Mission of the CIG

The mission of the Centre for Integrated Genomics is to provide a platform for the development and application of genome science to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, and more generally to problems in the basic life sciences and biotechnology.

Overview

The Centre for Integrated Genomics (CIG) is a joint initiative of the University of British Columbia and the BC Cancer Agency. The objective of the CIG is to carry out and foster research in structural genomics and functional genomics through a comprehensive program which builds on the existing research strengths of the two institutions. The CIG has a major commitment to the integration of clinical, basic biomedical science and genomics in the study of cancer. In addition, the CIG applies structural and functional genomics to the study of bacterial and fungal pathogenesis and to animal, plant and tree biology. The CIG also has a major commitment to the development of new genomic technology.

In the Centre for Integrated Genomics, researchers from several facilities work together with the faculty of the UBC Biotechnology Laboratory, the BC Cancer Agency and the BC Cancer Research Centre, as well as with collaborators in other institutes in the British Columbia biomedical research community. Notable elements in the CIG are the Genome Sciences Centre (funded by the British Columbia Cancer Foundation), the Nematode Reverse Genetics Facility, the Nucleic Acid and Protein Service Unit, the Centre for Biological Calorimetry, the Fermentation Pilot Plant and Mouse Gene Knockout Facilities. This extensive partnership will position the CIG at the forefront of research in genomics and its application to major problems in biology and health.

The major focus of the CIG is cancer and its priority is being placed on programs to identify genes involved in, or responsible for, oncogenesis and tumour progression. Large-scale sequencing and new approaches in imaging array technology are being applied to investigate differential gene expression in a variety of tissues and organisms.

For more information on the activities taking place please visit the websites of the participating institutions.