ecause genomics is a relatively new study in the science world it demands correspondingly fresh technologies to fully assess its potential. Thus, it has been difficult to determine at times whether it is more genomics that is furthering new technology or whether it is new technology that is advancing the study of genomics. Certainly, both phenomenon are occurring and specific progress is being made.

One example is the Fiber Optic based Nucleic Acid (FONA) biosensor, a technology developed in Canada, allows for very detailed analysis of the structure and activity of complex genomes, including the human genome.

This technology is expected to be superior to other technologies because it is cheaper to use, may be reused hundreds of times and can detect low levels of nucleic acid. The goal of this project is to establish a proof of principle for the FONA technology.

The use of the FONA technology will provide the ability to detect genetic abnormalities in newborns as well as cost effective screening for a number of inherited diseases and chromosomal anomalies. Once established, the technology has the potential for applications to a large number of other areas such as the assessment of water purity and food safety analysis.

A second example is Microarray technology, which allows scientists to measure the activity of tens of thousands of genes, simultaneously. This information provides a highly detailed picture of the complex patterns of gene expression. Information from microarrays is being used to define new classes of cancers and other diseases, with the potential to improve diagnosis and treatment.

The dramatic advances in the study of genes (genomics) and proteins (proteomics) have also led to exciting new technologies. However, researchers still face major limitations in their attempts to study how cells function, particularly in a diseased state. In some cases, this is because a large number of these cells are required to produce an adequate sample to characterize proteins. In addition, the error rate for sequencing genes is high and it takes too long to carry out current proteomics or genomics tests.

This project is developing new tools to increase the capabilities of scientists in the fields of genomics and proteomics. Specifically, the project is developing new handling techniques for biological samples in micro- and nanolitre volumes in order to reduce quantities of samples, and improve both the speed of analysis and automation. In addition, the researchers propose to create high performance spectrometry tools for protein analysis.

Armed with these new technologies, scientists will be better able to conduct tests on how cells function, diagnose diseases sooner and develop new therapies more quickly.