Researchers have developed a new technology, termed anchored hybrid enrichment, that allows a set of genes to be isolated and sequenced in a broad range of species (e.g., vertebrates or insects) with minimal preexisting genomic resources. The purpose of the proposed work is to perform market assessments and technology developments to expand beyond the current academic research market into future commercial pharmaceutical and agricultural markets. Anchored hybrid enrichment integrates emerging technologies (e.g., high-throughput sequencing and hybrid enrichment) and leverages existing genomic resources in order to enable a 100-fold increase in the rate that DNA sequence data can be collected in non-model species. This new approach opens the door for highly efficient surveys of genetic variation across diverse species. The innovation developed in this proposal has the potential to advance biodiversity research by releasing two major bottlenecks: limited availability of genetic markers in non-model systems and low sample throughput. Anchored enrichment may also open the door for a new high-throughput mining approach to pharmaceutical discovery and increased efficiency of insecticides for agriculture applications.
Anchored hybrid enrichment is quickly becoming the gold standard in biodiversity research because it allows large amounts of data to be collected in non-model species and because it reduces the cost of doing research by 100-fold. This approach to data collection could greatly increase the ability of researchers to answer important biological questions in non-model species. Application of the innovation to pharmaceuticals has the potential to greatly increase the rate at which new drugs can be discovered by providing access to novel genetic variants that already exist in nature. Finally, application of the anchored hybrid enrichment technology to agriculture may allow for the development of more efficient insecticides by providing genetic information for a broad array of agricultural pest species. This can result in lower costs and faster time to market, improved outcomes, higher quality and yields for genetically-engineered products.
Through this project, the commercialization potential of a new method for isolating genes for DNA sequencing was both evaluated and enhanced. After one academic researcher and one graduate student were trained in entrepreneurship through the I-Corps program, the commercialization potential of the technology was assessed through over 70 potential customer interviews, a market analysis, and the development of a business plan that included evaluation of both anticipated costs and throughput. Two key markets were identified: academic research and agricultural development. During the customer interviews, it was determined that the majority of academic researchers working in biodiversity studies would prefer to outsource the collection of DNA sequence data for their studies. This project also identified a key need of some agricultural researchers: the ability to efficiently isolate and sequence suites of genes related to pest management and other important components affecting agricultural output. Through several pilot studies, the commercialization potential of the technology was enhanced substantially. In one study, the capacity for the technology to be applied to a wide variety of flowering plants (including many crop species) was greatly increased. In a second study, the process upon which the technology is based was substantially enhanced, resulting in a 5-fold decrease in the cost to isolate target genes and a 5-fold increase in the rate at which sample can be processed. These enhancements will substantially increase the value of the technology. The results of these studies were disseminated to hundreds of academic researchers through conference presentations in the United States, Europe, and Australia. Two patent applications have also been submitted as part of this project. The intellectual merit of the work includes the development of a novel pipeline for sample processing that decreases the cost and increases that cost of DNA-related research. Successful development of this new method involved implementation and testing of new laboratory protocols and the generation and testing of new computer programs for data analysis. The Broader impacts of this work includes the creation of new laboratory and analysis infrastructure that is likely to be important in accelerating future studies of biodiversity and agriculture, the professional development of over 10 academic researchers, and the development of budding collaborations between academic research labs and corporations.
