal year 2010 (ending June 30, 2010) to support 76 research projects. Awards since the act was passed in February 2009 total $34,561,554 for 91 projects.

Systems biology software package developed at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute is now open source for all users

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

A software package developed by a professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and his colleagues to help researchers better understand the workings of biochemical networks now features an open source license, offering an ever wider range of benefits to its users.

The Virginia Bioinformatics Institute's summer student research opportunities help train the scientists of tomorrow

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

More than 70 students spent their summer working with faculty members from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and various departments across the Virginia Tech campus.

Math model of colon inflammation singles out dangerous immune cells

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have constructed a mathematical and computational model of inflammatory bowel disease that allows researchers to simulate the cellular and molecular changes underlying chronic inflammation in humans.

Program to train researchers at the intersection of engineering, biology

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Virginia Tech Colleges of Engineering, Science, and Agriculture and Life Sciences have been awarded a $3 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to launch a Ph.D. training program aimed at preparing future researchers to solve emerging challenges at the intersection of the engineering and biological sciences.

Scientists discover how deadly fungal microbes enter host cells

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

A research team led by scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech has discovered a fundamental entry mechanism that allows dangerous fungal microbes to infect plants and cause disease.

International Genetically Engineered Machines team helps prevent rogue use of synthetic biology

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Virginia Tech and a team of students from ENSIMAG, an engineering school in Grenoble, France, are using bioinformatics to implement federal guidance on synthetic genomics.