The creation of Genome Canada in 2000 was a bold idea come to life on the heels of the Human Genome Project. From the beginning, Genome Canada and the six regional Genome Centres harnessed the power and potential of genomics to improve the lives of Canadians and advance Canada’s leadership in the field. On the timeline, Genome Prairie-specific stories appear in 2002-2003, 2014 and 2017.

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Climate change has focused attention on Arctic oil exploration and attendant fears of an oil spill in the Arctic Ocean. Significant oil reserves are estimated to exist in the Arctic, yet recent decisions by major oil producers including Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron signal that drilling in the Canadian Arctic is at least a decade away. This hiatus in offshore petroleum exploration and production in the Canadian Arctic offers scientists an important window of opportunity to develop emergency preparedness plans, and this window of opportunity must not be squandered.

The Arctic Ocean has lost, and continues to lose, significant amounts of sea ice due to climate warming. With this comes large increases in ship traffic and the probability of an oil spill. Damage caused by such a spill could have devastating impacts on the local wildlife, food security and human health, particularly to coastal Inuit communities – the segment of Canada’s population that bears the greatest risk related to oil spills in the Arctic. GENICE II is a Large-Scale Applied Research Project funded through Genome Canada and Genome Prairie. Led by Gary Stern and Eric Collins, the GENICE II project team will critically evaluate monitored natural microbial biodegradation as a reliable response to oil spills in an ice-laden Arctic marine environment. 

The Canadian Prairie Metabolic Network (CPMN) is part of Genome Canada’s All for One initiative. This clinical implementation project will facilitate the uptake of genome-wide sequencing as a standard of care for rare diseases by the relevant ministries of health. It is funded as part of the All for One initiative, the goal of which is to improve the health and wellness of Canadians with serious genetic conditions by enabling access to a timely and accurate genomic-based diagnosis. Moreover, All for One will enable patients to benefit while helping others through the sharing of their clinical and genomic data within a learning health system. It lays a foundation for precision health in Canada. 

Genomics is on a mission to respond to COVID-19. In April 2020, Genome Canada launched the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network (CanCOGeN). The mission of CanCOGeN is to establish a coordinated pan-Canadian, cross-agency network for large-scale SARS-CoV-2 and human host sequencing to track viral origin, spread and evolution, characterize the role of human genetics in COVID-19 and to inform time-sensitive critical decision-making relevant to health authorities across Canada during the pandemic. The network will further contribute to building national capacity to address future outbreaks and pandemics.

CanCOGeN is a Genome Canada-led consortium of federal, provincial and regional public health authorities and their health care partners, academia, industry, hospitals, research institutes and large-scale sequencing centres.

Canada, especially Saskatchewan, is a leader in lentil innovation but it’s not geographically close to the markets that consume the most lentils. Given this reality, how can Canadian lentil producers gain an advantage and capture market opportunities? With Enhancing the Value of Lentil Variation for Ecosystem Survival (EVOLVES), researcher Kirstin Bett and her team are addressing this very issue.

Wheat is the most important crop for current and future global food security, as it supplies the most calories and proteins to the global population. Wheat is grown on more land area than any other commercial crop. Meeting the challenge of increasing wheat production to match the growing demand for food over the next 20–30 years is of paramount importance.

4DWheat (harnessing Diversity, advancing Domestication, enabling Discovery, and expediting Delivery) will apply the very latest in genomic strategies to address this gap by focusing on two major challenges: enhancing yield and managing producer risk to important diseases. 4DWheat will apply cutting-edge genomics for of new sources of genetic variation. Applying genomic tools will result in strategies to fully capture diversity in wheat breeding. The project will also quantify the current and future value of wheat genetic resources and examine regulatory networks to promote their utilization using new breeding technologies.

Researchers Cheryl Waldner and Simon Otto are harnessing genomics to help livestock producers quickly match diseases to the most effective drugs and, in the process, helping to combat a looming threat to animal and human health. “The primary result will be precision use of antibiotics – quick and accessible information for veterinarians to tailor antibiotic therapy for individual pens of calves,” says Waldner.

The Floating Wetland Treatments to Enhance Remediation project addresses cleaning oil spills in sensitive freshwater ecosystems. Genome Prairie is the lead Centre for this project and research is taking place at the IISD – Experimental Lakes Area under the direction of Vince Palace. FLOWTER is funded through the Genomic Applications Partnership Program. 

Active in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the Genome³⁶⁰ program provides access to the latest in sequencing and bioinformatics services and equipment. As well, the program is building a genomics community to disseminate knowledge and work with educators to nurture a skilled workforce.

Currently the Genome³⁶⁰ program's webpage is under construction. Please check back soon for exciting news and updates on the impacts this program is making in the Prairie region.