Bio Saga Blog - A Chronicle of Life Sciences & Informatics

Initiating sequencing of a set of 60 closely related human genomes to identify novel genetic information relevant to cancer, metabolic and neurological disorders. Through this project, Avesthagen intends to establish a direct link between genes, genetics and the disorders themselves.  The study, led by Avesthagen, a life sciences company based in Bangalore, is being carried out in partnership with Genome Enterprise Limited, a subsidiary of The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC) on the Norwich Research Park..   The TGAC team, specialists in DNA sequencing and bioinformatics, will use the SOLiD™ 4 next generation sequencing platform from Applied Biosystems, part of Life Technologies, to generate draft sequence, and will collaborate with the Avesthagen’s own bioinformatics experts to analyze and interpret the sequence data It is known that many genes on the human chromosomes may be involved during the manifestation of the above disorders. However, the power of present technologies to...

The UK's Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council will manage a new grant program that will use £20 million ($31.7 million) to fund a range of research projects in the UK and India aimed at improving food security in the developing world, according to BBSRC. Funded by BBSRC, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Department for International Development, and the Indian Department of Biotechnology, the new initiative will award grants to support research approaches, which could include genomics, to improve the sustainability of food crops. The funding under the  Sustainable Crop Production Research for International Development Initiative  will be awarded to research teams that can show how their work may improve food security and boost crop sustainability within the next five-to-10 years. The new initiative will place particular emphasis on improving the "sustainable production of staple food crops across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia," Sam Dryde...

A team of UK researchers, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), has publicly released the first sequence coverage of the wheat genome. The release is a step towards a fully annotated genome and makes a significant contribution to efforts to support global food security and to increase the competitiveness of UK farming. The genome sequences released comprise five read-throughs of a reference variety of wheat and give scientists and breeders access to 95% of all wheat genes. This is among the largest genome projects undertaken, and the rapid public release of the data is expected to accelerate significantly the use of the information by wheat breeding companies. The team involved Prof Neil Hall and Dr Anthony Hall at the University of Liverpool, Prof Keith Edwards and Dr Gary Barker at the University of Bristol and Prof Mike Bevan at the John Innes Centre, a BBSRC-funded Institute. The genome data released are in a 'raw' format, comprisin...