Forestry and agriculture together contribute close to eight per cent of GDP in Canada, but insect pests pose a continual threat. Functional genomics has long promised to bring new solutions to recurrent and new pest problems. Dr. Peter J. Krell of the University of Guelph, in collaboration with Drs. Daniel Doucet and Jeremy Allison (NRCan), is improving the surveillance and mitigation of pest management through the creation of highly sensitive surveillance and mitigation systems targeting insects using a family of insect genes known as odorant receptors (ORs).
Awarded Projects
Pathogen detection tool for beach water monitoring
June 5, 2015ENDETEC, a global company focused on innovative sensor solutions for water safety, in collaboration with Drs. Heinz-Bernhard Kraatz of the University of Toronto and R. Stephen Brown of Queen’s University, will develop a DNA biosensor for simple, low-cost, fast, on-site detection of bacteria in water samples. “DNA biosensor technology can potentially be a game-changer for water monitoring, providing truly rapid monitoring and expanding the range of organisms that can be detected,” said Mr. Doug Wilton, VP Operations for ENDETEC.
New acquired immunity chemicals for soybean crops
June 5, 2015Global soybean production is threatened by an aggressive fungus responsible for Asian Soybean Rust (ASR), which can cause yield losses of up to 80 percent. Dr. Charles Després of Brock University is combatting this destructive fungus by developing improved agrochemicals to stimulate soybean immunity as an anti-resistance strategy against soybean pathogens, thereby working to facilitate higher yields through precision agriculture.
Promoting healthy plant growth
June 5, 2015Plant hormones determine plant growth, and breeding programs designed around hormone action have profoundly affected crop yields. With the help of Ontario Genomics’ SPARK program, Dr. McCourt and team will use synthetic biology to develop a biosensor for plant hormone activity, thereby creating a toolbox to promote the growth of agriculturally important plants.
Protecting the honeybees
June 1, 2015See how genomics tools can help predict behaviour of bee colonies to help breed better bees. Bees are very important organisms. They pollinate a lot of the crops that humans feed and generate billions of dollars to Canada’s economy.
Proof of principle for anticancer therapeutic
June 1, 2015Formation Biologics Inc. (formerly AvidBiologics) is an oncology drug development company dedicated to anti-cancer biologics. With Ontario Genomics’ PBDF investment, the company aims to develop AVID200, a novel anticancer agent targeting a protein expressed by a variety of solid tumours including lung, breast, and head and neck. This type of cancer therapeutic has the potential for superior safety and efficacy compared to older generation treatments.
Making cancer genome profiling accessible
June 1, 2015Approximately 200,000 Canadians are diagnosed with cancer each year. More than one in four of these patients can benefit from targeted treatment based on a genomic analysis of their tumours.
The $6 million GAPP project between Dr. Suzanne Kamel-Reid of Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services is the first step toward a national framework for clinical cancer genome profiling in Canadian hospitals, and in providing national market access to tumour genotype information.
A tool for forest insect pest research and management
April 5, 2015Insects damage important crops and forests and some insect species are responsible for the transmission of diseases. Drs. Daniel Doucet and Jeremy Allison of the Great Lakes Forestry Centre will develop an antenna-in-a-cell platform that aims to find physiologically-active odorants, and how they interact the insects’ odorant receptors to better understand which compounds mediate the attraction of destructive disease-transmitting insects.
Advances in lung transplantation powered by genomics
April 1, 2015Genomics-based diagnostics are revolutionizing medicine, including in unexpected places like organ transplantation. Diagnostic toolboxes are being revolutionized by the impact of so-called “next-generation sequencing” because of the speed, low cost and breadth of information provided. The fields of prenatal diagnosis, rare disease diagnosis and cancer treatment are leaders in adoption of this technology. Not as…
Breeding better bees
November 6, 2014Honey bees play a critical role in Canadian agriculture and nationally beekeepers have lost more than a quarter of their colonies each winter since 2006-07. Amro Zayed of York University and Leonard Foster of University of British Columbia are leading a project to develop tools to breed disease-resistant bees. This project will develop genomics and…