A grant has been awarded to Cornell University for a Roche 454 Genome Sequencer FLX. This new DNA sequencing instrument will enable creative research with potential for breakthrough discoveries. The 454 system enables massively parallel DNA sequence detection and analysis. The instrument will be operated by the Cornell University Life Sciences Core Laboratories Center as a university-wide shared research resource, which will enable cost effective access to this new technology. The instrument will be used for whole genome assembly, sequencing of targeted regions, mutation detection, genotyping, and genome-wide measurements of gene expression and gene regulation. The instrument will be an essential tool in research that includes studies on genetic markers for improved crop breeding, bacterial and fungal pathogens capable of causing disease in plants and animals, insecticide and fungicide resistance, the regulation of metabolism and of the immune response, the regulation of fertility, flowering and fruit ripening in plants, and genome level regulation of crop biomass.
This grant will place state-of-the-art sequencing technology into university research and education programs. The 454 instrument will be part of outreach programs that facilitate the integration of research activities into the teaching of science at the high school, undergraduate and graduate educational levels. The instrument will expand shared resources for research and research training, stimulate use of a new technology by researchers and students, and foster the development of new sequencing research applications. The 454 instrument will play a crucial role in advancing knowledge and understanding in a wide variety of life science research.
