Fast Phylogenetic Mapping of Functional Anchors from the Mining Microbiome

Microorganisms have radically shaped Earth’s atmosphere and landscapes. From providing oxygen in the air we breathe to nitrogen in soils for farming, their innumerable ecosystem services have long gone unappreciated and under utilized. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology – where the letters of an organism’s DNA are read – and computing have revolutionized our understanding of the microbial world around us. Now, it is time to apply these lessons to industry. To this end, Koonkie Canada Inc. is a proud member of the international cyber-infrastructure development project “Mining Microbiome Analytics Platform (MMAP)”. MMAP will provide a database and software ecosystem supporting breakthroughs in microbiome-based resource exploration, extraction, mine closure and remediation, and position Canada as a global leader in ecosystem-aware mining, ensuring a prosperous economy and environment. The work proposed here focuses on enabling the rapid identification of enzymes mediating valuable processes in resource extraction to increase efficiency and mitigate environmental impact. As one of several pipelines and tools being developed for the MMAP platform, resulting data products will be used by synthetic biologists and engineers to create much needed technologies, and accelerate the mining industry’s transition to a low carbon future.

Faculty Supervisor:

Steven Hallam

Student:

Partner:

Koonkie Canada Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: