Using DNA barcodes against the wildlife black market

While recent news of giant clams (Tridacna gigas) being harvested in the disputed Scarborough Shoal drew massive outrage online, it was only the latest low point in the dark history of wildlife exploitation in the region. A poignant series of cases also happened here in 2013 and 2014, this time involving pangolins or “scaly anteaters,” which have been described as the most trafficked animals in the world.

Cracking the genomes of marine & non-model organisms: novel approaches for correcting, assembling and scaffolding genomic data using de Bruijn graphs and Hi-C contact maps

For a very long time, most bioinformatic tools for handling genome data have been geared toward haploid (or diploid but nearly homozygous) organisms such as humans, bacteria and laboratory strains of model species. As a result, these tools often perform very badly on highly heterozygous diploid or polyploid organisms, which is the case of many non-model and/or marine species.

PGC explores more linkage opportunities with foreign experts

Pals visited the PGC yesterday, March 28th, to see its core facilities and to talk about setting up assays for clinical testing, interpreting genetic testing services, and variant interpretations. He also met with Dr. Cynthia Saloma, PGC executive director; Dr. Raul Destura, PGC health program director; and Dr. Alexander Young, PGC research professor, to discuss the center’s readiness for genetic testing services.