News

The ongoing global loss of biodiversity makes it increasingly necessary to quickly record and analyze genetic information of endangered species. The LOEWE Center for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (LOEWE-TBG) and the Department of Human Genetics at the Bioscientia Institute for Medical Diagnostics GmbH in Ingelheim am Rhein have recorded and analyzed the complete genome of a greyhound in less than a week in a collaborative project - an advance that could have a lasting impact on genome research in species and biodiversity conservation. The study was published in the specialist journal “GigaByte”.

A new technology was used in the analysis of the greyhound genome, which was carried out jointly by the Bioscientia Institute and the LOEWE Center TBG: entire genomes are sequenced very precisely and in long sections, so-called “long reads”. Using the example of the greyhound, one of the fastest land animals, this was achieved in record time. This is not only a technical success, but was also initiated as a symbolic project to meet the challenge of species extinction. The new cooperation between the Bioscientia human geneticists and the researchers at the LOEWE Center TBG sets a new standard and provides an effective tool for biodiversity research.

Rapid analysis results are increasingly important for the protection of endangered species, as time is now a decisive factor in view of the rapid loss of biodiversity. “With such projects, we can quickly make important genetic information available for endangered species. This not only helps us to understand their evolutionary adaptations, but also to develop targeted conservation measures,” reports Dr. Carola Greve, Head of Laboratory at the LOEWE Center TBG. In addition to the greyhound project, a joint study by the two research partners on the endangered garden dormouse will soon be published. Numerous other joint sequencing projects are already underway.

Publication in GigaByte:

https://doi.org/10.46471/gigabyte.134