Researchers at the Natural Resources Canada Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie aim to develop a transgenic virus for the velvet bean caterpillar, a severe pest on soybean crops that causes hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to crops annually.
Awarded Projects
Enhancing agronomic traits
November 5, 2004A joint effort by McMaster University, the University of Waterloo, and Performance Plants are building upon their long-term collaborative relationship to develop transgenic plants with enhanced agronomics traits.
The contribution of genetic modulators of disease severity in Cystic Fibrosis to other diseases with similarities of clinical phenotype
July 1, 2004Drs. Peter Durie and Julian Zielenski at the Hospital for Sick Children’s Research Institute plan to investigate the genetics of other diseases with phenotypes similar to Cystic Fibrosis. Their project will apply knowledge about the genetic factors that influence the severity of CF to other diseases that are clinically similar. These diseases include a single ¬gene disorder affecting the liver (a1¬antitrypsin deficiency), and multifactorial conditions such as pancreatitis due to alcohol abuse and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to smoking. This project’s results are expected to lend itself to the development of genetic tests of disease susceptibility that will be useful in future research projects and in development of preventative strategies to modify behaviour in high risk populations.
The dynactome: Mapping spatio-temporal dynamic systems in humans
July 1, 2004Proteins are large molecules responsible for the structure, function and regulation of cells. Proteins interact with one another, and assemble pathways and networks within cells, which account for sophisticated cellular behaviour. Tony Pawson and Jeff Wrana at Mount Sinai Hospital, along with University of Western Ontario’s Shawn Li will map protein interactions within human cells in order to determine whether diseases such as malignant cancers result not only from specific changes to individual genes and proteins, but also from changes in the entire cellular network. Drawing on international collaboration in the United States and China, this project represents the first large¬scale effort to map dynamic interactions. It is expected to lead to new proteomic and computational technologies as well as innovative cancer therapies.
Structural and functional annotation of the human genome for disease study
July 1, 2004Robert Hegele at the Robarts Research Institute and Steve Scherer at SickKids are leading an innovative project which aims to bridge new biological knowledge with medical applications. The project will deliver a “new improved edition” of the human genome map; one that annotates and characterizes large¬scale copy number variants, alternative splicing profiles of genes in selected tissues and previously unknown genes and other functional elements. Hegele and collaborators will apply the annotated genome map with its rich trove of new biological information to unravel the genetic basis of diseases that extract a huge social and economic toll in Canada, such as diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer. The data generated from the project will be made available, free of charge, on the Internet, in order to accelerate biomedical discovery, including the diagnosis and treatment of common diseases.
Quantum dot diagnostics: Simultaneous Genomic and proteomic profiling of multiple pathogens at point-of-care
July 1, 2004Canada is developing cutting-edge expertise in the rapid and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases, based on nanotechnology. Kevin C. Kain of the McLaughlin¬ Rotman Center for Global Health and Michael Greenberg, FIO Corp have assembled a research team to create a high¬ throughput diagnostic system capable of detecting multiple global infectious diseases within minutes. The system is based on quantum dots ¬ tiny fluorescent probes that can be used as biomarkers to tag organic molecules and track them during biological processes. This system will ideally be used at point of care to detect or exclude the presence of pathogens related to five major infectious diseases ¬ SARS, HIV/AIDS, malaria, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
Integrative Biology
July 1, 2004The genomes of more than two hundred organisms have been sequenced, from microscopic earthworms to humans. The function of thousands of individual genes is attracting the attention of scientists. But integrative biology is revealing that genes work not individually but as physical or functional assemblies to perform their functions. Brenda Andrews at the University of Toronto is leading a project to develop an integrated view of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast) – a leading model organism. The project is expected to yield valuable intellectual property, including new instrumentation, reagents (substances used in chemical analysis or synthesis), methodologies for human and veterinary therapeutics, and reagents for industrial processes and for basic and applied research
Identification of genetic pathways that regulate the survival and development of cancer and cancer stem cells
July 1, 2004Breast cancer, leukemia and brain tumours are among the most common and lethal tumors that affect Canadians. Cynthia Guidos of SickKids is studying study human tumors and mouse cancer models in order to address two crucial issues: what genetic alterations distinguish very aggressive from more benign tumors, and what genetic and biological malfunctions lead to the development of cancer stem cells. By dissecting the cellular signals that govern abnormal survival of tumor cells and cancer stem cells, the project is expected to develop new “biomarkers” that may help to reserve the most aggressive cancer treatments for patients with the highest risk of failing conventional therapies.
Genome-environment interactions in Type 1 Diabetes
July 1, 2004Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a complex disease which greatly increases the probability of heart attack, stroke, blindness and limb amputation. T1D afflicts some 200,000 Canadians and is caused by multiple genetic risk factors and currently unknown environmental factors. Now, Jayne Danska at the University of Toronto, and Andrew Macpherson at McMaster University are investigating the interactions of genetic risks and environmental factors underlying T1D.This project is expected to discover new genetic markers, and to identify environmental exposures to intestinal bacteria that modify inherited T1D risk.
Canadian Barcode of Life Network
July 1, 2004DNA barcodes use a small fragment of an organism’s DNA – a portion of a single gene – to identify the species to which an organism belongs. They are powerful tools, which can be used to help catalogue biodiversity. Paul Hebert of the University of Guelph, is project leader of the Canadian Barcode of Life Network which seeks to develop comprehensive DNA barcode libraries for all the world’s birds and fishes, and then of other animals, fungi, plants and protists. Such a DNA-based identification system can be used to catalogue all species. Given that this and other barcoding projects are expected to generate a flood of new data, the Network will also create an advanced databasing system to aid the storage and analysis of barcode records.