By Elizabeth Kuczek and Susan Forrest

Novel antibiotics and the possibilities of improving milk production in the dairy industry are some of the secrets being unlocked from the sequencing of the genome of Australia’s iconic animal, the kangaroo.

Genomics forms the basis for most biological research today and impacts on areas of health, the environment and food production even as it is creating new businesses. That's why it's important to invest in it. So the fact that the platypus and eucalyptus genomes are being sequenced in the USA and Japan is a trend that worries Australian scientists.

There are about 800 species of eucalypts, but only three account for most plantations worldwide. The Japanese are expected to finish the first gum tree genome project and an international consortium – including Brazil and South Africa, backed by US Government money – is planning to sequence a second species. Australian scientists, however, have yet to find the $1 million to join in this enterprise despite this eucalyptus species being most important to our pulp and paper industry.

Leading researchers are concerned that if more isn’t done to redress the current genomics funding shortfall, Australia could forfeit not just scientific kudos but valuable export dollars in the future as other countries harness new genetic techniques for their competitive advantage.

The Australian Genome Alliance (AGA), an association of researchers lobbying for a national strategy for genome research, first convened in Canberra in February, 2006. The scientists emphasised the huge role genetics plays not only in medical science but in commercial industry and beyond, and that the DNA sequence needs to be viewed as a form of infrastructure that needs protection and investment. Currently, however, Australian scientists have only limited access to large-scale genome projects.

The largest project involving Australian scientists to date, the Tammar wallaby genome, almost wasn’t decoded when Australian funds could not be found two years ago to match the offer of funding from the US. At the eleventh hour, the State Government of Victoria provided the support but a national vision and approach is still lacking.

The international cattle genome project, which has several members including the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, is an example of where Australia has contributed financially and thus is a partner organization. The benefit from its early involvement in this consortium is the ability to influence how the project will be undertaken and to utilise the information to improve cattle breeding locally.

Most genome projects usually require more than $10 million, placing them beyond the scope of most grants awarded in Australia. The AGA scientists believe a third research agency should be established to fund genome projects chosen by an expert panel for their economic and social benefit to Australia. Genome Canada is an equivalent agency that has operated for over 5 years and perhaps it’s no accident that Canada has the second most vibrant biotechnology industry in the world.

At the AGA meeting, Australia’s leading genetic scientists outlined additional projects they believe are worthy candidates for large scale funding.

Firstly, sequencing the genomes of corals that built the Great Barrier Reef are of major significance to the country, with the reef bringing in $1.6 billion a year in tourism. Yet little is known about how corals build reefs and their relationships with the algae that give them their colour and how bleaching episodes are caused by warmer waters. A genome sequence would dramatically speed up these discoveries and provide information about potentially interesting biomolecules that can be extracted for the biotechnology industry.

Australia is an ideal place to study the genomes of insect species and the way they have adapted to environmental change given that the continent stretches from tropical regions in the north to temperate regions in the south. The world's number one insect pest, cotton bollworm, attacks more than 100 different crops and costs Australia about $225 million a year in lost production and control measures. Since the action of pesticides is still poorly understood, knowledge of the genome and thus the insect's biological weak spots could be identified. Thus new intelligently designed insecticides could be developed for a vast global market providing a blockbuster product for Australian biotechnology.

Other possible genome projects include crops, fungi, parasites and microbes unique to Australia. Environmental research is an area where genomics has not been widely exploited and Australia is failing to take full advantage of the enormous economic opportunities offered by its distinctive flora and fauna. It's time for Australia to take action to harvest our unique genetic heritage before other countries do it for us.

Elizabeth Kuczek is Executive Projects Manager and Susan Forrest is Director of the Australian Genome Research Facility Ltd

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