Gene hunter saving endangered species

Don aims to set up genetic database of endangered animals endemic to region
Chang Ai-Lien Straits Times 10 Jun 12;

Gene hunter Stephan Schuster, the latest big name to be hired by Nanyang Technological University, has sequenced the mammoth genome and is helping to save the critically endangered Tasmanian devil.

In Singapore, he wants to set up a genetic database of endangered animals endemic to the region.

His day job at the Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering will look at how complex communities of microbial life can be harnessed in areas such as water purification. He will contribute his expertise in microbial genomics, DNA sequencing and bioinformatics to the understanding and biotechnological exploitation of microbial biofilms.

The centre aims to translate the mysterious life of microbial biofilms into environmental solutions, to better produce clean water, process waste and kill pathogens, for instance.

'The majority of microbial life live in complex communities and our goal is to engineer these communities from scratch for applications that can almost instantly give benefit to Singapore,' said Prof Schuster, who splits his time between NTU and Pennsylvania State University in the United States.

For instance, his team is working with PUB to detail how micro-organisms purify used water.

'We have libraries full of knowledge on how the engineering works in such facilities, but when it comes to what's happening inside the reactors, it's a black box. When we figure out why and how it works, we can make it better,' he said.

His passion, however, extends to larger life forms.

Four years ago, he shot to fame as part of the team which sequenced the genome of the woolly mammoth, the first extinct mammal to have its sequence deciphered.

'When the mammoth project first started, it was considered a scientific folly, but we were amazed later at the technology we developed in the course of the project that is relevant for practical areas such as biofilms.

'Even though it's extinct, it lives on in our collective memories and is a fantastic vehicle for science education. And again, it has been shown that basic research has unforeseen practical benefits further down the road.'

Clones of the long-extinct behemoth, however, are out of the question, he said.

What is more important, he noted, is that most of the mammoths examined had far less genetic diversity than other species that are still alive, and that may also give a clue into the biology of extinction.

So he applied this discovery to help save the endangered Tasmanian devil of Australia.

This same lack of genetic diversity is what could lead to the downfall of the critically endangered creature, he said.

The species is blighted by facial cancer which is threatening to send it the way of its extinct country-mates, the Tasmanian tigers.

Scientists first noticed devil facial tumour disease in 1996. The stocky marsupials began showing up in the north-eastern part of Tasmania with ugly, lethal tumours. Since then, the disease has spread throughout the island's devils, killing off as many as 90 per cent of them in some areas.

Captive breeding programmes, already in place to preserve cancer-free individuals, could encourage genetic mixing and even selecting of specific cancer-resistant genes if they knew which genes to look for, he suggested.

Like the ongoing effort to save the Tasmanian devil, his goal is to pick key endangered species and use the scientific knowledge gleaned from the mammoth project to help save them from the same fate.

The Singapore Zoo is a wonderful collection of endangered animals, he said, and his hope is to extend his research into animals of the region.

'My hidden agenda here is to understand genetic diversity of species and how it relates to the extinction, and use this data to aid species conservation efforts.'

BREAKING NEW GROUND

Professor Stephan Schuster, 50, is a new cluster head at the Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, at Nanyang Technological University.

As a professor at Pennsylvania State University, his work on unravelling the genomic sequence of the woolly mammoth was recognised in Science magazine's 'Insights of the Decade' section in 2010, after being named a 'Breakthrough of the Year' in 2008.

His work on sequencing the genomes of two individuals from southern Africa - a Bushman hunter-gatherer from Namibia, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a representative of the Bantu from South Africa - was recognised by Science magazine as a 'Breakthrough of the Year 2010'.

He has also stepped into the field of conservation biology by investigating the genetic diversity of the remaining population of the Tasmanian devil, the last marsupial predator that is acutely threatened by extinction.

Prof Schuster is also a renowned bioinformatician. He recently won first place in biotechnology company Illumina's iDEA (Data Excellence Award) Challenge 2011, for his contribution to the development of new software.

Chang Ai-Lien