May 1, 2020 by Diana Kenney dkenney@mbl.edu; 508-685-3525   WOODS HOLE, Mass. —The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder that we move through a world shaped by unseen life. Bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic organisms regulate the Earth’s vital functions and resources, from the air we breathe to all our food and most of our energy sources. An estimated one-third of the Earth’s microbes are literally hidden, buried in sediments deep below the ocean floor.…

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When we last talked with Dylan Pillai he had just received funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health and Genome Canada for a project that sought to develop a rapid COVID-19 test. He had a prototype ready because of his team’s work developing tests for malaria in remote areas lacking in specialized equipment or trained technicians. This week the team announced that they have validated the track that they have been following. The test uses…

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For immediate release May 6, 2020, Calgary, Alberta We are surrounded by data. Lots of it. It is particularly true for genomics data, and the interpretation of complex sets of information have a significant role in improving the speed and effectiveness of applying genomic data in a number of areas. When the Enabling Bioinformatics Solutions funding competition was first announced, we identified agriculture and human health as two key areas that were generating large amounts…

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People have genomes and so do viruses. As we find our way through the COVID-19 pandemic, those two genomes are key pieces needing immediate attention from researchers.   Gerry Wright from McMaster University is working to identify the genetic points of vulnerability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and to determine how an individual’s genome is a factor in the severity of the disease in patients. His team has the expertise in the application of genomics in identifying…

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This is a guest post from former Genome Alberta staffer Adam Kirkby. You can contact him by email anytime.     It should come as no surprise that many researchers are passionate about the benefits and positive effects of genotyping in humans. With a simple saliva sample an individual can find out a wealth of information about themselves, including family history, susceptibility to diseases, overall health, and which medications they will respond best too. But…

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COG-UK and CanCOGeN are working together to share knowledge and protocols   The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium is collaborating with the newly formed Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN) as it launches a national sequencing network to monitor the pandemic’s development. By sharing knowledge, lessons learned and protocols, the initiatives will each support national efforts to coordinate the work of healthcare, public, private and academic organisations to sequence and analyse the spread and evolution of…

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Our lives are on information overload right now. Genome Alberta’s own polling released this week showed that most Albertans are keeping up on COVID news daily, and some even hourly. That is a lot of news.   We also seem to care (at last!) about the science, and even the popular press are pointing us to scientific papers and scholarly journals where new research is being published. And there is a lot of it. More…

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LabAnywhere was originally developed for use in agriculture and was designed for the hard life a testing tool experiences on the farm and in the field. Dr. Bill Whelan and his team at the University of Prince Edward Island were successful in creating a test for certain diseases in agriculture and that did not need to be sent off to a specialized lab. Then along came COVID-19. The basic technology used in LabAnywhere to detect…

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There are a couple of interesting career opportunities at Genome Canada waiting for the right person: Director, Corporate Development (Health) This position is responsible for strategic activities and partnerships related to Health Portfolio. Reporting to the Executive Vice President, Corporate Development, this position will play an instrumental role in strategic activities and partnerships and contribute to securing funding for genomics research both nationally and internationally in the health domain. You’ll need a graduate degree in…

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Bioinformatics and machine learning are helping researchers solve complex health problems in record time. Of immediate urgency is finding treatments or a cure for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 disease. Fortunately, given the global pandemic, there are several promising studies underway.   But one study in particular stands out. An international consortium of researchers successfully used protein interaction studies to identify existing antiviral agents that have strong potential in treating or killing the…

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