By: Pierre Meulien
Genomics
An Evolution
is Underway! Evolution. It’s amazing how one word represents so much of who we are, what we do and why we do it. Evolution fuels the movement from chaos to order, from simple to complex, from small to big, and from survival to prosperity. Evolution is used in the context of nature, people, societies, economies, industries, countries and more...even the universe. In the big picture, evolution is the way of getting from there to here.
Canada is undergoing an evolution, one being driven to some degree by the emergence of an economy and society increasingly reliant on biological developments and insights. This bio-economy is important to the country today but is expected to become crucial tomorrow. Increasingly, our quality of life, ability to succeed globally, the advancement of our political and cultural interests, and other aspects of the Canadian fabric will rely on the relative strength or
Table 1: A Sampling of Genome Canada Currently-Funded Projects Centre
Sector
Project Title
Genome Alberta
Environment Agriculture
Metagenomics for Greener Production and Extraction of Hydrocarbon Energy
genomealberta.ca
Application of Genomics to Improve Swine Health and Welfare Genome Atlantic genomeatlantic.ca
Fisheries Health
Atlantic Cod Genomics and Broodstock Development Orphan Diseases: Identifying Genes and Novel Therapeutics to Enhance Treatment (IGNITE)
Genome British Columbia genomebc.ca
Genome Prairie genomeprairie.ca
Environment/ Agriculture Forestry/ Environment
Next-generation Integrated Pest Management Tools for Beekeeping
Environment Agriculture
Microbial Genomics for Biofuels and Co-products from Biorefining Processes
AdapTree: Assessing the Adaptive Portfolio of Reforestation Stocks for Future Climates
CTAG: Canadian Triticum Advancement through Genomics Genome Québec genomeQuébec.com
Health Environment
Identification and Characterization of Genes Involved in Common Developmental Brain Diseases Improving Bioremediation of Polluted Soils through Environmental Genomics
Ontario Genomics Institute
Health Environment
ontariogenomics.ca
20 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS SEPTEMBER 2011
Synthetic Antibody Program: Commercial Reagents and Novel Therapy International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL)
weakness of our bio-economy. Think of our country’s biological footprint in our forests, food production capacity, our environmentally responsible energy and mining sectors and you can easily imagine Canada’s potential to play a major part in the bio-economy. In biology, evolution is the process. Genes are the mechanism through which this process works. Genes are its building blocks. Genomics is how we study and understand genes and their effects, how we employ these building blocks, and how a new level of understanding of how living things work can benefit us all. In our world, genomics is a building block of science, industries, economies and even societies. It’s a critical element in the Canadian bio-economy and an essential aspect of our biotechnological prowess. It’s not hard to argue that genomics is instrumental in building a country that’s moving forward – or evolving – based on insight and ingenuity which most of us know as innovation. Genome Canada is a not-for-profit organization that motivates genomics research and cultivates a rich, vibrant genomics enterprise in the country with a view to generating economic and social benefits for Canadians. We are unique among Canadian research funding organizations in that we support large-scale research and development projects in the life sciences, and develop the technologies that enable Canadians to maintain leadership in key areas of the genome sciences. Our mandate spans five areas of economic interest to Canada: Human Health, Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment. We are completely focused on genomics. With the financial support of the Canadian government for over a decade (totaling $915 million), and co-funding agreements established with the provinces, industry, international partners, philanthropists, Canadian institutions and others, Genome Canada has invested some $2 billion in genomics research in the country, across all provinces in all of the sectors noted previously. Genomics research may delve into a microscopic world, but the scope of the effort is often macro-involving dozens of scientists,
