Success Story #2

Sockeye and SARS - at BC Cancer Agency

In 2002 Dr. Steven Jones and his team at the BC Cancer Agency developed a Java software application called Sockeye designed to assemble, view and align comparative genomic information in a 3D environment. Use of this software program resulted in the successful sequencing of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus genome to international acclaim. 

After release of the information that the SARS genome had been sequenced, Dr. Jones was inundated with requests for the Sockeye software program.  The question then became one of how to effectively get the software into the hands of researchers at other institutions on a non-commercial basis and also license it to companies for commercial use.

On August 23, 2003, Sockeye was made available to the public on Flintbox® through a license download.  As of September 1, 2006, there have been 4,352 views of the technology description and 1,693 consummated “click-wrap” licenses.  This is the highest number of licenses to date for a research project posted to Flintbox®. 

“WestLink has been a great partner for Flintbox®, helping to evangelize and promote the product to the WestLink membership. It was partially through WestLink’s support of Flintbox® that we were able to secure the initial financing we needed to build a scalable version and turn it into a national network. WestLink has continued to help with communication and has assisted with training to its membership.”

(Author’s note – this was $250,000 from CANARIE)
Steve Smith, President, Flintbox®