Biotechnology boost

The fight against crop diseases just got a little bit easier in Western Australia, thanks to the recent success by the State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre (SABC) in the latest round of Australian Research Council (ARC) funding.

The grant, which was lead by the SABC, was shared with the University of Western Australia, will fund cutting edge equipment for DNA sequencing and gene discovery vital for improving plant breeding and fighting plant pests and diseases.

SABC Director, Professor Mike Jones, said the equipment also has potential benefits in applications as diverse as minesite rehabilitation and identifying endangered species.

The pyrosequencer Transgenomic Wave HPLC will open up a whole new area for molecular marker technology and high throughput analysis for a number of fields, he said.

Over the last four years the SABC has had a 100 per cent success rate from ARC large infrastructure grants for major platform technologies.

These grants, totalling more than $2.5 million, have included facilities for high throughput genetic analysis, gene discovery, protein analysis and proteomics, and advanced plant growth facilities.

These facilities are the largest concentration of molecular equipment in the State, and provide us with an ability to compete realistically for major national and international research centres and funding, said SABC Director, Professor Mike Jones.

Following a recent site visit, the ARC Chief Executive Officer, Professor Vicky Sara, commented that the visit to the SABC was a highlight of the trip to Western Australia, and that the SABC was a model for efficient use of resources and equipment.