The New Science of Metagenomics Revealing the Secrets of Our Microbial Planet (2007) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
6 The Institutional Landscape for Metagenomics: New Science, New Challenges
6 The Institutional Landscape for Metagenomics: New Science, New Challenges
Pages 98-106
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 98... ...
Funding Agencies In the United States, 12 federal agencies are members of the Microbe Project, an interagency working group formed in August 2000 under the aegis of the Subcommittee on Biotechnology of the National Science and Technology Council Committee on Science. The mission of the Microbe Project is "to maximize the opportunities offered by genome-enabled microbial science to benefit science and society, through coordinated interagency
|
From page 99... ...
Each of the 14 agencies mentioned has its own missions and interests, but much synergy is to be gained by pooling common infrastructure needs, and this is a strong motivator for a well-coordinated effort at the federal level. The Microbe Project should coordinate its work with the scientific societies to involve the scientific community in the development of the field.
|
From page 100... ...
As a first step in addressing how human metagenomics studies might be approached on an international scale, a panel of 75 participants (scientists, physicians, industry representatives, and administrators from funding agencies) from Asia, the Americas, and Europe met in Paris in October 2005 to discuss the feasibility of sequencing the human intestinal metagenome, its importance for human health and industry, possible technical approaches, and possible funding scenarios.2 The meeting generated a framework for an International Human Gut Metagenome Initiative, including recommendations to generate reference genome sequence data from approximately 1000 gut bacterial species that can be cultured, to develop techniques for sequencing microorganisms that cannot be cultured, and to classify genes of the microbial community based on metagenomic sequencing.
|
From page 101... ...
Several mechanisms have been successful in providing cross-discipline training: interdisciplinary training to augment traditional graduate programs, summer courses patterned after the Cold Spring Harbor or Marine Biological Laboratories summer courses, and post-doctoral fellowship programs in which fellows undertake training in new disciplines. Support for faculty to attend metagenomics workshops or to spend sabbaticals in metagenomics research laboratories or facilities would also be beneficial in expanding appropriate training environments.
|
From page 102... ...
Two meetings, one in Bermuda in February 1996, and one in Fort Lauderdale, FL, in January 2003, grappled with the issues and published recommendations to the community,3 which were adopted by the major funding agencies, including NIH.4 At Fort Lauderdale, projects that were funded as community resources were specifically defined: "A ‘community resource project' is a research project specifically devised and implemented to create a set of data, reagents or other material whose primary utility will be as a resource for the broad scientific community." Data from such projects should be released immediately for free and unrestricted use by the community. Obligations, however, were imposed on the users of such data, with respect to recognizing the data providers' legitimate interests in publishing and analyzing the data, and in acknowledging the data providers as the source of the data.
|
From page 103... ...
Intellectual Property Many companies in several markets tap into the value found in natural resources, and metagenomics constitutes a new way to access natural resources. Advances in DNA and expression technologies provide opportunities to overcome supply issues that in the past limited the value of natural products.
|
From page 104... ...
In response to perceived commercial risks and uncertainties, the Biotechnology Industry Organization has created guidelines for bioprospecting.6 The 1992 Rio "Earth Summit" resulted in over 150 governments signing the CBD, including the United States. More than 187 countries (not including the United States)
|
From page 105... ...
However, as research expands, the unresolved issues raised by the CBD will probably influence metagenomics research. It may be prudent for funding agencies to establish formal sections of proposals in which investigators need to specify how they will comply with the CBD when sampling outside US borders.
|
From page 106... ...
If the source DNA is considered according to the probability of recovering virulence genes, existing biosafety guidelines appear to be suitable for metagenomics projects. Outreach Metagenomics is the kind of accessible and expansive science that can capture the public's imagination.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.