<html><body><div style="font-family: verdana,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000"><div><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">Dear Colleagues</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">A draft of the 2014 <i>Xenopus</i> White Paper is now available on Xenbase. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.xenbase.org/entry/doNewsRead.do?id=108" data-mce-href="http://www.xenbase.org/entry/doNewsRead.do?id=108">http://www.xenbase.org/entry/doNewsRead.do?id=108</a></span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">The white paper was written based on discussions from the PI meeting held at the MBL in Woods Hole in August 2013. This White Paper highlights recent contributions of <i>Xenopus</i> research to the NIH’s mission, identifies emerging opportunities for the <i>Xenopus</i> system and outlines the <i>Xenopus</i> community’s priorities for further NIH support. Based on the consensus from the meeting the prioritized needs of the community were:</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">1. Renewal of the National Xenopus Resource center (NXR)</span></p><p style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">2. Renewal of Xenbase the <i>Xenopus</i> bioinformatics database</span></p><p style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">3. Xenopus genome improvement</span></p><p style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">4. Functional characterization of the genome – in vivo ENCODE</span></p><p style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">5. Enhancement of transgenic resources</span></p><p style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">6. Improvement of <i>Xenopus</i> antibody resources</span></p><p style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">7. Improve Genome Editing Resources (TALEN/CRISPR) in <i>Xenopus</i></span></p><p style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="text-indent: 48pt; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">8. Enhance the use of <i>Xenopus</i> to model human disease</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">Click on the following link to download a draft of the 2014 white paper:</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span class="object-hover"><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-size: 10.0pt; font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.xenbase.org/community/static/xenopuswhitepaper/2014/Xenopus_White_Paper_2014_draft.doc" data-mce-href="http://www.xenbase.org/community/static/xenopuswhitepaper/2014/Xenopus_White_Paper_2014_draft.doc">http://www.xenbase.org/community/static/xenopuswhitepaper/2014/Xenopus_White_Paper_2014_draft.doc</a></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial; color: #4f6228;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial; color: #4f6228;">Please comment on the 2014 <i>Xenopus</i> White paper:</span></b></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">At this time we ask for input from all members of the <i>Xenopus</i> research community. We welcome all suggestions and comments – this is your opportunity to describe community resource that best advance your research. If you make any edits to the word document please keep the "tracking" function on. <b>Please send you comments to </b></span><a href="mailto:Xenopus@mbl.edu" data-mce-href="mailto:Xenopus@mbl.edu"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">Xenopus@mbl.edu</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> by February 17th.</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"></span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial; color: #4f6228;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial; color: #4f6228;">Please sign the 2014 Xenopus White paper: </span></b></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">In order for the White paper to be effective at the NIH it is important that it broadly represents the views of the community. If the White Paper recommendations would benefit your research, we urge you to become a signatory by<b> emailing </b></span><a href="mailto:Xenopus@mbl.edu" data-mce-href="mailto:Xenopus@mbl.edu"><b><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">Xenopus@mbl.edu</span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> with your name and NIH grant numbers. </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">It is critical </span><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">to have as many people as possible signed on to this White Paper as it will be distributed to the NIH. If you dissent from the views of the white paper tell us why and what could be changed to make you reconsider.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">Once all comments are received we will then create a final version of the White Paper with all names of individuals who signed onto the grant, which will be posted on Xenbase and sent via Xine. </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">Many Thanks</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">Marko Horb, MBL Woods Hole</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;">Aaron Zorn, Cincinnati Children’s</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;" data-mce-style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial;" data-mce-style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></p></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></body></html>