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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Active in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the Genome³⁶⁰ initiative provides access to the latest in sequencing and bioinformatics services and equipment. The initiative is building a genomics community to disseminate knowledge, working with educators to nurture a skilled workforce and providing an educational outreach program for youth. Plus, with storage, transport and a workspace, the electric-powered MOBILE lab brings genomics to the field.

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.

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.

Wheat accounts for a staggering 20 percent of all calories consumed throughout the world. As global population grows, so too does its dependence on wheat. To meet future demands, wheat productivity needs to increase by 1.6 percent each year – at the same time as climate change is causing temperature and precipitation changes that challenge established patterns. In addition, there is a need to ensure that productivity increases are achieved sustainably to ensure the long-term stability of the wheat-growing industry.

The ReVAMP project aims to develop vaccines against two important infectious diseases of cattle: Johne’s disease and bovine tuberculosis. Infections are a leading cause of sickness and death in cattle, causing direct economic losses to producers and even more serious losses associated with international trade restrictions (as seen with mad cow disease) and decreased public confidence in food quality.

GEN-FISH harnesses environmental DNA to manage Canada’s freshwater fish. Canada is home to almost 200 species of freshwater fish spread out over more than two million lakes covering about 7.6 per cent of Canada’s nearly 10 million square kilometres. University of Manitoba fish biologist Margaret Docker and her research colleagues want to catalogue them all (the fish, that is).

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. 

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.

Genome Canada, together with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), is selecting large-scale applied research projects which focus on the application of genomic approaches to address challenges and opportunities in Canada’s natural resources and environment sectors, including interactions between natural resources and the environment, thereby contributing to the Canadian bioeconomy, a healthy environment and the well-being of Canadians.

Following an announcement in Ottawa by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on April 23, Genome Canada launched the Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), a newly formed initiative backed by $40 million in federal funding. Led by Genome Canada, in partnership with the six regional Genome Centres, national and provincial public health labs, genome sequencing centres through CGEn, hospitals, universities and the private sector, CanCOGeN will coordinate and scale up existing genomics-based COVID-19 research in Canada and internationally in order to accelerate public impact.

As of November 16, 2020 Genome Prairie has a new office address in Saskatoon.