Genome sequence: a game-changer in the fight against diseases and hunger

I love science unreservedly, and so must everyone. I gleefully speak about science to young students aspiring to become future scientists. And I always get filled with unspeakable joy anytime science makes the news or saves the day!

In the past weeks, UG scientists at Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) and the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) made the news. As it was proudly announced, these scientists “successfully sequenced genomes of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the global COVID-19 pandemic”.

Alas, many a Ghanaian did not appreciate the significance of the work of these scientists, let alone its implications. However, as a scientist who applies similar knowledge in agricultural research, I immediately recognized the importance of their work, even by reading the first statement of the communique. Most importantly, I began fantasizing about the impetus this timely feat will give to scientific research in this area of study that is far beyond medical research in Ghana.

If unraveling the genome sequence of a deadly virus is touted as a game-changer in our fight against it, so will the genome sequences of rice, maize, or any other major food staple be a game-changer in our conquest of hunger and malnutrition in Ghana. I made this parallelism based on a fundamental understanding of what a genome sequence represents in the science of biology. Thus, to appreciate my reasoning, it would be important to break this biology jargon down to its finest elements without any ambiguity.

To start with, let us try to answer this philosophical question: why do likes beget likes in nature? Put differently, why do humans always give birth to humans, or why do cats always give birth to cats? Using a more familiar analogy, why do you think your favorite waakye always tastes the same from a particular vendor? Logically, it appears your waakye vendor follows a specific recipe, and so long as he/she keeps to this special recipe, the waakye would always taste the same.

Again, let us think of the question above in another way. How could we replicate our Presidential Palace (i.e. the Jubilee House) in every region in Ghana? This could only be made possible if the new contractors had access to the blueprint or the architectural plan of the Jubilee House in Accra. With access to the architectural plan, the Jubilee House in Accra could be built in every region in Ghana.

Similarly, think of natural life as based on a recipe or a biological blueprint. Thus, biologically, there is a recipe or program for making human life, and another recipe for making a cat. And so long as these recipes remain unchanged, likes will always beget likes in nature. In biology, these recipes for making different species of organisms are termed as genome sequences. Each species of life has its own recipe or genome sequence.

Simply put, a genome is a complete set of genetic program or code that has the instructions for making an organism after its kind from generation to generation. It is written in a chemical language called DNA or RNA depending on the type of organism. And the technology for obtaining this all-important biological information is called sequencing. In fact, the scientists that invented the earliest DNA sequencing technology were awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980. Thus, the scientific community and the world-at-large place a premium on DNA science.

From the foregoing, it is evident that this genetic program can be edited or modified to cause changes in the original recipe. These changes in the genome sequence could emanate naturally or be induced artificially. In biology, these changes are referred to as mutations. Such changes could have a positive or negative, and sometimes, a neutral effect on the biological structure and function of the organism.

Obtaining the genome sequence of any organism helps scientists to see into the future and even the past of that organism. In other words, it is possible for scientists to know the biological destiny of organisms, and if necessary, alter this destiny for the betterment of society. And this is one of the motivations for the application of this cutting-edge science and technology in medicine and agriculture.

Even though Ghana is late to the deployment of this powerful tool, we are not too late. We must as a matter of urgency continue to develop capacity in this technology by establishing the requisite infrastructure to train aspiring scientists in this area of research. If a genome sequence of a virus could help us defeat it, certainly, the genome sequence of any food crop species could help us to develop more nutritious and productive varieties. This is a reality made possible by the best science of our times.

The author is a lecturer in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, KNUST, Kumasi. He can be contacted via email at awkena@knust.edu.gh.