At about 4 a.m. this morning, scientists at the BC Cancer Agency's Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre completed the first publicly available draft sequence for a coronavirus implicated in SARS.

"This is a huge step forward in the fight to control the spread of SARS," says Dr. Caroline Astell, projects leader at the Genome Sciences Centre.

Since receiving 1 millionth of a gram of purified viral genetic material from Dr. Frank Plummer at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, relayed by the BC Centre for Disease Control, scientists at the Genome Sciences Centre have worked around the clock to complete the sequence, using both molecular techniques and state-of-the-art laboratory automation.

"We are very excited about having the ability to do this, and to contribute to a solution for a serious health issue," says Dr. Victor Ling, vice-president, Research, BC Cancer Agency. "I think we can say that we have a rapid-response team who can deal with immediate health concerns."

Dr. Marco Marra, director of the Genome Sciences Centre stated that, "I am delighted that our team of scientists at the Genome Sciences Centre has responded so effectively to the challenge of rapidly sequencing this coronavirus isolate. I am extremely proud of our team. I am similarly impressed by the speed with which viral genomic material was sent to us by Frank Plummer's group a the NML in Winnipeg and by Drs. Bob Brunham and Martin Petric at the BC CDC."

It is expected that this information, posted on the Genome Sciences Centre's website (http://www.bcgsc.bc.ca) as soon as it was generated, will lead to the development of definitive diagnostic tests for SARS. In the longer term, these results may allow scientists to understand why the SARS virus is so deadly, and may assist in the development of an effective vaccine.

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