BC Aquatic Centre offers new genomic tools for BC salmon farmers
November 12, 2019
By ANA staff
Salmon producers in British Columba will now have access to innovative DNA sequencing at the British Columbia Centre of Aquatic Health Sciences (BC-CAHS).
BC-CAHS and Elanco Animal Health Inc. has acquired a MinION Sequencer at the BC-CAHS laboratory in Campbell River, B.C.
This genome sequencing tool offers rapid pathogen detection and high-precision genome characterization of single organisms and complex samples. This testing will provide salmon farmers additional insight into pathogenicity, strain diversity, phylogenomic evolution and spatial distribution of microorganisms.
“The MinION sequencer allows BC-CAHS to quickly generate a high volume of valuable information to support Elanco Aqua’s global pathogen screening program and research efforts,” said Jose Rodrguez, global technical services manager at Elanco Aqua.
In the past, BC-CAHS’s limited resources resulted in high costs and extensive turnarounds to outsource genomic analysis for industry stakeholders. With the MinION Sequencer now fully validated and available at the Campbell River lab, BC-CAHS genomic analysis will be conducted in-house and lower costs.
The MinION Sequencer was first developed at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. Its applications range from microbial identification, viral and bacterial phylogenomics, population genomics, metagenomics and monitoring of antibiotic resistance.
