Forest Genomics

Forests represent natural pharmacies being enormous resource for medicine and nutrition. Canadians mostly depend on trees for housing and energy. Main challenges to delivering health through forests are ecosystem, biodiversity degradation and increasing number of insects and microbial pathogens. Thus maintaining the health is a pressing challenge which must be addressed in several ways.

Advanced genomics along with partners is studying reaction of plant growth to adverse environmental conditions and identifying plant survival genes. Expert team of Advanced Genomics has set up state-of-the-art technology called microarrays to identify and measure genes that are active under many different growth conditions. Advanced Genomics is creating new, environmentally sound approaches that negate the use of chemical pesticides and decrease energy consumption.

Research and Discovery

• Identification of invasive species
• Optimum control strategies for pest/disease agents
• Genomic analysis to analyze plant resistance to spider mites
• Develop tools to turn off pest-specific genes
• Identify genes that govern host-pathogen interactions
• Selective interruption of glycosylation for lowering virulence of pathogens
• Insert pest-resistant genes in plants so that they can resist spider mites

Complete Solution

• Construct normalized differential cDNA libraries
• Study differential gene expression in plants and pests by microarray and real-time PCR
• Develop biomarkers that are linked to various traits including pest resistance
• Biomarkers discovery to select lead candidates of plant and pest genes interaction
• Biomarkers discovery to select lead candidates for functional studies
• Develop tools for gene disruption and over expression studies