A University of Alberta researcher will lead a team of experts to study the gene sequence of 1,000 plants.
Gane Ka-Shu Wong said the ambitious $2 million plant project is possible only because the cost of DNA sequencing has dropped dramatically since the human DNA sequence was completed in 2000 at a cost of $300 million.
“It’s that acceleration in technology that is making this possible,” said Wong, part of the Beijing Genomics Institute, which sequenced the DNA of rice.
Wong said he hasn’t yet identified the 1,000 plants he hopes to study.
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“I’m open to suggestions.”
The initial focus will be on plants used in traditional Chinese medicine but will also include single celled organisms such as algae.
With more than 300,000 plants around the world, focusing on 1,000 is a drop in the bucket.
“A 1,000 is not by any means comprehensive,” he said.
The guidelines will also include encouraging researchers to think beyond traditional agricultural crops, where much research has already occurred.
Focusing on plants and not animals also has a practical approach, said Wong, who is also research chair in biosystems for Alberta’s Informatics Circle of Research Excellence.
“Plants are easier to catch than animals.”
Wong has insisted that the DNA sequencing information be free to the public through genome banks.
It’s expected the project will take two years and lead to advancements in agriculture, medicine and the environment.
The provincial government, Alberta Agriculture Research Institute, Genome Alberta, the Beijing Genomics Institute and Musea Ventures also support the project, which is part of a larger $4 million research program at the university.
