E-Board No. 26

September 2004

ISDCI E-Board Number 26
September 2004

Dear ISDCI Colleagues

This E-board is being sent out via the new ISDCI web page (http://www.isdci.org/admin/eboard). If you are receiving it for the first time it is because you are either a new member or you failed to receive it before because I had your e-mail address wring! If the latter, please accept my humble apologies. The new system should reach many new (and old) members and is of course archived on the isdci web site. Please contact either myself or Chris Secombes (csecombes@aberdeen.ac.uk) if you have trouble getting onto the site.


Recent news from IMGT:
IMGT/LIGM-DB comprises more than 85,000 immunoglobulin and T cell receptor sequences from 150 species in August 2004.
"The IMGT Veterinary page" , available from the IMGT Home page at http://imgt.cines.fr, was recently created to provide an easy access to the "IMGT Repertoire" (IMGT Web resources which contains 8,000 HTML pages) based on the species.

For further information about IGMT contact: Marie-Paule Lefranc (lefranc@ligm.igh.cnrs.fr)

Links:
http://imgt.cines.fr/textes/IMGTbloc-notes/Societies.html

http://imgt.cines.fr/textes/IMGTbloc-notes/Journals.html

IMGT, the international ImMunogeneTics information system®
http://imgt.cines.fr

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Assistant Professorship in Biological Sciences at NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY

QUALIFICATIONS:
Ph.D. in Molecular Biology with research Post-doctoral experience preferred.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
Teach undergraduate courses in molecular biology, immunology, general biology, and graduate courses in the departmental M.S. program in Marine and Environmental Biology; provide departmental, college, and university service; develop and sustain a research program that incorporates undergraduate students; and act as a research mentor to graduate students. The post is full-time; 9-month tenure track.

SALARY:
SREB average for Ph.D. research assistant professor if commensurate with academic background and post doctoral experience. Subject to budget approval.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
Send a letter of application, vita, copies of college transcripts, and a list of 3 references to:

Dr. Marilyn B. Kilgen, Alcee Fortier Distinguished Service Professor and Head
Department of Biological Sciences
Nicholls State University
P.O. Box 2021
Thibodaux, LA 70310
marilyn.kilgen@nicholls.edu

[Official transcripts, 3 letters of recommendations, criminal background check, and an official NSU application are required prior to employment.]

Nicholls State University is an EOE/AA/ADA employer. Women and ethnic minorities are encouraged to apply.

CLOSING DATE:
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled for the spring 2005 semester. Start date is January 10, 2005.

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Post Doctoral position available; Sheffield University, UK.

Long lasting immune response in insects: a model for antibiotic protocols

Antibiotic resistance is a major health care concern. A potential new group of antibiotic drugs could be derived from antimicrobial peptides produced by insects. These antimicrobial peptides are evolutionary very old, yet for reasons not understood, the evolution of pathogen resistance against such “natural antibiotic” is a rare event. Recent work has shown that insects produce a surprisingly long-lasting immune response to bacteria. This project will examine the size and timing of the insect anti-bacterial response under controlled conditions, and the the consequences of long-lasting immune responses on the evolution of bacterial resistance will be examined. We aim to understand how insects manage their antibacterial response and so avoid the evolution of pathogen resistance.

The project will focus on three interrelated objectives
1. To determine the maximum duration of an insect host's antimicrobial immune
responses in relation to pathogen species and dose.
2. To quantify the effect of time and magnitude of antimicrobial immune response duration on the clearance of infection.
3. To test whether long lasting immune responses prevent selection for resistance in pathogens.

Further Information from:

Jens Rolff

Ecological Entomology, Associate Editor
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences
University of Sheffield
S10 2TN, Sheffield, UK
T: 0044 (0)114 2224777
Fax: 0044 (0)114 2220002
http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/aps/staff-jens-rolff.html

E-mail: jor@sheffield.ac.uk

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The next E-Board will be sent out in 6- 8 weeks, depending on items for posting. Please send me any items of news, meeting announcements, job vacancies, positions wanted, paper or web site alerts or any other types of information of interest to the Society members to me as soon as possible.

Val Smith
ISDCI Education Secretary
vjs1@st-and.ac.uk

Gatty Marine Laboratory
School of Biology
University of St Andrews
Fife, KY16 8LB
Scotland, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 1334 463474
Fax: +44 (0) 1334 463443

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