New Zealand
September 12, 2008
Researchers behind a new genomics
research infrastructure involving several of the country's
universities and Crown Research Institutes say it will
accelerate the progress of genetic research and technology in
New Zealand.
The initiative will bring together scientists from three
universities - the University
of Otago, Massey
University and the
University of Auckland - and one Crown Research Institute
(CRI), AgResearch. It
also has support from another four universities and seven CRIs.
The infrastructure will receive NZ$40 million in Government
funding over the next nine years, alongside parallel investment
from collaborating institutions.
Modern genomic technologies, which allow scientists to examine
the structure and function of thousands of genes at a time, are
considered vital to advancing research in health, agriculture,
horticulture, biosecurity and biodiversity.
Director of the University of Otago's Cancer Genetics Laboratory
Professor Anthony Reeve, one of the researchers to take a key
leadership role in the infrastructure's establishment, says such
a collaborative national infrastructure will help New Zealand
stay at the forefront in genomic research.
"New technologies and methodologies are emerging all the time.
We need to keep pace with that change for the benefit of New
Zealanders."
Professor Reeve says it is important to have health research
that is relevant to our distinctive New Zealand population
characteristics.
"Knowledge of people's genetic make-up supports new solutions to
problems that have genetic causes such as obesity, cancer and
heart disease.
"In the same way, knowledge of the genetic make-up of animals
and plants allows substantial improvement in product quality and
productivity."
Professor Reeve says the infrastructure will allow research
projects to be carried out on a larger scale and help avoid
wasteful duplication of effort and resources.
"Effectiveness can be limited by difficulties accessing
analytical and bioinformatics expertise. The infrastructure will
provide New Zealand researchers with access to the significant
equipment and expertise needed for large-scale genomics
projects," he says.
Each of the key institutions will bring different areas of
expertise to the infrastructure.
As the lead institution, the University of Otago has expertise
in all areas, including genome sequencing, bioinformatics and
gene arrays, technology used to examine genetic variations. This
is complemented by the strong expertise Massey University has in
sequencing, genomics and bioinformatics, and the University of
Auckland and AgResearch's expertise in genomics and
bioinformatics.
They also have complementary technologies which do different
tasks. For example, Massey has an Illumina Genome Analyser,
which can sequence millions of short sequences simultaneously.
The Illumina machine is useful when comparing a known bacterial
pathogen with a new one. In contrast, the University of Otago
has a 454 Life Sciences sequencer, which processes fewer, but
longer, sequences. This machine is more effective when
sequencing a large genome that has not been completed before –
such as the recent sequencing of the sheep genome.
Similarly, the University of Auckland will provide gene array
technologies, enabling researchers to identify genetic
variations and variances in gene expression. For example, to
explain why some of us are more susceptible to certain diseases
or react better to selected drugs than others. Auckland will
also provide the bioinformatics expertise required to analyse
the massive amounts of data generated by the new equipment
facilities.
The infrastructure is being funded through the Ministry of
Research, Science and Technology (MoRST). |
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