Sequencing
The Genome Sciences Centre sequencing platform is a high-throughput large-scale DNA analysis facility that has been designed to maximize capacity while maintaining efficiency, scalability and flexibility. The platform is the largest platform of its type in Canada and is well recognized internationally.
Current production scale capabilities of the capillary based platform include fosmid end sequencing, PCR amplicon sequencing, shotgun sequencing for whole genome analysis, EST sequencing for gene discovery, full length cDNA sequencing, and BAC end sequencing. We have six AB 3730xls and one AB 3100 yielding a capacity of 42,000 lanes per week, or approx 34 million Q20 bases per week. The pipeline has a DNA prep capacity of approximately 50,000 preps per week. The GSC sequencing platform prides itself on its flexibility and molecular biology enabling PCR, BAC, fosmid and plasmid DNA preps and several optimized reaction chemistries, allowing us to provide high-quality, high-yield, consistent data generation.
More information on the Illumina Platform and SOLiD Platform.
We provide an amplicon sequencing service for high-quality, high-throughput targeted DNA sequencing from PCR primer design all the way through to SNP and indel reporting. The platform also has expertise in vector construction and library construction and has produced numerous vector derivatives and genomic libraries in support of the above activities.
The sequencing lab is supported by comprehensive QA/QC in both the laboratory and bioinformatic pipelines. A maintenance and calibration dedicated technician is an integral part of the team. Our in house LIMS enables comprehensive sample and reagent tracking. We also have dedicated technical development personnel and a systems support team. In addition, we have PhD level engineering for in house pipeline improvements.
The platform provides access to multiple projects of varying size and location from local to worldwide, more than 2000 libraries have been sequenced since 2003. These projects cover a large variety of species as well as human disease focused resequencing, in particular cancer. The sequencing platform is continuously utilized for the production of sequence data on several important Genome British Columbia and Genome Canada projects. Some of the largest projects that we are currently involved in include Conifer Forestry Health genomics research with the goal of characterizing spruce and poplar genes involved in pathogen defense and wood formation, as well as genomics research on atlantic salmon and other salmonids for the purpose of genetic analysis of quantitative traits of aquaculture interest. We have also been involved in large scale resequencing of mountain pine beetle as well as bovine transcripts.
Our sequencing accomplishments can be viewed in our Publications.