Vancouver, BC - At a time when the Canadian economy is under significant pressure, Genome BC is making investments in genomics research groups in British Columbia, which will help position the Province to capture specific and significant future scientific opportunities in the global knowledge-based economy.
Today Genome BC is announcing the second round of funding through the Science Opportunities Fund. Through this initiative, 10 BC-based research teams will be approved to launch genomics research projects valued at just over $2.7 million.
The research teams are launching peer-reviewed, short-term research projects to help find answers to significant issues in British Columbia. The results of the research will have impacts on important sectors of BC's economy and environment. Complete descriptions of the projects and principal investigators are available here.
Human health:
- Developing a ‘first of its kind,' novel methodology to understand host pathogen interaction for many infectious diseases
- Generating new cost-effective and specific drug screening tools for treatment of migraine, epilepsy, chronic pain, heart disease and blindness
- Generating unique tools to develop gene therapy interactions for brain diseases
Forestry:
- Applying genomic technology to look at the diversity of fungal populations that will lead to forest management practices that protect diversity in BC, the most biologically diverse province in the country
- Improving tree breeding programs and their management and to develop response strategies to climate change for a sustainable and resilient forestry industry
Environment:
- Understanding the deterioration of our oceans through the examination of microbial communities and the effect these have on oxygen concentrations in the oceans' “dead zones”; a critical element to understanding the impact of climate change on the productivity of BC marine systems
- Developing tools to identify and rapidly breed poplar tree varieties that are optimal for biofuel production
- Examining the diversity of viruses in freshwater ponds and the environment in order to determine sources of avian viruses that could impact public health and provide information that will help mitigate viral disease outbreaks caused by migratory birds
Biotechnology:
- Developing bio-informatic tools enabling more accurate and cost-effective DNA sequencing
- Developing new detection systems for identification of infectious agents directly from biological samples easily and quickly allowing point of care diagnostics with an easy to use and portable device
“We are proud of the scientists whose expertise has created these targeted projects designed to have a positive impact on the collective well-being of the Province and look forward to seeing the results in the near future,” said Dr. Alan Winter, President and CEO of Genome BC.
The Science Opportunities Fund program was created based on feedback from life science researchers in BC. Genome BC is involved primarily in large and medium size project and platform competitions, but scientists pointed out a funding gap for smaller and short-term research projects which could enable BC-based researchers to compete for larger national or international opportunities. Therefore the Fund was created to meet these needs. A full description of the competition and its requirements are available here.
About Genome BC
Founded in 2000, Genome BC works collaboratively with government, universities and industry as the catalyst for a genomics-driven life sciences cluster with significant social and economic benefits for the Province and Canada. The organization's research portfolio, over $380 million since inception, includes 60 projects and technology platforms focused on areas of strategic importance to British Columbia such as human health, forestry, fisheries, bioenergy, mining, agriculture, ethics and the environment.
For additional information, contact:
Julia White, Communications Officer, (604) 637-4378 or jwhite@genomebc.ca.
Sally Greenwood, Director of Communications, (604) 637-4373 or sgreenwood@genomebc.ca.