Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

New DNA sequencing methods have revolutionized the biological sciences by allowing researchers and clinicians to quickly and accurately sequence the entire genome of a single organism, analyze whole communities of microbial genomes, contrast the genomes of tumours and healthy tissues, and carry out a broad array of genome-based analyses that were previously considered to be far too slow, expensive, or difficult to even consider attempting. In the last 10 years, these new genome sequencing instruments have quickly developed from exotic and expensive curiosities into commonplace and affordable pieces of equipment. For example, the first human genome sequences were produced by industrial-scale research collaborations and cost billions of dollars, whereas human genomes can now be sequenced on desktop instruments in a week or two for thousands of dollars. Such capabilities will soon be a standard part of the tool kit of 21st century biologists. The widespread use of these new instruments in all areas of biological research across the developed world means that Canadian researchers must have ready access to such methods and the extraordinary amount of genomic information that they produce: without such capabilities, Canadian researchers will quickly fall behind their competitors in the race to develop genome-based approaches to problems in diverse areas from conservation genetics to personalized medicine. The most important consequence of this lost access will be a relative decline in the quality of training for graduate students and postdocs in leading-edge methods for genomic analysis in biology. In this application, a diverse group of SFU researchers using genetic and genomic methods in basic and applied research propose the purchase of a new genome analyzer. This affordable, desktop instrument will provide flexible, cost-effective, and timely access to genome sequencing capabilities that will replace some current traditional sequencing in our research groups, complement our uses of large-scale high-throughput genome sequencing services off-campus, and open up possibilities for new research and for high-quality training in genomic methods and data analysis.