Roche Supports the Smithsonian's National Zoo with next-generation sequencing instrument
Roche and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Washington have announced a collaborative agreement to use Roche's GS Junior benchtop sequencing system for research in SCBI's Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics.
SCBI's genetics laboratory, based at the National Zoo in Washington, will house the next-generation sequencing instrument and will use its deep DNA sequencing powers for a variety of research projects in areas of animal disease resistance, population genetics and molecular ecology.
Researchers at SCBI plan to use the GS Junior System's DNA sequencing technology to gain deeper insight into the genetics of dangerous pathogens that threaten animal species.
Specific projects include: Sequencing strains of the deadly amphibian chytrid fungus that has devastated amphibian populations worldwide.
Sequencing highly pathogenic strains of the elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus (EEHV1).
Sequencing invasive avian malaria strains that are devastating most species of native Hawaiian birds.
‘The power of next-generation sequencing is remarkable,’ said Rob Fleischer, head of SCBI's Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics.
‘The system is perfectly sized for our research and the long read lengths are critical to our particular areas of focus in pathogen detection and viral/bacterial comparative genomics.’
