CANADA 150 SEQUENCING INITIATIVE

To commemorate the 150th Birthday of Canada in 2017 and to lay the foundation of Canadian excellence in research for the next 150 years, Canada’s Genomics Enterprise (CGEn) and its partners are embarking upon the Canada 150 Sequencing Initiative (CanSeq150). The aim is to sequence 150 new genomes to support sequence-based genomics research in Canada by enabling future research in biodiversity and conservation, applications in breeding and biomedicine, as well as technology development, across Canada.

The genomes to be sequenced will be chosen by allowing the research community to nominate and present a case for their species of choice, in a rapid peer-reviewed, competitive process. The results of the competitive review will be made public after the completion of the selection process, along with some genomes proposed by CGEn scientists and collaborators. The genome sequences generated will be made available to researchers worldwide through the most relevant databases (Darwin Tree of Life) including the newly announced Canadian Genomic Cloud resource.

Species that our group work include LogPerch, YellowPerch, Atlantic Whitefish, American Eel, Brook Trout, White Sturgeon and Furbish’s Lousewort and Lake trout (recent article here). The samples arrive as tissue, cells or blood, then we do high-molecule weight DNA extraction and prepare the libraries. The libraries are sequenced with Nanopore technology.