Innovation... from cell to society
Innovation... from cell to society
Innovation... from cell to society
Perhaps there is truth to the adage that dogs and their masters look alike. At the genetic level, we are about 70% like man's best friend, according to a leading genomic researcher.
Dr. J. Craig Venter, a visionary in the field of genomic research and leader of the first privately funded team to decode the human genome, spoke to an audience of 184 delegates representing industry, universities and hospitals, not-for-profit organizations and government agencies and departments at the Network's second annual research conference, Innovation from cell to society2, which ran February 11-13, 2007.
For many, hearing Venter's presentation was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He spoke of his many quests, from mapping the genetic code of the first free-living organism – the Haemophilus influenzae bacterium – to his successful decoding of the human genome to his oceanic adventures across the planet, analyzing the genetic information of the vast microbial life that fill the Earth's oceans.
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Dr. Craig Venter during his keynote address to open AllerGen's second annual research conference. |
"I think that, within a decade we will have databases of millions of human genomes. Then, instead of looking to dogs or other animals to answer questions about environmental effects on disease, we will be in a position to answer just about any question concerning nature versus nurture.
"We will be able to do complex multi-gene analyses, looking at which genes and what variations contribute to personality, to behaviour, to disease, to long life."
Venter said that until now, science has used single gene studies in a "crude attempt" to look at gene-environment interactions. With the application of technological advances like high throughput sequencing machines, designed to analyze millions of gene sequences in a relatively short time, new tools will help define the future of genomic research.
Dr. Scott Tebbutt, a principal investigator in AllerGen's Gene-Environment programme of research, described Venter's presentation as a fascinating journey through the ground-breaking work that he and his colleagues carried out.
"He is certainly a pioneer in genomics-based research," Tebbutt said.
In addition to three internationally renowned keynote speakers, 36 AllerGen investigators, industry and non-profit partners and government representatives engaged the audience with presentations highlighting AllerGen-funded research, the importance of academic, industry and government partnerships and the expanding role of patient advocacy groups in translating research findings into useable knowledge.
Seven symposia spanned a multitude of topics: gene-environment interactions leading to allergy and asthma; environmental and social determinants of allergic disease; the importance of partnerships in clinical research; food allergies; AllerGen's proposed CHILD study; work-related allergy and asthma; and mind-body interactions.
Dr. John Frank, the scientific director at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Population and Public Health, and Dr. Michael Meaney, the director of the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Project at McGill University, were also keynote speakers on the final day of the conference.
Frank's presentation spoke to the challenges and opportunities in planning a birth cohort. Pointing to AllerGen's proposed Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study, he said that smaller, more focused cohorts like CHILD tend to provide a wealth of strong data that can be used in both the short and long terms, and are more likely to obtain government research money because of the potential for immediate results.
Lack of evidence to formulate policy
Frank also pointed to Health Canada and Environment Canada as being "desperate" for data that they can use to create and modify policy, but said that generally, after the initial data gathering, government does not commit long-term funding to follow-up studies, a challenge that must be addressed by the research community.
This lack of funding commitment to large cohorts with high price tags is not solely a Canadian issue, according to Frank. Citing proposed international cohorts, Frank questioned whether some of these studies would see the light of day, even after years of planning.
Focusing on the conference theme, gene-environment interactions, Meaney's closing presentation delved into the lesser-known field of epigenetics-the study of environmental effects on gene expression.
Meaney's research focuses on the effect that maternal or parental care can have on the development of neural systems that regulate stress responses in their offspring. Using animal models, Meaney showed examples of changes to both the physical and neurological development of offspring who were reared by mothers exposed to various environmental stimuli. According to Meaney, variations in parental care can alter the activity of genes in the brain, such as those regulating response to stressors and reproduction. Meaney said these changes are structural, but do not alter the sequence of DNA; the activity of a particular sequence is altered.
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Dr. Michael Meaney closes the conference with his presentation on epigenetics. |
Delegate Representation: 184 delegates in attendanceRepresentatives from university/hospital organizations: 72% |