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GOVERNMENT OF CANADA FUNDS PURCHASE OF RESEARCH EQUIPMENT FOR THE B.C. CANCER AGENCY'S GENOME SEQUENCE CENTRE
Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) has provided the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA) with a $1 million contribution to acquire equipment urgently needed by the Genome Sequence Centre to meet its research needs.
The Genome Sequence Centre performs high-volume DNA sequencing to generate genetic information for use in developing new diagnostics and therapies for cancer and other diseases. Through partnerships, the Centre will also be an important western Canadian resource for other life sciences, such as silviculture and agriculture.
"Encouraging Genome research in western Canada is a priority for my Department," said the Honourable Ron J. Duhamel, Minister of Veterans Affairs, Secretary of State (Western Economic Diversification Canada) (Francophonie). "The pace of discovery in genomics is astonishing. Our goal is to invest in world-class research programs and cutting-edge facilities across the West. This funding will help B.C.'s Genome Sequence Centre attract researchers, and research projects."
"We are grateful to Western Economic Diversification for its commitment and support of genomic research," stated Dr. Victor Ling, BC Cancer Agency, Vice President Research. "The addition of this new equipment will greatly enhance our ability to realize our vision of a genome sequence centre that will advance our scientific expertise and with hope and hard work, lead us to significant advances in new cancer treatments, cures and prevention strategies."
The BC Cancer Agency's Genome Sequence Centre is developing a high-throughput, large-scale genomics laboratory unique in Canada. To develop such a lab, the Centre required state-of-the-art robotic devices and computer programs designed specifically for DNA analysis, including: a DNA sequencer to meet increasing collaborative needs; a robotic MicroLab pipetting system for automated handling; two DNA tetrad machines; a real time PCR machine to perform quantitative analysis of DNA; and Genotyping software.
Research at Canada's five Genome centres (B.C., Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic) will open new opportunities for significant progress in understanding cancer and other diseases. Research will also help address the problems of pollution and environmental degradation, and lead to improvements in food production. Each Genome centre brings together industry, government, universities, hospitals, research institutes, and the public in support of a national program based on local research strengths.
The Genome Sequence Centre is wholly responsible to the British Columbia Cancer Agency (BCCA), a registered non-profit agency with an outstanding record for integrating leading-edge research with clinical care. The GSC will be an important Western Canadian resource not just for cancer research, but also for all the life sciences. The Centre receives funding from the BC Cancer Foundation, the provincial and federal governments, and private-sector sources (including major research grants from the US National Institute of Health.)
Funding for this project was provided for in the February 2000 budget and is therefore built into the existing financial framework.
NOTE TO EDITORS: A backgrounder on this announcement is available at our Website: http://corpcms/cms/ioEditor/june08-02b_e.asp.
For this news release: http://www.wd-deo.gc.ca/mediacentre/2001/june08-02a_e.asp
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Jean-Pierre Roy
Manager, Communications
Western Economic Diversification Canada
WD - B.C. Region
(604) 666-1318
Tim Hiltz
Communications Manager
BC Cancer Foundation
(604) 877-6040
WD Toll-Free Number:1-888-338-WEST (9378)
Teletypewriter (TTY): 1-877-303-3388
WD Website: www.wd-deo.gc.ca.
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Backgrounder
WD AND BC Cancer Agency's Genome Sequence Centre
WD and Genome Research
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Genomics Research is an important part of the WD Western Innovation Strategy.
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The BC Cancer Agency is responsible for the Genome Sequence Centre and receives funding from federal and provincial governments as well as the private sector.
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In the past WD has assisted the BC Cancer Agency (BCCA) with the creation of a Propharma, a small-scale production facility for the purpose of manufacturing pharmaceutical agents. This project not only helped BCCA's Anti Cancer Drug Development Program but also western Canada's bio-pharmaceutical industry.
The Genome Sequence Centre
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Under the leadership of Drs. Victor Ling, Marco Marra and Steven Jones, the GSC is one of eight internationally recognized research departments at the BC Cancer Agency that is working to find the causes, treatments and cures for cancers. Research is funded through the BC Cancer Foundation and by the agency's researchers' grant-writing initiatives.
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At the Genome Sequence Centre, a staff of more than 35 researchers, lab technicians, computer scientists, engineers and others, define the word teamwork. Together they are helping to unravel the great "blueprint of human life"- the genetic code. The research being carried out at the BC Cancer Agency will help pave the way for historic and substantial advancements in the way we detect and treat cancer in the 21st century.
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The Genome Sequence Centre (GSC) at the BC Cancer Agency (BCCA) is one of a handful of laboratories contributing to the enormous global undertaking of mapping and sequencing the genomes of a variety of organisms to determine their specific roles in illness and health. The Genome Sequence Centre is the cornerstone of the agency's ambitious new millennium campaign. Over the next year it hopes to recruit up to 40 scientists to work in three main areas of DNA research: computer-generated data, mapping, and cloning and sequencing.
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Gene sequencing is a way to map all the genes on the DNA ladder. The DNA helix is a spiraling molecular ladder three billion rungs long. Indeed, the chromosomes in our cells contain six feet of DNA. A specific gene can be a section of DNA as short as one thousand rungs or as long as hundreds of thousands of rungs.
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For cancer patients, the DNA sequencing of the human genome is the first step in the quest of improving conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In the future doctors will be able to use Genomics to help boost the effectiveness of those treatments, reducing side effects at the same time by targeting diseased cells and destroying them without harming healthy ones in the process.
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Genomics will also assist scientists in the design of drugs optimally suited to an individual's genetic profile and to develop powerful screening mechanisms that will diagnose cancer much earlier, greatly increasing the chance of successful treatment. It will also hopefully lead to the day when doctors will simply be able to "switch on" the genes inside a cancer cell that will order them to die, thereby eliminating the need for conventional cancer treatments all together.
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There are at least 100 human genes that could cause cancer. Some people inherit them - others are "turned on" by environmental factors such as smoking, a high-fat diet, sedentary lifestyle or a virus. If scientists create an inventory of all the cancer-causing genes, we can use the information to develop better strategies for prevention, early detection and treatment.
GSC Highlights
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Currently fingerprinting DNA from the mouse genome.
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Fingerprinting and sequencing of a fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus neoformans.
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Sequencing of cDNA clones
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Genome science applies to all forms of life and is the foundation for which all future cancer research will be based. Gene science will allow us to "turn off" cells that drive cancer and "turn on" the body's defence systems. When scientists have the complete sequence of human DNA in hand, they will be able to target disease much faster and develop therapies that attack the problem at the source.
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Genome research has economic benefits that will be felt well into this century. New jobs will be created and it will help reverse "the brain drain" by luring back prominent Canadian scientists from opportunities abroad. It will help with the development of knowledge-based industries that expand our economy and will be a key platform for unprecedented partnership opportunities with the private and public sectors.
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