January 11, 2003
Message from the Chairman and the President & CEO
- Dr. Henry Friesen
Dr. Martin Godbout -
Imagine trying to circumnavigate the globe without a compass. Or understand the workings of a cell without a microscope. Or the patterns of the stars without a telescope. Imagine trying to build a house without a hammer. Or nails. Or a level.
The mapping of the human genome, as well as those of other organisms, has opened up incredible opportunities for changing the way we treat disease, grow our food, protect our forests, see the environment, understand life or imagine the future. To fully realize its potential, however, we need to develop the tools that will make discovery possible.
Unravelling the structure of the proteins produced by our genes, for example, will require new kinds of technologies. Screening for genes that cause disease will involve new diagnostic instruments.
At Genome Canada, we’re investing today in the tools that will shape tomorrow. With funding provided by the 2003 Federal Budget, the Board of Directors of Genome Canada launched the Applied Genomics and Proteomics Research in Human Health Competition, aimed specifically at developing the tools that will position Canada’s healthcare system at the leading edge for years to come. Tools that will bridge the gap between research and practical application in hospitals and community clinics. Tools that will bring concrete benefits to your family.
New tools for a new time. Just part of how we’re capturing the benefits of genomics for Canadians.
World-class genomics and proteomics research means not only developing new tools, but also establishing new networks. It means connecting our best with the world’s best. It means engaging the world -- and leading it. This past year, Genome Canada did just that with significant new partnerships around the globe.
In October 2002, we announced the International Consortium Initiative, (ICI) which will fund high-profile projects involving researchers from other countries. These projects, lead by Canadians, will be significant in size -- at least $50 million over three years -- and will keep Canada at the forefront of international genomics and proteomics research.
The ICI, in turn, lead to the approval of the largest international health research project ever funded in Canada. Together with Ontario’s Research and Development Challenge Fund and its Innovation Trust, Genome Canada joined with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in a partnership with the United Kingdom-based Wellcome Trust and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.
This $95 million project will work to unravel the structure of hundreds of proteins believed to be significant to human health.
Our international efforts continued with important new memoranda of understanding signed with Genome Spain, The Netherlands Genomics Initiative as well as with the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. These agreements lay the foundation for significant new projects and will help to develop the critical mass necessary for larger scale genomics and proteomics research.
Under an existing memorandum of understanding between Genome Canada and Sweden, the University of British Columbia’s Forestry Genomics Group and the Swedish Tree Functional Genomics Consortium agreed to pool their sequencing data on the poplar tree. This combined database will provide significant new insights into protecting and maximizing the value of our forests.
In February, the Prime Minister of Sweden was in Canada to witness the first official exchange of data between these two world-leaders in forestry genomics.
This past year also saw Genome Canada join the International HapMap Project, a $100 million U.S. international consortium which combines public and private funds and is aimed at speeding the discovery of genes related to common illnesses such as asthma, cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Canadians are playing a significant role in this project by mapping the genetic differences among humans. Public funding will come from Genome Canada, Genome Québec, Japan, China, the United States and the United Kingdom. More details on all of these international initiatives can be found within the pages of this Report.
Ensuring the highest level of scientific excellence has been both a goal and a hallmark of Genome Canada. Our distinguished panel of leading international scientists reviews project proposals to ensure that only the best projects are chosen -- projects that will advance our understanding and expand our opportunities.
This year, with many of our original projects reaching the mid point of their work, it was time to take stock of their progress and ensure their relevance. To that end, we organized an international interim review process, carried out on our behalf by some of the world’s foremost researchers. That review is ongoing and will serve to both keep our feet to the proverbial fire and ensure the best possible value for taxpayer’s money.
One of the responsibilities that Genome Canada continues to take very seriously is that of developing an ethical framework within which science’s discoveries can be understood and applied.
Understanding the broader implications of genomics for society must never be an afterthought.
Science can produce precise information, but not ethical truths. It can reveal new insights into our bodies and our world, but it cannot provide the wisdom for dealing with those insights. For that, we need the contribution of those who are expert in the fields of ethics, the environment, economics and the law.
From the outset, Genome Canada has sponsored studies in these and last year we hosted the first international symposium devoted to these broader concerns.
More than 200 philosophers, lawyers, anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists, economists and geneticists wrestled with the many difficult questions raised by genomics and proteomics research. A summary of this symposium is available on the CD-Rom included with this Annual Report.
This year marked the launch of a major public outreach and education project: the GEEE! in Genome, an innovative and multi-dimensional exhibition, which was officially opened by the Prime Minister at the Canadian Museum of Nature last spring. This unique and interactive exhibition will remain at the museum until September 2003, when it will travel to nine cities across Canada.
Through this exhibition, Canadians will learn about the structure of DNA, the role of genes and proteins and catch a glimpse of the substantial role Canada is playing in the genomics revolution. The “public outreach” section of this Report contains additional information about this exciting initiative.
Looking ahead, the next two years will be critical ones for Genome Canada and for genomics and proteomics research here in Canada. As of April 1st, 2005, the first funding agreement with the federal government will come to an end. Genome Canada is working hard to prepare its business plan and present its vision for building on the momentum created over the past three years.
During that brief period, Canada has burst onto the world stage and established a highly respected position in genomics and proteomics research. As a country, we have recognized the transformative change that genomics and proteomics will bring and placed ourselves at its forefront.
We are well begun, but we are only begun. Enormous opportunities await, exciting possibilities exist. Now we must seize them.
Henry Friesen
Chairman
Martin Godbout
President & CEO
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