By Dr. Gabe Kalmar, Genome BC
GENOMIcs
genome BC:
open For BuSineSS Secrets uncovered What does a mighty red cedar in Vancouver Island’s Cathedral Grove have in common with a miniscule microbiota floating in the drainage water of a Cape Breton mine? It is simple: they both have a genome. Genomes have no secrets - they are an open book but until recently they have been written in an alien language.
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oday, with the help of advanced tools and technologies, we are decoding genomes and more importantly, using this information to address challenges facing the agri-food, aquaculture and fisheries, energy and mining, forestry, and healthcare sectors. Within these sectors there are challenges associated with complex biological systems. A better understanding of these systems at a molecular level will provide the groundwork for developing effective solutions.
Meeting unmet needs Genome BC integrates its program design with feedback from industry to ensure that the research it funds is addressing genuine problems within realistic timelines. While some issues such as climate change will require more time to integrate genomics strategies into solutions, other problems like wait times for cancer screening need to see real-time results. The recently launched User Partnership Program (UPP) is designed to directly address the challenges defined by users and the imbalances between academic research ‘push’ and needs of industry ‘pull.’ By engaging industry, government regulators, health authorities, not-for-profit organizations and other users early in the implementation process, Genome BC is proactively managing the translation of research innovations to products, services and policies.
partnerships and Outcomes: Hitting all the Targets Nothing Fishy Here An example of UPP is the Strategic Salmon Health Initiative (SSHI) that addresses concerns outlined in the final report of the Cohen Commission Inquiry into the Decline of Fraser River Sockeye Salmon. This report noted that a deeper examination is needed to make accurate assessments about the range of possible impacts on wild fish stocks. The SSHI project, which was already underway when the report came out, is concentrating on the specific recommendations related to fish pathogens and diseases. 22 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS September 2013
Our current knowledge about salmon comes primarily from observations of cultured fish (both in hatcheries and in aquaculture). Consequently, there is a fair understanding of pathogens and diseases that impact salmon in freshwater hatcheries and sea-water net pens. However, we know less about pathogens affecting wild Pacific salmon. Genome BC and the Pacific Salmon Foundation are spearheading a five-year project that is utilizing more than a decade of research and $37.5 million worth of past investments to be the largest ever evaluation of the distribution and impact of potential disease agents conducted on BC salmon (wild and hatchery). While identification of a specific microbe won’t necessarily indicate the presence of disease, it will provide a critical baseline for future monitoring activities. And rigorous analysis and categorization could determine which microbes have the potential to cause disease in salmon. A public interest panel comprised of key government, aquaculture industry, sport fishery, salmon gillnetters and environmental experts also plays an important role in determining disease agent information that is important to them and other end-users. Ongoing engagement with these vested groups will assist in the development of an effective strategy for communicating research outcomes and help identify applications that may assist in the management of wild and cultured salmon resources.
Clean Water Just over a decade ago, a small Ontario town was the epicentre of a drinking water-related disaster. Close to half of Walkerton’s 5,000 residents fell ill and seven people lost their lives due
