Prof. Julian Davies ushered Canada’s Minister of Industry into the invisible
world of microbes earlier this month at the launch of his drug discovery
company, TerraGen Diversity Inc.
“We are in the business of the invisible,” Davies told the Hon. John Manley.
“We are exploring the last great frontier left on the planet.”
Davies, TerraGen president and head of UBC’s Dept. of Microbiology and
Immunology, gave Manley a tour of TerraGen’s headquarters during the minister’s
first official visit to campus. Manley lauded TerraGen as typifying what his
ministry is trying to do with Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC), a program
focussed on fostering cutting-edge environmental technologies.
As the basis for all of Earth’s ecosystems, Davies argues that the
microbiological environment of bacteria and fungi remains virtually untapped as
a source of natural products. This is due to the fact that scientists have so
far been able to grow, or culture, less than one per cent of the world’s
microbes. Davies’ research has come up with a novel method for getting at the
remaining 99 per cent of unculturable bacteria.
Considering that there are about 5,000 species of microbes in any given handful
of soil, the implications for scientific discovery seem unlimited, particularly
in the area of pharmaceuticals.
Davies, a world leader in the field of antibiotics and their function, points
out that most antibiotics are derived from compounds drawn from
laboratory-grown microbes. As more and more strains of bacteria build
resistance to multiple antibiotics, the need for new kinds of antibiotics is
acute.
“Where are we going to get new compounds from?” asks Davies. “From the microbes
or bugs we can’t grow.”
Davies says TerraGen research fits neatly into the federal government’s plan of
attack on pollution through improved water treatment systems, enhanced soil
quality and the restoration of industrial waste water. Using direct cloning
methods, TerraGen scientists have identified new industrial enzymes that may
replace or supplement existing processes which use bacteria to degrade toxic
substances. The professor says the full biochemical potential of microbes can
be realized by isolating genes with useful enzyme characteristics encoded in
microbial DNA.
Processes developed by TerraGen enable researchers to screen soil samples for
unculturable microbes and extract their DNA. The DNA is then inserted into
surrogate hosts which, in turn, express genes providing a range of enzymes with
sensitivity to heat and cold, acid resistance and other intriguing traits.
TerraGen is one of seven UBC spin-off companies to set up shop in the Gerald
McGavin Multi-Tenant Facility located at the corner of East Mall and Agronomy
Road.
The building was constructed by Discovery Parks Inc. to provide economical lab
and office space on campus.
UBC’s University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO) was instrumental in TerraGen’s
start-up. As the link to UBC’s research resources, the office negotiates all
research contracts with industry and commercializes the university’s research
discoveries.
To date, the UILO has overseen the creation of 72 spin-off companies.
