Large Scale

National Sequencing Initiatives

A growing number of National Initiatives for genome and environmental sequencing are being launched, with some aiming the characterization of the National biodiversity. A number of those initiatives is listed below.

• Australia

• Brazil

• Canada

• Germany

• Greece

• International

• Japan

• Mexico

• Singapore

The Australian Genome Alliance is lobbying the Federal Government to establish a new genomics research fund to ensure that Australia's unique genetic heritage is harvested by Australia and not by other nations - more information
 

Australia is at the crossroads in genomics. With judicious investment we can take advantage of our natural resources and the remarkable skills that exist in our R&D sector. Genomics will feed a prolific pipeline of innovation and commercialisation. Australia needs to decide whether it will control this pipeline or surrender control to other nations that will not miss such opportunities.

2. FAPESP-Biota Program: Launched in March 1999, the objective of the program is to map and analyze the biodiversity in the State of São Paulo, including the fauna, the flora and micro-organisms. Organized along similar lines to the FAPESP-Genome program, BIOTA operates by means of a virtual network which links more than 500 São Paulo researchers participating in 50 research projects. In 2001, the program launched SinBiota, System for Environmental Information (http://sinbiota.cria.org.br), which gathers and integrates information produced by researchers attached to the Program, making possible the distribution of catalogued species via a digital cartographical base of the State of São Paulo.

Genome Canada is the primary funding and information resource relating to genomics and proteomics in Canada. Dedicated to developing and implementing a national strategy in genomics and proteomics research for the benefit of all Canadians, it has so far received $700 million from the Government of Canada. Genome Canada has established six Genome Centres across the country (Atlantic, Québec, Ontario, Prairies, Alberta and British Columbia) and has as a main objective to ensure that Canada becomes a world leader in genomics and proteomics research. Together with its six Genome Centres and with other partners, Genome Canada invests and manages large-scale research projects in key selected areas such as agriculture, environment, fisheries, forestry, health and new technology development. Genome Canada also supports research projects aimed at studying and analyzing the ethical, environmental, economic, legal and social issues related to genomics research (GE3LS).

In order to promote ecological research in Germany, the DFG has announced the establishment of the first three large-scale research platforms, so-called Biodiversity exploratories, in Germany. The main aim of this research is to study the relationship between changes in biodiversity and the intensity of land use, and the consequences of these changes on processes within the ecosystem. The exploratories will be located in the Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve (Brandenburg), the Hainich National Park (Thuringia) and in the designated Schwäbische Alb Biosphere Reserve (Baden-Württemberg). The DFG will provide approximately 8 million euros to the project for an initial funding period of three years.

The Microbial environment is part of the National wealth and resources of every country. Therefore, it is evident that its protection, exploration and exploitation would be of great benefit for every national economy. MikroBioKosmos is the Hellenic National Initiative for the exploration and commercial exploitation of the microbial national resources.

The two main goals of the initiative are:

(a) the organization of a National Network of Microbial Diversity, Genomics, and Biotechnological applications and

(b) the foundation of a new, distributed Research Center, the National Center for BioProspecting (NCBP), that will enable the inter-disciplinary study of the microbial world in unique environments across the country. NCBP will be comprised from all the Research Institutes and Universities of the members of the network

The International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL) is based on a simple, but powerful premise. It argues that sequence diversity in short, standardized gene regions (i.e. DNA barcodes) can provide a sophisticated tool for both the identification of known species and the discovery of new ones. Further, by developing a system for species identification based on digital characters, DNA barcoding promises automated identifications. This advance will massively improve our capacity to monitor, know and manage biodiversity with profound societal and economic benefits. DNA barcoding also promises newly sophisticated approaches for both the identification of the vectors of zoonotic diseases, and for the disease organisms themselves. In short, its implications are broad.

The National Geographic Society, IBM, geneticist Spencer Wells, and the Waitt Family Foundation have launched the Genographic Project, a five-year effort to understand the human journey—where we came from and how we got to where we live today. This unprecedented effort will map humanity's genetic journey through the ages.

The Census of Marine Life is a growing global network of researchers in more than 70 nations engaged in a ten-year initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life in the oceans -- past, present, and future.

Related Links:ICOMM

The National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE), having started as examination centers of industrial products, has a long history and substantial achievements in support of the economic and industrial administration of Japan. Being reorganized into an incorporated administrative agency in 2001, NITE is rapidly developing its endeavors to establish intellectual foundations for the development of the Japanese economy and welfare as well as for the safety and stability of the society. NITE is now offering a vital contribution to the society in the fields of; 1) biotechnology - including the collection of microorganisms; 2) chemical management - including the integration of risk information of chemical substances; 3) Accreditation - including accreditation under international standards; 4) Consumer Product Safety - including the compilation of safety information of products used in daily life.

The National BioResource Project (NBRP) aims to enable Japan to structurally provide systematic accumulation, storage and provision of nationally recognized bioresources which are used widely in life science researches as materials (experimental animals such as mice and Arabidopsis, stem cell from sources such as ES cells, DNA and other genetic data from a variety of species. Here, it carries the same meaning as genetic resources).

This project started in July 2002 as a part of the "Research Revolution 2002 (RR2002)" project by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. At present (July 2004), 24 central resource centers and an information center are involved in this project.

The National Laboratory for Genomics for Biodiversity (LANGEBIO) is research, dissemination, training human resources and supply technology services for the preservation and use of biological diversity in Mexico, taking into account that it is one of the countries with the greatest biological diversity in the world, owning 10% the diversity of organisms on the planet and to be the second in wealth of reptiles and amphibians in the fourth and fifth floors in mammals.

LANGEBIO will be devoted to the partial or complete sequencing of the genome of plant, animal, and microbial species of interest, to facilitate the development of new crop varieties, medical products, and industrial applications. Some of the planned projects have already started, such as the sequencing of the maize genome.

Related Links: Center for Genomic Sciences | Mexican Society of Genomic Sciences

The Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) is the national flagship program for the genomic sciences in Singapore. The Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) is a national initiative with a global vision that seeks to use genomic sciences to improve public health and public prosperity. As a center for genomic discovery, the GIS will pursue the integration of technology, genetics and biology towards the goal of individualized medicine.