BICalert

Since the inception of the double helical structure of the DNA, understanding the very nature of the secrets of life through the genomes of various organisms has been very much on the minds of scientists throughout the past few decades. From the successful completion of the Human Genome Project, the sky is the limit for researchers of various fields as they attempt to craft an intimate portrait of various organisms in hopes of deciphering their secrets, in hopes of attaining improved varieties, which may in turn be beneficial for society in general.

Among the various research groups involved, Malaysia is also taking a large stake in such efforts as an attempt is being made to sequence the genome of the oil palm. In May 21 st 2008, the Asiatic Centre for Genome Technology Sdn Bhd (ACGT) announced the completion of the first draft of the oil palm genome in a joint venture with Synthetic Genomics Inc. ACGT is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asiatic Development Bhd, the plantation arm of the Genting Group, and has been established to be a centre of excellence in genomic science. ACGT and Synthetic Genomics Inc have sequenced a combination of two oil palm races, tenera and dura, to a coverage of the plant's genome by seven-fold. The effort is the most comprehensive sequence analysis of the oil palm genome to date and will result in the first reference genome for this tropical oil crop.


A Malaysian Endeavor in Genome Sequencing - ACGT


Since the inception of the double helical structure of the DNA, understanding the very nature of the secrets of life through the genomes of various organisms has been very much on the minds of scientists throughout the past few decades. From the successful completion of the Human Genome Project, the sky is the limit for researchers of various fields as they attempt to craft an intimate portrait of various organisms in hopes of deciphering their secrets, in hopes of attaining improved varieties, which may in turn be beneficial for society in general. Among the various research groups involved, Malaysia is also taking a large stake in such efforts as an attempt is being made to sequence the genome of the oil palm. In May 21 st 2008, the Asiatic Centre for Genome Technology Sdn Bhd (ACGT) announced the completion of the first draft of the oil palm genome in a joint venture with Synthetic Genomics Inc. ACGT is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asiatic Development Bhd, the plantation arm of the Genting Group, and has been established to be a centre of excellence in genomic science. ACGT and Synthetic Genomics Inc have sequenced a combination of two oil palm races, tenera and dura, to a coverage of the plant's genome by seven-fold. The effort is the most comprehensive sequence analysis of the oil palm genome to date and will result in the first reference genome for this tropical oil crop.

Speaking to ACGT's Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Cheah Suan Choo, it is easy to understand the logic behind sequencing the oil palm, one of the most prolific oil crops today. In response to a question on how different ACGT's approach to oil palm improvement in contrast to other on-going efforts, she responded that “I see our effort (in sequencing the genome) as the creation of a very important resource. Through our approach, we will be able to utilise the markers found in the genome sequences to develop products of commercial value. The markers are tools which would enable the development of new oil palm planting materials with high yields and other desirable traits. As the markers allow us to ‘see' inside the genome, we can predict characteristics, such as oil yield, even before the plant is mature.” In short, this spells a completely new era in oil palm R&D where time is being reduced in creating new and improved crops.

	Dr. Cheah Suan Choo

“We are a young company and our lab at TPM was set up in December 2007. Our work in applying marker selection is not GM per se. We are merely utilising markers to monitor various traits in developing improved oil palm varieties through natural breeding,” stressed Dr. Cheah. The plan is no short-sighted one, as advancement in genome mapping does not only trickle down to the end-product, but in the long term, the R&D activities will spell an established platform by which young molecular biologists, bioinformatists, microbiologists etc. would be able to tap into for the advancement of Malaysia 's human capital. In short, ACGT is vying to create a lively industry for graduates in biotechnology to advance themselves and gather work experience. According to Dr. Cheah, “ Malaysia has been a major player in the global oil palm industry. Since its introduction, our country has been leading the pack by producing better and higher yielding varieties which help Malaysia maintain its status as a technology leader. I see our effort in ACGT as an attempt to maintain such status through cutting edge genomic technologies which, we envisage, would benefit this industry as a whole.” Currently, in addition to the joint venture with Synthetic Genomics and technical collaboration with JCVI, ACGT has signed a MoU with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) to jointly carry out R&D in oil palm genomics. Such a public-private partnership would be synergistic in advancing the Malaysian palm oil industry as each party would be contributing its respective resources and strengths into the collaboration. Though challenging it may be, especially in the dynamics and various differences in approach of these two autonomous and very separate bodies, it is imperative for such collaborations to occur as the merging of both sectors would allow a stronger and more vibrant industry for biotech.

ACGT is committed to spend about RM50 million on research over the next 3 years to bring about marketable innovations and new products to the market. Further research in oil palm would also be supplemented with jatropha research as the plant gains focus as a potential plantation crop. “On the whole, our endeavors are to fully utilise the potential of the genome. We are currently laying the foundations for the company to develop products that will feed and fuel the world sustainably.” concludes Dr. Cheah.


			Activities at ACGT genomics laboratory


		By K. C. Liew for MABIC