When the first BBSR expedition group arrived in Bermuda in June 1903, it was during a time of great technological and
scientific progress. For example, the first Wright Brothers flight happened later that year, and Albert Einstein published his theory of relativity soon after in 1905. Similarly, participants in the biotechnology group of BBSR's 1987 long-range planning workshop met at a time of scientific and technological advances. Stating as a
goal the "use of biotechnology to solve oceanographic problems," workshop participants envisioned a wide array of benefits from establishing a Department of Molecular Marine Biology at BBSR. In the
ensuing 15 years, this field of research has developed at BBSR well beyond the expectations of the scientists and trustees in the planning workshop. Today, new techniques in genomics, proteomics and
metabolomics, which together have the potential to describe an organism's complete genetic and metabolic makeup, are helping to address some pressing issues for society: What role do certain marine organisms
have in the regulation of global climate? Do they contain metabolic properties that could be developed into cleaner, more energy-efficient industrial processes? Do they possess properties that could lead to
the development of life-saving pharmaceutical products? The BBSR molecular biology program got underway as a full-time endeavor with my arrival in Bermuda in 1993. The program began to address new
questions, which, in turn, enabled BBSR to diversify its funding. In addition to grant support from the
National Science Foundation (NSF), it secured the first funding to BBSR from the National Institutes of Health, for research on the sense of smell in Bermuda's spiny lobsters. Thanks to
the catalytic activities of BBSR Trustee Ray Moore, a research collaboration with the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer-Mannheim was developed. Upon the acquisition of Boehringer-Mannheim by the Swiss
entity Roche, the collaboration was concluded by mutual consent. BBSR's record of working with industrial partners quickly enabled it to enter into a new partnership with the cutting-edge biotechnology
firm Diversa. The change of industrial partner exemplifies the
rapid progress of technological change in the biological sciences. BBSR's work with Boehringer-Mannheim involved the collection of kilograms of a chosen organism, followed by direct extraction of potentially
interesting bioactive molecules. The strategy
with Diversa has been much "greener." Now, only grams of material need to be harvested. From this small amount of material, DNA is extracted and cloned into domesticated strains of laboratory bacteria. The resulting libraries of bacterial clones are then screened to find the individual clones containing the genes that code for the construction of the desired bioactive molecules, which may have important pharmaceutical or other applications.
The molecular biology program has established close synergistic relationships with other BBSR programs as well. The Oceanic Microbial Observatory, developed at BBSR by Drs. Stephen Giovannoni of Oregon State University and
Craig Carlson, now at the University of California, Santa Barbara, applies the tools of molecular biology to the study of microbial populations in the Sargasso Sea. The microbial observatory has taken
advantage of, and contributed to, the molecular biology instrumentation infrastructure at BBSR. For example, in 1997 BBSR acquired a state-of-the-art video microscope, which allows technicians to catalogue
in seconds bacteria or other marine organisms that used to take weeks or months to study. Similarly, I am working closely with BBSR's marine
ecotoxicology program, run by Dr. Richard Owen, to use the tools of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics to develop diagnostic tests
designed to monitor the health of key components of coral reef ecosystems.The molecular biology program was a key factor in the establishment of BBSR's International Center for Ocean and Human Health
in 1998. This research center is considered to be one of the first to address ocean health/human health connections on an international scale.In addition, BBSR's new molecular biology capabilities have
brought a new educational dimension to the institution over the past decade. Two summer
courses
were developed that took advantage of these capabilities: Molecular Ecology and Physiology of Marine Symbioses, and Chemosensory Neurobiology in the Marine Environment. These continue to be popular offerings in BBSR's summer sessions. The opportunities to apply the techniques of molecular biology to questions concerning the marine environment drew an increasing number of applicants to the annual NSF-funded
Research Experience for Undergraduates
semester at BBSR. A considerable number of these alumni have gone on to their graduate and professional careers with a molecular approach to marine biology that began at BBSR. Seminar courses on the
application of molecular tools to marine questions were also added to the curricula of BBSR's Duke University and University of Rhode Island-Roger Williams undergraduate spring and fall semester programs. At the graduate
level, a long line of talented and motivated students have conducted master's and doctoral research in BBSR's molecular biology laboratories. These students have applied molecular techniques to a number of topics, ranging from mangrove ecosystems to molecular taxonomy to the molecular physiology of symbiotic relationships that are the foundation of Bermuda's coral reef ecosystems. Their work now comprises a significant contribution to professional marine biology literature, and the students themselves have gone on to research, teaching and policy-making careers.
From both a research and an educational perspective, 2002 was clearly the most fruitful year to date for BBSR's molecular biology program. The skills and resources of the program were combined with those
of the Oceanic Microbial Observatory to develop BBSR's Marine Genome Bank. Libraries of environmental DNA, taken from blue-water environments such as the Sargasso Sea and inshore environments such as Harrington Sound and various coral
reef settings, are being built and stored at BBSR. This bank of environmental genomic material will be available for the research endeavors of both resident and visiting, and academic and industrial,
scientists seeking a better understanding of how biology works in marine ecosystems and how this biology can be harnessed for the benefit of society. Arguably, this new data set, begun in 2002 from
Bermuda's ideal mid-ocean location, may become as significant over time to the world of science as BBSR's Hydrostation "S" time-series measurements, begun in 1954.Another exciting development at BBSR during
2002 was the addition of genomics pioneer Dr. Craig Venter to the Board of Trustees
. His standing-room-only public lecture in BBSR's Hanson Hall in May 2002 brought increased attention to the unique opportunities that Bermuda's
location and BBSR's genomics program provide to the world of science. By year-end, BBSR had begun a research collaboration with Venter, Nobel Laureate Hamilton Smith and their colleagues, which we believe
will bear fruit in years to come.In the short period of time that it has been in existence, the molecular biology program at BBSR has participated in one of the most profound technological
revolutions in modern science. It's safe to say that the vision of that 1987 planning workshop has more than been fulfilled. At the same time, the opportunities presented by the current period of rapid
technological and scientific advances are even greater. |
