Gene genies
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| Guest writer: |
 Director of the Special Reseach Centre (SRC) for Functional and Applied Genomics, Professor John Mattick, is well-known nationally and internationally for his establishment and leadership of the Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology (CMCB), which he took from its inception to one of the most respected research centres in Australia. He has also been a primary force behind the development of Brisbane and The University of Queensland into one of Australia's major centres of molecular biology, genomics and biotechnology. In conjunction with Professor Peter Andrews, he established the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) as an integrated environment for genetic and molecular discovery. He was recently awarded the Eppendorf Achievement Award for his substantial contributions to Australian molecular biology. |
| Research team: |
| Professor John Mattick (Director) and research staff from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience and from related academic departments including Mathematics, Computer Science & Electrical Engineering, Biochemistry, Physiology & Pharmacology, Anatomical Sciences, Pathology and Chemistry. |
| Funding: |
| 2000–2002 ARC ($3.6 million, renewable for up to nine years pending successful triennial review) |
| Email/Web link: |
| j.mattick@imb.uq.edu.au p.andrews@imb.uq.edu.au kb@maths.uq.edu.au www.imb.uq.edu.au |
| Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences & Architecture · Faculty of Biological & Chemical Sciences |
Humanity has been given a very long list of As, Cs, Ts and Gs — the building blocks of DNA that encode for our genetic characteristics — through the completion of the sequencing of the human genome.
We are now in possession of information that will help us understand life and its diversity.
Developing an understanding of the information contained in the genome is one of the challenges to be addressed by the new Special Research Centre (SRC) for Functional and Applied Genomics based in the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) and other related departments at The University of Queensland.
The research aims of the SRC are to investigate the genetic, cellular and molecular bases of biological development and physiology, and to use this knowledge to develop new drugs, diagnostic tools and databases of biological information.
In other words, to decipher the messages the genetic code carries, it is necessary to discover how cells use these messages, and if these messages are wrong or damaged, how we may be able to repair them.
SRC Director Professor John Mattick says we now have increasing amounts of sequence information for organisms that are important for research and industry.
"From this information we need to identify genes, determine their functions, and then to develop an integrated picture of the complicated relationships that occur in a living organism," he said.
This enormous task requires increased computing power coupled with new experimental tools and approaches.
It will be accelerated by technological advances in DNA sequencing and bioinformatics. Professor Mattick believes this basic information will lead to a better understanding of the processes of growth and development, metabolic networks and biochemical pathways, and the individual variations that determine the diversity of a population.
This will include susceptibility to diseases. Professor Mattick says this "will open up entirely new horizons in our understanding of the origins of life, and how life works."
As with any great endeavour, the exploration of this information is not only a vast undertaking, but requires teamwork from a variety of research disciplines.
The University of Queensland has a wide and highly developed research base and the last decade has seen the development of a unique concentration of expertise and resources in five critical areas of the biosciences: genomics and bioinformatics; developmental biology; cell biology; structural biology; and medicinal chemistry.
The IMB has been formed by the amalgamation of the Centre for Molecular and Cellular Biology (CMCB), headed by Professor Mattick, and the Centre for Drug Design and Development (CDDD), headed by Professor Peter Andrews, both ranked among the premier research centres in Australia.
These centres have national and international reputations in their respective fields, with the CDDD having a number of collaborations with major international pharmaceutical companies, as well as being instrumental in the establishment of a number of Australian biotechnology companies.
The SRC brings together the molecular and cellular biology expertise of CMCB, with the structural biology expertise of CDDD, and the computational and mathematical expertise of the Advanced Computational Modelling Centre, headed by Professor Kevin Burrage (Department of Mathematics).
Professor Mattick continues: "The exciting thing about the SRC is the development of a team from three research areas working together to explore the intersections and to create an integrated environment for genomics, chemistry and computational biology. The SRC is a model for the biological research of the future.
The Special Research Centre for Functional and Applied Genomics is based on the excellent research of the key staff from these centres, together with those from related academic departments including Mathematics, Computer Science & Electrical Engineering, Biochemistry, Physiology & Pharmacology, Pathology, Anatomical Sciences and Chemistry.
The SRC funding will be used to further develop research programs in biocomputing, genomics, developmental biology, cell biology, structural biology and biological chemistry, ensuring a seamless transition from one research area to the next.
With its location in the IMB, the SRC will have access to state-of-the-art facilities, therefore enabling it to establish a spectrum of research and resources unrivalled in Australia and available at very few places in the world.
Professor Mattick sees the SRC functioning as a pipeline for the discovery and understanding of the function of important genes and proteins, and the conversion of this understanding into the design of new pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and perhaps even computer hardware and software.
At one end of this pipeline, there is genomics and at the other, there are molecules of important biological function that have been designed and manipulated to create new drugs for the specific treatment of a vast array of ailments.
He points out that the national importance of this project cannot be underestimated.
"Australia has a hard-won reputation in the field of bio-medical research. However if we are to keep pace with the developments in this field of biotechnology we must adapt the way we do research, to create an environment that encourages links with various research groups, research disciplines and external partners."
Obviously the SRC is important in fostering these interactions especially in the early stages, and will easily compare with any genomics research facility in the world.
Professor Mattick believes the SRC will additionally provide a platform for the development of a range of enterprises that will play a key role in economic development in the future.
He predicts that the genomics revolution will stimulate growth in employment and act as a revenue base to support social services, education and infrastructure through the 21st Century.
The knowledge base on which this will be built will be extracted from a very long list of As, Cs, Ts and Gs using a tool called genomics.
