Media Release |
Jan. 13, 2005
UBC Scientists Co-ordinate Mapping of Killer Fungus Genome
Scientists are a step closer to developing drug targets to
treat fungal meningitis -- the infection linked to at least
three deaths on Vancouver Island -- thanks to the sequencing
of two Cryptococcus genomes by an international team that
included researchers at the University of British Columbia
and the BC Cancer Agency's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre
in Vancouver.
“This fundamental information will help develop better
diagnostic tools, as well as antifungal drugs and potential
vaccines,” says Prof. Jim Kronstad of the Michael Smith
Laboratories at UBC. “The genome mapping expertise found
here in Vancouver has allowed us to take a big step forward
in understanding these infections.”
Kronstad, a microbiologist, initiated the mapping portion
of the study in collaboration with scientists at the BC Cancer
Agency's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, and co-ordinated
efforts with the international team, including scientists
from The Institute of Genomic Research, Stanford University
and Duke University in the U.S. The team published its findings
today in Science.
In a three-year investigation, researchers sequenced two genomes
for the Cryptococcus group of fungal pathogens. The team is
currently completing and analyzing a third genome, Cryptococcus
neoformans gatti, the species that caused the deadly outbreak
of infections which were first detected on Vancouver Island
in 1999. They will make comparisons between the genomes through
a partnership with the UBC Bioinformatics Centre and publish
the sequence of the additional genome this year.
Cryptococcus is a yeast-like fungal organism that can cause
life-threatening infections, the most common being fungal
meningitis that affects about 10 per cent of AIDS patients
in North America and 30 per cent of patients in Africa. Meningitis
is an inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal
cord.
Fungal meningitis generally attacks those with weakened immune
systems. Individuals can become infected by inhaling Cryptococcus
spores found in soil contaminated with decaying pigeon droppings.
Symptoms of meningitis include severe headache, stiff neck,
fever and vomiting. The disease can be fatal if not treated
with anti-fungal drugs.
Support for this research was provided the Natural Sciences
and Energy Research Council (NSERC) and by the National Institutes
of Health in the U.S. The current Cryptococcus genome sequencing
project underway in Vancouver is funded by Genome Canada and
Genome BC.
BC Cancer Agency's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre is
a department of the BC Cancer Agency (BCCA), the cancer care
and control organization for British Columbia. Part of the
Provincial Health Services Authority, BCCA is committed to
reducing the incidence of cancer, reducing the mortality from
cancer, and improving the quality of life of those living
with cancer.
The late Michael Smith was a UBC microbiology professor who
received the Nobel Prize in 1993 for his work in programming
segments of DNA.
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Contact
Hilary Thomson
UBC Public Affairs
Tel: 604.822.2644
Cell: 604.209.3048
E-mail: hilary.thomson@ubc.ca
Nicole Adams
BCCA
Tel: 604.877.6272
Cell: 604.230.1463
E-mail: nadams@bccancer.bc.ca |
