Philippine Genome Center Collaborative Projects, DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Featured, News

FREE AMR sample sequencing by PGC DNA Sequencing

The DNA Sequencing Core Facility (DSCF) in partnership with Golden Bat and QIAGEN is conducting a FREE sequencing of AMR samples from April 17-19, 2023.
Interested participants shall write a one-page rationale on why they need their sample/s sequenced and send it to dnasequencing@pgc.up.edu.ph with the subject: AMR Sequencing [Entry]_Affiliation_Name
Deadline for entries is on March 31, 2023. For more information, contact Ma. Celeste S. Abad at msabad@up.edu.ph or dnasequencing@pgc.up.edu.ph and/or call 981-8500 loc. 4707
Details on how to send accepted samples will follow.

Philippine Genome Center DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Featured, Seminars

Unlock the promise of genomics through HiFi sequencing

The DNA Sequencing Core Facility together with Noveaulab will be hosting a seminar on February 17, 2023, “PacBio Seminar: Unlock the promise of genomics through HiFi sequencing”

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2023
Time: 1:00 PM Philippine Standard Time
Type: Onsite

Dr. Zuwei Qian, PacBio Director of Marketing for the APAC region will be the presenting the following topics:
HiFi reads: a new era for metagenome analysis
The long and short of it: PacBio sequencing for precision medicine

Philippine Genome Center Core Facility for Bioinformatics, DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Featured, News

PGC SARS-CoV-2 Bulletin No. 8: Detection of the first 500 SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant in the Philippines

This variant, with its more than 30 mutations in the Spike region is hypothesized to be over twice as infectious and twice more likely to escape current vaccines than the Delta variant. Currently, Omicron consists of four (4) phylogenetic lineages: the main lineage B.1.1.529 and its three (3) sublineages: BA.1, BA.2, and BA.3. Based on global statistics, BA.1 is the predominant Omicron lineage being detected worldwide, but a recent increase in the proportion of BA.2 cases has also been observed.

Philippine Genome Center Core Facility for Bioinformatics, DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Featured, News, Symposia

GxB CON 2021: Overcoming Challenges, Building Opportunities

The Philippine Genome Center (PGC) is hosting the Genomics and Bioinformatics Conference 2021 on December 7-9, themed Overcoming Challenges, Building Opportunities—the 3-day conference will consist of talks from experts in health, agriculture, livestock, and fisheries as well as in biodiversity, ethnicity, and forensics.

Philippine Genome Center Core Facility for Bioinformatics, DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Featured, Publications

Detection and Genome Sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Belonging to the B.1.1.7 Lineage in the Philippines

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease that has gained pandemic status from the World Health Organization, with millions of cases and deaths recorded worldwide. This global health crisis is caused by the virus referred to as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a member of the genus Betacoronavirus (Coronaviridae), together with the causative agents of the first SARS outbreak in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012.

Philippine Genome Center Core Facility for Bioinformatics, DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Featured, Health, News

PGC SARS-CoV-2 Bulletin No. 7: Detection and characterization of a new SARS-CoV-2 lineage P.3, with spike protein mutations E484K, N501Y, P681H and LGV 141-143 deletion, from samples sequenced through the intensified UP-PGC, UP-NIH and DOH biosurveillance program

A close examination of the mutation profile of the P.3 viruses revealed that apart from E484K and N501Y, they also share other spike protein mutations that are likely to have functional significance (Figure 2). This includes the P681H mutation, also found in lineage B.1.1.7 viruses, as well as a three-amino acid deletion at positions 141 to 143 (LGV141_143del).

Philippine Genome Center Core Facility for Bioinformatics, DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Featured, Health, News

PGC SARS-CoV-2 Bulletin No. 6: First case of the new variant under Lineage B.1.1.7 detected in the Philippines

Through the biosurveillance efforts of the UP – Philippine Genome Center (PGC), in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH) – Epidemiology Bureau and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) Task Force on COVID-19 Variants,  we report the first confirmed case of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage, more commonly known as the UK variant, in the Philippines. An announcement of this finding can be found in an official DOH press release dated January 13, 2021.

Philippine Genome Center Core Facility for Bioinformatics, DNA Sequencing Core Facility, Featured, Health, Philippine Genome Center

PGC SARS-CoV-2 Bulletin No. 5: New Variants from UK and South Africa NOT detected in 305 local viral samples

Recently, new SARS-CoV-2 variants were detected in the United Kingdom and South Africa with multiple spike protein mutations that may cause substantial changes in certain properties of the virus. These observations spurred biosurveillance efforts in different countries, with some countries outside of the UK and South Africa already reporting the presence of these new variants within their territories. The data presented in this report is part of our own continuing biosurveillance efforts to track the entry of these new variants in the country, as well as other viral mutations that may be of concern locally.