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  Straits Times 29 Jun 07
Lab gets US funds for shark gene study
Elephant shark project aims to bring scientists a step closer to understanding human diseases
By Lim Wei Chean

A SINGAPORE lab has received US$5 million (S$7.7 million) from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) for a study into the genetics of the rare elephant shark, which will in turn further the understanding of the genetics of human beings.

The Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) yesterday joined the honour roll of those that have received NIH funding, which is sought after by researchers from the world over and considered prestigious.

IMCB executive director David Lane said: 'I am delighted that our work in Singapore has been recognised by the substantial funding from the NIH.' Associate Professor B. Venkatesh, who heads the team at the institute doing the research, was elated.

He said the project to fully sequence the elephant shark's genome or hereditary information should take between one and two years.

He said: 'The elephant shark genome should provide us valuable insights into the evolution of the human genome and help us in identifying ancient DNA elements that play a fundamental role in the organisation and function of the human genome.'

DNA is a nucleic acid molecule that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms.

Prof Venkatesh explained that sharks, the oldest group of jawed vertebrates, are interesting because they shared an ancestor with humans 500 million years ago. Today, humans and sharks still share 5,000 common DNA fragments - twice that shared between humans and zebrafish, which are now commonly studied in laboratories.

Studying sharks, the first creatures to develop nervous and immune systems, could therefore yield vital clues to the functioning of the human gene, he added. Scientists believe that disruptions to the functioning of genes cause human diseases, so knowing how genes work will put them a step closer to understanding diseases and, from there, developing cures.

Prof Venkatesh's team of 15 scoured the globe for more than two years to come up with a shark with a genome small enough to be sequenced easily.

Besides the IMCB, another Singapore body that has received NIH funding is ES Cell International, for distributing human stem cells worldwide and teaching other researchers how to use them. ES Cell is funded by the Economic Development Board and a host of local and foreign investors.
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