Vancouver, BC – The economically important, environmentally sensitive Atlantic salmon species is one step closer to having its genome fully sequenced, thanks to an international collaboration involving researchers, funding agencies and industry from Canada, Chile and Norway.
Genome BC partnered with the Chilean Economic Development Agency, InnovaChile, Norwegian Research Council, Norwegian Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund to form the International Cooperation to Sequence the Atlantic Salmon Genome (the Cooperation).
Together they are well underway on a multi-million dollar, multi-phased project that will produce a genome sequence that identifies and maps all of the genes in the Atlantic salmon genome and can act as a reference/guide sequence for the genomes of other salmonids (e.g. Pacific salmon, rainbow trout and more distantly related fish such as smelt and pike.)
Phase one of the project was awarded to Beckman Coulter Genomics to produce a 4X coverage genome using paired-end, plasmid, fosmid and BAC Sanger sequences. It is expected that this phase will be complete in January, 2011.
The Cooperation is gearing up for phase two which will result in a high definition and well-annotated genome using primarily next generation sequencing technologies. The Cooperation is seeking interested parties (publically or privately funded genome sequencing centres, or public/private partnerships) to undertake phase two.
Those wishing to express interest in phase two of the project need to do so by June 26, 2010. See www.genomebc.ca/partners/international-collaborators/ for complete details and contact information. Interested parties will be invited to attend a workshop in September in Toronto, Canada to present an approach to accomplishing the goal.
